Hello my Partners-in-Crime Poets! It is Haibun Monday once again. Today I want you all to write me a haibun about why you write the style of poetry you write. Not why you write poetry, but the why of your style. We all have a style that we write or a subject we seem to write about more consistently than others.
Why do you write about dark angry relationships when you are in the most happy and well balanced of relationships? Why do you write Japanese format poetry? Why do you turn every prompt into something political? Why do you write about rose petal soft romance? We all of us have our comfort zone.
What I would like is a haibun about the why. AND I would like for you to write the haibun in non-classic style in your style of poetry. I don’t want a political rant, I want the why of your style. I don’t want a senryu, I want the why. Yes, this one is a bit hard. But I think you all can do it.
By now you know I write mainly haiku – why? Because I like short, to the point,snapshot of a moment in nature. Because I admire the spare style with no metaphors or similes. Perhaps you write metaphor heavy. Then write me a why of your style in your style. I am breaking the rules of this part of the bun of the haibun – the style.
I am not however breaking the rule of the haiku ending. After your style of why you write the way you do, I want you to end the haibun with a classic haiku. Not a 17 syllable three line poem – a haiku with a season word or phrase that gives us the exact when of your haibun. Please….give me a season word or phrase. Not just a 17 syllable micropoem. Your bun section can be in any style. BUT – Give me a classic haiku to end it. Seasons and nature are all around us all of the time.
Give me season words: pumpkin, apple, sleet, Virgo, hot day, golden wheat, red leaves…anything that tells us the when. This is a haiku:
summer clouds drifting
sudden rain falls – ditches flood –
cooling the hot grass
This is not a haiku:
stars glisten at night.
silent as dust light falls
upon us everyone
Season words in the first haiku. No season words in the second senryu or micropoem.
If you write using rhythm and rhymes, then if you want to, write the haibun in rhythm and rhyme telling us why. If you write constantly of poltics, write the why of it is always political to you and negative to boot! If you make up words and write of the moon, then give us the why in your style. Just….end with a classic haiku. I want the why and the when of your poem. If you write about the English countryside or New York pizzarias or rust, give me the why. I am curious!
The Rules for this Haibun Prompt: 1) why? 2) Make it short – for a poem style haibun, make it 14 or fewer lines plus the three lines for the classic haiku. 3)For the Classic haibun style, make it one tight paragraph plus the classic haiku at the end. Male it real, make it honest, make it funny. And most importantly, the last rule of this haibun prompt: 4) Say thank you to the person who writes in a complimentary fashion of your haibun. When a friend treats you to lunch, do you eat in silence and leave without saying thank you? When someone shares the bounty of their garden, do you take it and walk away without saying thank you?
Link your poem to Mr. Linky (not your entire website but the haibun you wish us to read). Put a link to this post so others can read and enjoy and hopefully, decide to participate. Say Thank you.
Optional: Post a snapshot of you, your dog, a leaf, anything. Haiku is a snapshot of a time in nature. Post a snapshot you took! Doesn’t matter if it relates to the haibun. Just share a little piece of you. Oh and have fun with this!
dVerse 
Good evening everyone and happy Monday. Hope you are well… Toni is not and I do not know when she will swing by… I hope I can serve you something…
A glass of sangria please! 🙂 Hoping Toni feels better very soon 🙂
Here is some Sangria… here I will stick with water… Need to be in shape for tomorrow
It’s haibun Monday! Really like this prompt today, Toni….would be interesting to see, if we covered the name, if we could tell the writer by their haibun today!
It’s a foggy day here in Provincetown on Cape Cod. Rain is predicted for late tonight and into tomorrow…and then a tropical storm with gusting winds for Wednesday. It’s always amazing to watch storms from our window right onto the ocean here…time to honker down with a good book and some poetry reading and writing! 🙂
From what I have read so far I think this might be the best way yet to make the writing personal. Almost reminded me of when we wrote poetry manifesto… one of my favorite prompts so far.
Thanks to both you and Toni, Bjorn! I added something. I don’t know why I write the way I do. Perhaps I could answer why I don’t write in other ways, but that would be for later. I am not sure if my haiku had a season in it. It has the word “seasons”, but I think it has to be more specific and not seasons in general.
Yes to really reflect on why require some thinking… but once I started to I realized it was easy.
Thanks Toni for the lovely haibun challenge ~ This is a bit personal and did require reflection on my part ~
Happy Monday to the dVerse folks and poets ~ I will hit the poetry trail in a bit~
Actually I agree… it soon became very personal, but I do love the results so far.
Wasn’t there a prompt one time when folks were asked to “write in the style” of another dVerse poet? I was new to the group and had no idea what to do…now that was a personal one!
In a way, all haibun are personal as the prose is not supposed to be fiction. Right? I’ve always taken that to mean it must be true….but perhaps I’m off base here and it means it’s supposed to be about nature or something “nonfiction?”
I think being true is not necessarily the same as being personal. But you are right that it should be true…
Hah! I am continually learning in dVerse…….I’ve had it wrong all this time and always made it personal…as in not fiction about myself. There shall now be a new freedom in my haibun! 🙂
This is a very thought-provoking thought. I am interested to see what I, and what we all, come up with.
I am not sure that I figured it out yet for myself.
Many great pieces of prose and haiku so far.
Bedtime here in Sweden… still tired after partying during the weekend.
See you tomorrow Bjorn!
Hi everyone! I am so late back from a school governor meeting that I have only time to post and then I have to go to bed. I am so sorry. I will be up early in the morning to read and comment.
We all need to sleep. In about six hours I will be in the same situation.
Thanks Toni for hosting today. This wasn’t easy but I did my best. (It was difficult from the point of view of having to delve within )……great brief though.
I didn’t find the prompt easy either. I sometimes think I know more what I am not trying to do than what I am trying to do when I write–but I may not know that either. I hope your family stays safe through the coming hurricane Maria and however many more they will have to face.
Thank you , Frank for your kind words. I certainly hope they’ll be alright.
Regarding the prompts- That’s why I join groups- because I’m learning as I go along.
Without the prompts and the motivation to get a poem done I don’t think I would write very much. It is also a learning experience.
Same here! 🙂
Can I get pre-approved for the following Autumn kigo?
Shrike (butcher bird) – mozu Grave visiting – haka mairi Hungry ghosts – gaki 餓鬼
These are from the world kigo database. I can provide links if desired.
I don’t know what an Autumn kigo is, but you have my approval–not that it’s worth much. What are the links? I need to get my haiku into shape as well.
The following is a link to the World Kigo Database, which is a saijiki or “book” of season words. Not sure it is the best reference, but I made sure I used only classical references. By “Autumn kigo” I meant season words (kigo) that signify Autumn. The database is here: https://worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com/
This link found in your link might also be good: http://www.2hweb.net/haikai/renku/500ESWd.html It is the 500 essential Japanese season words.
Yes, that is the standard reference I was using before, but Toni felt it had inaccuracies. I might get the Higgenson saijiki from Amazon if she thinks that is better than the Kigo database.
Toni may be back tomorrow to make a recommendation, but she is out at the moment. Bjorn and I are substituting until she gets back.
Hey, y’all! Barkeep, I’ll have a Ginsingju… with a twist. (I was going to order a Hurricane… but I thought that’d be in bad taste!)
I am substituting at the bar. I have no clue what a Ginsingju, but it is coming right up. You have probably had enough Hurricanes.
Ginsingju is a Korean alcoholic beverage — soju (the national rotgut of choice) with a root of Ginsing soaking in it for God knows how long. The twist serves to make it palatable.
That drink sounds like it would hit the spot. Given the ginsing soaking in the beverage for God knows how long are you sure you don’t want a Hurricane?
It would probably cause less damage!
🙂
Wow was this challenging and I am not sure i did it correctly! I am off to finish commenting on last Haibun Monday’s poems – I am more than half way done – I had a busy week. I will work my way through these over the next few days! Thanks!
I liked what you linked. I am not sure if I got mine right either.
Hello! My mom suggested this wonderful site & community after she spent a few years regularly writing here. I really liked the challenge of my first prompt. I am eager to read through them all and I am so excited to continue writing with you all!
Hello Rachel! So nice to meet you! Welcome to D’verse~
Welcome, Rachel!
Great to have a new poet here… this is a true community and the possibilities to grow your writing is great.
Hi everyone and thank you for this lovely prompt Toni – I hope you are feeling better today. I am late to the bar with my haibun and will swing by to read later tonight xxx
Nice haibun, Xenia!
Thank you Frank :o)
Another fab prompt I missed whilst being in retreat for my birthday. I will endeavor to write for this one too.
Happy birthday, Paul!
Thanks Frank
This was an interesting prompt. Thank you, Toni. I’ll be back to take a poetry break and read others later today!
Nice haibun, Merril!
Thank you, Frank!