Earth Day

The Starlight Night
LOOK at the stars! look, look up at the skies!
O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air!
The bright boroughs, the circle-citadels there!
Down in dim woods the diamond delves! the elves'-eyes!
The grey lawns cold where gold, where quickgold lies!
Wind-beat whitebeam! airy abeles set on a flare!
Flake-doves sent floating forth at a farmyard scare!--
Ah well! it is all a purchase, all is a prize.
Buy then! bid then!--What?--Prayer, patience, alms, vows.
Look, look: a May-mess, like on orchard boughs!
Look! March-bloom, like on mealed-with-yellow sallows!
These are indeed the barn, withindoors house
The shocks. This piece-bright paling shuts the spouse
Christ home, Christ and his mother and all his hallows.
Gerard Manley Hopkins

¶ Easter wings.

¶ Easter wings.
Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
Though foolishly he lost the same,
Decaying more and more,
Till he became
Most poore:
With thee
Oh let me rise
As larks, harmoniously,
And sing this day thy victories:
Then shall the fall further the flight in me.
My tender age in sorrow did beginne:
And still with sicknesses and shame
Thou didst so punish sinne,
That I became
Most thinne.
With thee
Let me combine
And feel this day thy victorie:
For, if I imp my wing on thine
Affliction shall advance the flight in me

type of poetry

On October 8, 1914, a thirty-six year old woman died of chronic pulmonary tuberculosis in Rochester, New York. One year later, Manas Press published her first (and only) book ofpoetry, Verse. This poet’s name was Adelaide Crapsey, the inventor of the American Cinquain.Crapsey was born in 1878, the third child of an Episcopal clergyman. She graduated from Vassar College, returning to her high school boarding school, Kemper Hall, to teach literature and history. A few years later, while teaching a course entitled, “Poetics: A Critical Study of Verse Forms” at Smith College, she began a study of metrics which led to her invention of the cinquain as we know it.In its simplest dictionary definition, a cinquain is a poem of five lines. Crapsey’s cinquain was more specific, a poem of five lines with a specific syllable count of 2-4-6-8-2, usually iambic. The ideal cinquain for Crapsey was one that worked up to a turn or climax, and then fell back. Similar to the “twist” that often occurs in the final couplet of a sonnet, a cinquain’s “turn” usually occurs during the final, shorter fifth line or immediately before it. Thus, the momentum of a cinquain grows with each subsequent line as another two syllables, usually an ambic foot, is added bringing the poem to a climax at the fourth line, falling back to a two syllable “punch line”.Part of the imagist movement in the early twentieth century, Crapsey wrote her cinquains in precise, natural language with minimal use of adjectives. Although influenced by her study of Asian poetry forms and her translations of Japanese haiku, she titled her cinquains and was not opposed to the use of literary devices such as alliteration and assonance. At some point in the mid-twentieth century, elementary school teachers started using a modified version of the cinquain as a grammar lesson. Instead of syllables, these poems emphasized grammar forms as the criteria for each line. Although useful as a teaching tool, these “didactic” cinquains were never widely published. Recently, there has been a renaissance of cinquain poetry on the internet, of the syllable-patterned form that Crapsey developed. Modern cinquain writers have been refining the form as they experiment, sometimes using resonance between the first and last lines to bring the poem full circle. Many poets writing today’s cinquains draw from their experiences with haiku, effectively using juxtaposition to divide the poem into two halves, which compliment each other with layered meanings.Cinquain poets have also been experimenting with cinquain variations – cinquain sequences (polystanzaic poems made up of cinquain stanzas), crown cinquains (a five stanza cinquain sequence), reverse cinquains (a cinquain with a reverse syllable pattern of 2-8-6-4-2), mirror cinquains (a two stanza cinquain sequence of the pattern 2-4-6-8-2 2-8-6-4-2), and cinquain butterflies (a “merged mirror cinquain” where the two stanzas of a mirror cinquain are merged together, one of the middle 2 syllable lines is dropped, resulting in one nine line stanza of the form 2-4-6-8-2-8-6-4-2). Please note that a cinquain butterfly is not a “cinquain” because it doesn’t have five lines, but it is a “butterfly” made up of two cinquains that were merged together into one poem.Now it is the reader’s turn to experiment. After some practice, the rhythm of a cinquain will begin to feel natural. It is important not to force a poem into the cinquain form but to allow the form and the discipline of its syllable count to grow the poem. Since there are only twenty-two syllables to work with, it’s good practice to avoid the use of unnecessary words and make each syllable count. However, be forewarned – writing cinquains can be addicting! Printed in the SP Quill Quarterly Magazine, Spring 2005, Volume 6. All Rights Reserved. The following examples were also published with this article.Example #1:Turquoise Thoughts
Hammered
silver bracelet,
desert sky turquoise stone -
city-bound but feels sagebrush in
her soul.
Copyright © 2005 Deborah P Kolodji
Example #2:Cherry Blossoms
Cherry
blossoms float on
the afternoon breezes.
Petals fluttering down like snow
in spring.
Copyright © 2005 Marie Summers
Example #3:Joshua Tree
hair spiked,
a crooked stance
in the hot desert sun -
dust in his face, he limps towards
the blue

experience haiku

But it wasn't until five years ago that his curiosity took him on a higin's journey - the path of a Japanese poet. "Poetry is a way of developing clear minds; you need an open mind to see something simple in life and what message it can bring." "This is particularly true in regards to haiku."Baird has published poetry in printed as well as internet magazines. He has written several books of which his most recent is entitled "A Field of Daisies". It's a book of haiku and tanka mixed. From lightheartedness to rich love: to deep loss and to silliness, Baird weaves the reader through wonderful experiences of imagery and pondering.In 2004 and 2005, Baird took 3rd place, respectively, in the Japanese Kusamakura Haiku Championships, a World Haiku Championship. His winning haiku were later published in a Japanese magazine.cherry blossoms flurryin the morning windlanding here and theretwo butterfliescelebrate such love"Tanka's are often love poems shared between lovers", noted Baird. The flurry of cherry blossoms is the fluttering of the lovers' hearts, even when they aren't together. The butterflies are separated by great distances but they still celebrate their love.afternoon shadowa frog jumps overhimself"Haiku attempt to trap the reader's mind in a moment in time, in such a way that there's a revelation or 'ahaa' moment," explained Baird. Here the question is how a frog can jump over himself. One image the reader might conjure is the frog jumping over his shadow - allowing him to jump over himself.oh snailyou were thereyesterday!The imagery, itself, is funny, but this is also a statement of mankind the propensity to continually put off dreams and goals. Here, "The mentor sees his student and is surprised," said Baird. "The student hasn't accomplished of anything since the mentor saw him last."on the beda sleeping dogruns"How can a sleeping dog run?" asked Baird. "The key word is bed." Sleeping on a bed and running - the silly dog is dreaming.meet me my dearestsomewhere in the pastour futureto share once againa perfect loveOne of Don's favorite tanka, the meaning is subtle and complex. The poet is asking his love to return to the past where at one point, was their future. He's asking her to go back and share their future again, a perfect love that they have always had.snowflakes flourishin the winter windtiny angels"There are layers in haiku - readers sit and meditate on what they read, focusing on the image in their mind and what it means," he explains. "There's always something else hidden - subtle meanings." "But they should always say what they say too - right on the surface!"a meadowof purple lilacyour essencedrifts upona subtle breezeHere an image is created of a meadow and the purple lilac reminds the poet of his lover's perfume or beauty. And then her essence drifts to him. She's suddenly there with him, her touch brushing against his skin with a breeze and a feeling in his heart.ah! such pleasuremystery and romanceentwinedin the nightof a cloudy moon"Not all tanka were written by "married' lovers." Baird smiled, a mischievious twinkle in his eyes. "For this man the pleasure was entwined in the mystery of who the woman was, and also the romance." And of course, cloudy nights are the prefect time for 'hidden' meanings.on his nosea koi balancesthe moonHow can a koi balance the moon on his noes? Perhaps it is a reflection in the pond. And who is seeing this, a casual observer or the moon?Baird's poetry touches the minds and hearts of his readers. It causes thought and often deep self reflection.3rd Place 2005Kusamakura International Haiku ChampionshipKyoto sunset-an orange koinibbles the moon3rd Place 2004Kusamakura International Haiku Championshipfrozen pondthe moon sees an old face

nature haiku

I can feel myselfRelaxing as the waterRushes past my feetBirds voice their beautyAs they are gliding overTouching the tree topsAs I look intoThe river water’s mirrorI can see clearlyAt night in the plainsThe crickets practice their songsMating melodiesThe stars shine so brightHeaven can’t be miles awayFor it is right here their people waiting for me

poetry haiku

How to Write a "Haiku" Poem
by Bruce Lansky

Haiku poetry is a very short, centuries-old form of Japanese poetry that is an intriguing change of pace from the kind of rhythmic, rhyming poetry you're used to reading. Haiku is like a photo that captures the essence of what's happening, often connecting two seemingly unrelated things.
Snow melts.Suddenly, the villageis full of children.
(Written by Issa. Translated by Bruce Lansky. Copyright 1999 by Bruce Lansky, reprinted with his permission)

Frog sunning on lily padas dragonfly darts by.Thrapp!
(by Bruce Lansky. Copyright 1999 by Bruce Lansky, reprinted with his permission)
Although traditional haiku are often about nature or the changing seasons, they nonetheless manage to convey emotion. With just a few words, they call attention to an observation and in effect say, "Look at this" or, "Think about this." If they're well written, we can't help but do just that. The haiku calls the reader's attention to the story behind the observation.
Traditional Japanese haiku had a total of seventeen syllables divided into three clumps (or lines):
five syllablesseven syllablesfive syllables
Some teachers think children should be taught to write haiku that conform to these rigid specifications. I disagree. The essence of haiku is the way it describes natural phenomena in the fewest number of words, making an indelible impression on the reader. The artistic effect, to me, is much more important than the number of syllables.
I think the best stimuli for writing haiku are nature hikes, nature photography, or art. Try this: Write down what you see when you go outside for recess or when you go for a walk in the woods over the weekend. Write down your observations on paper (or better yet, record them with a camera). Depending on the season, you might get observations of nature like the following:
leaves blowing in the windsnow piling up on unused doorsducks swimming in a pond during a rainstormthe first buds on tree branches in your backyardthe first daffodil poking it's head through the dirthungry bees buzzing around a flower garden
Next, try to find two images that create a striking impression when connected and write them down. You might get something like this:
After it started to rain, fishermen steered their boats toward the shore. Then, I saw a family of ducks waddle over to the lake and swim across.
OK, now you have to pare the sentence down so it still describes the scene while inviting the reader to marvel at nature. How's this?
Sudden spring storm-a family of ducks paddlesaround the deserted lake.
(Copyright 1999 by Bruce Lansky, reprinted with his permission)
I think that haiku is a lot closer to photography or painting than it is to the kind of humorous poetry I often write. It teaches the power of observation and the importance of editing. You know you've done a good job of editing when the version with the fewest words makes the strongest impression.

haiku are written in three lines to equate to the three parts of a haiku in Japanese that traditionally consist of five, seven, and then five (the Japanese count sounds, not syllables; for example, the word "haiku" itself counts as three sounds in Japanese (ha-i-ku), but two syllables in English (hai-ku), and writing seventeen syllables in English produces a poem that is actually quite a bit longer, with more content, than a haiku in Japanese). sliable at 17