Haiku: Watch A Blade Of Grass...

"The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself." Henry Miller 

Haiku: Watch A Blade of Grass -  Above is a blade of flowering Zoysia Grass

Watch a blade of grass
Dancing gaily in the wind
Teeming, green with life

Cut a blade of grass
Leaking all its life, turns brown
One perspective? Death

Nurture all our grass
Planting, feeding, in season
What we sow, love grows

 This week, the prompt is: Grass

What is a haiku?
 As Leo of Haiku Heights aptly explains, a haiku is a three line poem. It shows what the author wants us to understand from it, rather than tell it directly. The limitation to a haiku is seventeen syllables. It can be at maximum, that much. If you wish to go by the traditional Japanese structure even with English haiku, you can use a 5-7-5 syllable, or 3-5-3 syllable structure





In addition to the weekly Haiku Heights piece above, I have joined the haiku poets of Carpe Diem to work on writing Ten Renga.  According to Kristjaan of Carpe Diem, "a Tan Renga is a short-linked poem which has two stanza, the first stanza has 5-7-5 syllables (the haiku assigned) and the second stanza has 7-7 syllables (I write it). The second stanza is a response on the first and has to have a 'kind of link' with the first stanza, but it can also be completely different say 'a kind of reaction or answer' on the first, but there always has to be, in some way, a 'link' with the first stanza." 
See more on this form of haiku below.  




"To us also, through every star, through every blade of grass, is not God made visible if we will open our minds and our eyes." Thomas Carlyle 

Haiku: Watch A Blade of Grass - Above is a Bay Willow Leaf

 Tan Renga Haiku

even candent days
cannot drive the willow leaves
from their homing place  (by Magical Mystical Teacher)

As autumn shades summer days
Willow, like grass, fades away (by Me)


 shedding summer skin
willow floats downstream
reflecting season's end  (by Maggie Grace)

Lingering blades of grass know…
What we sow with love, will grow (by Me)

 
  Today, the words are:  Tan Renga:, MMT's ''even candent days'', and Maggie's ''shedding summer skin''

What is Carpe Diem?  Blog Owner, Kristjaan Panneman,  describes it as:  "a weblog on haiku. It's a new daily haiku meme where you can write a classical or non-classical haiku on a given prompt. Haiku is an ancient Japanese poetry form. A haiku has three short lines and describes a short moment (as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water). Mostly a haiku counts 5-7-5 syllables and is sometimes called 'counted verse."





The idea in the haiku above is to write the second stanza of an assigned incomplete Tan Renga, by making an association with the theme of the first stanza. For this exercise, I have copied and pasted two assigned first stanzas from Maggie Grace and Magical Mystical Teacher. I have included my second stanzas below theirs to complete the idea. Does this clarify what a Tan Renga means/does in a haiku? If unclear, please ask questions and I'll clarify. What are your thoughts on the subject? What do you see in nature that reminds you to nurture?

Haiku: Watch a blade of Grass - Above is moving lawncare grass in GIF

Some Food for Thought: How do you view the concept of nature and nurture in your life? Take a moment to contemplate what the words Grass and the message of the Tan Renga mean to you?   Love and Peace in 2013.

I would love to hear from you: Please leave me a comment. Thank You!

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS:

Ten Renga Haiku by Magical Mystical Teacher(MMT) on Willow
More Carpe Diem Tan Renga: "even candent days."
Final two lines © 2013 by Me - E. Obih-Frank

Ten Renga Haiku by Maggie Grace of “Falling into Me”
More Carpe Diem Tan Renga: “Shedding Summer Skin”
Final two lines © 2013 by Me - E. Obih-Frank

All Photographs: Grass, Zoysia Grass,  Willow Leaf,  Weeping Willow, and/or Lawncare Grass, via Wikipedia, or from my personal collection.


 Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet