This is the second week of Fading Heat. Every two weeks, we will move into another
season in the 24 Japanese Seasons HERE.
This week: Your writing invitation is to choose one of the 24 Forms for your poem.
You can use the kigo words and phrases from the Part I challenge post HERE, or you
can use the phrases I’ve created below:
Below are three kigo phrases for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Use one
kigo phrase in each of your three poems in whatever order you’d like. You can use
the Japanese words if you wish.
🍁 Northern Hemisphere:
- #1: “remaining heat (zansho, early autumn).
- #2: “Milky Way (amanogawa, early autumn). Literal translation: River of Heaven”
- #3: “mackerel clouds (iwashigumo, all autumn).” see the image above ☝️
For Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday prompt
Adding a haibun for American Haijin, host of dVerse’s Haibun Monday’s prompt,
Frank J. Tassone who says, “Wherever you are, & however you’re inspired, savor the
seasonal shift most relevant to you. Then write a haibun that alludes to seasonal shift
as you see it.
New to haibun? The form consists of one to a few paragraphs of prose—usually
written in the present tense—that evoke an experience and are often non fictional / autobiographical.
They may be preceded or followed by one or more haiku—nature-based, using a seasonal image—that complement without directly repeating what the prose stated.”
*
***
Up there where waterfalls begin, sunflower fields writhe in the chill. But they look
happy for having lived a season among Hinoki, oaks, maples and pine trees, silver
birches, and bamboo groves. Now the maples, their crowns blushed, start announcing
the shift to the new season. Over the bubbling promenade of streams, red
dragonflies dip as close to it as the water allows and come to land on the
sunflowers–their feet cold and dripping wet.
#1 less often I wipe
sweat beading on my forehead
from remaining heat
*
#2 Lucy in the sky
Kenji in the Milky Way
home in time for brunch
*
#3 iwashigumo
reliable forecaster:
volatile weather
Copyright ©️ selmamartin
Kigo phrases suggested by Colleen. xo
Thanks for reading.
- Two Cures for Love: Poem by Wendy Cope - September 17, 2024
- For The Birds: A Reblog from September 2021 - September 16, 2024
- Giving Back: Insight Into One Poem Shared with Author Lauren Scott - September 15, 2024
You can never go wrong with tanka and haibun plus, you’re a wonderful writer and poet, Selma
You gift me smiles. Thank you 🤗
life shifts and changes over time, no stopping it. well done
The truth. All this shifting. Never bored. Thanks Beth.
love your poems but those fish eyes on the plate got me.. lol 🙀😹
Sorry ‘bout that… bless you dear Cindy
HI Selma, I love the blushing maples. I am sure you are glad the summer is coming to an end. Your haikus are all gorgeous.
Giddy. Bubbling over really. 🙃 these summers are too hot. Glad I survived this one Bless you Robbie
That is great to know.
What a wonderful haibun and poetry. You’ve given such authentic touch to your poetry
This comment warms my heart. Thanks so much Sadje. Happy you liked it. 🥹
You’re welcome my friend
Sweet Sadje. Thanks. 🙏
🥰🥰🥰
You had me with the blushing maples and the mackerel clouds! I enjoyed your photos. Autumn is almost here! I’m giddy with happiness. LOL!
Giddy with happiness. 🥹 😁
Repeat because it’s worth repeating: You know, having this awareness of what’s going on with the seasons made it soooooo exciting for me this year. Thanks to these weekly writes you AND MARK provide us. And the podcast. Godsend. Let’s slide into
the new season
overflowing with the giddies 🤣 🤭🤡
thank you, Colleen 🤗
Thanks for this beautiful and uplifting post, Selma.
I live in a high-desert climate, and the season has been stuck in super-hot for too long. It’s too early for it to begin to shift yet, but today we finally have some less hot weather. It’s a heavenly hint of autumn to come. Hugs.
Hey Teagan. So happy you read my sweet. Stuck. That must be hard. I hope you have great ways to survive it. This stuck phenomena is no joke. Please take care of YOU.
bless you in all you do. 🤗
I like #2 especially. (K)
Aww. Thanks for liking that one K. 🤗
BTW, Night on the Galactic Railroad, sometimes translated as Milky Way Railroad, Night Train to the Stars or Fantasy Railroad in the Stars, is a classic Japanese fantasy novel by Kenji Miyazawa written around 1927. The nine-chapter novel was posthumously published in 1934 as part of Complete Works of Kenji Miyazawa.
Source: Wikipedia.
That’s how I thought of Kenji in the Milky Way 😊
(Thanks for the comment, K. Bless you)
That sounds like a book my daughter would love. I will keep it in mind for a future gift.
I love the imagery of your haibun, Selma. So visual! “Their crowns blushed” is a wonderful way to mention the change.
I’m happy you read and liked Balroop. 👋 thanks so much 🤗
Thanks dearly Raj. 🤗
Beautiful photos. Nice poem written you, Selma
Thanks dearly Raj. 🤗
Most welcome my dearest,Selma!
Happy you liked.
Thanks! 😊
I love that you began with two of my favourite things, Selma: waterfalls and sunflower fields – so sad that their time has passed. But those maples, ‘their crowns blushed’, are like a last hurrah. All three haiku are delightful, but I identify with the first one.
It has been so hot 🥵 I swear a lot this summer.
Happy you identified with #1. 👏🏽 and liked other things. I feel blessed. Thanks always Kim. 😚
My pleasure, Selma!
Sweat. I mean sweat. I don’t cuss. 🤪 blessing.
Beautiful 🩷
Thanks dear Lesley
I love your post beautiful photos and so much information. This week you have given me a new perspective on Sunflowers. I always think they look so sad this time of year. You have sad they are happy to have lived their season …and now they seed new life…. That is beautiful… thank you 💜😍
Hey Willow. Life is beautiful. Even if lived for only one season I’m sure the sunflowers, with their sunny disposition that entices us humans, are happy. Glad you now think them beautiful instead of being sad for them. Be well my friend. 🤗
The notes of autumn touch every ear. Lovely poems, Selma.
So happy it reached yours, Lisa. Blessings.
Your writing is just lovely, Selma. This is beautiful.
Aww, Diana. You gift me a smile. Thanks so much. 🤗
😀
Hi Selma, I loved the image of the ‘blushing maples’ and the dragon fly with its feet wet perching on the sunflowers. Your poetry is delicate and so full of pretty imagery.
You’re sweet for reading dear friend. Thanks. Blessings.
Beautiful post yet again!! Congrats, Muriel