Tall Girl in Japan

Showing posts with label Haiku. Show all posts

Jul 11, 2013

On Writing a Haiku !

Haiku is a form of Poetry very close to my heart. Recently I wrote a short write-up on Haiku on Write Tribe - An excellent site for Writers and Bloggers.

[Haiku is a style of Japanese poetry mainly characterized by its very short format. Like almost all Japanese forms of art, Haiku is inspired by nature. Through Haiku, poets attempt to create an image for an element of nature or an emotion.
The beauty of a Haiku lies in its subtle imagery. Personal experiences or natural beauty is never explicitly described but fleeting natural images or emotions are used to subtly capture a larger scene. A haiku leaves a lot to the reader’s imagination or interpretation.......]

To read the complete Post click on http://writetribe.com/haiku/

We also have a very interesting writing Prompt on Haiku.So hop on over and give it a shot !

H is for Haiku

A haiku is a traditional Japanese poem of 17 Ons (Japanese characters) that are divided into three lines of 5-7-5. Another characteristic of Haiku is that it invokes a imagery and must always include a reference to season in it.
I consider Haiku as one of the most beautiful forms of poetry !
One of the most famous Japanese Haiku poets is Basho. Some of his most celebrated Haikus can be read here.

Here is my Humble attempt in Haiku poetry !

Gulmohar flames

Fireflies glowing amber

Summer fireworks

Some of my other Haikus can be read here

A is for Autumn !

I have always associated Autumn with loneliness and a feeling of melancholy. Its actually a joyous time in India because most of the Indian festivals like Diwali and Durga Puja come in Autumn. Autumn is also when the weather gods bestow us with perfect weather. The unbearable heat wave and the sticky humid months of monsoon are gone and the days are pleasant and mild. The air is crisp with just the hint of the coming winter in it.

In Summer the Gulmohars and Amaltas turn North India into a flamboyant red and yellow and that is followed by the lush greenery of the Monsoons. But come Autumn and the trees turn leafless and bare.The brown leaves falling from the branches always remind me of tired souls drifting down at the end of their lives. The sun is not as bright and darkness starts creeping in earlier and earlier. It seems that by Autumn, even Mother Nature becomes a bit tired and slows down !

This is a picture I took a few years back in Autumn. I suppose you can see the desolation of the coming winter in it !

It reminds me of a Haiku by the famous Japanese poet Basho.

Won't you come

and see loneliness?

Just one leaf on the kiri tree

However Autumn took a whole new meaning for me when I went to Japan and experienced it there for the first time.

Autumn is a glorious time in Japan. The maple leaves turn the whole country into a medley of colors– rust, orange, red, yellow. The colors of Autumn can be experienced even in big cities like Tokyo and Osaka but the true beauty of it can only be seen in the countryside or in places like Kyoto and Nara. Kyoto and Nara are known for their beautiful shrines. The shrines, specially the Shinto shrines are always surrounded by nature so they are usually an oasis of beauty and tranquility at any time but it is in Autumn that their beauty reaches an altogether new level. The whole countryside turns into a palette of colors making the visit to the shrines truly worthwhile.

I remember spending all my weekends in November and early December going to various places to see the splendor of Autumn unfold.There is something unmistakably beautiful in seeing the leaves turn first a translucent green, then a flaming red or orange and then fade to a light yellow.

Here are a few pictures I took about 5 years Back.