Monday, April 4, 2016

Haiku A to Z: C is for Capture


moment in time 2012
"Haiku captures a moment in time, revealing a surprise or evoking a response of aha! or ahhh. This pounce helps the reader awaken and experience the ordinary in an extraordinary way." --Lee Wardlaw

"Captures a moment in time": this is one aspect of haiku that draws me to the form. Catching a moment, an image, in words that in turn offers an invitation to linger over and savor the moment again. Wardlaw says it is to experience the ordinary in an extraordinary way. It's also seeing something seemingly common in an uncommon way, to make a forgettable moment an indelible one, to slow a hectic pace to a pause that encourages wonder.

I didn't realize this when I first started writing haiku. I thought I was simply adhering to a pattern of syllables. Boy, was I wrong. There's a whole world out there that haiku invites one into. I'm captivated!

And so I offer my Day Three Haiku:
cardinal swoops in
to paint red feather strokes on
evergreen canvas
--Kenda Turner
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12 comments:

  1. I'd never thought much about it that way either. This gives haiku an entirely different angle. Glad you brought it up! Also glad you shared your haiku with us. It's very good! :)

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    1. Karen, I find the subject of haiku more and more interesting the more I dig into it--the layers, nuances, and history. It's turning out to be quite the adventure :-) Thanks for stopping by...

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  2. What a fantastic A to Z theme! Thought provoking post, and love love love your haiku!

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    1. Thanks so much, C--and glad you stopped by :-)

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  3. Honored to be quoted, Kendra! If readers are interested, my two haiku books are Won Ton - A Cat Tale Told in Haiku, and its companion Won Ton and Chopstick - A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku. Purrs, Lee

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    1. Lee, I certainly admire your work. You are an inspiration to those of us just getting into the haiku form. Thanks so much for stopping by. I was introduced to you through Caroline Starr Rose's blog a couple of years ago :-)

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  4. Wonderful blog. As a new member of the Haiku Society of America, I have learned that English-language haiku is now longer typically written with a 5-7-5 syllabic structure. Haiku in English has changed over the years, making it more challenging and perhaps more rewarding. (My late mother, Sydell Rosenberg, was a charter member of the HSA in 1968 in NYC.)

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  5. Amy, thanks so much for stopping by and sharing about English-language haiku. What timing! I will be posting about this in a couple of days: 'K is for Key.' I'm finally coming to a better understanding of the difference between English-language haiku and traditional Japanese haiku, though still a fairly new student of the subject :-) I also want to check out the Haiku Society. Nice to know your mother was a charter member, wow. Appreciate your comments...

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  6. Dear Ms. Turner ... Fast forward about two years. H IS FOR HAIKU: A TREASURY OF HAIKU FROM A TO Z, was just released last month (National Poetry Month) by Penny Candy Books. The author: my mother, Sydell Rosenberg, who was a charter member of the Haiku Society of America in 1968 (50 years ago). Sawsan Chalabi is the illustrator who brings out the wit and gently joy and sense of play in this collection. I'm still new to the "ways of haiku," which is such a dynamic and challenging poetic form. But I'm learning ... slowly. And I'm grateful to the KidLit and poetry communities, who have supported my efforts. It's been a long journey to get my mom's haiku for kids published. https://www.pennycandybooks.com/2018/3/14/2018/3/14/h-is-for-haiku

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    1. Amy, in case you check back in I want you to know how excited I am for you to have been able to get your mother's haiku published. I just took a peek at H Is For Haiku on Amazon and it looks like a wonderful book! I'll have to add it to my collection :-) Thanks so much for letting me know about the book's publication...

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