I think the title says it all - with today being the final day of National Poetry Month as well as World Tai Chi and Qigong Day (an important day for Morris, my sweetheart, who teaches a myriad of tai chi and qigong classes, and who is therefore running not just one, but TWO World Tai Chi & Qigong Day events which will take most of our day), I am ( Read more... )

Today, a brief introduction to the tanka, which I have in the past referred to as a haiku pulling a trailer ( Read more... )

Since Sunday, I've been putting up posts about haiku, examining the components of what an actual haiku should contain - three lines, short, a little longer, short (not necessarily 5-7-5, although feel free to use that construct); a kigo, or seasonal word; a "turn" or some sort of surprising insight or revelation; a poem based in nature ( Read more... )

Now I should start off by saying that I do not read, speak, or understand Japanese. But I assume it to be a lovely, complex language. And part of a highly literate culture because the Japanese have many, many poetic forms.

Best known may be the haiku. Classic haiku have three lines, with 5, 7, then 5 syllables, make some reference to one of ( Read more... )