It is autumn. The sun is low in the sky, the leaves have turned and winter lies ahead. Here in Edinburgh the first two equinoctial storms have passed; it is a sunny Sunday morning and even an old Rugger Bugger of a pipe smoker can wax lyrical.
I know some of you are writers, and many forum members can write very good English. We have seen posts of amusing limericks but I wonder if any have considered a more ancient form of short poetry – the Haiku? Haikus originated in Japan. Their ‘poetry’ is based on cadence (we should be good at that) rather than rhyme. They should be three lines long with each line being five, then seven, then five syllables respectively. They must represent the ‘essence’ of the subject and reflect on nature, ideally a season. The English intellectual and 2003 ‘pipe smoker of the year’ Stephen Fry considers also that they should be devoid (or at least show minimal use) of verbs. Not so easy!!
Here is a little masterpiece by the seventeenth-century poet, Basho:
In the morning dew (five syllables)
Spotted with mud, and how cool – (seven syllables)
Melons on the soil (five syllables)
I have never read a really good pipe smoking haiku, so I thought I’d have a bash (pun!) at an autumn piping haiku; one for a pipe and another dedicated to a favourite tobacco. Here are my paltry efforts; it was fun composing them though:
My Dunhill Root Briar
Fall night black the stem,
chestnut bowl with crisp leaves charged,
warm comfort in hand
SG Best Brown Flake
Loamy woodland soils,
Newly-cut hay and sweet honeyed nuts
Scent the cold still air
So, if you are in the mood and fancy a challenge, have a bash yourself – don’t be shy!! Read the above haiku descriptors carefully. I will read all haikus posted, and while this is in no way a competition if any ‘grab me by the nuts’ the author will receive from me a PM offering something choice, by way of a gift for making the effort.
Who knows, Kevin might even consider putting it in the PM poetry section!! LOL
I know some of you are writers, and many forum members can write very good English. We have seen posts of amusing limericks but I wonder if any have considered a more ancient form of short poetry – the Haiku? Haikus originated in Japan. Their ‘poetry’ is based on cadence (we should be good at that) rather than rhyme. They should be three lines long with each line being five, then seven, then five syllables respectively. They must represent the ‘essence’ of the subject and reflect on nature, ideally a season. The English intellectual and 2003 ‘pipe smoker of the year’ Stephen Fry considers also that they should be devoid (or at least show minimal use) of verbs. Not so easy!!
Here is a little masterpiece by the seventeenth-century poet, Basho:
In the morning dew (five syllables)
Spotted with mud, and how cool – (seven syllables)
Melons on the soil (five syllables)
I have never read a really good pipe smoking haiku, so I thought I’d have a bash (pun!) at an autumn piping haiku; one for a pipe and another dedicated to a favourite tobacco. Here are my paltry efforts; it was fun composing them though:
My Dunhill Root Briar
Fall night black the stem,
chestnut bowl with crisp leaves charged,
warm comfort in hand
SG Best Brown Flake
Loamy woodland soils,
Newly-cut hay and sweet honeyed nuts
Scent the cold still air
So, if you are in the mood and fancy a challenge, have a bash yourself – don’t be shy!! Read the above haiku descriptors carefully. I will read all haikus posted, and while this is in no way a competition if any ‘grab me by the nuts’ the author will receive from me a PM offering something choice, by way of a gift for making the effort.
Who knows, Kevin might even consider putting it in the PM poetry section!! LOL
