[ARTS]: Big and Little Poetry--free verse, any verse.

[Tai Shi]

Thanks Rob.

We welcome
All commentary
Emily Dickensin wrote--
"I know it's poetry when I feel the top of my head coming off."
William Wordsworth wrote--
"Poetry is the overflow 'of powerful emotion' recolected in tranquility."
Each great poet uses their own manifesto..
I am not a great poet; Dickensin was recognized as one of the greatest geniuses in poetry after her death and Wordsworth while he was alive and after his death-- I venture that the great poet reaches a wide audience during or after their life... the test of the great poet lies in audience reached and longevity of their work. One might claim to be a great poet and realize that such recognition might come after their death, but even so might not be a great poet; if a poet can approach a poem like Dikensin's "Safe in their Alabestor Chambers" or Wordsworth's Lyrical Ballads, or Tintern Abby, or John Milton's Paridise Lost or the Haiku of The Great Zen poets, or the Sonetts of Shakespeare, or Wolfgang Von Goethe's Faust. Or the courtly poetry of Andrew Marvel, or the great poetry of any period of any nationality, my hat is off to her. Sylvia Plath's poetry is the nightmare of suicide yet we regard her poetry as great poetry. Say what you will, I know it's poetry when I am moved intelectually, spiritually, or emotionally by the realities so expressed. As in the Heart Sutra, or Heart Crane's "The Bridge," or Whitman's "When Lilacs Last in their Dooryards Bloomed." Consider that the great poet might revise a poem hundreds of times, and yet with Whitman's Leaves of Grass it is the 1855 edition and not the deathbed edition we regard with great genius.
Gassho
sat
Tai Shi

[Daoren]

Sitting here today;
A moment never ending;
World lies before me.
-Daoren Bryan 09/05/2020

Side note for poets here:
How Many Syllables has a very helpful syllable counter to help writing haiku, sonnets, and tanka: https://www.howmanysyllables.com/syllable_counter/
I hope that others find it helpful.

Gassho
Bryan
Sat Today

[Kokuu]

Side note for poets here:
How Many Syllables has a very helpful syllable counter to help writing haiku, sonnets, and tanka: https://www.howmanysyllables.com/syllable_counter/

Hi Bryan

That is a very lovely thing to offer but in the case of writing tanka and haiku in the English language, 5-7-5 and 5-7-5-7-7 syllable structure is not used so much now, as it is realised that Japanese sound units (morae) are shorter than western syllables so poems are mostly written in fewer than seventeen syllables for haiku, and 31 for tanka.

Sadly, western teaching of haiku has focused on syllable counting rather than other important structures of the poem such as writing in the present moment, the season word (kigo) and cutting word (kire) which in English is more often a cut point which splits the poem into two contrasting images which give the haiku its internal dynamic. The 5-7-5 and 5-7-5-7-7 approach can still be fine but as long as other aspects of the poem adhere to the haiku/tanka style and not just the number of syllables.

Haiku are also, first and foremost, poems of images which bring the sight, sound, smell and taste of the world to the reader rather than purely concepts. In this way, they get us to be fully present in the moment and all it brings.

These are two useful pieces on modern approaches to haiku writing:

https://www.ahapoetry.com/haiartjr.htm

http://blogs.harvard.edu/ethicalesq/first-thoughts-a-haiku-primer-by-jim-kacian/

We do have a dedicated Haiku Club here if you would like to participate in learning and sharing there:

https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?138-Haiku-Club

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

[Seikan]

Hi Bryan

That is a very lovely thing to offer but in the case of writing tanka and haiku in the English language, 5-7-5 and 5-7-5-7-7 syllable structure is not used so much now, as it is realised that Japanese sound units (morae) are shorter than western syllables so poems are mostly written in fewer than seventeen syllables for haiku, and 31 for tanka.

Sadly, western teaching of haiku has focused on syllable counting rather than other important structures of the poem such as writing in the present moment, the season word (kigo) and cutting word (kire) which in English is more often a cut point which splits the poem into two contrasting images which give the haiku its internal dynamic. The 5-7-5 and 5-7-5-7-7 approach can still be fine but as long as other aspects of the poem adhere to the haiku/tanka style and not just the number of syllables.

Haiku are also, first and foremost, poems of images which bring the sight, sound, smell and taste of the world to the reader rather than purely concepts. In this way, they get us to be fully present in the moment and all it brings.

These are two useful pieces on modern approaches to haiku writing:

https://www.ahapoetry.com/haiartjr.htm

http://blogs.harvard.edu/ethicalesq/first-thoughts-a-haiku-primer-by-jim-kacian/

We do have a dedicated Haiku Club here if you would like to participate in learning and sharing there:

https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?138-Haiku-Club

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

Kokuu's details above are spot on. If I may add a couple of additional thoughts (please take with a grain or two of salt...).

A big issue with trying to strictly abide by the 5-7-5 rule is that, even if the other Haiku elements are all used, we often end up "stuffing" the Haiku with unnecessary adjectives and/or articles ("the", "an", etc.) just to attain the 5-7-5 syllable count. This usually results in the Haiku feeling bloated.

Dropping the strict adherence to the syllable count can be very freeing. And if you write a Haiku that lacks a seasonal reference, it just may be a Senryu! Senryu are very much like Haiku in appearance/form, yet they generally lack a seasonal reference and more often have a human and/or humorous element to them. Failed Haiku is a wonderful online journal of Senryu with hundreds of examples:

https://failedhaiku.com/

Finally, there is still something to be said for working with a poetic form that uses a fixed syllable count. The restriction can help to spark a more creative use of language in order to fit the form. For the reasons already stated by Kokuu above, 17 syllables is often (but not always) a few too many for English-language Haiku. However, the Lune is a unique English-language variation on the Haiku form that typically features a 5-3-5 syllable count. This offers a tighter form that is thought to better approximate the use of morae in Japanese. There are some variations of the Lune that use a 3-5-3 syllable (or even word) count, but 5-3-5 is generally the most common. Also, other than the syllable count, there are no other rules for writing a Lune. I find it to be a wonderful form for capturing experiences/insights that don't otherwise fit into a Haiku/Senryu form.

the sky understands
all these clouds
are just passing through

memories of youth
wet footprints
on the hot sidewalk

Actually, the second example above could possibly be considered a Senryu as well. All of these forms can naturally overlap if enough shared elements are present. Ultimately write what you write and worry about the form later. Unless of course, you are trying to work within a specific form. Form is not really important except when it is important.

Gassho,
Rob

-stlah-

P.S. I'm so glad that this thread has resurfaced as of late as there are so many wonderful poems within. I need to spend more time reading through all of them again this weekend. Perhaps this thread would be better placed into the Poetry subforum? Just a suggestion...

[Tai Shi]

So, even in longer poems, tendency in contemporary poetry is toward short lines, and reduced connectives (as in articles and conjunctions) so even as connectives drop out, the sensory detail comes to the fore. I myself even attempt for short lines and images in my best poetry, though as in all great art, rules are meant to be broken, but for all good writers of poetry, rules are better than "no" rules.
Gassho
sat
Tai Shi

[Tai Shi]

Frozen

I sit shivering
In conviction
I am right
As fruit dried then
Rotting on branch,
Limb gone brown
My bent body cannot shake
Stiff with fear
Anxiety,

My Nature of fear
I shudder without shudder
Explicable inexplicable
Frozen stream under crust
Of snow.
Dead leaf
On brown deaf bush
I hear no
See no
Sound.
Ears, eyes,
Touch, taste
Preassure gone
No thought
I think.

Gassho
sat
Gassho
Tai Shi

[Seikan]

So, even in longer poems, tendency in contemporary poetry is toward short lines, and reduced connectives (as in articles and conjunctions) so even as connectives drop out, the sensory detail comes to the fore. I myself even attempt for short lines and images in my best poetry, though as in all great art, rules are meant to be broken, but for all good writers of poetry, rules are better than "no" rules.
Gassho
sat
Tai Shi

Agreed. Even with the longer poetry I write, I let my love of Haiku and other short poetic forms influence my diction as brevity is something I always aim for. I will start sharing more in the coming days/weeks.

At the same time, however, I feel that Whitman was anything but terse with his word choice, yet I dare say he didn't use any words unnecessarily either. Perhaps brevity/economy of language can sometimes be found in longer lines/poems?

Gassho,
Rob

-stlah-


Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Tai Shi]

Agreed. Even with the longer poetry I write, I let my love of Haiku and other short poetic forms influence my diction as brevity is something I always aim for. I will start sharing more in the coming days/weeks.

At the same time, however, I feel that Whitman was anything but terse with his word choice, yet I dare say he didn't use any words unnecessarily either. Perhaps brevity/economy of language can sometimes be found in longer lines/poems?

Gassho,
Rob

-stlah-


Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

I am so grateful you have decided to share your poetry-- short or long, long lines or short lines, any poetry that you wish to share. I am haqppy and in great shape to begin writing myself-- so, please all of us share our poetry-- this thread was started for all wheather you think you are good, or now experimenting, new, or not new to poetry, all are welcome here. Please share.
Gassho
sat/ lah
Tai Shi

[Tai Shi]

I have looked over all the fine poetry posted here. I have not necessarily made writing my Ango vow, but I write a lot, much what I consider writing from my heart; if our Buddhist Sutras allowed from the heart, and I believe the early Days of Buddhism an oral tradition of memorization was possible, and with such joy our Buddhist ancestors must have recited.
Gassho
sat/ lah
Tai Shi

[Tai Shi]

I linger in cave sun out yet opening, watch trees shed leaves new I walk out of cave, walls jut behind, black gone, red, yellow, with blue sky, day is here,
Gassho
sat ! LAH
Tai Shi


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Inshin]

Even in this decaying body
the brightness of ten thousand things;
carrion crow, an oak tree in bud,
crab shells left behind by the tide.

Dog violets mix with celandines
on the forest floor,
clouds pass overhead,
gathering sun.

From the hour of our birth,
no moment is the same,
yet each contains all things,
how can any of us ever be alone?

One foot in front of the other,
waves break on the shore,
we follow our ancestors
as breath follows breath.

Lighting incense to Amida Buddha,
I empty my bowl
and already find it
full of blossom.

"From the hour of our birth,
no moment is the same,
yet each contains all things,
how can any of us ever be alone?"

Thank you.
Sat

[Tai Shi]

Dear Ania, Dear Kokuu.
I bow my head, thank you, in dooryard where late...
Thank you.

sat
Tai Shi

[Tai Shi]

Big Moon Temple

Never seen, you loom
In blue aftermath
Of picture on Treeleaf
Page, well spring
Of practice,
I join my heart now
With "just sitting."
Gassho
sat/lah
Tai Shi

[Seikan]

Big Moon Temple

Never seen, you loom
In blue aftermath
Of picture on Treeleaf
Page, well spring
Of practice,
I join my heart now
With sitting practice.
Gassho
sat/lah
Tai Shi

So beautiful Tai Shi! I love this. Thank you so much for sharing.



Gassho,
Rob

-stlah-

[Tai Shi]

Now as for Buddhist poetry; much of what I have read is short. Longer great poetry in Buddhism suggests teaching. There is great poetry in Sutras of all types. Often it appears to me in Buddhist poetry meaning intends to teach moral and physosophical content. Often, in long poetry, or short poetry, the image is cental. Sensory detail provides for structure. {much I don't understand because I cannot read the original and must rely on English translations}, accordinf to my daughter, if I could read the original, I might find great beauty outside English understanding. Of what I have read, I have great appreciation for the combining of ideas with sensory details.
Gassho
sat / lah
Tai Shi