Poetry

Adventure 248 ~ Write A Collection Of Haiku Poems [15]

/ intrepidjane

rowan haikuOne of the biggest shifts I’m experiencing as a result of writing my collection of haiku poetry is in the nature of my attention. At the beginning of this adventure series, I was waiting for something from the outside, something from nature, to grab my attention ~ and then I’d write a haiku about that. But now it’s beginning to change, and I really noticed it today. Today, my attention was geared towards the outside world, like a highly sensitive radar. I’m not waiting to have my attention grabbed : I am actively attending to the natural world.

Today, it felt like my senses couldn’t get enough of what was going on around me. As I drove my son to school, I began noticing the differences in the trees : some are yielding to Autumn far more quickly than others. It’s even possible to notice the very gradual swallowing up of a tree by the new season, day by day.

On the way back from school, I stopped to admire a rowan tree (also known as mountain ash). These trees are in full berry now. As the other trees begin to fade, this tree is coming into its prime.

A little bit of treelore research revealed some fascinating facts about the rowan. The rowan (derived from the the Scottish Gaelic word rudha-an, meaning “the red one”) is considered to be a sacred tree and is associated with the Celtic goddess Brighid (patroness of the the arts, smithing, healing, weaving and spinning).

In Scotland and Ireland, spinning wheels and spindles are traditionally made out of rowan wood. Discovering this made me smile : here I am, writing a collection of poetry about the turn of the season,  and I’m being gifted the experience of a tree which is associated with spinning!

Whilst the rowan can grow anywhere, it is often found  in mountainous areas. For this reason is sometimes called “The Lady Of The Mountain.”

Bearing all this in mind, and acknowledging my direct experience with the local tree this morning, I’ve written a haiku that attempts to capture the full essence of this majestic tree.

You can read today’s haiku here , and I read it out loud in today’s video-blog.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

 

Adventure 247 ~ Get A Poetry Anthology Ready For Self-Publishing [1]

/ intrepidjane

"Seventeen" by Jane TalbotIn yesterday’s video-blog, I shared with you how my collection of poetry is an attempt to capture the change of the season. Today, I’ve taken a few more steps towards actually publishing the collection!

I’ve come up with a name for the anthology which I really like : Seventeen. I called it this because a haiku has seventeen syllables in it (5-7-5). The image for the cover is a photograph I took for one of my haiku poems : it’s wheat “on the turn”. It captures the essence of the whole collection.

In terms of the structure of the book, I’ve decided to put each poem on a separate page with an accompanying photograph. For me, a haiku and a photograph are almost identical : each tries to capture the essence of something. So, a photograph is like a visual haiku 🙂 .

On the page facing the haiku, I’ll write a little bit about the story behind that particular haiku.

Because I’ve gained so much from creating this collection (and I’ve still got a few more to write before the collection is done) , I’m going to include a section on the therapeutic benefits of writing haiku poems. The haiku adventures are conditioning a profound sense of connection and presence in me; I feel like the world is slowing down.

I’m also going to include a section on how to write haiku poems. Whilst I’ll include some very basic structural guidelines, my purpose here is rather to show people how to get connected to the essence of the thing they’re trying to describe.

And after all that, I’m going to have a go at the adventure of self-publishing :). I’ll keep you posted.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

 

Adventure 246 ~ Write A Collection Of Haiku Poems [14]

/ intrepidjane

poem about school uniformFor me, the things that really mark the changing of the season are the end of the summer holidays and the beginning of the school term. The first full day of school for my son was this monday and seeing him in his uniform again reminded me :

  • How quickly we, as humans, move through our own seasons
  • How tied I really am to my own heritage (I come from a family of school teachers)
  • How I can already see in my son’s Spring, the seeds of his Autumn (I think the leaves will be spectacular)

For today’s poetic adventure, I’ve written a haiku called “Back to school”. You can read it here , and I read it out loud in today’s video-blog too.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 244 ~ Write A Collection Of Haiku Poems [13]

/ intrepidjane

firewoodI’ve had a total head-jammer of a day today, working on my website. I’ve started to really look forward to my daily adventures because they bring me back to the present moment, they close the door on work.

And my haiku adventures are right up there when it comes to creating presence. Within a few short minutes, I find myself immersed in the very essence of nature, checking out my emotional responses to the world around me, immersed in the very essence of myself.

I think I must have had Winter on my mind today : I went out to check the firewood supplies. When I looked at the pile of wood, it made me smile. I got to thinking about how things (including humans) can look old, and yet still be full of life.

You can read today’s haiku here. I read it out loud in today’s video-blog too.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

 

Adventure 243 ~ Write A Collection Of Haiku Poems [12]

/ intrepidjane

Autumn leavesYou know what? I’m really enjoying my poetic adventures : I’m enjoying taking pictures, I’m enjoying learning about nature, and I’m enjoying the experience of super-slow presence.

Whilst I was taking my dog for his morning walk, I noticed how one of the trees (it’s a common lime) is racing towards autumn. Many of the tree’s leaves are already golden ; some of the leaves are already on the ground.

I wondered what it would be like to be a leaf on that tree. I wondered what the “younger” leaves might say to the “older” leaves as the inevitable fall approached.

Today’s haiku (which is an attempt to translate the autumn rustle of leaves into words) is called “Leaf,” and you can read it here. I read the poem out loud in today’s video-blog.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 241 ~ Write A Collection Of Haiku Poems [11]

/ intrepidjane

owlFor today’s poetic adventure, I had to do quite a bit of detective work. With the help of “Birdwatching For Beginners” and BBC Radio 4’s Tweet Of The Day archives, I was able to work out which bird I’ve been hearing at dusk throughout the summer : it’s the long-eared owl!

You can hear the call of the elusive long-eared owl here; you can read today’s haiku about this nocturnal bird here; and you can listen to me read my haiku out loud in today’s video- blog too 🙂 .

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 240 ~ Write A Collection Of Haiku Poems [10]

/ intrepidjane

Whitepark Bay Northern IrelandToday’s poetic adventure was inspired by the sea! I live very close to the Atlantic Ocean and made today’s video-blog on the beach at Whitepark Bay (Northern Ireland).

The sea was actually very calm this afternoon, but I always think of the ocean as a powerful and brooding thing, and I think that energy comes out in today’s haiku.

You can read today’s haiku here , and I read it out loud in my video-blog too.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 237 ~ Write A Collection Of Haiku Poems [9]

/ intrepidjane

robinFor the last couple of weeks “our” farm robin has been very noisy indeed! Listening to BBC Radio 4’s “Tweet Of The Day” I learned why that might be . The robin’s autumn song is distinctive, and it is very different from its song earlier in the year : the purpose of the new song is to defend its winter territories.

Robins often make their hones in hawthorn hedges and, since the farm is surrounded by such hedges, this mighty-small creature must feel at home with us!

I’ve not been quick enough to get a picture of the robin or to record its “tweeting” ~ it’s worth checking out the Radio 4 link to listen in (I expect it will sound familiar to many of you!).

So, our robin has inspired today’s poetic adventure. You can read my haiku about the robin here, and I read it out loud in today’s video-blog too.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 236 ~ Write A Collection Of Haiku Poems [9]

/ intrepidjane

honeysuckleToday’s poetic adventure was inspired by the honeysuckle on the side of my mother-in-law’s house : the agile shrub seems to be attempting to climb its way out of the turn of the season. It’s doing a really good job too : it’s trumpet blooms are still eye-catchingly healthy, and it’s still reaching skywards to the fading sun.

I’m really enjoying using this poetic form. It requires the creation of a dense and compressed essence , and it really helps to know a little about the element of nature you’re describing too (beyond its appearance). So, it’s encouraged me to learn more about the world around me ~ I like that 🙂 .

Today I learned that honeysuckle is also known as fairy trumpets (I can see why!) and woodbine (it winds and binds itself in the hedgerow). According to folklore, if honeysuckle grows outside your house, it’ll protect you from evil. If you bring it inside, it’ll bring wealth into the house. Although you’d think that everyone would want to take it into their house, some people don’t because they believe the sweet, pungent aroma causes “racy” dreams!

You can read today’s haiku here, and I read it out loud in today’s video-blog too.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT

Adventure 235 ~ Write A Collection Of Haiku Poems [8]

/ intrepidjane

hedera helixSummer is coming to an end : my son has just returned from spending his school holidays with his father, and the leaves are turning on the trees.

Today I was drawn to ivy . Evergreen, it feels like something to “cling on to” as Autumn no longer lurks at the edges of the day : it’s making a confident advance. The Turning Time is striding in, blowing cool, damp breezes on the last of Summer’s embers.

In Irish folklore, ivy is associated with fidelity and immortality. Druids used to wear “crowns” of ivy to encourage clarity of thinking. The latin name for ivy is hedera helix ~ “hedera” is derived from the Celtic word for cord, and “helix” means twining. I tried to capture all these elements in today’s haiku.

You can read today’s haiku here, and I read it out loud in today’s video-blog.

I am just going outside and may be some time.

JT