Just before the end of November, I was at a bit of low point, as always happens at this time of year and was wondering how I would be able to deal with the run up to Christmas. Then an idea came to me, I would do an Advent Calendar, based on my photographs. I would write and post a Haiku with accompanying photograph, one for each day of Advent.
How hard could it be? As it turned out, a lot harder than I thought. During December I religiously posted a new Haiku on social media every day, a tortuous, but eventually satisfying process.
Why Haiku? Haiku was a short poetic form, traditionally written in 17 syllables, broken down into 5, 7, 5 form, that originated over a thousand years ago in Japan, but reached its fruition in the 17th century, with haiku masters, such as the celebrated poet Basho.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, Haiku has been taken up all over the world and is constantly evolving. I have since learnt, that rules are meant to be broken and I don’t have to strictly adhere to the 5, 7, 5 form as long as the Haiku flows. In a way, in today’s world of low attention spans and instant gratification, this may be the perfect form for the digital generation
This then is a compilation of my first attempts in Haiku, for better or for worse. I hope that some have hit the mark and as for the rest, I live by the maxim of the great Samuel Becket:-
‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.’
Advent Haiku No.1
“A wet leaf fallen,
Autumn’s gift to the earth,
Memory of loss”
Advent Haiku No.2
“Sun breaking through clouds,
Streaks of rain on a window,
Moment of Solace”
Advent Haiku No. 3
“An empty building,
Decaying and forlorn, Love
missing in action”
Advent Haiku No. 4
“A summer churchyard,
Monbresias praying, heads bowed,
A cross is singing”
Advent Haiku No. 5
“An Inuit Shaman,
Drumming for her world, She
dreams of ice and snow”
Advent Haiku No. 6
“Nervous Camellia flowers,
Trembling in anticipation, ….
The storm arrives”
Advent Haiku No. 7
“Empty landscape,
Silence, wait…
A solitary skylark”
Advent Haiku No. 8
“Bare branches above us,
Walking in a field of gold,
Banking on the spring.”
Advent Haiku No. 9
“Through the window,
Cold winter sea and sky,
Traces of warmth.”
Advent Haiku No. 10
“A bowl of chillies,
Shining red, quickly arranged,
Heat of the moment”
Advent Haiku No. 11
“Amongst grazing sheep,
A spoonbill poised to feed,
The gentle ripple of water”
Advent Haiku No. 12
“Snow capped peaks,
Gazing sadly over Alhambra,
Last sigh of the Moor”
There is a legend that Boabdil, the last Arab ruler of Granada, when he was expelled by the victorious Spanish in 1492, turned around from the mountains, looked back at all that he had lost and gave a sigh of sadness.
Advent Haiku No. 13
“The mist lifts slightly,
Revealing land,
The floating world.”
Advent Haiku No. 14
“A track of sorts,
Through a barren landscape,
A reminder of a journey”
Advent Haiku No. 15
“The choir sings,
‘The Bleak Midwinter’, my eyes stray
To the golden altar”
Advent Haiku No. 16
“Early morning,
Wind rippled sands,
The endless horizon”
Advent Haiku No. 17
“In the slipstream,
An ancient survivor glides,
Frozen in time”
Advent Haiku No.18
“From Sheringham beach,
Gazing out over the North Sea,
Searching for Doggerland”
In recent years I’ve become obsessed with that vanished land in the North Sea, called Doggerland, that verdant landscape where hunter gatherers lived and who could walk unhindered between the British Isles and Northern Europe, before the rising waters finally submerged Doggerland 8,000 years ago, creating the islands that we live in today. A salutary lesson for us all in the age of man made global warming.
Advent Haiku No.19
“Sakura, a fleeting moment,
Thoughts turn to my father,
Long departed.“
Advent Haiku No. 20
“Gathering leaves,
Autumn’s death, before
the Winter Solstice”
Advent Haiku No. 21
“Winter Solstice, first
The dark night of the soul, then
Dawn and rebirth”
Advent Haiku No. 22
“Out of nowhere,
A Robin suddenly appears,
How auspicious! “
Advent Haiku No. 23
“The sun’s rays,
Through church flowers,
Dancing on the stone”
Advent Haiku No. 24
A Haiku for my wife Annette and our other Danish friends and relations.
“Engle og Lys,
En bestemt stemning,
Hygge og Håb.
Angels and light,
A certain ambience,
‘Hygge’ and Hope.”
Notes
1 Cover picture – Portrait of Bashō by Hokusai, late 18th century
2 Photographs and Haikus are the ownership of John Bostock and may not be used without permission and attribution to the Author.
Life on the Edge 