9.08.2011

Haiku Monday: JOURNEY





Mah sincere thanks to the Troll for originatin' this fun meme, Haiku Monday. I ain't shure how how long we'uns been at it, but long enough fer at least year of competitive merriment.


In anticipation of mah upcomin' visit to France ( 3 weeks until departure!) I'se namin' our theme fer the week, JOURNEY.

Naturally it can be a journey y'all have made, or hope to make, but it could also be an interior/ metaphorical journey. High marks go to the Haiku that keeps in mind that "journey" has a different meanin' than "travel." A return to the hometown you have not seen to since yore teens is a journey, I reckon--not mere travel. A quest, a sojourn, a pilgrimage is not
only travel, is it?






(One of mah favorite songs of an interior journey is found in the Trans Siberian Orchestra's Christmas ballad, "In an Old City Bar.")

Here are two hastily scribbled samples that incorporate a physical an' an inner journey.

INDECISIVE

Worries spin like leaves
on tarmac beneath the plane:
New Job? New town? Go!


METAMORPHOSIS

Slick city chick to...
country wildflower. Wisdom
is this: Know thyself.



Please invite an' encourage all yore blog regulars to play this week--it adds to everyone's fun. I especially would like to have Eggy git in the fray wif' us--an' am so pleased Curmudgeon, Deep Blue an' Princess has joined us. An' whar's some of the former players? Karl, I hope ya' feel up to it--unnerstan' iffin' ya don't. I'se sure countin' on BuzzK, Foamy, Boxer to git back in the Game--an' somebody go yank Milk River Madman too--can ya imagine the fun wif' a full gang?

Aunty will host here on the Front Porch. Entries may be posted on yore own blog, too, along wif' visuals ya' may wanna add fer fun. For the sake of possible newcomers, Haiku is structured Japanese poem of three lines consisting of two five syllable lines and one seven syllable line arranged as 5-7-5 ( see samples above). Haiku need not rhyme--usually does not--and should "convey the essence of an experience." More on Haiku here.


Enter as many Haiku as ya' feel moved to write. Deadline is Monday at midnight PST.

Aunty ain't makin' no promises, but mayhap Uncle will be allowed to help choose the most stellar Haiku. Winner will be announced Tuesday.

I'se at warp speed workin' this weekend an' may not git around to visit all yore blogs until Sunday sometime'--have a terrific weekend, y'all!

29 comments:

Sharon Rudd said...

A lovely theme, and perfect in view of your upcoming trip across the Pond. Thank you for the invite. I will mull it over and see if I can possibly come up with something that fits into just those few syllables :)

Best,
eggy

Jenny said...

Three weeks! That's not far away.

I'll work on one this weekend. I'll have time on Sunday and I'm hoping Uncle is let loose with his pen and paper too.

moi said...

Wonderful theme. Leaves me much to think about and I will have enough of a break this weekend to play along as well.

So is early fall a good time to travel to France? Not that I have time for across-the-pond sojourns, but I am curious. And look forward to arm-chairing it with you.

DeepBlue said...

Beautiful theme! And nice follow up to last week since every birth is the source of what will be hopefully a great journey.

Need some French lessons before you go?

C'est très facile!! ;)
Hugs
Jon

czar said...

Calendar Quartet

Bad ’70s band:
Quest for mediocrity
needs no spring in step.

In summer of life,
all roads led here: We’re right where
we belong . . . damn it.

Seed, sprout, leaf, height, reach!
Struggle through heat-lengthened days,
just to fall: compost.

Stillness, silence, calm . . .
In frozen times, motion slows—
plots verdant return.

Anonymous said...

Do not

Do NOT

Travelby air on 9-11.
Ever.

aunty (unsigned in)

Princess said...

Great theme this week Aunty

I'm throwing 3 in the ring this week!

1.
Curious Alice.
Tic. Toc. Fobbing White Rabbit
Let the chase begin
2.
Psychedelic trip,
From little things, big things grow
Oh! Mr Carroll....
3.
Never-ending quest.
Fortune favours the heartfelt;
Poetic justice...

and I'm up with Visuals at "The Palais"

Karl said...

Good night Aunty Belle,

Gee Whiz, I miss 2 weeks and I'm a former player. Sorry I,ve been on the road in locations with connection issues. And I am doing fine, thank you.

Both of yours confuse me. They can't be you. You were a country wildflower before becoming sophisticated, weren’t you?

3 for the road:

Simple lesson learned.
Destination important.
Real thing, getting there.

With birth until death,
marking flow and ebb of life.
Natures passages.

Starts as simple call.
Please come, we will need your help.
Missing home and hearth.

Anonymous said...

This is where we post our entries?
I'm up with visuals/prose.

Son of A Samurai

Adventurous trek.
Manuscript in a backpack.
The Son also writes.

moi said...

Aunty! What on earth possessed you to travel on 9/11?

I'm facing major deadline alligators but will try to post something before time's up tonight. Hope you're safe.

chickory said...

Allegorical
Ryder's RIder; galloping
for eternity.

Casey said...

My submission this week is a nod to the brave souls who set out for one of the greatest journeys available - walking the Appalachian Trail! Often in the spring here in North Georgia we see people on the trail with their packs overloaded, with hope in their hearts, and with fourteen states of adventure before them! Thank you for hosting a great topic!!

uninterrupted
Springer thru to Katahdin
journey of the sole

Aunty Belle said...

Eggy,
c'mon!! This is easy fer ya--a culinary foodie journey?? no -brainer fer the Eggy.

Boxer-babe,

Only two weeks an a few days now--still time fer ya to pack yore bags an join me--assure you a PHENOMENAL time--off the beaten tracks in between the "must see" sights. Listen, now--think: VINEYARDS!!!

BTW, Uncle is thrashin' me wif' yore comment--he thinks he oughta be allowed to enter but I say it can only be fer sample not fer winnin'. Now he's poutin' (trouble is, iffin' he enters, he'll wanna change the category of the prize--he bein' unthrilled by bags of Pork Rinds. Though, as Moi can attest, sometimes I does tuck in some other goodie too.)

Moi, Cherie, mais oui!!

I have yore travel plans:
propose to yore publisher(s) that you do a book on a remote village in France? How wonderful would THAT be?? Ya can wear yore high heel boots. Fall in France is exquisite.

Deep Blue!

Oui!, Oui oui: Mon français est celui d'un bébé de 2 ans... le sigh. Welcome an' Aunty hope youse tres facile in Cracker too. I'll be lookin' forward to yore entry--know thar's a journey in thar' somewhar, the very name Deep Blue hints at such, I reckon.

Aunty Belle said...

Czar!

WOW, a quartet? I'se mighty impressed, I IS. They' all swell, but the third is the grabber. Well done, sir!

Princess!

Youse on a Roll--heh. Psychedelic world of Alice--no allegory, jes' a wild trip? heh heh. An' poetic justice? very true.

Karl,

mea culpa! not intendin' no harm, jes' been missin' yore wise self round heah. Oh, now, no real confusion. The INDECISIVE ain't referrin' to me, but to a niece that had a job offer in a new town--an it were a journey of courage to accept new locale, new responsibilities ( I ain't called Aunty fer nuthin' ya' see?)

That Metamorphosis Haiku be a fun-pokin' I throwed to Chick9, an Atlanta slick gone native in nawth georgia--whose last week's Haiku was about a metamorphosis (rebirth). Now, she bein' a cleavah artist, let's see do her paint us a picture of a slick city girl/ caterpillar that morphs into a country chile butterfly---hee hee!

grins said...

The silence is loud
Bugs rise with the sun
Now the blisters hurt.

moi said...

Oui! France is MUCH better when it's all remote villages. Although, even I know that high heels + ancient cobblestones = no, no :o)

At any rate, took a break, scribbled, posted on blog:

Behind her Old World
ties dissolve. Free at last? No.
New ones quickly spun.

Aunty Belle said...

Karl,
all three are excellent--I see yore life in 'em all--an yore recent experience(s).heartfelt entries--thanky.

Troll-Man

luvin' Son of Samurai --looky, bein' the son of Samurai is a journey without takin' first step--the shadow of dad falls long.

Moi,
I git it!! Hope ya can break away a bit--

Chick9
ah, very clevah to include the link --last journey mayhap--wow. nicely done. Special kool: five syl word fer first line

Casey!! welcome! an' looky--yore Haiky also has that koolio five syllable word fer first line--gotta like that. A trek I'd like do (partly.) Journey of thesole-- oh mah heavens, thas' cleavah.

Stellar entries this week, y'all!

Still time fer late-comers--an lookin' forward to the round up.

Kymical Reactions said...

Hi doll. I promise to have an update soon. But my time is all consumed by this little person who has moved in with me, making it hard to find time for anything other than washing bottles, changing diapers, feeding it and rocking it to sleep.

Anyhow, here is my entry:


Clichés lead you there
It’s path starts with a footstep
Don’t stop believin’

DeepBlue said...

A little sophistication ain't bad. It the size of the heart that matters!


Rhapsody

Breathe in... then, Presto!
Fingers, don't betray your host.
My own Calvary


more details on my blawg!

Beautiful haiku's so far. I'm learning a lot from the pros! ;)
Hugs
Jon

fishy said...

I'm up! With visuals.

chickory said...

oh that haiku was for me?! well, yeah, it is true. dont know how slick i was but still, i did choose the country - unlike Zsa Zsa. grherha

so many great haikus this week. Im too peakid to write more'n one.

RafaDe said...

A picture may be worth a thousand words, yet a single word, phrased just right, can create a unique journey to an infinite number of people.

ie...Words are HOT!

For your enjoyment...

Shine

Fly the crescent moon
Sluicing 'long the midnight sky
Stars spray from our wake

Faux

At the razor's edge
Darkness tries to prison me
Walk on through the wall

RafaDe

Fleurdeleo said...

Wow...these are excellent entries! Csar, your fecundity this week is impressive. Though I doubt you had ever heard about Journey before you googled it.

Here are my entries:


Prairie Schooner

Hand-carved oak wagon
Canvas ripples in the wind
and shelters our dreams



Trampled cotton fields
Mangled hearts line the long road
to Appomattox

Sharon Rudd said...

OK, Aunty, you shamed me into not one but two.

This Ain’t Your Grandpa’s Bread Line

Sweet or sourdough, boy!
Beckoning Blue Oven loaves.
Tortano, at last.

Untitled

Western quest, a drive
toward hills heavy with sage.
Jagged landscapes: home.

I'm up with visuals at http://eggplanttogo.blogspot.com/2011/09/haiku-monday-journey.html

Thanks to Aunty for hosting (and wranglin' Uncle) and my hat is off to all of this week's players, who do this haiku thing so much better than I do.

eggy

CJ said...

Okay Jon, I'll try it. I can't let you and Rafa have all the fun around here. Hello Aunty Belle.




Her fragile heart beats,
tinkling laughter touched my soul.
Angel wings flutter.


~CoreyJo

grins said...

Just so you know I'm not an idiot I had about five seven syllable middle lines and put the wrong one.lol I crack me up.

Aunty Belle said...

Kymmie!!!

Hey hey you! Sweet young Mama--how's "OUR" baby boy?

Very fine Haiku. So pleased to see ya' out an' about.

Deep Blue!
thanky fer comin' along fer the fun. Amazin' music that Hamelin fella coaxes from the keys- an' Aunty, who be musically challenged, never knowed thar's such a formal thang as the artist addin' in their own version. Would ya' believe that heretofore Aunty thought when the artist "did their own thang" it wuz jes' in jam sessions--wow, now I know. Heartfelt Haiku, too.

FISHY!!

huh? post the haiku *here* so all can see-though I does urge y'all to go see the terrific visuals at the Fish Pond. Luv yore Robin an' Joan.

Chick9,

so sorry Sugar, fer yore sad time--Know yore friend wuz very special. Pale Horse allegory has new meanin'.

RafaDe,

Bein' a shelterd ole biddy wif' a delicate constitution, I thanky fer the warnin.' Not only hot-- also "kigo" or cutting words, as in formal Haiku. Images are specific to the subject portrayed while words and phrases may carry double entendres. Faux is a good inner journey topic.

Fleurdeleo,

hi hi, former winner. Come have some lemonade an' help me judge--youse right--lots of contenders in this batch, huh? Both yores conjure impressive images.

Eggy!

Ya done it, Chile! Yea! Now--no more excuses. These is wunnerful --an' I enjoyed yore visuals.

CoreyJo,

welcome aboard the Haiku Monday train. What a dear Southern Style double name ya has! One of the best "sound" words I know is "tinkling". Good work.

Curmudgeon

Arrrggghh! Looky, when ya caught yore mathematical mistake ya could corrected it-sometimes I'se softhearted. Still, yore blisters speak to me--I'se had WAY MORE than mah share of 'em--I feel yore haiku journey.


ALL,

WOW!!

Terrific work, y'all. Thanky thanky!

Stay tuned. Uncle is off on his rounds fer the day an' he be plum put out iffin' I din't let him in on the judgin' I'se gonna post the winner tomorry mornin' if not late tonight.

fishy said...

Yes Ma'am.


Commanding visions
dispatched Joan astride her steed,
leading France in faith



For Boxer:
Did I glue my angst
to styrofoam and tissue?
Creative release!

darkfoam said...

so many great haikus! judging will be hard.