May 19, 2007 - Workshop and Kukai

Pacific Asia Museum Courtyard, Pasadena, CA

Our May workshop, attended by Linda Galloway, Nardin Gottfried, Darrell Byrd, Tom Bilicke, Peggy Castro, and Lindy Hill was a delightful afternoon. Linda Galloway led the meeting, and gave a brief talk about the life of Masaoka Shiki (1867-1903) and his historic contribution to modern haiku. Linda had just returned from the international Haiku Pacific Rim (HPR) Conference, in Matsuyama, Japan, the birthplace and hometown of Shiki. The conference was held at the Shiki Museum in Matsuyama. Linda then passed around reproductions of Shiki's paintings and read some of Shiki's spring haiku.

once there was
an old man and an old woman --
peach blossoms

doll shadows
peach shadows
overlapped on the wall

misted moon --
on the Gojo Bridge
no one at all

spring snowfall
among the willows --
it is, is not

--Shiki

The group shared haiku and had a group discussion about the place and appropriateness of using questions in haiku. Members gave examples of their haiku which contained questions.

For the monthly kukai, Linda Galloway brought spring kigo (season words) from the haiku of Shiki, and others. Examples were:

cats in love, cherry blossoms, days are long, first thunder, frog, idle weather, mist, misty moon, paper kites, peach blossoms, plum blossoms, spring dusk, spring moon, spring moor, spring rain, spring snow, spring wind, uguisu (bush warbler), violets, water wander**, willow trees.

[**water wander is a spring game and consists of. starters up stream & haiku contestants down stream. The starters put wine-filled cups into the water upstream. Then the contestants down stream must write a haiku before the wine cups reach them. A haiku contestant grabs a cup, runs upstream, recites his haiku, and gets to drink the wine.]

Some haiku from the group members were:

misty moon --
the clouded eyes of an old
bamboo shoot seller

--Linda Galloway

Telephone book --
I pick a number at random,
She was glad I called.

--Tom Bilicke

Escondido --
a spot on the way to town
is now town

--Darrell Byrd

grief at her move --
tulip blooms
fail to open

--Lindy Hill