December 20, 2008 - Workshop and Kukai

Top: Phyllis Collins, Ines Foley, Susan Rogers, Peggy Castro, D'Ellen, Sharon Hawley, Kathabela Wilson
Bottom: Tom Bilicke, Lindy Hill, Violet, Peggy Hehman-Smith
Not shown: Deborah P Kolodji

Just a few days before Christmas, twelve members of the Southern California Haiku Study Group brought cookie-laden plates, tea, and haiku to the Blue Room of the Pacific Asia Museum. The monthly kigo was discussed and the following were suggested for our writing session:

Christmas baking, winter wreaths, winter wind, snow on the mountains, frost on trees, diamonds on grass, night time fog, cinnamon sticks, autumn light changing to winter, cats at the window, Christmas shopping, scent of pine

Three members of the group braved the weather to sit outside in the courtyard garden to write haiku. And all three poets wrote poems about a "cold bench." And, when you think about it, what a wonderful winter kigo for Southern California, a place where the climate is mild enough that we might sit outside on a garden bench in the winter, where we might feel the coldness of the stone through our clothes.

A sample of some high scoring haiku from the kukai:

we pretend
to be a happy family
in artificial snow

- D'Ellen

crows
their hoarse murmurings
blend with winter wind

- Phyllis Collins

on a cold stone bench
under almost leafless trees
an iron Buddha

- Susan Rogers

cold
even through my jeans
garden bench

- Deborah P Kolodji