Haiku Contest #4: Warm Again!
Welcome to the fourth haiku contest!
The theme for this week is warm again. As spring comes I think many people sigh with relief "ahhh finally I can go outside and not be freezing". The warmer temperature may be the most welcome thing about spring for many people. For you on the under side of the globe, we can flip it and do getting colder, which may not be as terribly welcome as warmth, but at least you have the colored leaves to look forward to.
Take that theme and run with it. Give me a great haiku using it. Also keep in mind that haiku traditionally reflect the current season in some way. That would be spring for those of us in the northern hemisphere and autumn for those in the southern hemisphere.
By the way, if you missed any of the previous contests, I encourage you to go read the entries in the first and second, and third contests. They were all pretty great.
Haiku Contest Rules
(please read carefully)
Upvote and Resteem this post. Some of you didn't resteem last time. Please do, so that more people can see and hopefully join.
Write a haiku.
- Post it in the comments to this post
- Make your own post with the haiku and a link to this post
You may include a title or a headnote. A headnote is a short bit of text that sets the scene for the haiku. Some haiku poets use them (Basho and Shiki did) and some don't. You may also include a photo if you want.
No syllable requirement, just keep it short. Aim for one breath. You can read my thoughts on syllable counts in English haiku here.
- Nor does it have to be three lines. See my thoughts here.
In addition to the theme for this contest, it should have some kind of reference to nature and have a juxtaposition of images. I write should not must. If you think your haiku is strong enough to do without, go for it. I am not stuck in tradition and I welcome new creative ideas.
Consider this quote from Jack Kerouac:
[A] Haiku must be very simple and free of all poetic trickery and make a little picture and yet be as airy and graceful as a Vivaldi Pastorella.
Have at it!
(Psst—If you are stuck for ideas, go read some of the translated haiku in my Haiku of Japan series. Here is the latest with links to previous ones at the end, or follow the haiku tag here on Steemit)
I encourage you to tell your friends on Discord or steemit chat. The more people we can get involved here, the more fun we can have. It makes it tougher for me to judge, but I consider that a good problem to have.
Sample
Here is a haiku I used in the article referenced above.
evening
snow beating down
my son is snoring
You can see I give a nod to the season, and there is also a shift in the action as we move from the scene (lines 1 and 2) to my son.
Another Sample
This one, a classic from Buson:
on the temple bell
sleeping
a butterfly
You can read more about that haiku here.
An American Haiku Sample
And here is one of my favorites from Jack Kerouac:
No telegram today
only more leaves
fell.
Close Date and Prizes
Contest will go for 7 days, so that means the final day you can submit is next Thursday the 22nd (Japan time).
Special thanks to The Isle of Write—a really swell place to workshop any kind of writing or just to hang out and chat—which donated 10 SBD for use in this contest. With their contribution, the prizes will be:
- 5 SBD for first place
- 3.5 SBD for second place
- 2 SBD for third place
- 2 SBD in the pot for an honorable mentions or two
I will be the sole judge.
Have fun!
@moneyinfant has added your contest to the list Steemit Writing Contests: Issue #49. The list is updated on a daily basis and your contest will remain on the list until its expiration - there's nothing you need to do.
The list was created to save writers the excessive amount of time spent searching through the #contest tag for writing contests. Now they can just come to the list each day, see new contests and use their time doing what they love - writing.
If you'd like to help spread the word about the Steemit Writing Contest List I'd really appreciate a resteem, but it certainly isn't necessary. The project is simply meant to help writers save time and contest creators attract more contestants.
P.S. If you know of any contests I've missed I'd love to hear about them. Thanks!
Thank you :)
Frosty morning breaks.
Crisp sun spreads warmth and luster.
A tiny bud shines.
I guess I'm so used to 5-7-5 structure, hope that's ok!
Perfectly ok - no worries. Thanks for the entry :)
So, my second entry to your contest would become:
Spring is green.
Not snowy white!
We feel blue.
Got it! Nice, I see on my contest post you formatted to fit my contest rules. Good thinking.
Actually, I did the shorter one second, but it did feel sort of artificial to put it into 5-7-5...
I be well,
and I be pond,
and other sorts
of water bodies.
Earth's Tears
Gorgeous.
warm stone
salamander wiggles
plunk
Here's my entry to the contest.
It has a romantic theme to it, because that's what came to my mind when I heard the words "warm again".
Warm Again
My heart was broken and
Cold until the time I met you
Now it is warm again
Hot Air
The spring air conceals
the warm shadows
of my breath
https://steemit.com/haiku/@puppetmaster1111/haiku-contest-4-entry-dbooster
What a lovely thing to do - Haiku is so beautiful. I love your loose rules. That's how I like to play. It's not spring here in Australia - we're heading into Autumn... It's getting cooler in the morning but its still 30 Celsius at lunchtime. ...I'll have to think about what to write.... a delicious challenge.
The dawn breaks
Into pieces of his love
So pure and innocent
She throws her coat
on the floor;
her lotus blooms.
as the ice recedes from the lawn
the turds blossom