Poetic Adventures Week 8: Haibun

And a round up of all the incredible responses for Week 7's Hermit Crab

Dearest Readers,

Welcome to Week 8 of Poetic Adventures: our 10-Week Poetry Write-Along. It has been so much fun creating these Poetic Adventures for all of you, and I am happy(and surprised) that we made it to Week 8. Thank you for writing along!

We got some incredible, innovative and thought-provoking poems last week. I love poems that push us in directions we hadn’t thought of before. So, here is last week’s round-up of Hermit Crab Poems:

• Manisha expands the world of a unique word with many possibilities - ichor

• Rajani gave us a poem in the form of the news

• Sonia explored the ‘walls’ that keep things in, and keep things out

• Small victories/Mike pushed the boundaries of “soothe”

• Shaun dissected ‘name’

• Stefano gave us the meaning of fear in the comments of last week’s post

Do check out these poems. They are inspiring.

Week 8: Haibun

The Haibun has been one of my favourite forms to write in. This is what I wrote in the cover letter for one of my submissions.

“I started using the haibun form in my writing practice because it gave me a framework to tell stories, without being restrictive. But I continue to write haibun because there is so much room to play. And who doesn't love a good game? The reader is invited to play as well, and dwell on the possibilities in the realm of the unsaid, in the links between the title, the prose and the haiku. It says, "Come, let's link-shift and leap together."

Let’s get into the basics of a haibun. The title, the prose and the haiku/senryu are the 3 parts of a haibun, and each of them have a unique role to play. Here are a few ideas to keep in mind when you are writing your haibun.

• The prose is written in the first person. It starts right in the middle of the action. Many of the first haibun were based on the travels of the poet.

• The haiku/senryu should be able to stand on its own legs. i.e. it can be read by itself and still be meaningful. We delved into the world of haiku in week 3 of our Write-along series. If you want a refresher, here is the post.

• The title is not the summary of the piece. It has something unique to offer. It is suggestive in nature. It points you towards what is coming or gives you a way to interpret the prose and the haiku. The point I am trying to make is to use the title to add a layer or nuance to the piece.

• Now, we come to the most important part of the haibun. The title, the prose and the haiku when read together should try to be greater than the simple sum of the 3. The haiku does not summarise the prose, it is not repetitive, it takes it further. It gives a deeper understanding or a different angle to the prose. In some examples, in the first reading, the haiku and the prose might seem unconnected. However, on careful observation, you will find a link between the two, and give you another way to view the prose. That’s the basics of linking-and-shifting that is so popular in the world of haibun.

Phew! that’s a lot of theory. Now, for some examples.

Umbilical cord

I wish I could still protect him. Now, all I can do is I give him ideas on how to manage his emotions: when he loses something, when someone makes fun of him, or they don’t invite him to play in their group. 

cupped palms…
drops of water
trickle through

In the above example, do you see the connection between the prose, the title and the haiku? The haiku doesn’t repeat what is in the prose, but conveys the sense of helplessness of the writer, and the title helps land it swiftly in the reader’s mind. Now, here is another of my haibun.

---

Unlearning


Friday evening. Our dining table is covered with patchwork of newspapers. 


The husband is throwing paint on canvas. I am worried about the wall, the ceiling and what the maid will think tomorrow. The 5-year-old doesn't use paint.  He dunks dirty brushes into murky water and swishes it on paper. 


The 9-year-old dips one brush into the cerulean blue, and another into Prussian blue and proceeds to paint with both hands.


He declares, “This is an experiment!”


leaf on the river…
i forget to colour
inside the lines

Two of my favourite haibun books are ‘A Sky full of Bucket-lists’ by Shobana Kumar and ‘Raindrops chasing Raindrops’ by Paresh Tiwari. These books do not follow the conventional form of haibun, but they are explosive in their content. I highly recommend them.

Here is a detailed explanation of the haibun form by Paresh Tiwari.

This haibun by Shobana, ‘Rorschach Test’, pushes the boundaries of what a haibun can do. It is not a straight-forward haibun, but do give it a read. Read it once, look up ‘Rorschach Test’ if you don’t know what it is, then read it again. Then, tell me, how did the title shape your world!

I wish I could share Paresh’s book with you but here is a small sample of his work: Portrait of a Heart . Nothing straight-forward about it!

Another great resource is the haikuKATHA journal, a monthly publication. Sharing haikuKATHA issue 40 for your reading, that contain quite a few examples of haibun and my photos too:)

---

PROMPT FOR THE WEEK:

Write a haibun. If it is your first haibun, I would ask you to be inspired by your immediate surroundings. Write about something that happened today. Write about something that is bothering you. Write about your latest vacation or a conversation. But, remember to use the title and the haiku to create a piece in which the sum is greater than its parts.

However, if you have played with the haibun form before, then try to push the boundaries. Add surrealism to your prose. Use bigger leaps between your title and prose and haiku. Let the reader do some work.

Happy Writing!

Be Kind,

Namratha