HAIKUsutradhar: 1st March 2024 Patricia McGuire

A FRIDAY FEATURE

Host: Gauri Dixit Prompter for March: Patricia McGuire

OUR MISSION

1. To provide a new poetry workshop each Friday, along with a prompt.

2. To select haiku, senryu, and haiga each month for the journal, haikuKATHA. Each issue will select poems that were posted in this forum from the 3rd of the previous month to the 2nd of the current month.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

1. Post a maximum of two verses per week, from Friday to Friday, numbered 1 & 2. Post only one haiku in a day, in 24 hours.

2. Only post unpublished verses --- nothing that has appeared in peer-reviewed or edited

journals, anthologies, your webpage, social media, etc.

3. Only post original verses.

4. For each poem you post, comment on one other person’s poem.

5. Give feedback only to those poets who have requested it.

6. Do not post a variety of drafts, along with a request for readers to choose which they like most. Only one poem is to appear in each original post.

7. Post each revision, if you have any, above the original. The top version will be your submission to haikuKATHA. Do not delete the original post.

8. Do not submit found poetry or split sequences.

9. Do not post photos, except for haiga.

10. haikuKATHA will only consider haiga that showcase original artwork or photos.

Post details re: the source of the visual image. If you team up with an artist or photographer, make sure that it’s their original work and that they are not restricted

by other publications to share it. We won't be responsible for any copyright issues.

11. Put your name, followed by your country, below each poem, even after revisions.

Poems that do not follow the guidelines may be deleted.

Founder/Managing Editor of haikuKATHA Monthly Journal: Kala Ramesh

Associate Editors: Ashish Narain Firdaus Parvez Priti Aisola Sanjuktaa Asopa Shalini Pattabiraman Suraja Menon Roychowdhury Vandana Parashar Vidya Shankar

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PROMPT:

01st March.

Walking in the shoes of the masters: Bashō

Bashō revered by haiku folks as probably one of the greatest haiku poets was a learned man. Well versed in classical poetry, he brought this knowledge to his work but rather than write in the language of the Chinese / Japanese classical courtly poets he wrote in a contemporary style. Wandering through the country, he wrote his famous travel essays in the form of haibun, such as those in “The Narrow Road to the Deep North.”

Your goal with this prompt is to go for a wander, it doesn’t have to be far. Walk in silence, taking in your environment with all your senses and write your haiku based on what you experience.

Some haiku to guide you on your way:

the stillness –

soaking into stones

cicada’s cry

Bashō, tr. William J Higginson

scent of plum

in a flash of rising sun!

the mountain path

            Bashō, tr. Adam L Kern

Patricia McGuire (writing name Bisshie), host of The Poetry Pea Podcast, is available wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Managing Editor of The Poetry Pea Journal. Please check out our website, poetrypea.com, and join us for Japanese-inspired short-form poetry, maybe even write some for us.

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Nothing inspires poetry as much as being one with your environment. Wander in silence, and you will find many haiku. Perhaps as many as the master himself!

Write on! Gauri