Haiku Club

Book?

2011-05-24T23:21:00.002-04:00

The Haiku Club may become a book! I'll be contacting members about it very soon ...

Easter

2008-03-17T14:53:00.002-04:00

Easter is an odd holiday, with its uneasy mix of pagan and Christian beliefs -- we're quite blasé about the cards depicting bunnies, eggs and fluffy chicks that jostle with flowery crosses and Biblical quotes about resurrection. You have until Monday, March 31 to nibble on your chocolate Easter treats while writing a haiku about this peculiar spring holiday.

Haiku Contest

2008-02-25T16:42:00.003-05:00

Beth was kind enough to forward me info about an upcoming haiku contest sponsored by the Magpie Haiku Poets, in association with Eleventh Transmission. There are prizes, plus publication for the first three winning poems, too. Entry is free, and the deadline for submissions is April 30, 2008. More info can be found on the website here.

London

2008-01-28T15:06:00.001-05:00

This is London calling. One of the world's great cities, its rich history and appearance as a central or supporting character in innumerable stories, songs, films and personal remembrances serve as testimony to its timelessness: eternally old, but always new. Thanks to Andrew for the theme suggestion. Deadline is midnight, Sunday February 10.

varmints

2008-01-22T16:49:00.000-05:00

when i was a kid
at the cinema, they’d play
some short films to start.

rabbits throw anvils
at singing baboons; talking
pots chase magic spoons.

man, i’d love to see,
today, mickey’s marching brooms –
the movie starts soon…

…but what’s up these days?
i’m harpooned with all these ads:
“BUILT FORD TOUGH!” “BUY SNACKS!”

i don’t want ads or
film trivia, you maroons!
bring back my cartoons!

Film

2008-01-20T11:49:00.000-05:00

From the first silents to today's glossy Hollywood blockbusters, film has been a huge part of our culture. We've idolized stars, sung along to theme songs, memorized favourite lines, encountered alien life forms, and traveled all over the world (and beyond), while sitting in the dark staring at a glowing screen. You have until midnight of Sunday, January 27 to write about your celluloid dreams.

The Label Says It's Organic...

2008-01-14T18:41:00.000-05:00

Cheerful bright boxes
at the grocery store propose:
"Soylent Green tonight!"

Summer: lines composed on a beach

2008-01-11T17:09:00.000-05:00

You maniacs! You
blew it up! Ah, damn you! God
damn you all to hell!

The Future

2008-01-11T16:45:00.000-05:00

It's The Future, my friends! Will we be whizzing around in our own personal shiny metal spaceships, or will we be in helpless thrall to our merciless squid overlords? Utopia, Dystopia, or something in between? You have until midnight of Saturday, January 19 to foresee The Future...

I'm late preparing for Thanksgiving too

2008-01-11T15:14:00.000-05:00

cruel calendar
just a few hundred days left
must start shopping now

Holiday

2007-12-03T13:52:00.000-05:00

The madness of the season is upon us! The tinned Christmas music in the stores, the aggressive commercials on TV, the frantic faces of shoppers--for many of us, it all adds up to an increasing yearning for a simpler holiday time. So. This month's theme explores the good, the bad and the ugly of what Holiday means these days. Deadline is January 2, 2008.

and I'm wearing a lot of layers, too

2007-11-27T12:33:00.000-05:00

wind-swept, featureless
the Flats chill me bone deep
tomorrow: the bus!

Cold

2007-11-02T00:02:00.000-04:00

November brings a crispness to the air, and the first frosty indications of winter in the early morning. With the drop in temperature comes our new theme: Cold. It might be a bout of cold feet, getting the cold shoulder, out cold, or just feeling chilly--it's up to you. Deadline is midnight, November 30.

Last Night

2007-11-01T22:19:00.000-04:00

As darkness descends
the beast emerges, hovers,
surveying the street.

It chooses its first
and creeps closer, arm extended;
claws scratch at the door.

Thirty houses and
three chocolate bars later, the
red dragon crashes.

I'm having trouble with a title, too

2007-10-29T11:12:00.000-04:00

pristine new pumpkin
canvas for much clever art
damn this carver's block!

Jack o' Lantern

2007-10-28T19:10:00.001-04:00

Evil spirits flee,
frightened by the fiery gaze
of his glowing eyes.

my neighbourhood on Hallowe'en

2007-10-25T10:51:00.000-04:00

tiny Chinese kid
scared, no costume but big eyes
oh, have a candy

Hallowe'en Bedtime Chez Moi

2007-10-23T21:58:00.000-04:00

Two black ninjas strike:
Rustling through the bag of treats
Under bedcovers.

Sweet and juicy

2007-10-23T08:07:00.000-04:00

Tempting toffee coats
scrumptious red apples, crisp with
hidden razor blades.

Hallowe'en

2007-10-15T08:47:00.000-04:00

Hallowe'en is our next theme, and brings us an opportunity to explore the macabre, be it good (happy memories of childhood trick or treating) or not so good (witches and ghosts and mummies--oh my!). Deadline is midnight, October 31.

Does the Warranty Cover Freaking Out?

2007-10-12T23:29:00.000-04:00

The moribund Mac
stares blankly, indifferent
to looming deadlines.

Stress

2007-09-30T23:53:00.000-04:00

Our next theme (courtesy of the mysterious Sly Revolutionary) is something that we can all relate to: Stress. Whether it's work stress, city living stress, or just a general anxiety about things, you have until midnight of Sunday October 14 to write about your jitters.

The 39 Steps

2007-09-24T12:39:00.000-04:00

Code song grimly hummed,
they hurtle over the moors
in flight from menace.

Flight

2007-09-22T21:13:00.000-04:00

Flight is our next theme, which could be a flight from the cold (like the migrating Canada geese), a flight into the unknown, a flight from one's fears (like a Hitchcock movie), or flights of fantasy. Let your imagination take flight. Deadline is midnight, Sunday September 30.

The Physiology of Taste

2007-09-21T21:35:00.001-04:00

"You are what you eat,"
declared Brillat-Savarin.
Today: I'm pad thai.

Basho at the Old Springfield Pond

2007-09-11T16:55:00.000-04:00

Plumpish frog legs flex,
and then the sound of water.
Mmmm, plumpish frog legs . . .

Have your cake, and...

2007-09-09T01:11:00.000-04:00

Early memory:
Chinese sweets, bearing pictures
rendered in sugar.

A pennyfarthing;
a flower; a teddybear;
all meltingly good.

I loved their look, and
loved their taste; the torment was,
I couldn't keep both.

McTangy

2007-09-09T01:07:00.000-04:00

I don't eat meat, just
the pickle's vinegar tang;
the dog gets the rest.

Taste

2007-09-09T00:27:00.000-04:00

The taste of a simple madeleine flooded Marcel Proust with bittersweet memories, which he then described in scrupulous detail. So, we will (courtesy of Andrew) now explore Taste, one of the subtler senses, as our theme (though with much less length than Proust). Deadline is midnight, Saturday September 22.

Better late than never

2007-09-08T10:31:00.000-04:00

First I'll tidy up,
check the news, have a snack and
THEN post a haiku.

Pain au Chocolat

2007-09-06T23:14:00.000-04:00

Hunk of baguette with
chocolate melting inside––
bad day looks better.

FLASH Haiku: Bread

2007-09-06T00:04:00.000-04:00

It's a quick round of FLASH haiku now, and the theme for it is Bread. You have 48 hours to stand, coffee in hand, at the counter of your mental bakery and decide: literal or as a figure of speech? Symbolic or slang? They all look so delicious...

Deadline is midnight, Saturday September 8.

Modern Life

2007-09-05T17:22:00.000-04:00

Twenty-four hours:
not enough time to compose
fourteen syllables.

Variation on a Haiku by Lori

2007-09-05T17:21:00.000-04:00

Yeah, that’s what I’ll do.
A percept frozen in time
needs lots of research.

Got the title done, time for a break...

2007-08-30T11:22:00.000-04:00

this time I'll finish
on time and...

I'll Just Do More Research. Yeah, That's What I'll Do.

2007-08-27T17:12:00.000-04:00

Inspiration wilts
in the blinding glare of the
waiting blank white page.

E-straction

2007-08-26T20:12:00.000-04:00

Though a deadline looms,
the urge to jump on Facebook
takes priority.

Procrastination

2007-08-25T00:10:00.000-04:00

Our new theme (courtesy of Kelly) is Procrastination. You have until midnight of Wednesday, September 5 to postpone, lag, delay, loiter, defer, shelve, prolong, and filibuster.

Skinnydipper

2007-08-22T18:59:00.000-04:00

Garbed in rivulets
of water, modern Venus
rises from the sea.

About a buoy

2007-08-20T14:45:00.000-04:00

he rocks his own boat
making waves while the sun sprays
diamonds on the lake

More fish tales

2007-08-20T11:21:00.001-04:00

My toddler sister
drops her line, grins, and hauls forth
a leering catfish.

Blue Birds

2007-08-19T18:04:00.000-04:00

Blue Birds Flying High
River Running to the Sea
Oar in, oar out, oar

Water

2007-08-18T00:06:00.000-04:00

There was definitely an aquatic thread running through the Summer theme, so we're going to continue, with Water as our new theme. And, like water, you can be as big as the ocean, or as delicately small as a teardrop. Deadline is Friday, August 24.

Endless Sky, Endless Water

2007-08-17T23:47:00.000-04:00

Graceful as a bird,
the canoe glides on the lake
through reflected clouds

What was I thinking?

2007-08-17T23:17:00.000-04:00

I start to regret
the poolside as exposed limbs
turn a telltale red.

Sounds of summer

2007-08-17T17:43:00.000-04:00

Dad's signature cast,
launched with a pop! zing! splash!, tempts
Rosseau's smallmouth bass.

is it hot out here or is it carbon dioxide emissions-based environmental damage?

2007-08-16T10:52:00.000-04:00

the endless summer
no longer a wishful dream
climate change, baby

screenshine

2007-08-16T00:42:00.000-04:00

Sun could be shining
rays of pure gold. Wouldn't know.
Stuck inside working

FLASH Haiku: Summer

2007-08-16T00:07:00.000-04:00

Our new theme is Summer, and, since it's a Flash Haiku, you have only 48 hours to write. So, time to quickly muster your thoughts and think of all that the season brings, be it good (sunshine, swimming in lakes, long days) and/or not so good (mosquitoes, heatwaves, allergies). Deadline is midnight, Friday August 17.

Hide and seek

2007-08-08T14:52:00.000-04:00

Stifling giggles, the
children take turns peeking from
behind the tombstones.

Shortened to Hopeless, Then Became Bob

2007-08-07T18:30:00.000-04:00

As children do, he
copied his Dad, introduced
himself: Hope, Leslie.

the hip hop rabbit is Chuck B

2007-08-01T10:01:00.000-04:00

'cause he hopes along
the illiterate bunny
is called Cassidy

Hope

2007-07-31T23:56:00.000-04:00

Our new theme (courtesy of Beth) is Hope, the one thing that remained after Pandora opened that ill-omened Box containing all the world's evils, winged and ready to go. Deadline is midnight of August 15.

and yet I keep trying...

2007-07-31T10:39:00.000-04:00

soothing savage beasts
is easy with a nice wine
harder on guitar

Bad Vogon Haiku #1

2007-07-27T14:21:00.000-04:00

Plurdled gruntbuggly,
thy micturations, to me,
echo lurgid bees.

(With sincere apologies to Douglas Adams)

Bad Goth Haiku #1: The Lover Scorned

2007-07-26T13:42:00.000-04:00

The hearth of my heart,
once so warm, is glacier cold
since your betrayal

Twisted vines of hate
choke the tender shoots where oncce
dwelt my thoughts of you

Revenge festers hot
rotting dreams that used to be
our golden future

Underwater Zombies

2007-07-18T18:50:00.000-04:00

Rising from the depths!
Ridiculously acted,
But eerily filmed.

what? what?

2007-07-05T09:58:00.000-04:00

soft white kitten fur
makes babies smile and giggle
soaks up blood well, too

Open Haiku!

2007-07-04T17:03:00.000-04:00

It's official: July is now a month of Open Haiku on the Haiku Club blog. This means that both members and non-members are free to post their haiku on any topic, as much as they like, until midnight of Tuesday, July 31. Thanks to Maddie for the idea.

Because Monkeys Are Fun

2007-06-26T16:53:00.000-04:00

Training manual
at new job: Curious George
Learns Software Testing.

Cat lives: 9. Me: not so many

2007-06-26T09:45:00.000-04:00

going down the hole
following the stupid cat
safe as long as ... AAAAAH!

White Rabbit

2007-06-25T22:35:00.000-04:00

"Curiouser and
curiouser," says Alice
in Carroll's famed tale.

Curious to us
is this murky glimpse of the
Victorian Id.

FLASH Haiku: Curiosity

2007-06-25T21:52:00.000-04:00

Curiouser and curiouser. Curiosity is the theme for the first 24 hour Flash Haiku, and your deadline is midnight of Tuesday June 26.* Now's the time to discover if you can haiku under pressure...

* Note: the official email notice goes out at midnight, but there's a two hour head start for anyone checking the blog right now...

shut up Shut Up SHUT UP!!!

2007-06-19T15:24:00.000-04:00

Chance-heard, the dull song
spins madly in my brain--a
warped merry go round.

Is that Smells Like Teen Spirit? No way!

2007-06-19T10:46:00.000-04:00

Can only escape
This elevator muzak
When I reach my floor

Those songs that move you can come back to sting you

2007-06-19T10:45:00.001-04:00

Familiar refrain
Our song plays but not for us
Perhaps new lovers

Bm You Suck

2007-06-19T10:44:00.001-04:00

Pick up my guitar
Barre chords make my fingers hurt
Open chords it is

when do we get the freakin' guns?

2007-06-19T10:08:00.000-04:00

new haiku format
you are messing with my mind
that's not a bad thing

This Week's Theme: Music

2007-06-17T17:57:00.000-04:00

This week's theme is courtesy of Maddie, and is (considering the membership of the Haiku Club) an especially inspired choice, too: Music. Deadline is noon on June 24.

Note: No cats were harmed in the writing and uploading of this post.

Haiku Club: New Schedule

2007-06-14T22:28:00.000-04:00

An update on the upcoming schedule change for the summer: as of next week, we'll be moving to a whole new format of theme posting, which will be permanent rather than just for the summer. Instead of posting on the Sunday of each week, or every two weeks (as was the original plan for the summer), we'll embrace the true spirit of haiku and become more spontaneous. Haiku Club members will continue to be asked to contribute themes regularly (along with the themes posted by me), but when they will be posted and for how long will be unknown until they're up. So, some themes might have an extended stay of perhaps two weeks, while others may be an innovation suggested by Andrew: the Flash Haiku, which will be a theme posted for only 24 hours (maybe even less!). Other themes will fall somewhere in between. How themes are chosen may vary, too––for example, occasionally you might be asked to, say, visit a certain website and pick an object, colour, or concept as your theme. All this is designed to mix things up, keep us all engaged in the form, and, I hope, add to the pure enjoyment value for everyone, too. Please feel free to post your comments here on these upcoming changes, and to add any other thoughts and ideas you may have as well. I am always open to suggestions.

Mythological Musings

2007-06-13T23:23:00.000-04:00

Fiery eyeball of
gods ancient and new––tell me,
why are you so mad?

Heavenly Musings

2007-06-13T23:20:00.001-04:00

You'd never lack toast
if you had a little place
somewhere near the sun

stupid jerk sun

2007-06-11T09:42:00.000-04:00

no-one can go out
unless they are covered in
some anti-sun goop

This Week's Theme: The Sun

2007-06-10T13:16:00.000-04:00

This week's theme burns brightly above us––the Sun. For millenia it has been personified as the ever-watchful eye of Varuna (India), Ahuramazda (Persia), Helios (Greece), Zeus (Roman Empire), and Ra (Egypt) respectively. Now it turns its fiery gaze onto...you. Deadline is noon on Sunday June 17.

Frost-san

2007-06-10T12:07:00.000-04:00

The road forked: I took
the one less travelled. That's made
all the difference.

2007-06-08T21:51:00.000-04:00

Year in, year out, she
dusts his faded photograph,
faithful at least so.

Why is it...

2007-06-08T21:47:00.000-04:00

When someone says that
they "regret to inform you..."
they usually don't.

Out, out, damned spot!

2007-06-05T17:16:00.000-04:00

They keep me awake
their images all too clear
morning, noon and night.

Too many to count.
Pause, rewind ... erase? For now,
pass me the bottle.

Twitterku

2007-06-05T17:10:00.000-04:00

Twitterku are haiku composed from random phrases pulled from the Twitter public stream. An example:

craptacular day
Up way too late yet again.
UPDATED PICTURE

Have a look here. Via boingboing. Now back to our Regrets...

War Time

2007-06-04T23:33:00.000-04:00

Telegram arrives.
"We regret to inform you..."
Grief descends, settles.

2007-06-04T22:22:00.000-04:00

Unlike Edith Piaf
Qui ne regrette rien
Some of mine run deep

This Week's Theme: Regret

2007-06-03T22:02:00.001-04:00

Our theme for this week is something a bit different, courtesy of Andrew. It's the very human emotion of Regret, and it's played a significant role both in history and in literature. If only...

Deadline is noon, Sunday June 10.

Fantasy futures (with a nod to Bugs)

2007-05-31T20:44:00.000-04:00

To control time's flow -
pause, rewind. Even better
than portable holes.

2007-05-31T20:43:00.001-04:00

Infant to toddler,
schoolboy to teen. Years fly by
but the minutes crawl.

Time Regained

2007-05-30T21:48:00.001-04:00

Life's simple pleasures--
The extra hour of sleep from
Daylight Savings Time.

In Search of Time for In Search of Lost Time

2007-05-30T21:33:00.000-04:00

Dauntingly lengthy,
Proust's meditation on time
beckons me. Someday.

Time Forgotten

2007-05-30T19:27:00.000-04:00

Summer afternoon--
watching a bee hovering
over peonies.

Perhaps of Flesh, But Not Always of Heart

2007-05-30T18:09:00.000-04:00

Despite the adage
Time does not erase all wounds
Some salted anew

... watch TV, probably

2007-05-28T16:52:00.000-04:00

the minutes drag by
when will 5 o'clock get here?
I must rush home to ...?

This Week's Theme: Time

2007-05-27T12:26:00.000-04:00

Time is the theme for this week. Are you in search of lost time, waiting until the end of time, or just happily wasting time? Only time will tell. Deadline is noon on Sunday, June 3.

Note: Speaking of time, I may be a bit late posting the theme next Sunday, as I'll be out of town for the weekend. Rest assured that I'll post it ASAP...

How my dad says he played as a boy in the 1940's

2007-05-27T10:28:00.000-04:00

Frozen horse dung puck
Eaton's catalogue shin pads
Barn door goaltender

ok ok ... my ticket is actually game six

2007-05-24T11:19:00.000-04:00

a sweep would be fun
assuming Ottawa wins
otherwise: game six!

Road Hockey

2007-05-23T15:27:00.000-04:00

Canadian streets
resound in summer with the
laconic call: Car!

there better be a game five...

2007-05-22T12:07:00.000-04:00

my game five ticket:
fifth row, behind the Sen's bench
jesus fucking christ!

Just Wondering

2007-05-21T23:42:00.000-04:00

Grrrrrreg chose the topic
Where art his verses? So hushed,
while Kelly posts three.

Ms Torck ignites a
flood of icy metaphors
while Grrrrreg frosts silent.

Such a fiery fan,
surely he's biding his time
while the rest weigh in.

Playoff fever stalls
Response to other milieus.
Just wait -- he'll be back.

Once his fever calms,
Grrrrreg will forge his silver muse
Reflecting glory.

When the good guys win
I long to read Grrrrrreg's haiku
Lauding our heroes!

Something to fall back on...

2007-05-20T21:47:00.000-04:00

Playoffs, centre ice,
though not quite living the dream.
(Zamboni driver.)

2007-05-20T21:46:00.000-04:00

They circle the puck,
glide and collide as they dive,
like hungry seagulls.

2007-05-20T21:45:00.000-04:00

I join the army
of neighbourhood shovels to
save the smothered rink.

This Week's Theme: Hockey

2007-05-20T11:58:00.000-04:00

This week's theme is courtesy of Greg, who's chosen our national sport: hockey! With the city currently gripped in a red-hot Sens fever after yesterday's win, it's a highly topical one, too. Deadline is noon on Sunday, May 27. Hockey buff note: the Skein Ronan (Renfrew) hockey card shown here is one of the earliest Canadian ones, dating from around 1910-2.

(In)Famous Clown Moments

2007-05-17T19:20:00.000-04:00

Innocence is lost.
Unbeknownst to Clarabel,
microphone's still on.