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Mountain, lake, and moon...

my traveling companions

circling the sun.

                                    Tina Seligman

Shaded by oak limbs

a hummingbird drinks the moon...

peony in spring.

                                   Tina Seligman              

Walking on the moon

after a summer rain...ant

no longer earthbound.

                                    Tina Seligman

Disappearing moon...

waning to his other life

as I wax to mine

                                    Tina Seligman

How to Participate with Haiku
 
Special thanks to Joan and John Digby and the Feral Press for inspiring me to think more deeply about the poetry of the moon.

Your haiku will be posted here

  Solar-Lunar Haiku Project

Haiku or "light verse" is a Japanese form of poetry that captures the sensations of nature and the seasons through observation, often with a feeling of contemplation and discovery.  

Traditional haiku is based on 17 syllables.  For this project, the spirit of the poem is more important than structure, so you are also welcome to use free form.  In Japanese, haiku is usually written in one vertical line, but in English, three lines are used with traditional syllables in this structure:

5

7

5

Please email your haiku to moonmusichaiku@gmail.com.

 

Special thanks to Joan and John Digby for inspiring me to think more deeply about haiku and the poetry of the moon.

My interest in Braille as a language led me to discover that the same cells (variations of 6 raised dots) are used for both writing and musical notation.  I used this system as a pivot point to transcribe four of my haiku into music which can be heard on the website. The wall configuration is the Braille translation of Disappearing Moon.   Each cell represents a specific pitch and note value.  While Braille uses contractions for certain letter combinations and words, I chose to translate letter by letter to lengthen the already short music pieces.  Instead of representing musical pitches, certain letters, such as “a” are instructional on how to play a particular instrument or note.  Although different, each haiku contains the word “moon” which becomes a musical motif in all four pieces.

Claro de luna

bailando con estrellas

debajo del sol


The sun glistens bright

sweltering heat upon skin

consuming fire

She wakes with the moon

dancing on green beneath stars

she drifts at sun-rise

                                                        Yvonne De La Rosa

A sliver of hope

shines through the darkness and waits

to emerge -- still pure

                                                        Mira

The Sun and the Moon

Guides my heart where it belongs

It feels so peaceful

                                                      Jessica Duan

Moon mirrors sunlight 

reminding us that only

darkness makes hope shine

                                                      Anne Closuit Eisenhart

Instructions for making a fool of yourself

Open the window

Moon the world

                                                            Fega Blema

 

The sun shines so brightly

Beautiful glistening rays

Peeking through the clouds

                                                     Max P. Miller

smudge smoke across Luna

through the window I worship

moon goddess protects

                                                     Lisa Palermo             

Through warmth revive me,

You glow across horizons,

I heliotrope. 

      

Illuminate moon, 

The mysteries of my soul,

Show me where home is. 

                                                    Iga Mrozek

Newly cut grass smell

Sun setting above tall pines
Red wine in my glass.

                                                    Clare Bange-Hall
                                                         

Heavenly Bodies

watching our dear departed

bathing them with love

                                                     Karen Jones

Bask and drink my child

the powerful warmth and light

raining from above

 

Rejoice and flourish

the sun has come to feed us

laugh and feast on light

 

Oh Fiery sun

you are in my chest blazing

pointing to my fate

 

Sing to me sweetly

sultry blazing star of life

of successful dreams

 

Oh glorious sun

basking in your light is love

your warmth soothes my soul

 

Brimstone in the sky

you do not fool me with fire

you love me always

 

Silk screened sun glowing

mysteriously longing

for nightfall to come

 

Bring forth my essence

through the burning light within

mirrored in the moon

 

Bathe me tenderly

oh moon light soft whisperings

of lust and longing

 

Take me away to

your half lit silver planet

make me a moonbeam

 

Moon, come visit me

and bless my cauldron of magic

celebrating you

 

Silent lightless moon

do not whisper to me now

for I have turned full

 

The moon’s glowing light

bewitching us so softly 

into the darkness

 

The moon fully dark

olivine craters and dust 

gravity weeps light

 

There is no sadness

Like grasping for reflection

From an empty moon

                                                    C. Picara Vassallo

                                                         

late autumn
the moon creeping through the limbs of a leafless ash
all else utterly still

                                                   Scott Elder

                                               from "Part of the Dark" 2017

                                               courtesy of Dempsey & Windle

Communication

sun to moon

as light across the sky.

                                              Lucy Davidson

   March Snow

heavy flakes hide the sun

          during the day

darken full moon thru the night.

bright blue sky at dawn.

                                             Annette Buckley

Over my shoulder

The moon follows me at night

A faraway friend...

                                              Stacy Musi

People lie sleeping

          Nothing at all stands between

                     Myself and the moon.

                           Seifu-Jo (1731-1814)

       original translation by Joan Digby

       courtesy of The Feral Press

moon's full

take medicine now

also when new.

                                           

The moon

Is for you

The sun too.

                                             Eva Haughie

Disappearing moon...

waning to its other life

as I wax to mine.

                                         Tina Seligman

Walking on the moon

after a summer rain...ant

no longer earthbound.

                                          Tina Seligman

Mountain, lake, and moon...

my traveling companions

circling the sun.

                                          Tina Seligman

Shaded by oak limbs

a hummingbird drinks the moon...

peony in spring.

                                          Tina Seligman

Seeds riding wind...

seeking warm earth by moonlight

to begin new life.

                                         Tina Seligman

Disappearing Moon - Tina Seligman
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Walking on the Moon - Tina Seligman
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Mountain Lake and Moon - Tina Seligman
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Shaded by Oak Limbs - Tina Seligman
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Project with Viewer Participation

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