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ARTICLE
Wordless Poetry:
Haibun, Tanka, Markets and the Magpie Haiku Poets
by Joanne Morcom
Like the haiku, the haibun originated in Japan, and Basho is again credited with developing it, through his travel
sketches written between 1684 and 1694. The sketches record Basho's arduous journeys through Japan, as well
as his search for spiritual enlightenment and a vision of eternity, as in this extract from his work titled The Narrow
Road to the Deep North:
As I moved on all fours from rock to rock, bowing reverently at each shrine, I felt the purifying power of this
holy environment pervading my whole being.
In the utter silence
Of a temple,
A cicada's voice alone
Penetrates the rocks
Today's haibun display many different approaches and themes, such as travelogue, slice-of-life, character study,
nature sketch, stream-of-consciousness, comedy or drama. They may be as short as a paragraph or as long as a
novel, although brevity in prose and abbreviated syntax are preferred. Most haibun conform to the Haiku Society of
America definition: “ A haibun is a terse, relatively short prose poem in the haikai style, usually including both lightly
humorous and more serious elements. A haibun usually ends with a haiku.” It also tends to be autobiographical,
yet the haibun writer maintains a sense of emotional restraint or detachment, in keeping with the haiku philosophy.
The accompanying haiku relates directly or indirectly to the prose, and enhances the defining moment of the
haibun. Ideally, the contrasting combination of prose and haiku provides the reader with more powerful insight than
either one separately. The prose shouldn't give away the haiku, while the haiku avoids repeating main nouns, verbs
and adjectives in the prose. As poet George Marsh says,” A haibun cannot afford any sentence that does not
contribute to the effect at the ending, and builds to its last words.” (from an introduction to Haiku Spirit.) In the
following paragraph from my haibun about Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park, I've tried to adhere to the form's
guiding principles:
A hike along the interpretive trail seems to take one backward in time, to a lost world of heat, dust, rocks,
insects, plants and stillness. Nearby, the Milk River flows quietly toward the campground, as if bridging a
gap between the stone age and modern civilization.
hikers
leave their shoe prints
in ancient dust
The tanka, less well known than the haiku but much older, originated in Japan over 1200 years ago. It may have
started as love poetry, hence its traditional focus on feelings and relationships. Tanka are no more than 31
syllables long, written in five lines of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables, or fewer. There's usually a break (and/or a link) between
the upper three and the lower two lines, or between the upper two and lower three. Composition guidelines are
similar to haiku, although tanka tend to display a more personal, diary-like quality than haiku. According to the tanka
poet Sanford Goldstein, “The best tanka harmonize the writer's inner emotional life with the elements of the outer
world used to portray it.” In the following example by the contemporary poet Fumi Saito, notice how she links her
past love affair with a distant river:
the man's name
I've forgotten but
not the river's
distant shining
in the summer field
In the next example from my published work, humour comes into play. The humour arises from the surprise
ending, like the punchline of a joke:
feeling cranky
the palm reader tells him
she's never seen a life line
as short as his
These two tanka demonstrate how all aspects of life, from the trivial to the sublime, are potential tanka themes,
providing they're explored openly, honestly and non-judgmentally. This poetic freedom and responsibility are
perhaps tanka's most appealing qualities.
Part drama, part comedy, part cri-de-coeur, part love song, part nature ode, tanka seem to have it all, in just five
short lines. No wonder their popularity continues to grow, in the haiku inspired writing community and among
mainstream poets as well. And with an increase in popularity, there's an increase in tanka, haibun and haiku
publications. Millikin University's Directory of Haiku Magazines contains a comprehensive listing of electronic and
paper publications. Listings include the Canadian publications Gusts: Contemporary Tanka and Haiku Canada
Review. I'm a member of both organizations that publish these journals, as well as a local group called The
Magpie Haiku Poets. We took our name from the mischevious bird that's so plentiful here in Alberta, and in 2004
we published an anthology of our work titled A Piece of Egg Shell. The title comes from a haiku by DeVar Dahl, one
of the six contributors and the current president of Haiku Canada.
easter snow
a piece of egg shell
in the sandwich
Our group meets on a fairly regular basis to write, share and discuss haiku related poetry. Occasionally, we get
together for a nature walk, to spark our creativity. We also write linked verses called renga, in which we take turns
writing a series of haiku.
Haiku Contest
We're doing our best to promote haiku, and to that end we're holding a haiku contest, in association with Eleventh
Transmission. Poems will be blind reviewed by the Magpie Haiku Poets. The deadline to enter is March 3. The
winner will be announced April 2. There is no fee to enter.
How to Enter
To enter, e-mail a maximum of two haiku to contest@eleventhtransmission.org. Label your submission “Haiku
Contest” and be sure to include contact information. (This information will be removed before sending the poems
to the Magpie Haiku Poets for judging.)
Deadline
The deadline for submissions is Saturday, March 3rd at noon.
Prizes
The winner will be announced in the April edition of Eleventh Transmission and will receive copies of Magpie Haiku
Poet's A Piece of Egg Shell and Lee Gurga's Haiku: A Poet's Guide. First to Third place will also be awarded
publication.
Remember that a typical haiku is written in three short lines totaling no more than 17 syllables. It doesn't have a
title, or much punctuation. It captures a moment in time by comparing one or two concrete images that appeal to
the senses, and by extension, various emotional and psychological states. It does all this using mostly nouns and
verbs. And those nouns and verbs tend to be very short as opposed to very long. So have fun meeting the
challenge of writing a haiku or two. We look forward to reading your masterpieces!
Related Links
Millikin University's Directory of Haiku Magazines
Biography
Joanne Morcom is a social worker who writes haiku and related poetry, as well as flash fiction. Her work has
appeared in a variety of publications. As a member of the Calgary based Magpie Haiku Poets, she collaborated on
a haiku anthology titled A Piece of Eggshell. Her scifaiku chapbook will appear in late 2006, published by Sam's
Dot Publishing (www.genremall.com/samsdotpublishingmz.htm) . She also teaches the occasional haiku
workshop at the Alexandra Writers' Centre Society, and helps to organize the annual Calgary Poets Stroll. Visit her
at http://www.joannemorcom.com/