Aug 12
Caribbean Kigo Kukai and Modern Haiku
Posted: under Reviews.
Tags: Carribean Kigo Kukai, Gilena Cox, inspiration, poetryAugust 12th, 2010
I’ve been thinking about poetry lately.
Where do I want to go with haiku? What new areas do I want to explore? And specifically, do I want to stay exclusive with 5 - 7 - 5?
Then I happened upon the results of the fifteenth Caribbean Kigo Kukai haiku contest hosted by Gillena Cox and I became inspired.
The haiku in this contest are of the modern shorter variety. There is no strict 5 - 7 - 5 syllable count in these poems. Rather, the poems contain a kigo (seasonal reference) and most contain a break. In less than seventeen syllables!
The fifteenth Caribbean Kigo Kukai features the word “umbrella” as a prompt and it is interesting to read the variety of haiku that come out of using this word.
Here are a few that struck me.
This one, by Magdalena Dale, spoke to me with it’s simple universal appeal.
Red umbrella -
the sounds of rain drops
around us
I can imagine the color red and the music of the rain working together for this beautiful moment.
This one, by Bill Kenney, won first place.
summer rain
my umbrella
unopened
I love the brevity of language in this one while at the same time it says so much. The whole idea of contrasting caution with joyful spontaneity is so appealing. And in only 10 syllables!
This one, by Catherine J. S. Lee, won second place and is another favorite.
after divorce court –
still, she offers to share
her umbrella
I love how this one gets personal (we like to do that here at Haiku By Two) and I appreciate the way Lee melds the personal with the seasonal. It’s real and contains emotion and yet the emotion is grounded by nature. Fantastic!
Thanks to Gillena for hosting a wonderful Caribbean Kigo Kukai that has inspired me so! And keep checking the site. New contests with different kigo are posted on a regular basis. I hope to try my hand at the shorter haiku sometime soon although I must admit I am not sure where or how to start. If you have any suggestions, please share them in comments!


















