Yesterday I went to a ‘Haiku and other Short Poetry’ Workshop at Kingston Lacy, a National Trust property.
First warm-up exercise:
We played a Haiku ‘consequences’ type of game:
We were each asked to write the first line of a Haiku – five syllables, with a theme of Spring. Then fold the paper over and pass it round.
Then the second line with 7 syllables, fold over and pass it on
Then the third with 5 syllables, fold over and pass it on. The words in pink are the ones I wrote.
And then we read them out:
Bluebells under trees
Spring has sprung out of the soil
Holding the moment
*
Petals underfoot
Deeply inhale the blue scent
The trees are alive
*
Morning has broken
Stepping softly in the silence
Trip over with joy
It was fun to co-create and felt pressure free with only one line to write at a time.
I get such a buzz out of creating something with others, whether it is a design with my grandchildren or a Haiku or a Renga
Later we talked about flipping the first and the last lines to see if this would be an improvement, e.g.:
The trees are alive
Deeply inhale the blue scent
Petals underfoot
*
Holding the moment
Spring has sprung out of the soil
Bluebells under trees
*
And then used our own lines and flipping the first and last:
Trip over with joy
Deeply inhale the blue scent
Bluebells under trees
This seems like a fun way to play around with a Haiku to look for different emphasis and sometimes it seemed to create more poetic strength – I’m definitely going to try this one out in the Haiku challenges.
It was a fun workshop, I really enjoyed it, and then I had a wander around the house and gardens.
I’m just a teeny bit obsessed with bluebells at present. I bet you got that!
I love them for their fleeting beauty, their subtle yet heady scent and the way they mark the beginning of my most favourite time of the year, when all the Spring flowers burst forth in a soft fluffiness of colour.
And they remind me of a bluebell time when love was in the air – oh that heady feeling, remembered each time I walk in woods carpeted in a soft purple-blue haze.
lying in bluebells
mirroring clear skies above
on high forever
*
Latin name for Bluebell: Hyacinthoides – that’s 5 syllables, the first line of a Haiku right there! Or maybe a better last line?
Trip over with joy
Deeply inhale the blue scent
Hyacinthoides
“Hyacinthoides non-scripta: The Bluebell’s Latin name, Hyacinthoides, comes from a Greek myth: when the Prince Hyacinthus died, the tears of the god Apollo spelled the word ‘alas’ on the petals of the hyacinth flower that sprang up from his blood. Non-scripta means unlettered and distinguishes this bluebell from the similar-looking hyacinth.” (from the Scottish Wildlife Trust site)
Does the scent of a Spring flower bring back happy memories for you?
There was just no resisting using ‘Hyacinthoides’ was there?! The workshop sounds like a wonderful experience full of great ideas. And their garden is beautiful, as is your drawing.
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You’re right, as clumsy as it might sound ‘hyacinthoides’ just had to be used! I went back there yesterday with my daughter and her three, it is the most fabulous place for children, we were there for 5.5 hours, three happy children all day, just with woods to run in and natural play areas and a picnic. They even provide lawn games like croquet and garden jenga – one of those special days.
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Wonderful things to do, and with some nice weather and everyone in the just right frame of mind, sounds like heaven!
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It really was, a never-to-be-forgotten day. xx
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What a great idea, a game of Haiku consequences! I also like the way you played around with them, giving them a different slaant.
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Thanks Edwina. As soon as my grandchildren are old enough to know about syllables that’s definitely going to be a Granny Game with them.
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Absolutely! A great fun game as well as educational. 🙂
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Third post I’ve read on bluebells today. In my old house I had lots of blueblls in the lawn (Spanish cultivated sort not english) but they still made my heart sing!
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It’s a moment in the year to be captured isn’t it.
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Can’t beat a bluebell wood.
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I agree!
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