Heart’s Birth: A Haibun*

Fierce wind drops, noisy wind blows, flood water inside our house flows. My clumsy-self tries so hard to tie my only pair of shoe, I have to go to school, it’s my sole due. School’s our only hope, that’s our home’s breath. Family’s in falling slope, quitting school means death.

courageous heart was
born with home’s tough winter’s breath
dream on, mom ‘ways said.

—

©2016 Rosemawrites@A Reading Writer. All Rights Reserved.

Photo credit: Data

---

In response to Daily Post: Breath and Napowrimo Day 18.

 

Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that incorporates “the sound of home.” Think back to your childhood, and the figures of speech and particular ways of talking that the people around you used, and which you may not hear anymore.

—

*Haibun

Haibun is a joining of prose and haiku. Originating in Japan, found as far back as the 10th century and made popular by Basho in the 17th century, it is autobiographic often taking the form of a travelogue. Modern haibun usually draws its inspiration from everyday events. The form usually opens with prose which is short narrative. It sets the scene or describes a specific moment in objective detail. The haiku that follows relates to the core of the prose bringing emotional insight through an intensified image. There can be one or more prose-haiku combinations.

• The prose describes in depth a scene or moment in a detached manner. It should be brief, concise and poetic. It is written in present tense and does not give away the moment of insight that should be revealed in the haiku that follows.
• The haiku should not be in direct relationship with the prose but bring a different slant to the images to heighten the emotion drawn from the defining moment of the prose revealed in the haiku. It should not repeat words or phrases from the prose.