Tag: Haibun

An anticipation of “March’s madness”…

On February 20th, Nigerians witnessed the launch of A Journey in Service, a memoir detailing the life of a former military ruler. Now 83, he recounts his role in what can only be summarized as the country’s downward spiral—from senseless coups and executions that ignited a civil war to an election annulment that led to further bloodshed. And yet, on that day, he and his book were celebrated by the President and former Heads of State. The gall—the insult to the common Nigerian, past and present.

February also delivered a Hollywood tragedy straight out of The X-Files—a renowned actor, his wife, and their dog, all found dead in different parts of their home. No signs of forced entry. No carbon monoxide poisoning. No definitive time of death. A mystery worthy of the strangest conspiracy theories. Oh boy – February couldn’t get any crazier could it? Well Helz Yezzz!.

February 28th! The world witnessed what can only be described as the political equivalent of The Jerry Springer Show. Leader versus world leader. Or perhaps, world leader and his team going at leader – take your pick. No fists were thrown, but the number of jaws hitting the floor that day—including mine—was staggering. A day of pride for some, a day of disgrace for others. A moment in history remembered for ????… I’ll leave you to fill in the blanks.

Now, standing in the month of Martius, I can’t help but reflect on the sheer audacity of the past few weeks—from political theater to ongoing freakishly hot Lagos weather. And so, I ask: What more could you have in store for us, O month of March named after the Roman god offf … war?!

Pantheon smiles down,

From Fields of Mars spectating

His month unfolding

Its Haibun Monday on dVerse and its all about how you interpret “March Madness”. This piece was fun for me! Based on my view of the term “March madness” I got the chance to unclog all the frustration that came with previous month of February 😁.

March is here and I personally choose to be positive and prayerful about what’s ahead.

Cheers! 🙂

Līgo Haībun Challenge ~ Prompt **South America**

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“Let me say at the risk of seeming ridiculous that the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love.”

 

Besides magazines I have read and documentaries I’ve watched about the Inca, Mayan and Aztec Civilizations, there is very little I know about South America. However, during my teenage years I came across the ruggedly handsome face of a certain Latino for the first time on a T-Shirt and below his picture was his name written in bold letters, “CHE”. It was love at first sight! Thank goodness for “Google”, I found him right quick. 😉

Reading up on my new love interest I was quite disappointed to find out that he was dead and that had he lived would have been old enough to be my grand daddy! …But the education I got while reading up on this great man  was an eye opener on what it takes to truly Dream and dream selflessly.

It took the marathon motorcycle ride of a young Argentine through all of South America for an Ideal to be borne- A borderless, united Hispanic America sharing a common Latino heritage…

What a visionary!

˜˜

He dreamed of one voice
 To dream and sacrifice much
 That he did till death

The Līgo Haībun Challenge ~ Prompt “Bouquet”/”Bouquet of Flowers”/”Flower”

bigstock-Beautiful-nude-female-body-sil-18840731Innocence  becomes past tense as he attempts to pluck red petals  from between her ebony thighs… His dream finally coming to fruition- to make a woman of his lover.  Dare he say, its not quite the experience he had envisaged- She claws away into his Nubian skin, screaming as he penetrates, taking his time the best he can. Tears trickle down the corners of her eyes as her body gently rocks to the motion of his love inside her.

In time he races on feverishly, drenched in perspiration- eyes shut to avoid the gory shade that probably masks his groin and surely marks the sheets … in that moment her flower is lost forever. The innocent girl he lay ever so gently on her back now raises her womanly hips to the occasion in wild ecstasy- Her body, overwhelmed by  new feelings of pain, but more pleasure bucks, reals and twists, her fingers easing off on their grip of his skin. This is where true victory lies- not in the breaking of the hymen, but to feel the wild, involuntary spasms from her virgin torso. Is there anything sweeter than this?….

˜˜
Claiming her bouquet
He thinks not of tomorrow
…She thinks forever
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 Ligo-Challenge-

Our  Līgo Haībun Challenge normally has a word limit of up to 220 words or less inc the haiku / of course more than one haiku can be used to conclude your piece.

According to Wikipedia: The term “haibun” was first used by the 17th century Japanese poet, Matsuo Bashō. Bashō was a prominent early writer of haibun, then a new genre combining classical prototypes.  He wrote some haibun as travel accounts during his various journeys, the most famous of which is Oku no Hosomichi(Narrow Road to the Interior). Bashō’s shorter haibun include compositions devoted to travel and others focusing on character sketches, landscape scenes, anecdotal vignettes and occasional writings written to honor a specific patron or event. His Hut of the Phantom Dwelling can be classified as an essay while, in Saga Nikki (Saga Diary), he documents his day-to-day activities with his disciples on a summer retreat.

Traditional haibun typically took the form of a short description of a place, person or object, or a diary of a journey or other series of events in the poet’s life. Haibun continued to be written by later haikai poets such as Yosa Buson, Kobayashi Issa and Masaoka Shiki.

Haibun in English

Haibun has established itself as a genre in world literature which has gained momentum in recent years.

The first contest for English-language haibun took place in 1996. The first anthology of English-language haibun was Bruce Ross‘s Journey to the Interior: American Versions of Haibun (Tuttle), published in 1998.

The haībun format here for the Līgo Haībun Challenge is as follows ~

A paragraph (more than one paragraph is fine, or just a few sentences) in prose form of either

  • a descriptive passage , or excerpt from a story/or previously published post
  • an explanation 
  • a tale
  • a travelogue
  • a news item
  • a recipe

and

  • the haiku/collection of haiku related to the text  to close

THE LIGO HAIBUN NORMALLY SHOULD BE A TOTAL 220 WORDS **OR LESS**

-if you should like please do supply an image/images to go with your post.

The most appreciated haībun (MAXIMUM of 3 per week) will get an “honourable mention in dispatches”, and all contributors will be featured in the weekly Līgo Editions Paper circulated online to twitter, facebook, tumblr., subscribing emails and anywhere else you’d like it to go. The link currently only features example articles.

Bloggers will regularily be invited to join Līgo Editions to form an invitation panel to recommend posts for “honourable mention.”  Current panel members – Managua Gunn, Ese, Sarah Potter

Use the vintage  Scriber badge with pride on your post or sidebar – and please do link back here on your post to help the circle widen. Below you’ll find a link to post your haībun.

Good luck!

Melt – The Līgo Haībun Challenge

4:00 P.M– Just getting off work, she races down the road and towards the Bus stop. She’s almost there, but NOT- then her bus begins to move. She arrives at the spot only to meet the butt of the vehicle fading into the corner of the street, that would mean an hour and a half of her waiting for another transit in her direction. Frustrated, she curses. Its lonely at the station so a walk in the cannabis field is the perfect remedy for her foul mood. Sitting in a waiting chair, legs crossed, she reaches into her bag for a stick; Lights it up and drags-

In goes the poison and out her frustration.

The session is almost heavenly. Melting in her seat she  tastes the evening breeze. Dreamily she pays attention as the light from her stick illuminate in the evening hue, its soft feathery haze lifting through the atmosphere;

Inhale, Exhale

Her nerves untwine as the intoxicating odor of perspiration, hers, mixed with fumes of the slowly diminishing stick fills her nostrils. Utter bliss as she sits melted in her waiting chair-  Even the wind amongst the trees offer the symphony of Handel’s Messiah… or is that just in her head? …

˜˜

From euphoric dance
  Toots from a horn break the spell  
  ...Damn reality!

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New Challenge for 2013 but I still have love for my people at the dVerse bar 😉

Thanks Captain!!!! 🙂

Ligo Haibun Challenge here

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***The Līgo Haībun Challenge normally has a word limit of up to 220 words or less inc the haiku***

READ ABOUT HAIBUN HERE

READ EXAMPLES OF HAIBUN HERE

Haībun is Prosimetric writing. The haībun format for the Līgo Haībun Challenge is as follows ~

A paragraph (more than one paragraph is fine,or justa few sentences) in prose form of either

  • a descriptive passage , or excerpt from a story/or previously published post 
  • a tale
  • a travelogue
  • a news item
  • a recipe

and

the haiku to close