The sun’s rays filter through a stand of spruce where twenty horses are hitched. As we unpack them, Dave, a lanky outfitter, and I chat about the grizzly we spotted earlier in the day and how the horses are holding up. men’s talk – the smell of sweat and manure Dave asks, “Ray, what are … Continue reading What Are You Up To?
Category: haibun
Best Intentions
| Recently Published Haibun by Ray Rasmussen | image credit: unknown Hell isn't merely paved with good intentions: it's walled and roofed with them. Yes, and furnished too. ~ Aldous Huxley We’re dining on ginger beef and cod in black bean sauce, flavored with catch-up chat. My friend Kathy, leans toward me and says, “I … Continue reading Best Intentions
The Ask. A haibun by Ray Rasmussen
| Recently Published Haibun by Ray Rasmussen | image by r. rasmussen The Ask My lover asks me: "What is the difference between me and the sky?" ~ Nizar Qabbani After reading Qabbani’s poem together, my lover smiles and asks: “What’s the difference between me and the sky?” The difference, my love, is when … Continue reading The Ask. A haibun by Ray Rasmussen
Haibun Exemplars
| Haibun Exemplars | Haibun Commentaries | Haibun Close Reading Guide | Glenn Coats: WitnessHarriot West, Two Minimalist Haibun: Maybe and The Way Things WereJeffrey Woodward: Time with the Heron Exemplars: What are they? Why are they here? The Rogue River falls shown above is, in my estimation, nature's exemplar of a waterfall. I'd also … Continue reading Haibun Exemplars
Haibun Titles are Important!
Very little has been done in the way of informed critical study of the haibun form, particularly when compared with the number of haiku studies. While there's been a good deal of emphasis in haibun about the importance of the link between the haibun's prose and the link-shift with it's important little sidekick, the haiku, … Continue reading Haibun Titles are Important!
China’s Shakespeare, the Poet Du Fu (712-770)
In Brief: painting of Du Fu This post explores Du Fu's poem "Day's End" in terms of the key characteristics of contemporary English-language haibun composition. It also explores the value of modelling the work of writers whose poetry touches you as a way of expanding your writing repertoire. Introduction Some years ago, I was interested … Continue reading China’s Shakespeare, the Poet Du Fu (712-770)
A Winter Renewal with Issa
| Haibun: Winter Renewal | Comments on Issa's Haiku | More Haiku by Issa | This blog is primarily focused on exploring the nature of haiku, haibun and haiga. I posted "Winter Renewal" which contains my prose, haiku by Issa and mimic haiku by me for several reasons: to expose new writers to haiku and … Continue reading A Winter Renewal with Issa
About This Blog
Welcome. My intent is to show examples and to discuss contemporary English-language haibun and haiga which necessitate also exploring haiku (haibun prose's and haiga image's little partner). haibun : a mix of title, prose and haikuhaiga: a mix of an image of any type (painting, photograph, digital art) and haiku I will provide examples and … Continue reading About This Blog
Basho’s Haibun “Hiraizumi”: A Commentary
Field at present day Hiraizumi ruins site, Japan . . . all that remains of soldiers' dreams. Bashō's travel journals, purportedly the earliest examples of haibun, are accounts of his late-in-life walking journeys through Japan. They are often cited as important reading for serious students of the form. More generally, they are held up as … Continue reading Basho’s Haibun “Hiraizumi”: A Commentary
A Monk’s Journey with Basho
courtesan and monk, we sleep under one roof together, moon in a field of clover ~ Basho "A Monk's Journey" is haibun with a mix of my prose intertwined with translations of Basho's haiku. It was first published in the journal Simply Haiku. I present it to show how writers can work in conversation, so … Continue reading A Monk’s Journey with Basho
Ray Rasmussen: All Things Haibun Blog 