I’ve been crazy busy this week, on top of having my power and internet out for two days because of an ice storm here in Oregon. I was tempted to go with haiku from the H section of the poetry dictionary. But then I pulled the paint chip words and phrases and knew that wasn’t going to work. Some of the options just screamed haibun.
What is a haibun? you ask. It’s one of my favorite poetry / prose hybrid forms that involves narrative nonfiction in a wonderful way. I’ve written quite a few. Some of my favorites are one titled Waikiki, another titled A Dog’s Summer Vacation, and one inspired by a Mother’s Day outing titled Blooming Season. Anyway, John Drury very succinctly defines the haibun as follows:
HAIBUN (hie’-bun, the”u” pronounced as in “put”) A Japanese form in which a prose text is interspersed with verse, specifically haiku (three lines containing a total of seventeen syllables). A haiku typically appears at the end of a haibun, but other haiku may appear earlier, even at the beginning. Haibun often takes the form of a diary or travel journal.
the poetry dictionary, p. 128
The Challenge
What I would like you to do is write a haibun in the form of a travel journal or diary entry. It must be nonfiction. I want to hear about your adventures. End your poem with a haiku (for those of you who were hoping for haiku this week, you won’t be disappointed). You can include additional haiku if you like.
The paint chip words and phrases are before the rain, mountain peak, supernova, tumbleweed, tropical, in the dark, and dust bunny.
I would like you to use at least five of the paint chips, including one in your haiku.
And there is no need for a title with a haibun, much like the haiku that has no title. But you can add one if you like.
My Haibun
I adore the tropical warmth of Hawaii, specifically Maui. On our last trip we did some things we’d not done previously. We shopped at a local outdoor craft market and found some neat souvenirs. On the same day, for our next adventure, we zip lined among the rainbow eucalyptus trees. What a rush! We even got pictures. But the day wasn’t over. The fun had just begun.
Even though most of Maui is warm, if you head to the top of the Haleakala mountain peak, you should bring a coat. We’ve been before so we were prepared. We weren’t quite prepared for how early the sun began to set in November. Still, we made it to the top before the sun’s spectacular light show. It was weird to watch a sunset I thought I’d seen before, but it looked so different because of the different season and where the sun actually set.
Standing at 10,000 feet, with few artificial lights around, once the sun fully set we were in the dark. We watched the stars come out, hoping to see a supernova. We didn’t, but a different kind of light show soon began. In every direction, lightning strikes hit the ocean and the neighboring islands. Burst after burst lit up the horizon. We finally decided it was time to head down the mountain before the rain came pouring down.
Not one tumbleweed
Is seen on sultry island
Paradise indeed
Your Turn
Okay, now it’s your turn. Whether you choose travel log or daily journal ideas as your muse, write your truthful haibun with a related haiku to cap it off. You can either write your haibun in the comments, or post it on your own blog and share a link in the comments. I can’t wait to see what you all come up with.