With this weekend’s massive snowstorm behind us, we now turn to Longfellow, Emerson, Issa, Buson, and Basho, to get their thoughts on snowstorms. Some thoughts are positive, and others not so much.
Poems about Snowstorms
Micro-season: “The Mountain Stream Freezes Over”
We are at the end of the micro-season, “The Mountain Stream Freezes Over”. This micro-season is the second part of the mini season Major Cold. We celebrate this season with poetry and an investigation into the importance of the earth’s fresh water system.
Write Like Issa: A Haiku How-To by David G. Lanoue
Write Like Issa: A Haiku How-To by David G. Lanoue explores the mindset needed to write haiku like Kobayashi Issa. Lanoue explains, “To Write like Issa means writing tenderly about one’s fellow creatures, human and otherwise.” This book gives us six lessons on how to get there.
The Poetry and Teachings of Thich Nhat Hahn
Sunshine rides on space and poetry on sunshine./Poetry gives birth to sunshine, and sunshine to poetry.-excerpt from Armfuls of Poetry, Drops of Sunshine by Thich Nhat Hahn. On January 22, 2022, Thich Nhat Hanh passed away at Tu Hieu Temple in Hue, Vietnam. Today we honor his work by looking at his teachings and his poetry.
Mini Season: Major Cold
Issa’s haiku “my proxy bathes/in the cold water.../sparrow” is the perfect way to start our exploration into the mini season of Major Cold. This is the last mini season of the 72 Season calendar and the time where athletes begin to engage in Kangeiko.
Poems About Winter Nights
Gazing up into the darkness on a clear winter night, I quickly get lost in my own mind with thoughts about life and the vastness of time. Luckily I have poets like Teasdale, Hughes, Basho, Issa, Buson, and Toshimi to provide me company.
Micro-Season: “The Spring Water Holds its Warmth”
We have entered the micro-season of “The Spring Water Holds Warmth”, which is the second part of the mini season of Minor Cold. When thinking about this season, I think about ice. Specifically, I think about the factors that contribute to its formation and the haiku written about it.
Talking about landscapes with Tressa Mancini
Tressa Mancini is a photographer from Montana. She shares pictures of the Rocky Mountains and rural landscapes that demonstrate her connection to the land. In today’s interview, we talk with Tressa about her work and the awe that can be found in nature.
Poems about January Winds
January is typically the coldest time of the year and today we look at the poetry of Helen Hunt Jackson, William Carlos Williams, Basho, Issa, and Shiki as they explore the impact of the winter winds.
Micro-Season: “The Water Dropwort Flourishes”
We have entered the micro-season of “The Water Dropwort Flourishes”, which is part of the mini season of Minor Cold. The water dropwort, also known as Japanese parsley or Seri, is one of the key ingredients in seven-herb rice porridge that is eaten during the Festival of Seven Herbs.
Haiku: The Sacred Art by Margaret D. McGee
“I didn’t know it, but I was having a 'haiku moment’- a moment when the mind stops and the heart moves”. This quote is from Margaret McGee, the author of Haiku: The Sacred Art (A Spiritual Practice in Three Lines), and it marks the beginning of her journey toward a haiku life.
Poems about Snow and Ice
Cold midwinter days provided plenty of time for poets like Wallace Stevens, Robert Frost, Matsuo Basho, and Kobayashi Issa to reflect on the snow and ice and our connection to it.
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