A series of micro-seasonal haiku, awakening to the ordinary
1st Sekki: Beginning of Spring (Feb. 4-18) – ‘Risshun’
east wind melts the ice (Feb. 4-7)
bush warblers start singing (Feb. 9-13)
fish emerge from the ice (Feb. 14-18)
Similar to the use of a ‘season word’ in haiku, each of the 72 micro-seasons (kō) provide a short phrase as a trellis around which to form a haiku. Above are the phrases for this particular micro-season and below are the inspired verses we have received.
Kō 1:
when I cross the sill
into the new spring, the door
behind stays open
JAMES PENHA
Bali, Indonesia
Kō 2:
ice breaks on the bay . . .
warm air from the east blows in
spring has come to shore
ELENA BRENNEMAN
Amanda, OH
Kō 3:
dawn turns birds to song . . .
icicles split when the sun
is too much to hold
BRAM B. BRIGGANCE
Alameda, CA
To submit haiku for our Kō series, visit our submissions page.
To read more about Kō, and to view the seasonal calendar, click here.
To explore a haiku workshop offered by Upaya Zen Center, click here.