A series of micro-seasonal haiku, awakening to the ordinary
7th Sekki: Beginning of Summer (May 5-20) – ‘Rikka’
frogs start croaking (May 5-9)
worms begin to surface (May 10-14)
bamboo shoots sprouting (May 15-20)
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 19:
old frogs’ croaks
now sound of ole’ Bashō
clearing his throat
JOSEPH PALMER
South Carolina
Kō 20:
reeds sway
frog eyes above the water
their chorus keeps rising
FRAN SCOTT
Iowa City, IA
Kō 21:
rinsing rice
in the next room
bamboo shoots
ELLIOT DIAMOND
Philadelphia, PA
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.
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