A series of micro-seasonal haiku, awakening to the ordinary
13th Sekki: Beginning of Autumn (Aug. 8-22) – ‘Risshū’
cool winds blow (Aug. 8-12)
evening cicadas sing (Aug. 13-17)
thick fog descends (Aug. 18-22)
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 37:
a cool gust soaring by, now blows faster
. . . this one cooler than the last
BENJAMIN TANNER LLOYD
Cincinnati, OH
Kō 38:
across the ocean
in the dark I hear you sing
summer cicadas
SHAOMEI YU
Los Angeles, CA
Kō 39:
fireflies
the fog between
flashes
ELLIOTT 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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