A series of micro-seasonal haiku, awakening to the ordinary
16th Sekki: Autumn Equinox (Sept. 23-Oct.7) – ‘Shūbun’
thunder stops rumbling (Sept. 23-27)
insects hibernate (Sept. 28-Oct.2)
water is drained off the fields (Oct. 3-7)
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 46:
knocking on door posts
asking for sleepy bees—
bold woodpecker
COLEMAN DAVIS
Berea, KY
Kō 47:
there’s no sorrow found
as seven spots say goodnight—
they’ll wake with spring sun
MADISON WILLIAMS
Charlottesville, VA
Kō 48:
drained
from the ripened rice field
darkened soil
SHAOMEI YU
Los Angeles, 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.
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