The Oak Moon (the full moon of December) -December 7, 2014

 

clouded full-moon

 secret and mysterious -

ebb and  flow of light

(c) G.s.k. '14

Linked to Carpe Diem Haiku Kai

Autumn Moon - October 30, 2014

autumn moon
soft veils enhance
her beauty

(c) G.s.k. '14

(For all those not Italian, the moon is considered feminine.)

Linked to Carpe Diem Haiku Kai's Read Only "Moon in Haiku Tradition" with Fay Aoyagi of Blue Willow Haiku World

Full Moon - September 9, 2014

For Carpe Diem Haiku Kai full moon (which I got to see at last this morning!) :

peeking through the clouds
September moon unveiling
early morning charms

moon sets in the west
quickly hiding her bright face
sun rises to see her

setting moon shines
among the morning clouds -
blackbirds and ravens call

People have read me write often about our blackbirds which are called "merli" in Italy.  The male of this species is black with a bright yellow beak and in the spring and sometimes in the autumn they sing their mating songs for their drabber ladies dressed in brown feathers. They are associated with a special stamina for survival ... in fact the coldest days of the year, in February, are called the "days of the blackbirds". They aren't migratory birds and their first songs sometimes begin in that period of the year.  Throughout the year their song disappears and they kind of cluck or chitter like squirrels, as one did this morning whilst the moon was setting and the sun was rising.

The raven or the crow is a bigger bird and doesn't sing at all ... they caw and have an unpleasant voice. They often fly, at least here, in a large group.  They are associated with death especially death by combat.  They are scavengers.  You can often find them around the city dump or where an animal has died.

I just thought I'd explain the difference between the two birds as it seems that, especially among the North American readers, they  mistake the blackbird for the crow.

Writing With Shiki (3) - "reeds tremble" - July 18, 2014

Today's post is dedicated for the third time to Shiki.  Chèvrefeuille put this little known haiku up for our inspiration:

meigetsu no deru ya yurameku hanasusuki

at the full moon's
rising, the silver-plumed
reeds tremble

© Masaoka Shiki

Thinking of the full moon, and here in the Carpe Diem post, we find that the moon is an autumn kigo, I'm going to attempt to write a haiku in Shiki's style:

shimmering moon light
along the lake front
the willows weep

© G.s.k. '14

silver moon rise
over the eastern mountains
enlightened valley

©G.s.k. '14

I loved how Chèvrefeuille took us on a tour of the moon throughout the seasons.  It was a perfectly delightful post and I would recommend you click the link on his name in the beginning of my post and visit the Carpe Diem site directly ... it's a wonderful read.