Carpe Diem Haiku Kai #1360: New Life

New Life, Spring Is Here

 Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It has been a while, more than a month, that I published an episode of our wonderful Haiku Kai. I really hope to change that from today on, but ... well I can't guarantee that.

As you see I have chosen a new theme for this month: New Life, Spring Is Here. Maybe a bit controversial because of all things happening in the world right now. We have the Covid-19 endemic and we have the Ukraine war. Both are not really things that we could associate with New Life, Spring Is Here, but we have to hope that there will be better times soon.
I pray every day for Unconditional Love and Peace ... and yes it's not always easy to pray for it every day again, but I have, we have to pray. We need positive energy to bring the world back to what it once was ... a place were we can live in full happiness.

Next to all this there is that bigger plan (maybe). All resonating around the globe ... are we walking into what is called the New World Order? I don't know, but everything that is happening ... sounds not okay.

As you all know we also have a haiku-place on Twitter and I really try to tweet sometimes a haiku, but everything what is happening right now in our world seems to keep me busy. So I use our twitter-account to give words to my thoughts and feelings. Sometimes in English, sometimes in Dutch.

Our twitter account was never meant for that, but it helps me to cope with the things I see and hear. There is a lot going on ... is it a positive thing or a negative thing? Again ... I don't know.

As I look at things happening in my own country, The Netherlands, I only have "anger" and "sadness". Our government is creating a totalitarian state, they even use secret surveillance on just normal people. They are following our socials, they "listen" to the critical people and if you don't tell or say what our government wants you to say ... than you are an enemy of the state and they will censure you.

A lot of my fellow dutch are speaking out, without holding back. We try to "awaken" the people that are still "sleeping" and follow only what our government wants. It brings polarisation into our community and that ... that makes me sad and angry.

The Netherlands was once an example for the world, we had a wonderful democratic country, but that ... that is all gone. Ofcourse our government tries to keeping up appearances that The Netherlands are still a democracy, but ... My gut-feeling tells me ... there is something wrong, really wrong.

The TRUTH IS OUT THERE ... and I really hope these thoughts and feelings are wrong. I really hope that it is all very different than we thought.

clouds moving
caressing the meadows
raindrops fall

© Chèvrefeuille

What are your thoughts about what is happening in the world? Will there be New Life, because Spring Is Here?

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until April 10th 10:00 PM (CEST). You can add your submission to the linking widget hidden in our logo below. Enjoy!

Carpe Diem Tokubetsudesu #82 Milan Rajkumar's "frog on lotus leaf "

Dear Hijin, visitors and travelers,

In this Tokubetsudesu episode I will honor milan rajkumar as the runner-up of our "new life" kukai. His haiku finished as second and this is what that haiku was:

lifeless for a season
pupa inside the ocean
spring gives life and wings

© milan rajkumar

milan rajkumar lives in imphal, manipur india and is a secondary school teacher who teaches fixed and flexible exchange rates while writing haiku. he is so humble that he doesn’t want to use “I” and capital letters

milan rajkumar

milan is in my opinion a wonderful poet, very gifted and full of spirituality. So I have chosen a haiku written by him in which I find that spirituality in a very strong way.

across the lake
a skipping pebble
kingfisher

© milan rajkumar

Milan is one of the CDHK family members who is very constant in his visits to CDHK and he Always tries to participate. In May we had a wonderful Tan Renga Challenge month and I love to share a Tan Renga completed by Milan. I think he did this is in a very beautiful way.

the willow leaves fallen,
the spring gone dry,
rocks here and there                                 © Buson

altogether , a reminder
teardrops upon the cheek of time             © milan rajkumar

Milan also writes sometimes tanka and recently he published a beautiful tanka in response on one of the "Latifa Prayer" episodes.

frog on lotus leaf
sitting and admiring
lotus bloom
does it care the snake
which looms behind .

© milan rajkumar


All wonderful poems by milan rajkumar. Visit it him at: milan rajkumar

This episode of our special feature Tokubetsudesu is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until June 12th at noon (CET).
 

Carpe Diem Extra May 27th 2016 Kukai "New Life" the results

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy I have the results of our "New Life" kukai. In this kukai eight (8) haiku poets have submitted a total of 22 haiku ... all beauties if I may say, but of course there can be only one winner and a "runner-up". The voting closed May 24th at 10.00 PM (CET) and now I have the results for you:

With a total of nine (9) points Joyce Joslin Lorenson (whom was featured in our second "In the Spotlight" episode) is our winner of the "New Life" kukai. Congratulations Joyce. Joyce won with the following haiku:

spring blossoms

bees carrying
new life to the hive 

© Joyce Joslin Lorenson

Joyce Joslin Lorenson

And our "runner-up" with eight (8) points is Milan Rajkumar with his haiku, congratulations Milan: 

lifeless for a season

pupa inside the cocoon
spring gives life and wings

© Milan Rajkumar

Milan Rajkumar

As you all (maybe) know as the winner you get the opportunity to create an e-book together with Chèvrefeuille's Publications and edited by Chèvrefeuille. So Joyce ... as the winner of our "New Life" kukai you have won the opportunity to create an e-book and you will be our featured haiku poetess next month (June). As the "runner-up" Milan Rajkumar will be featured in one of the Tokubetsudesu episode next month (June).

Here are the results for all submitted haiku:

9 points : haiku 4
8 points : haiku 10
6 points : haiku 6
5 points : haiku 11 & 21
3 points : haiku 15, 16, 17, 19 & 20
2 points : haiku 5 & 12
1 point :  haiku 2 & 18
0 points : haiku 1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14 & 22

It was really a pleasure to host this "New Life" kukai for you all.

Prayer(s) (image found on Flickr)

Here is our new kukai:

As you all know in our last Theme Week we have explored that beautiful Sufism prayer the "Latifa Prayer". That Theme Week inspired me to create the next kukai:

PRAYER(S)

As you all know you can submit a maximum of three (3) new (never published earlier) haiku for the kukai. Please send your submissions to our e-mail address: carpediemhaikukai@gmail.com don't forget to write kukai "prayer" in the subject-line.

This new kukai "Prayer" is now open for your submissions and will be open until June 20th 10.00 PM (CET). 

I am looking forward to all of your beautiful haiku themed "prayer" or related to "prayer"

Namaste,

Chèvrefeuille, your host

Carpe Diem Kukai the judging starts for our "New Life" kukai.

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Finally I can give you the opportunity to Judge the submitted haiku for our "New Life" kukai. It has taken a bit more time to make this list because of different circumstances.

For the "New Life" kukai there have been 22 haiku submitted by 8 haiku poets, not a big group, but that doesn't matter. I thank you all who submitted haiku for this "New Life" kukai and I am looking forward to the judging.

As you all know you can give a total of 6 points: 3 for the best haiku, 2 for the second best and 1 point for the third best haiku. Of course you can not give points to your own haiku.
The winner of the kukai wins the opportunity to create an exclusive E-book together with Chèvrefeuille's Publications and the winner will be the featured haiku poet at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. The "runner-up" wins the opportunity to create (or to let create) a Tokubetsudesu episode about him / her.

The list of submitted haiku you can find HERE or by clicking on the "Carpe Diem's Kukai .."button in the menu.

Send your votes, your judging points, before May 24th 10.00 PM (CET) to our emailaddress:

carpediemhaikukai@gmail.com

Please write "judging New Life kukai" in the subject-line.

Namaste,

Chèvrefeuille, your host.

Carpe Diem Kukai

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I love to tell you that I have another nice kukai for you all. This post is a call for submissions for our new kukai.

Our new kukai is:

NEW LIFE

You may submit a maximum of three (new and not published earlier) haiku with the theme "new life". This can be e.g. a haiku about spring, blossom or a new born child ... it's all up to you.

This "New Life"-kukai is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until May 1st 10.00 PM (CET). You can sent your haiku (only haiku) to our emailaddress:

carpediemhaikukai@gmail.com

Please write "New Life" kukai in the subject line.

I am looking forward to all of your wonderful haiku.

Have fun!

Your host,

Chèvrefeuille

PS. You can find more about "kukai" above in the menu.