Hello Dear Readers,

Hello Dear Readers, 

The exciting thing about the economic reset, as they are calling it now, is all the opportunity for all of us that do things besides make money. Meanwhile, it's moving time for us. We are out by Feb. 28th (4 days) and as of yet we have not found the perfect place, but Santa Barbara is full of cool, beautiful places, so 4 days is plenty of time to start looking. 

The place we are leaving behind has been home for 2 years and we were in the guest house located under the pool. To see the website click below.

http://www.bartonmyers.com/toro_01.htm

I am about to launch (next post) The First Annual International Reindeer Haiku Contest. So, grab your writing utensil and start composing. The winning Haiku will be read at the 2009 reindeer exhibit, out loud, on opening night!

How to write Haiku
In Japanese, the rules for how to write Haiku are clear, and will not be discussed here. In foreign languages, there exist NO consensus in how to write Haiku-poems. Anyway, let's take a look at the basic knowledge:
What to write about?

Haiku-poems can describe almost anything, but you seldom find themes which are too complicated for normal PEOPLE's recognition and understanding. Some of the most thrilling Haiku-poems describe daily situations in a way that gives the reader a brand new experience of a well-known situation.

The metrical pattern of Haiku

Haiku-poems consist of respectively 5, 7 and 5 syllables in three units. In Japanese, this convention is a must, but in English, which has variation in the length of syllables, this can sometimes be difficult.

The technique of cutting.

The cutting divides the Haiku into two parts, with a certain imaginative distance between the two sections, but the two sections must remain, to a degree, independent of each other. Both sections must enrich the understanding of the other.

To make this cutting in English, either the first or the second line ends normally with a colon, long dash or ellipsis.

The seasonal theme.

Each Haiku must contain a kigo, a season word, which indicate in which season the Haiku is set. For example, cherry blossoms indicate spring, snow indicate winter, and mosquitoes indicate summer, but the season word isn't always that obvious.

Please notice that Haiku-poems are written under different rules and in many languages. For translated Haiku-poems, the translator must decide whether he should obey the rules strictly, or if he should present the exact essence of the Haiku. For Haiku-poems originally written in English, the poet should be more careful. These are the difficulties, and the pleasure of Haiku.

brad-