Shaping (Haibun)
He needed to shape things, make them his. Stones in the garden, carved wooden bookstands, the absence of light in certain corners of the house, all captured this need. His was not so much a desire for control as a means of learning, of observing and participating in processes not ordinarily viewed as such. To watch shadows develop in the presence of trees and vine-covered walls, flowering for brief moments, their entire lives encompassed in seconds: he wanted to hold and be held, to breathe in what the air brought him and return what he could. To live.
what greeting is this?
bugs tapping at my window
tell me winter’s gone
In the evening he often sat in a room lit only by a candle in an old iron lantern. He preferred candlelight for it did not obliterate darkness as did the electric lamps, but diminished it, allowing a room new life. Each crevice in the book shelves became a new world, each doorway an entrance to something beyond one’s perceptions of black and white, the difference of moon and sun. Corners lost their edges. Shadows flowered with every movement of the candle’s flame, became hands without bodies, fingers tapping time to an unheard music.
no gods in this room
singing the blues
darkness lights the way
Lol
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Thank you.
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Is this new? Wow! Such beautiful imagery. I love it.
Your talent with capturing a scene or feeling in so few words impresses me anew with each shared poem.
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Thanks, Tami! This is new and old, containing fragments from something abandoned long ago.
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I’m not sure (and don’t think) that reading a poem has actually ever brought tears to my eyes before. Robert, I can’t really express what a beautiful, articulate and moving piece of writing this is.
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No higher praise exists. Thank you, Chris.
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Talk about channeling Tanizaki’s “In Praise of Shadows”!! Nice work. Your haibun is almost literally a summary of the core elements of the book/essay! 素晴らしい!!
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“A Japanese room might be likened to an inkwash painting, the paper-paneled shoji being the expense where the ink is thinnest, and the alcove (tokonoma) where it is darkest.Whenever I see the alcove of a tastefully built Japanese room I marvel at our comprehension of the secrets of shadows, our sensitive use of shadow and light…” (p.20: Leete’s Island Edition reprint).
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“Every time I am shown to an old, dimly lit, and I would add, impeccably clean toilet in a Nara or Kyoto temple, I am impressed with the singular virtues of Japanese architecture.The parlor may have its charms, but the Japanese toilet is truly a place of spiritual repose… anyone with a taste for Japanese architecture must agree that the Japanese toilet is perfection” (p. 4 – 5).
Though Tanizaki is writing this in 1933, I agree with him in that the temple toilets, separate from residential buildings in his time, were/are quiet, beautifully crafted, silent places where one could actually listen to the birds and the rain, some even included little discrete windows to peek out of. Tanizaki even says:
“Here, I suspect, is where haiku poets over the ages have come by a great many of their ideas” (p. 4).
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It’s definitely an homage to Tanizaki, and an appreciation of many hours spent in fire and candle light.
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Holy crap, I was thinking it smacked so strongly of Tanizaki’s In Praise Of Shadows and I’ve been beaten to it 😂 but seriously, this poem captures the gist of it – and adds on a little bit more. It’s breath-takingly beautiful. I must re-read the whole book again.
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Thanks, DJ! I, too, need to reread the book. It’s been at least 15 years since I last opened it, but it has stayed with me even so.
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Same for me, as well. I finished the entire book in a sitting on a recent library trip, but after reading your poem parts of it have started to surface in my mind…looking at copies on Book Depo is certainly not helping the situation! 😆
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I may have to upgrade my bedraggled copy…
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It is an essential in any library. The point(s) he makes about Westerners (white people) and the “invasiveness” of electric light was/is spot on then… and now with all the light pollution that comes with city living.
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I agree – definitely an essential.
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It reminds me of the last bit of “Tadekuumushi” (Some Prefer Nettles) where Kaname is wondering what is going on in the shadows, in the old dark house.
Tanizaki was awesome… though it was Mishima Yukio that just blew me away with Kinkakuji and Decay Of The Angel. I also loved Sun and Steel. I read Kinkakuji while sitting on a park bench across the pond from the actual temple. I used to go to Kyoto on Sundays, read a couple of chapters of the book, then go to the nearby noodle stand for lunch. I also love Kimifusa Abe’s Woman In The Dunes… especially the film.
Japanese stuff is just so f**king great!
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Very nice one, Bob!
~ Clyde Long via mobile device ~
>
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Thanks, Clyde!
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“He preferred candlelight for it did not obliterate darkness as did the electric lamps, but diminished it, allowing a room new life. Each crevice in the book shelves became a new world,” — Probably the most vivid and stirring thing I’ve read all week. Loved it…
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You have made my day, Ray. Thank you.
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Tonight I’ll light a candle. Thank you, this is beautifujl.
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There’s something to be said for diminishment over obliteration. 🤔
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Absolutely stunning!! Honestly, this kind of makes me want to live in your brain for a few hours while your writing, and just obsorb your thought process… this is beautiful
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It’s a bit crowded in there, and quite messy!
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I would like to join Didi in there with you, although I would probably take up so much space one of my arms would be sticking out of your left ear, and one of her legs sticking out of the right ear! I promise that I would at least tickle your nucleus accumbens every once in a while to make up for it though!
Ganbatte, Sensei!
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There’s no telling what might emerge from such company and the tickling!
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Some kind of nutty dopamine frolic!
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Dour does not come to mind.
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I can’t speak for Diidi, but I guarantee you if I moved into your head there would be jazz, Japanese aesthetics, whiskey, traditional African drumming, dopamine frolics… and I would always pay the rent on time!
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Jazz would pay the rent. Or poetry.
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Well ,believe me, I wouldn’t DARE soil your adamantine mind with my poetry when your brain is already making ningen kokuho level poems! But I would play a lot of Art Blakey and/or Lester Young records, stock your mind pantry with tons of chilled zarusoba, Koya-dofu, gyuudon from the local Yoshinoya, and enough ounces and varieties of Suntory whiskey to water a LOT of parties and dreams! 🙂
Speaking of Lester… here is his solo which opens “Jammin’ The Blues…”. I LOVVVVVVVE Lester Young!
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I can’t put into words how much this poem touched me. This line especially resonated. “His was not so much a desire for control as a means of learning, of observing and participating in processes not ordinarily viewed as such.” Thank you for bringing this beauty to my day.
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I’m so pleased this resonated for you. Thank you!
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Incredible haibun. I wish the idiot who argued with me about her “western” haibun could read this. Excellent. I am truly moved by your writing of the candle light and the shadows.
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Thank you, Toni. Shadows have long fascinated me.
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as they have fascinated me.
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😀
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It’s a haibun week methinks.
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It is, indeed!
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I must Thank You for the enlightenment you have provided me with the knowledge of the Great Tanizaki. And the rhythm of you’re poetry is soothing emotionally.
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Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows has provided much inspiration over the years.
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The tapping of bugs on the window is just about the only wake-up call I’d like to get, myself. 🙂
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I don’t mind bird song. 😐
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Love this poem! I am falling in love with the form lately. Maybe gonna have to go on a haibun binge after my son’s wedding this spring.
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Isn’t it a great form? I hope to spend more time at it, if I ever get caught up on some projects…
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That’s exactly how I feel! Thanks for supporting my chapbook, by the way!
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Great minds, and all that. 😃 I can’t wait to have your book in hand.
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I can’t either!
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I have lived long enough in this house (12 years, the longest I have lived anywhere) to enjoy the differences in light at various times of year, so I am totally with “observing and participating in processes not ordinarily viewed as such”.
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Much like taking the long view of a short process.
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A fellow Texan weaves a painterly juxtaposition of vivid images in a similar juxtaposition of poetry and prose in a single piece!!! Haibun, new to this haiku poet, is something I’ll not attempt for now until I’ve sampled many more fine offerings such as yours here. Nice work, Robert, and thank you for dropping by my blog to browse my wares and to lay down some likes for me!
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It’s truly a form worth exploring. Thank you for you kind words.
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Great imagery! Perfectly done, thank you
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Thank you, Austin!
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Love this, Robert!
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Thanks, Charlotte!
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I am without words. Saying I love this is not enough, although it’s true. For now I’ll just say it’s about as close to perfection as I expect to see on this earth..
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Oh, Angela. Thank you. Your comment has brightened my day considerably.
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Very happy of that, your work lit my day like a bank of kleig lights. I have a new favorite.
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KINDLY LIKE AND FOLLW MY PAGES. THANKS AND GODBLESS 🙂
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Thank you for these posts. You have redefined and revived haibun for me.
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You’ve made my day, Craig. Thank you.
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Love your imagery here. Just beautiful. I’m an instant fan!
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Thank you, Sarah. My apologies for the delayed reply. I somehow missed your comment.
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Your haibuns have been so engaging that I plan to give the form a serious try. Thanks.
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Thanks, Darryl. It’s an intriguing form, one that I may work with more often in the future. Have fun!
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That’s lovely! What a brilliant insight.
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Thanks very much!
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Lovely piece, Robert! You can feel every word!
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Thank you, Dianne!
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A master of pictures.
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Thank you, Andreea!
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