Haibun by Diana Webb

Now that the spring/summer contests are closed, I would like to thank everyone for participating.  I will be posting lists of the different categories and the eligible poems.  However, this set of contests will be different.  We will have a guest judge!  More soon.

In the meantime, I am very pleased to see many new-to-this-blog-zine contributors as well as numerous continuing contributors.  Tonight I would like to post some haibun by Diana Webb who is new to The Song Is... Welcome!

For more information about haibun, see these links http://www.baymoon.com/~ariadne/form/haibun.htm

http://contemporaryhaibunonline.com/pages_all/haibundefinitions.html

Below is a picture of a Japanese-language haibun (actually an excerpt from one of Basho's travel diaries).

Time Zone

spinning the globe
dust motes fly
into the air

The three year old and I discover England Spain and India; the country where he lives , a country he has visited and the country which his uncle is about to visit. With a fingertip, I trace the miles.

quivering on the ground
a fledgling sparrow
his eye's dark pinpoint

Diana Webb

Contenders

'A lovely day for it!' Early July. I set out along the river en route for the pre-school sports day.

two swans
with their cygnets
squeaks in the reeds

We find 'a nice shady spot' under a tree before the teacher in charge introduces the event.

'in case of fire...'
plastic helmets stacked ready
for the hat race

The green, red, yellow, blue and navy blue teams all troop out, sit on the little chairs, adjust  sunhats and sashes, make sure their shoes are on the correct feet.
In quick succession, sprinting, putting the hat on, egg and spoon followed by elephant stomp. Some are the determined ones, others born entertainers. All is in the spirit of spontaneity and fun.

back and forth
across the finishing line
a white butterfly

There are no winners or losers. At the end every child receives a identical medal. All very grown up yet non-competitive.

parents' kangaroo race
our little joey
runs to his mummy

Diana Webb

Diana published children' s stories before she became involved in the world of haiku and haibun. She is editor of the magazine ' Time Haiku' and runs a local haiku group in  Leatherhead, Surrey, England.

Her haibun have been widely published and some have won awards. Two collections of her work in this form have been published.

I'll start up the music with Ella Fitzgerald's "A Tisket, A Tasket":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbztUizvDjw

Here she performs "It Don't Mean A Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing" with Duke Ellington and his orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7_shTJKH18

Ella's version of "How High The Moon" is here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cHYXaMCCIo

She sings "Summertime" with Louis Armstrong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIDOEsQL7lA

I'll finish with their "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2oEmPP5dTM