Dearest Friends

Welcome back to our Friday Note – our weekly collection of writerly thoughts. 

Observing

Today in 1828 Kobayashi Yatorō passed away (15 June 1763 – 5 January 1828). Under his pen name Issa, meaning “cup of tea”, he was a Japanese poet known for writing haiku.

As a child, he was encouraged to write haiku to express what he was feeling inside. He wrote to express sorrow and solidarity.

He is said to have written over 20, 000 haiku during his lifetime. Many show considerable empathy with small creatures and many mention ‘dew’ as a symbol for the transience of human life. 

Listening

Time and place, seasonal change, economy of language, explore what makes Issa’s haiku so wonderful on this podcast.

Listen to Episode 62: Kobayashi Issa, Haiku on the Poetry For All podcast. 

Writing

Only a few days ago we welcomed in a new year. Something Issa reflected on in his haiku, New Year’s Day.

Try writing your own. Can you create a haiku that captures something significant for you about the start of this new year? It could be something you observed about the day itself, about your hopes for the year ahead or reflections on the one we leave behind.

Photo by Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash