Report on the Bindii Meeting of 17 June 2023


 Four members of the Bindii Group gathered for a Zoom meeting at 3 pm Australian Central Standard Time: Steve Wigg, Maureen Sexton, Maeve Archibald and Lynette Arden.

Apologies were received from Julia Wakefield, Stella Damarjati, Kaarin Wilkinson and Subha Goonaratne.

After exchanging greetings and comments about the wintry weather in Adelaide and Perth, we discussed some ideas about haiku structure. Although the Matsuyama Declaration freed Western haiku from the constraints of season words and kireji (break in the haiku), most Western haiku still use a break in the structure rather than consist of a single sentence. The more radical haiku sometimes only contain a single word. Members felt that the haiku idea needed to resonate with the reader, which was the most essential element of the haiku.

Each member then pasted some of their haiku in the chat area, and we talked about each haiku and what it meant to the author and the reader. Some senryu were immediately greeted with laughter. Other haiku evoked a vivid image and sometimes recollections of a past time. Other haiku were more contemplative and relied on a more profound emotional response.

A topic for the next meeting was suggested: Winter Walk or Winter Ginko. The haiku could arise from an actual walk or a situation, either at home or on an expedition elsewhere.

Thank you to Steve Wigg for facilitating the Zoom connection for the group.

The meeting finished around 4.30 pm.

 

Lynette Arden

 

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