The kigo, or seasonal reference, is a constant topic of conversation among haiku poets. Some eschew it, some require it, some go back and forth. Personally, I’ve come to prefer it, mostly because it’s easy: what counts as a kigo is a pretty broad category. Mosquitoes can be a summer reference, bare branches a winter reference. You get the idea. More of a seasonal hint than a reference.
On his own worthwhile-reading haiku Substack, Sean B. Wright shared the following link, which illuminated a historical angle of kigo I hadn’t considered before, namely that in the original hokku — the progenitor of the haiku that kicked off a renga — the seasonal reference served as part of setting the scene, an expository element of the linked narrative to follow.
Haiku nerds, behold: Beyond the Haiku Moment: Basho, Buson & Modern Haiku Myths by Haruo Shirane. It’s about more than kigo and hasn’t changed my mind, but it was illuminating!
Meanwhile, here are the week’s haiku, and where I sent them.
20230123 >> Moraga, CA USA
backyard birds assess the damaged fence -- works for us!
20230124 >> Fairfax, CA USA
pine forest I cough to break the silence
20230125 >> Cary, NC USA
warm winter day a council of gnats blocking the trail
20230126 >> Mill Valley, CA USA
days getting longer I check every branch for signs of spring
20230127 >> Salvador, BA Brazil
starry starry night keep your astronomy out of it
20230128 >> Pwllheli, Wales UK
low crescent moon have I been here all along?
20230129 >> Vista, CA USA
flooded woods the ecstatic singing of revivified frogs
See you all next week. I’ll try not to be a day late. Sorry.
And don’t forget, if you want me to mail you one of my haiku postcards, all you gotta do is ask.
Thanks for the mention. I think it's nearly impossible for ELH to use kigo in the same fashion as Japanese. I think an indication of season is a better fit. Also I am quite alright using no kigo ala Santoka.