Comment from IndianaIrish

Excellent

I enjoyed your haiku, Gypsy, and appreciate your introduction to coal seam fires. I knew they exist, but not the term for them. I love short haiku without all the articles or unneeded words. Loved it!
Smiles,
Karyn:-)

 Comment Written 02-Jan-2017

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reply by the author on 03-Jan-2017

Comment from strandregs

Excellent

I can't breath
toxically demoxified with co2
Natures warning
I am beyond your control
silly man who thinks he controls his destiny.:-)) Z.
I have joined your haiku challenge club
with my feeble efforts.:-))

 Comment Written 21-Dec-2016

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reply by the author on 21-Dec-2016

Thank you very much for your most gracious review and excellent rating. I am grateful, my friend.

Gypsy Christmas Greetings

Comment from l.raven

Excellent

HI Gypsy, how are you sweet girl???...I had to leave fast from up north...my mother is in the hospital...and that is the only reason I am on the net...mom doesn't have it...but the hospital does...and I am staying with her tonight...she gets confused...I love your poem sweet girl...never heard of coal seam fire...your notes really helped...thank you...you and your family have a very Merry Christmas...and a Happy New Year...love ya girl...Linda xxoo

 Comment Written 20-Dec-2016

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reply by the author on 21-Dec-2016

Hello, Mama Linda, I will pray for you and your mother. That is the worse. I remember when my mother was at the hospital. I hope she gets better soon. So you plan to stay there until she feels better?

I love you,

Gypsy hugs

reply by l.raven on 05-Jan-2017

HI Gypsy, just got back...I am now at my daughters...yes she has the net...turns out my mother has a broken pelvic bone...but she is doing better...just has to go easy for a few more weeks...they are like children as they age...sigh...so good to see you my sweet friend...now I have to catch up...LOL...,love ya too...Linda xxoo

reply by the author on 05-Jan-2017

I am sorry to hear about your mom's broken pelvic bone. I know it's not uncommon for elder women to do that. My grandmother fell many times and broke her hip.

You are a very good daughter. I am proud of you.

I love you :)

Gypsy hugs

reply by l.raven on 05-Jan-2017

thank you so much for caring Gypsy...they sent her home from the hospital...and didn't even find it...I took her to her doctor...he ordered an xray...she does fall a lot...dad put rails all over the house for her...thank you so much...I love you too...Linda xxoo

Comment from Joan E.

Excellent

Thank you for all of your notes--I was not familiar with "coal seam fire" or that the seasonal word for "fire" is winter. I liked that even though your haiku is very short, you still included alliteration to intensify it. Cheers- Joan

 Comment Written 19-Dec-2016

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reply by the author on 19-Dec-2016

Hello, Joan, :)

How are you? It's cold in California.

You are welcomed. I didn't know about coal seam fire, either. I was searching for information on the four elements and specifically about the fire element. I discovered that there are many things to discover about it. LoL I love google.

Thank you very much. I am grateful for you and your review.

Buddha Blessings

Gypsy

reply by Joan E. on 19-Dec-2016

I used to go to the library to search for information--it's so much easier to do research on line, especially when it's cold. We turned on our furnace for the first time on Saturday when it was 62 indoors. Stay warm- Joan

reply by the author on 20-Dec-2016

My house has heaters in all the rooms, including the bathroom but I can't stand the heat. I don't mind cold weather. I just bundle up under a blanket :)

Comment from Janet Foor

Excellent

Excellent haiku about an insidious fire.

There is a coal seam fire that has been burning underneath the borough of Centralia, Pennsylvania, since at least May of 1962.
An interesting phenomenon.

Well done.

Blessings
Janet

 Comment Written 18-Dec-2016

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reply by the author on 19-Dec-2016

Hello, Janet, :)

How are you? I am freezing ... It's cold in California.

I agree with you, I think it is an interesting phenomenon, too. I didn't know about coal seam fire, either. I was searching for information on the four elements and specifically about the fire element. I discovered that there are many things to discover about it. LoL I love google.

Thank you very much. I am grateful for you and your review.

Buddha Blessings

Gypsy

reply by Janet Foor on 19-Dec-2016

We are cold today here in NC but I am from PA where it really gets cold. My husband is from central PA where that coal fire continues to burn. You picked a good one to write about.
Blessings to you too
Janet

Comment from Abby Wilson-hand

Excellent

Congratulations on your recognised write
I love the picture it's scarry i love scarry
your write was just as good as the picture

 Comment Written 18-Dec-2016

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reply by the author on 19-Dec-2016

Hello, Abby, :)

How are you? I am freezing ... It's cold in California. LoL

Thank you very much. I am grateful for you and your review.

Buddha Blessings

Gypsy

Comment from rspoet

Excellent

The is a fine haiku for the fire theme
Strong imagery in the coal seem fire
which is well known in the Pennsylvania area
and a solid satori line
I would suggest the em dash as a stronger kireji
Eye catching art work
Nicely done

 Comment Written 18-Dec-2016

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reply by the author on 19-Dec-2016

Hello, my friend, :)

How are you? I am freezing ... It's cold in California. LoL

Thank you very much for the feedback and kireji suggestion. I am grateful for you and your review.

Buddha Blessings

Gypsy

Comment from judiverse

Excellent

Great atmosphere in this. I'm glad you had a note explaining coal seam fire, as that was new to me. That works well as it suggests the lasting effects of a fire. Lethal flames describes the damage that can be done quite well. When is it going to end? Every time I see a Haiku it seems shorter than the one before it. I saw some with two syllables in the last time. Next it will be down to one syllable, I suppose. It seems to me it's kind of an "anything goes" attitude when it comes to Haiku. I'm not even going to try to write one. It's too confusing. judi

 Comment Written 17-Dec-2016

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reply by the author on 17-Dec-2016

Hello, Judi,

LoL, Don't give up on haiku just yet. Give it a chance. It is an awesome poetic form with a great opportunity for self-expression and spiritual growth. (please read all the way to the end with an open mind I am not selling haiku and we do not have to agree about haiku)

I know you are a very level-headed and no-nonsense type of person. I also know that reading and education are important to you. I know you love to read and you are well informed. For all those reasons, I know you will give me a few minutes of your time.

Try keeping an open mind and even if you never write a haiku for as long as you live, you may enjoy the culture and history value of haiku and what this controversial poetry genre is about. I promise you that by the end of this mini-lesson/commentary you will have a better understanding of the haiku contradicting rules. Okay?

I will add citations at the end.

Your statement==>>"When is it going to end? Every time I see a Haiku it seems shorter than the one before it. I saw some with two syllables in the last time. Next, it will be down to one syllable, I suppose. It seems to me it's kind of an -anything goes- attitude - by judiverse

First of all, there are two kinds of haiku= traditional haiku and contemporary haiku -both are legitimate haiku-

To expect any form of poetry to never change is not logical. Haiku predecessor poems were created in the 700 century. That is = 1, 317 years ago. Is it conceivable that in that huge length of time, haiku rules have changed? Do you know many man-made things that did not change in 1300 years?

The world has changed in the last 1300 years and people have changed, too. I must add that you cannot compare English culture to Japanese culture. They have very little in common.


Please allow me to establish that Basho is history's haiku master......

"Basho was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Basho was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai-no-renga (haiku predecessor) form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest master of haiku" (Wikipedia); another citation= poetry foundation quote ="The 17th-century Japanese haiku master Basho"

Basho was a haiku traditionalist until the end of the 17th century when he deviated from the old traditional haiku rules and began teaching and practicing the kind of haiku is considered today "anything goes haiku"

In the 17th century, Traditional haiku was exactly 17 syllables and used haiku punctuation marks to pause. In haiku, pausing is very important. It is called KIREJI or cutting pause.

Basho was a controversial haiku Master and he even started a school to teach non-traditional haiku. In the new haiku form or non-traditional haiku form, Basho did not use punctuation and rarely did he use the 5/7/5 and 17 syllables rules anymore. His poem about the old pond is considered to be the best haiku in history and an exemplary haiku and it did not follow traditional rules. Please read the famous haiku below. (see citation)

The old pond-
a frog jumps in,
sound of water.

3/4/4 syllables count

We can discuss why this haiku is considered to be number one for days but I won't do it here. I do it in my haiku classroom.

My point is that what you think is not a traditional haiku but it is a traditional haiku or just drop the traditional because you and I are not traditional Japanese women from the 17th century.

Haiku is an amazing poetry kind and you can study the rules and the rich history of haiku and why the whole world writes haiku until the day you die, and would still not have covered it all. But that is just my opinion and I don't expect anyone to subscribe to it.

It is hard for all of us to understand what we do no know but it is worthwhile to find out.

Thank you for the review.

Gypsy





quoted citations =

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/resources/learning/articles/detail/69576

http://www.poemhunter.com/matsuo-basho/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsuo_Bash%C5%8D

reply by judiverse on 18-Dec-2016

Hi, Gypsy. You're very welcome, and thanks so much for your insights and sharing your knowledge of Haiku. It is a very controversial form on the sight. I appreciate your love of the form. Putting it in terms of traditional and contemporary makes the length of the lines easier to understand. Thanks so much for your explanation of the differences. judi

Comment from krys123

Excellent

Feliz' Navidad, MariVal;
-well you did say to use the least amount of words in the haiku and you surely did that. But then a less words than you have now would be one word per line.
-I really liked your haiku as it is very informative and well structured with an imagery that is very descriptive and expressive vividly and demonstratively.
-The satori gives a great moment and sums up the relativity of the conceptual theme quite well.
-Thanks for sharing this Gypsy and I hope you have a great happy holidays to come.
Alex

 Comment Written 17-Dec-2016

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reply by the author on 17-Dec-2016

Feliz Navidad, Guapo.

Thank you very much for your kind words, my good friend.

buddha blessings
gypsy

reply by krys123 on 22-Dec-2016

Mucho Gracias And take care and have a good one my dearest friend.
Alex

Comment from F. Wehr3

Excellent

Nice work on this haiku, and I hope your class is going well! I thought a coal seam fire was an underground fire usually in an abandoned mine. I know there's one in the states. I forget where. The best to you as always.

Take care,
Russell

 Comment Written 17-Dec-2016

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reply by the author on 17-Dec-2016

Hello, Russell,

You are correct, a coal seam fire was an underground fire usually in an abandoned mine but that is not the only place where they are found.

Thank you for the review, my friend.

buddha blessings

Gypsy