Karumi Chrysanthemum

white chrysanthemum
I look holding it straight
no dust at all                                      Basho

no bee has penetrated
this light-filled orb of petals          Kim M. Russell, 5^th Match 2020

My response to Carpe Diem Tan Renga Wednesday #16: Basho’s ‘karumi’

In a new episode of the special feature, Tan Renga Wednesday, we have a ‘karumi’ haiku by Basho to work with.

Chèvrefeuille explains that karumi is one of the most important and least understood principles of haiku poetry, which is rooted in the spirit of haiku, rather than being a technique, and can be best described as lightness or a sensation of spontaneity. When karumi is incorporated into haiku, there is often a sense of light humor or child-like wonderment at the cycles of the natural world. Many haiku using karumi are not fixed on external rules, but rather an unhindered expression of the poet’s thoughts or emotions. This does not mean that the poet forgets the rules of structure.