HAIBUN

       Traditional haibun, a Japanese form originating in the 17th century, typically took the form of a short description of a place, person or object, or a diary of a journey or other series of events in the poet's life.  Haibun is no longer confined to Japan. It has established itself as a genre in world literature and gained momentum in recent years. 

     Characteristics:  A haibun may record a scene or a special moment in a highly descriptive and objective manner, or may occupy a wholly fictional or dream-like space. The accompanying haiku may have a direct or subtle relationship with the prose and encompass or hint at the gist of what is recorded in the prose sections.
      Several distinct schools of English haibun have been described, including Reportage narrative mode such as Robert Wilson's Vietnam Ruminations, Haibunic prose, and the Templum effect.    
       Contemporary practice of haibun composition in English is continually evolving. Generally, a haibun consists of one or more paragraphs of prose written in a concise, imagistic haikai style, and one or more haiku. Modern English-language haibun writers include Jim Kacian, Bruce Ross, Mark Nowak, and Nobuyuki Yuasa.

     Here are some examples:


Only Time Will Tell

       Spring has been trying to appear this whole winter with warm days interspersed with freezing cold. Spring plants started to bloom in December, with blossoms freezing and turning brown. In this spot on a hillside next to a swift running creek, frost appears with the slightest drop in temperature, turning those lovely buds and blossoms brown. The beauty that is spring's finest hour has been tempered to a few straggly blossoms on this hillside. The spring green of the trees has come alive in the last few days, adorning my weary eyes with beauty -- that wonderful green interspersed with white of a few blossoms. 
  
         willow's spring green leaves
         swayed by the cold north west breeze,
         bird pecks frozen bath

Spring has sprung but winter still tries to linger, chilling and killing the pear crop and the blueberries that have formed. Will it  be just a slight thinning or will it totally wipe out this fall's fruits? Only time will tell.... 

_____________

Carousel
Vince says we’re all on the same carousel. Sometimes you’re riding a lion, sometimes a giraffe. We're here to be humbled. You never know what animal’s gonna be open when you climb aboard. Maybe it is a horse. But it could just as easily be a turtle. Either way, we’re all getting there. 

          mentioning
          her recent loss
          the cashier hands me my change  

(The internet offers the above as a sample of what contemporary poets are doing with Haibun. However, I'd tend to look for the expected 5-7-5 count in the haiku portion of any contest material.  Note the correct count in the top example.)


I'm appending here some further information from Britain’s leading independent haiku journal. 

What I Tend to Look for in Haibun Submissions 
by Fred Schofield

      We’re all learning all the time, and over the years I’ve learnt a lot from the work people have sent in, whether I’ve accepted it or not. Sometimes feedback is asked for and I’m always happy to provide this. Also, if appropriate, I point out why I feel any rejected pieces aren’t suitable—if you don’t want me to do this, please say so. What am I currently looking for? Any subject matter, no matter how bizarre—or ordinary. And though all the following elements may be acceptable, please note the emphasis:
    1. more intuitive than intellectual
    2. more focused than generalized
    3. light rather than heavy

       In my view, haiku don’t have to be able to stand alone as well as be part of the haibun. Each piece is considered in terms of its internal wholeness.  If you’re interested in reading any Japanese precedents in the form, Bashō’s Journey is possibly the best of the numerous Bashō editions. I’d also recommend Shiki’s prose pieces: they’re not presented as haibun and don’t include haiku but seem to me very haibun in spirit; there’s a selection in Masaoka Shiki: His Life and Works. Other Japanese prose of interest to haibun writers can be found in Hiroaki Sato’s translations of Hōsai in Right under the big sky, I don’t wear a hat, and Endless Vow: The Zen Path of Soen Nakagawa.