by Roger Noons
On Saturday 21 August, Haibun Master, David Bingham, zoomed into the homes of our members. He began his workshop on the theme of this Japanese style combining prose and haiku poem, by reading several examples of pieces that had been published.
Getting down to the nitty gritty he indicated that a haibun has three distinct parts :-
Title
Prose text
Haiku poem
The title, which is often added at the end, is the key or prompt as to what the piece is about and may comprise a single word, usually a noun offering a concrete fact or view.
The prose needs to be compact, factual, set the scene and incorporate details of sensory aspects. Poetic prose can be most effective, but adverbs and adjectives should be limited or even avoided. The opening sentence should provide the hook to engage the reader and encourage them to read on. The content needs to maintain interest and can be in an experimental form.
The poem, following the form of a haiku (usually three lines,) can be used to offer an alternative viewpoint to the prose, or link and shift the subject adding extra detail.
Members were given time initially to construct pieces of prose either based on their own topics or using one of the photographs provided by David. After a well-earned tea break, pens were again lifted to work on the haiku element. Following which, members read the pieces that they had written and received constructive comments from ‘The Master.’
Finally, David introduced the idea of multiple haibun, a necklace of interlocking verses. It is a useful way of conveying a travelogue or in the example which David read to us, a scene conveyed during the passage of a day.