On 28 October 2023, Catherine Urquhart led a haiku writing workshop at the Eskdalemuir Community Hub. Participants read a selection of haiku on the theme of ageing and it’s relation to the change of the seasons, particularly autumn to winter. They spent the rest of the session crafting their own haikus, which we are pleased to present here.
I looked for you
in the bird songs
melancholic notes
dried and brown
leaves clinging
afraid to let go
Angie Ball
first frost
working up a sweat
stacking logs
winter blizzard
another day passes
dreaming by the fire
Adrian Solomon
beneath the willow
falling leaves
kiss their reflection
chill wind
yellow leaves waving
goodbye
David Bearman
Dora is disappearing
drifting away gently
in her golden gown
driving to haiku
no chance to swerve
demise of a pheasant
Frank Ritchie
dark falls early
winter casts her cloak
stars shine brightly
fallen red apples
ripe and rotting
feed the earth
Mairi Telford-Jammeh
darts of autumn sun
set old tree ablaze
my heart sings
long winter nights
encircle this old house
like hungry wolves
Marjorie Wilson
darkening sky
over the frozen river
the rush of wings
along the way
memories and regrets
season of long shadows
Sandra Goodfellow
Here’s what the participants had to say about the workshop:
Well researched by tutor. Excellent session, very stimulating and inspiring. We were very prolific. Lots of laughter.
I loved it all! I didn’t know much about haiku before today. I have learned so much.
It was most uplifting and Catherine is a terrific teacher and listener. I feel empowered to do more haiku and study further.
Very beneficial to be part of a creative group. Lovely to socialise with others in this way. Lifted my spirits.
Would love to come to another workshop. Thank you!
About the facilitator: Catherine Urquhart was born in Dumfries in 1962. After graduating in Linguistics from Edinburgh University, she lived in Japan for 30 years where she studied haiku under a Japanese haiku teacher. Returning to Scotland in 2015, she founded Edinburgh Haiku Circle the following year and has chaired the circle monthly since then. She hopes to demonstrate the effectiveness of haiku to capture the memorable moments on the journey that is life.
This event was organised by Autumn Voices in partnership with Eskdalemuir Expressive Arts, and was supported by the Dumfries & Galloway Regional Arts Fund.