a depressed area
at night, no lights, no power
the sound of singing
crippling poverty
out in the countryside
buoyed by faith
unemployed
frustrated, seeking support
extended fam'ly
inherited
a life of difficulty
finding time to laugh
too many mouths
this was not the plan
deprived of choice
----
----
for concrete ways to help alleviate poverty, which take advantage of the internet, and which do not require much time or even effort, kindly have a look at these previous haiku posts of mine:
- freerice
- goodsearch in conjunction with freeplay
- kiva
----
thank you for visiting this haiku poem blog. :)
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137 comments:
I did not know it was blog action day. thank you for sharing this:-)
So beautiful, as always! You are very talented! Thank you for praying for Quince! I am asking God for a miracle!
These are all wonderfully written and are good reminders, too. Sadly, the situation keeps spreading.
thanks for the comment, janet. :)
can't quite remember where i learned about this year's blog action day, but i'm glad i came across it.
as of right now, there are more than 9,700 sites participating. i like the idea of being part of something larger than my blog, even for a day. :)
thanks for the comment, rebeckah. :)
i do wish him the best. must be a terrible shock for his family. :(
thanks for the comment, maggie's mind. :)
indeed. times are difficult. still, i'm hopeful. and i like that the internet can be a rather powerful tool for change here.
very moving post today - i must hink of something for poverty day
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love your haikus and poetry!
Thanks for taking the time for commenting over on my blog. It made me realize that (maybe) just for today we are a big community, never underestimate its power!
Have a nice day :)
These haiku are very thought provoking! I hope the blog action day goes well.
Thanks for visiting my blog, I see you too are participating in Blog Action Day. I have been writing poetry myself lately, I love the condensed format that is quite open for expression and interpretation, your haikus are quite nice.
thanks for the comment, mediterranean kiwi. :)
and thanks for the kind words.
thanks for the comment, ladyfi. :)
am glad you like them. :)
thanks for the comment, flevour. :)
indeed. at least for today, we are a community considering the question of poverty. it's a good feeling to be part of something like this, even just for a short time. :)
thanks for the comment, art and poetry. :)
it's going pretty well. currently just visiting the other participating blogs. :)
thanks for the comment, francetales. :)
and thanks for the kind words. :)
Thanks for stopping by my blog and comments. Yes, I am In - Eliminate Poverty wherever on earth one reside! Maybe my writing is coming to philippines soon:-)
thanks for the comment, ilaxi. :)
perhaps. :)
This is really beautiful. It says so much, with such simplicity.
thanks for the comment, tess. :)
and thanks for the kind words. :)
A wonderful idea Kouji - a daily poem. Your post is just one of the many ways to support Blog Action Day 2008.
thanks for the comment, robenslin. :)
many ways indeed. :)
sadness written so well...good job kouji!
thanks for the comment, jeanie. :)
sad indeed.
It's amazing how the poem combines despair and laughter. People finding a way to squeeze any joy they possibly can even amidst such desolation . . .
great job! thank you for stopping by!
thanks for the comment, marelisa. :)
indeed. that's how things tend to be in the philippines. life is usually difficult, but we find a way to laugh and sing so that for a moment, the nights don't seem so dark, and the days don't seem so bleak.
thanks for the comment, lisa. :)
thanks for stopping by as well. :)
Wow. I love what you've done with the blog, and these haikus are chilling (in a good way ;) ). Thanks for your comment on BusinessPundit, and for spreading the word in such an original, beautiful way.
thanks for the comment, drea. :)
and thanks for the kind words. :) am glad they were able to give you the chills.
Love the poetry. In the past year I have been doing some haiku writing and I am really enjoying the powerful simplicity of it.
Thanks for sharing your poetry.
thanks for the comment, j.r. miller. :)
indeed. some of the haiku written by the bloggers whose sites i regularly visit are quite brilliant, and powerful. :)
Well, I am certainly not as prolific as you in writing poetry, but I have 3 haikus that I have written and if you care to read them I would love to get some feedback :-)
nice kouji. keep it up. I believe you can make a poem for everything. :-)
thanks for the comment, j.r. miller. :)
cool. will head on over. :)
thanks for the comment, kaiserfernandez. :)
sigh. well, i do try to write stuff. a lot of it not very good unfortunately. but i'd like to think i'm improving. :) ... sometimes. :O
Lovely haikus. :-)
thanks for the comment, amy derby. :)
Hi, Kouji Haiku,
Thank you for posting your kind comment on my blog. Do you do blogroll exchanges? I would like to add you as a friend to my own blog if you'd like to do the same.
AWESOME!
Thanks for your comment Kouji. I really enjoyed your poems- I thought the last one was especially moving.
thanks for the comment, porillion. :)
i'd be happy to add you to my blogroll, but thing is, it's on a different blog. :O this one's pr3, while my blogroll is only pr1 (though it's been claimed in technorati). just let me know if you'd like to be added. :)
thanks for the comment, dayngr. :D
thanks for the comment, stephen olmstead. :)
am glad you enjoyed them. indeed, i like the last one as well. sad. unfortunately, much too common here.
very nice blog - I will keep you on my list of sites I read regularly and thanks for your kind words on my site (www.thetechscoop.net) in regards to Blog Action Day.
thanks for the comment, james. :)
kind of you to say. i'll also add you to my blogroll once the dust clears, at the end of this blog action day. :)
Lovely poem. And what a great way to discover your blog!
thanks for the comment, corine. :)
kind of you to say. :)
Inspiring poetry. Thank you for sharing your haiku and your thoughts.
thanks for the comment, m. diane rogers. :)
and thanks for visiting. :)
The haikus are lovely and really touching. Thank you for sharing!
Am not usually much of a fan of poems, but this poem I like :)
Thank you for taking the time to comment on my blog
thanks for the comment, joanaatthebeach. :)
and thanks for the kind words. :)
thanks for the comment, liliane. :)
am glad you like them. :)
Thank you for your lovely comment on my blog and helping make a difference. Its fabulous to see bloggers unite for a topic that needs our attention. You have drawn me to some wonderful organizations that I have not heard of and will love to find out more. Thank you! Amanda
These haikus are beautiful and inspiring.
Thank you for visiting my blog today; I really am excited to see the way that everyone is contributing.
First of all: wonderful haiku poems! Second, thanks for the suggestions you left in a comment on my blog. I'd never heard of GoodSearch, but it's pretty amazing! I just added the toolbar, and am really excited about it.
Thanks for participating in Blog Action Day. Best wishes to you!
Oh, and I just visited Free Rice, and I think it is a brilliant website! Thanks for introducing me to it.
These are truly beautiful...and a surprising corrective to my misgiving upon seeing the heading above, about mixing social/political action and haiku....
Thought-provoking indeed - especially when one thinks of the food and clothing wasted over here...how sad it should be this way.
Thank you for your visiting my blog and for posting a link to Kiva. Your poem shines the bright light of harsh reality on the daily life of so many millions of people...your participation in Blog Action Day and your words will help make life better for others.
Commented and it must have been erased....I said - You never cease to amaze me! Your haiku is superb!
thank you so much for your comment on poverty. i have read it several times and i am grateful to have had you share your experience.
thank you.
Cool blog. I'm going to add it to my Google Reader.
Thanks for commenting on my blog, letting me know about your writing.
thanks for the comment, oliveaux. :)
indeed. it's good to see so many blogs posting on this one particular topic. :)
thanks for the comment, courtney. :)
indeed. it's exciting. :) especially when i read about bloggers deciding to make a donation or sponsor a child.
thanks for the comment, h.e.g. :)
am quite fond of goodsearch myself. :) i feel that google is still superior to yahoo in terms of search, but i rather enjoy watching my total contribution to my charity move up with each passing day. :)
thanks for the comment again, courtney. :)
indeed. i love freerice. :) i try to donate rice everyday.
thanks for the comment, dr. jay sw. :)
indeed. i too have my misgivings whenever i try to mix message with haiku. still, i can't seem to help myself sometimes.
thanks for dropping by. :)
thanks for the comment, janice. :)
indeed. but i'm glad that at least we are finding interesting new ways to make a difference, even on the other side of the globe.
thanks for the comment, tom southworth. :)
indeed. i love kiva. i especially enjoy the fact that many times i find that requested loans are fully funded. quite a lot of good hearts online.
thanks for the comment, tsannie. :)
sorry about the erased comment. :O don't know what happened there.
and thanks for the kind words.
thanks for the comment, onesilentwinter. :)
and thank you as well for posting on poverty.
thanks for the comment, wendy. :)
and thanks for adding me. :)
this is my favorite haiku...
inherited
a life of difficulty
finding time to laugh
it reflects so much the filipino disposition... finding joy in the middle of life's muddiest pits! beautiful...
thanks for the comment, spool artist. :)
indeed, that's what i was trying to capture. our sometimes resiliently sunny disposition. :)
your haikus are deep and insightful. one has to really read between the lines :-)
thanks for the comment, lester. :)
i did try to inject a little something between the lines. :)
Great haikus! I hear people are using Twitter for haiku. Do you? Thanks for your comment on The Promise of Africa on Web Worker Daily!
thank you for such a creative approach to this critical and pressing issue and helping be one STRONG voice against poverty!
i really like haiku no.5. nice. keep spreading the social justice word!
thanks for the comment, pamela poole. :)
i heard that as well. :) twitter-ku or twaiku. haven't tried it myself, though i do use twitter. :) but mostly for more mundane stuff.
thanks for the comment, mouse (aka kimy). :)
indeed. we all do what we can.
thanks for the comment, kel. :)
i'm glad you liked it. :)
Holy Canoli! 84 comments! Unbelieveable! What a great cause though!
thanks for the comment, rebeckah. :)
true. more than what i'm used to. :) but half of those comments are mine, so it's more like 42. :)
blog action day all over! I've seen this - mostly in many big blogs.
thanks for the comment, gem. :)
indeed. i learned that problogger's been to the philippines, from his post. :O
Something to think over, yes.
G7-countries...!
Hi, again, Kouji Haiku.
Yes, I think I would like to do a blogroll exchange. My details would be:
Blog name: Porillion
URL: http://porillion.wordpress.com
I'll add this blog to mine now!
thanks for the comment, tikkis. :)
perhaps. :) glad you could visit. :)
thanks for the comment, porillion. :)
sure. :) will add you as well.
That is so sad and touching. Thank you for stopping by. :)
these are nice, and for a good cause.
the frerice site is addictive :)
thanks for the comment, undercover-princess. :)
and thanks for stopping by as well. :)
thanks for the comment, polona. :)
indeed. freerice is insidious! :O
Ah, every time I read haiku, I remember why I love it so. The first was my favorite ;) It's nice to see poetry as part of Blog Action Day.
Thank you for visiting my blog!! Lovin' that Freerice site!!
thanks for the comment, melissa donovan. :)
am glad you liked it. :)
thanks for the comment, amber. :)
i continue to love it as well. :) will be visiting it again later.
Very nice... :)
thanks for the comment, mariposa. :)
Powerful haiku. As I've said - someday may I be as good as you are with words.
Kouji, This was a very good Blog Action day post - I am so impressed by the 102 (now 103) comments.
Those are wonderful. It gives some hope in the face of despair. Well done.
thanks for the comment, tsannie. :)
and thanks for the kind words. :)
thanks for the comment, marty. :)
indeed. but half of those comments are mine. :)
thanks for the comment, vixen. :)
indeed. some hope.
"no lights, no power"
economy crisis in the U.S.A., in Asia, in Europe ... what will happen now to Africa, to ...?!
I love Haiku..I write poetry but never ventured into Haiku. Where are you from? I would love to know. I better check your profile! I will read your poetry with great zeal.
You wrote wonderful, powerful haiku. I'm so glad that when I'm sitting playing at Free Rice I'm actually helping.
Thanks for dropping by earlier.
oh so true. each ku represents a scenario of our country.
hehe, you made me go back to my haiku days lol
Lovely poems for sure.
Do you know about this?
BlogBlast For Peace ~ November 6, 2008 is going to be awesome! Would you like to participate? Hope to see you there.
I REALLY LOVE MAKING MY OWN HAIKU. IT SOMEHOW LESSENS MY STRESS AND HELPS ME FREELY EXPRESS MY BURDENS.YOUR HAIKU IS VERY SCHOLARLY DONE. I HOPE I CAN ALSO DO SOMETHING WHICH CAN FAIR TO WHAT YOU'VE DONE HE HE HE.
thanks for the comment, haiku-shelf. :)
indeed. though i read that africa may be a bit resilient because its economies aren't as coupled yet to the rest of the world economy. but of course, it too, will be negatively affected.
thanks for the comment, yanjiaren. :)
i'm from the philippines actually. :)
thanks for the comment, patsy. :)
indeed. i'm glad as well. i like watching the bowl fill with rice grains, and my total number of grains donated increase. :)
thanks for the comment, totomai. :)
glad i could give you a bit of a nostalgic trip. :)
thanks for the comment, mimi lenox. :)
will check that out.
thanks for the comment, anonymous. :)
indeed. it does help lessen stress, i feel. :) thanks for the kind words.
even though as you point out, half of them are yours, that's still a load of comments!
thanks for the comment, crafty green poet. :)
indeed. i guess that's also because blog action day's a once in a year event. :)
Great idea for a blog and unique entry for Blog Action Day. Congrats!
Your poem captures the struggle and the dignity of those who struggle very beautifully. Poverty is an overwhelming problem.
I love your haiku. I am a friend of Lanie's and have been for quite some time.
I saw one blog that showed a flash presentation of urban slums. The worst slums that I've seen is that from Indonesia and the Philippines.
HI
Very touchy ones!
Need to see the poverty alleviation site.
wishes!
devika
wishes!
devika
thanks for the comment, guinevere. :)
and thanks for visiting. :)
thanks for the comment, sandycarlson. :)
indeed. it's quite a huge problem. i'm just glad some online sites offer people a chance to help chip away at this.
thanks for the comment, joy leftow. :)
i hope lanie's been feeling better.
thanks for the comment, gem. :)
true. some of our slum areas really are quite unhappy sights.
thanks for the comment, devika. :)
and thanks for dropping by. :)
K. you're a genius at writing socially
aware poetry.
hunger
crys out
to be fed.
also, as I think about your suite of poems,
these haiku could easily be applied to many
in america.
thanks for the comments, jade. :)
kind of you to say. true, they can apply to other people, in other places.
thanks for the comment, paul. :)
indeed.
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