In January (01/20/14), the New York Time’s published an article titled “If Your Car Could Talk, Would it Speak Sensual Clarity?” I was particularly struck by the term Waku-Doki within the article. I liked the way these words rolled off my tongue. I enjoy how it feels when I say them, so much so that I thought them worth mentioning. Following is an excerpt from the Times. The article can be found here.
“Akio Toyoda issued a directive asking designers to invigorate Toyota products with “energy, passion, and a sense of Waku-Doki, which was translated as “a palpable heart-pounding sense of excitement.” The Calti studio responded with the FT-1.”
The FT-1 is the 6th car shown in the photo series of this article. And it is indeed very sexy. If anything contains Waku-Doki the FT-1 surely does, especially if you are a wealthy 29 year old guy or in my case a 67 year old middle class woman. Sure the car turns me on, but I think that the idea of Waku-Doki turns me on even more. Let’s do a switch-up here. Let us look again at haiku. I have never heard the term Waku-Doki used when referring to haiku. However, for me, getting haiku right produces a sense of Waku-Doki, as I understand it. Please understand that I might remember only 3 Japanese verbal expressions from my time of living in Okinawa at the age of 21. Very few words indeed! Which is to say that should I connect the term Waku-Doki to haiku, those amongst us who do know Japanese might come down upon me with a very hard hammer! But I like it! I like the innate simplicity in it, and the innate complexity it holds. This is what I love most about haiku. It holds for the writer and reader both simplicity and complexity. It would appear to have Waku-Doki.
Currently, I am looking out my window at newly fallen snow, just a couple of inches at the most. The sight inspires me as nature always does. I wish to acknowledge the scene before me with a haiku. I also wish to incorporate Waku-Doki as I understand it. So let’s see where this leads to. Today dear reader, write a haiku that has Waku-Doki … even if it is not appropriate for haiku. Today pretend! Be daring … have some Waku-Doki. You might even want it with some Wasabi! I have written several haiku below. The last, written in the traditional 5-7-5 form is the only one that appears to possess Waku-Doki (for me). Write a haiku or two with “a palpable heart-pounding sense of excitement” using the 5-7-5 tradition or not. Then leave your haiku to share with others in the comments section. Have fun.
Photo Credit: Photo Bucket
1) squirrel inches deep in snow – flies off the branch for a nut
2) new fallen snow – warm water in the sunlight
3) snow falling – each flake different until they meld into water
4) a billion snow flakes
meld as one when they become
a wave of water
– Liz Rice-Sosne
© 2013, essay and photographs, Liz Rice-Stone, All rights reserved
LIZ RICE-SOSNE a.k.a. Raven Spirit (noh where), perhaps the oldest friend to Bardo, is the newest member of The Bardo Group Core Team. She is also our new Voices for Peace project outreach coordinator and our go-to person for all things related to haiku. She says she “writes for no reason at all. It is simply a pleasure.” Blogging, mostly poetry, has produced numerous friends for whom she has a great appreciation. Liz is an experienced blogger, photographer and a trained shaman. We think her middle name should be “adventure.”
The BeZine 