These haikus were written as exercises in Robert Bly's Stanford Poetry Workshop (April 2—April 30, 2008) inspired by his lectures and poets he read to us in class. (Underlined words are not for emphasis but to web links.) Viking Fountain at Stanford Memorial Court Source for Haiku written on April 2, 2008 during Robert Bly's poetry class break.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 3:15-6:05 pm Building 460, Room 334, Stanford University Robert Bly, Mohr Visiting Poet "The Occasions of Poetry" Workshop Fifteen students here for Bly's workshop listening like Ryoanji rocks.	Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 3:15-6:05 pm Building 460, Room 334, Stanford University Robert Bly, Mohr Visiting Poet Bly reads haikus of Basho & Issa Haikus cut us down so we see how grandiose is the universe.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 4:53 pm Memorial Court, Stanford University Robert Bly gives class 15-minute break and tells us to write two haikus outdoors. Clouds made Sun misty so my eyes can gaze at it and find a white pearl.	Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 4:58 pm Memorial Court, Stanford University Drinking fountain with mosaic Viking ship in memoriam: Harold Hatch McAllister (1904-1925) Twelve pebbles inside fountain— crew for mosaic Viking ship sailing?
Wednesday, April 9, 2008, 3:15-6:00 pm Building 460, Room 334, Stanford University Robert Bly, Poetry Workshop: Bly reads Hafiz & Kabir. Talks about soul & spirit Soul descends, is wet like water. Spirit ascends and is dry like fire.	Wednesday, April 9, 2008, 4:22 pm Memorial Court, Stanford University Reflecting on Robert Bly's question "What is the new love?" after a Kabir poem What is the new love that opens the gates?— Dante's La Vita Nuova.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008, 4:40-4:55 pm Building 460, Room 334, Stanford University Robert Bly's 15-minutes Poetry Writing Exercise: "Friend— wake up! why do you go on sleeping" Learn from Dante who soared from the dark to the light. Friend— Wake up! Wake up!	Wednesday, April 9, 2008, 3:15-6:00 pm Building 460, Room 334, Stanford University Poetry Workshop: Robert Bly tells the class to write something in the morning each day. Put crazy things together. Don't let critic come in. Let wild one speak the truth.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008, 1:55 pm Cummings Art Building, Stanford University Student sitting inside Henry Moore's sculpture "Large Torso Arch" She sits inside Moore's Large Torso Arch resting like the sheep seeking shade.	Wednesday, April 16, 2008, 3:15-6:05 pm Building 460, Room 334, Stanford University Robert Bly's Poetry Workshop Bly reads "Mirabai: Ecstatic Poems" Mirabai is brave to jump into the Lotus and be swallowed whole.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008, 4:48-4:55 pm Building 460, Room 334, Stanford University Robert Bly's 7-minutes Poetry Writing Exercise: "In my dream the Great One married me" After the Big Bang, chaos everywhere. I, an electron ignored by everyone. Then a proton came. He was so big— He was the Great One that married me!	Wednesday, April 16, 2008, 6:45-8:00 pm Banner Hall, Jackson Lounge, Stanford University Prof. Hilton Obenzinger discusses his new book "Busy Dying" on 1968 Columbia students protest Students occupied Low Library— Cops coming to crack some skulls. Kenneth Koch chuckled up at us: "Did you write any poems?"
Saturday, April 19, 2008, 4:00-6:00 pm Green Library, Stanford University Composing web page on Mirabai's Poetry Mirabai is the partridge that swallows hot coals for love of the moon.	Monday, April 21, 2008, 4:22 pm Old Union Courtyard, Stanford University Sun casting giant shadow on palm tree and I learn Kabbalah from the Dark Fan Twenty-two fronds sway like a black fan teaching me Kabbalah secrets.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 1:56 pm Reading on Bus #22 to Portage Ave, Palo Alto R.H. Blyth's 4 volumes "Haiku" (1952) "made possible through the kindness and patriotism of Naoto Ichimada" Blyth's Haiku published with help of Ichimada— Bank of Japan's Governor.	Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 2:30 pm After buying 2GB Emprex USB drive at Fry's, 340 Portage Ave, Palo Alto, I take Bus #22 back home to Mountain View, reading Blyth's "Haiku: Summer-Autumn" Reading Basho and Issa, I understand why they are my true friends.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 3:15-6:05 Building 460, Room 334, Stanford University Robert Bly's Poetry Workshop— Bly reads prose poems of Louis Jenkins, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Francis Ponge, Mary Oliver, and Charles Baudelaire Prose poems to focus on objects from nature instead of yourself.	Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 4:30 pm Oval & Quad, Stanford University Robert Bly's Poetry Workshop Break— Went outdoors to the Stanford Oval and saw sky full of cumulus clouds. Forgot to bring my camera again. Giant cumulus clouds, white and gray tumble aloft— pillow fight in the sky!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 4:47-5:10 pm Building 460, Room 334, Stanford University Robert Bly's Poetry Workshop— Prose poem exercise: "Sycamore Seed Ball" Ouch!— these spiked balls inspired knights to make flails to smash armor and shields.	Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 3:15-6:05 Building 460, Room 334, Stanford University Robert Bly's Poetry Workshop— Writing prose poems to focus on objects Once you're true to your object— lots of interesting things will come to you.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 1:00-2:30 pm Art Library, Stanford University Writing prose poem for Robert Bly's class on "Deodar Cedar Rosebud" Concentric petals, so soul-like and centered— ready for the Great Work.	Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 3:15-6:00 pm Building 460, Room 334, Stanford University Robert Bly's Poetry Workshop— Ramage poems of eight lines focusing on vowel sounds The vowel watcher in the ivory tower observing Orion.

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© Peter Y. Chou, Wisdom Portal P.O. Box 390707, Mountain View, CA 94039 email: (6-7-2008)