James and I are offering a FREE guided Poetry in the Park hike in Pavan Park on April 14, 2024, at 10 AM. We will teach people how to write Blank Verse on that day. Come prepared to commune with some native bird species and begin to look at life in a whole new way.
It isn’t terribly difficult – you just write rhythmically (although it may take some time to develop a good sense of rhythm). With Blank Verse, you don’t have to worry about rhyming. I’ll write out one of my Blank Verse poems below, so that you have an example of a Blank Verse poem.
Sharing the View
I got to see the sun (eclipsed) today
through glasses that some people passed around
at City Hall, at noon or there abouts.
At first, the bright noon sky just turned to black
(those glasses really cut the light right out).
I moved my head so I could see the sun
(and sure felt out-of-sorts while doing it).
At first, I didn’t know where I should look.
I just felt lost in all the blackness there.
But then a tiny, bitten peach shone through
the darkness, and I found my place again –
beneath that tiny sun, where I belong.
Learning to write poetry, starts with learning to maintain a rhythm. If you can’t command rhythm, you can’t honestly call yourself a poet. One must be humble and patient in order to learn how to write poetry. Poetry is an art that passive people can excel at.
Join James and I on our Poetry in the Park hikes this spring. You’ll find plenty of inspiration to write at Pavan (and all of the other locations I’ve chosen for Poetry in the Park hikes this spring). You’ll find the complete Poetry in the Park schedule if you check out the Poetry in the Park tab on this website.
The first time I went into the Nikka Yuko Japanese garden in Lethbridge, Alberta, I was excited. I was working as a gardener for the City of Lethbridge and got to spend a partial day learning proper Japanese Garden juniper planting techniques. I was surprised to learn how much thought goes into the placement of a single juniper in the landscape.
One must look at the topography and fit the growth habit of the shrub to grow as though it has already been growing in that place. The direction of growth must point down the slope, for example. In a Japanese garden, everything (including the plants) are controlled. Beauty is controlled and control is beauty within a Japanese garden.
I was surprised to see how small the Nikka Yuko Japanese garden is. It is only 4 acres. Although the garden was lovely, and I was thankful for the learning opportunity, I was very glad that I hadn’t had to pay an admission fee to enjoy the garden.
I did go back to the Nikka Yuko garden several times. A friend and coworker snuck me in the back (worker’s) gate so I didn’t have to pay. Some of the staff there permitted me to take part in a tea ceremony, too. I got to enjoy the Japanese Gardens at a more authentic level than most (paying) guests would experience.
Our Heroic Couplet Poetry in the Park guided hike date at Botteril is on April 28, 2024, 10 AM.
If I had paid to get into Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, I would’ve felt pretty ripped off. The garden is lovely, but it is only 4 acres. Therefore, there’s little space to get a view of the garden without someone else in it.
I understand why they charge so much for people to get into Nikka Yuko, though. I’ve seen many examples of tree and shrub vandalism in this city. The hefty entry fee would keep the vandals out.
James and I will NOT be offering a FREE Poetry in the Park lesson just outside the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden on April 7, 2024 (starting at 10 AM). We had scheduled to start our Poetry in the Park guided hikes on April 7, 2024, but the forecast for Sunday doesn’t look good. Instead, we will cover the Haiku information with the Blank verse information on April 14, 2024 at Pavan Park.
A haiku isn’t that complicated to write. You may believe that it is as simple as three lines: five syllables; seven syllables; and then five syllables. You might be surprised to learn that writing authentic haikus is a little more complicated then that.
I have written three sentiments in a basic “haiku” form below (5, 7, 5). How many (if any) are actually authentic haikus? 1? 2? 3? None?
Find out the answer to this question (and more) when you attend our free Poetry in the Park event near the outside the entrance gate to Nikka Yuko Japanese garden between 10 AM and noon on April 7, 2024.
Our Waka guided hike at Six-Mile Coulee is on April 21, 10AM. (Bohemian Waxwings, not Cedars).
Japanese Garden
Rich complexity
of nature’s lost for order
and simplicity.
Garden “Gods”
Weak men crave control.
Controlling nature’s gardens
makes them feel like gods.
Show Garden
Low diversity
of life requires much labor.
Nature needs no slaves.
We planned to be teaching this lesson outside the front gate at Nikka Yuko. We had no plans to go in. I’m pretty sure it’s still closed for the season, anyhow. Feel free to pay to go in later on your own, if you care to do so. You will find more information about park fees further down on this page.
None of my songs (featured in videos between typed content in this post) were haikus. All were poems, though. In the winter months, James and I spend a fair amount of time down near the river feeding birds. The birds provide me with a very forgiving audience for my improvised melodies for first draft poems (especially when I bribe them with seeds and peanuts).
Check out this other person’s post:
If you want to see a preview of Nikka Yuko, see the post below.
You needn’t necessarily go into the Japanese Gardens to be inspired to write a Haiku about the scenery found within the garden. You can find many photos of Nikka Yuko on-line.
Poetry in the Park helps people develop Mindfulness, Knowledge, Focus, a Sense of Belonging, Health, and Confidence. The best things in life sometimes really are FREE!
Hikes may be cancelled with inclement weather (rain or 60 Km/ hour wind speeds). No bookings are required. Just show up ready to learn and hike.
Park Fees
Poetry in the Park guided hikes are free but there are entry fees for Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens and/ or Waterton Lakes National Park. We’ve always found a Parks Canada Discovery pass to be money well spent. A Discovery pass allows access to ALL of Canada’s National Parks for the entire year (and other heritage sites, etc.).
We will only be offering Poetry in the Park guided hikes in one of the National Parks this spring: Waterton Lakes National Park. Therefore, one may choose to buy an annual Waterton pass to save a little cash. Even when we’ve only ended up going to Waterton in the year with our Discovery pass, we didn’t feel ripped off an the end of the year. It’s always nice to keep your options open and keep dreaming of discovering more beauty in nature.
The Nikka Yuko general admission fee for an adult is $13.50 for the day (but it is currently closed for the season). You can get an annual pass ($40 for an individual, $50 for a couple, or $60 for a family of four).
A daily pass into Waterton is $10.50 per adult (youth get in for free). A family/ group daily pass is $21.00. An annual pass for one adult to get into Waterton is $52.25. An annual pass for a family/ group (of up to seven people in one vehicle) is $104.50.
A Discovery pass (an annual pass) for one adult to get into a national park is $75.25. An annual pass for a family/ group (of up to seven people in one vehicle) is $151.25.
Seniors get in to National Parks a little cheaper (but not much cheaper).
Although I have a deep respect for the work that has went into designing, constructing, and maintaining Nikka Yuko, paying $10.50 to get into Waterton for the day sure beats paying $13.50 to get into Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, if you ask me.
Please see my Poetry in the Park website tab for more information about Poetry in the Park and a complete spring, 2024 Poetry in the Park schedule.
Our next Poetry in the Park guided hike will take place at Pavan Park, 10 AM.
I typed up my poem, The Northern Flicker, and included it below (with videos between the stanzas of the poem. This one is like a Horatian Ode, but a little more challenging. I used four primary accents instead of five for each of lines one and two in each stanza. I also made each of those lines end in the same rhyme throughout the poem. I hope you’ll enjoy my poem almost as much as I enjoy Northern Flickers.
The Northern Flicker
The Northern Flicker’s here year round
and makes this rusty, squeaking sound
I always love to hear,
whenever they are near.
In summers, they’re seen on the ground
when dining on the ants around
(since ants are half of what’s
consumed to fill their guts).
In wintertime, they’re easily found
near peanuts you’ve left in a mound
upon your windowsill
(until they get their fill).
Their vibrant hues (that they’re renowned
for), not their sound, are what you’re bound
to catch while they’re in flight.
They flicker through the light.
I’ve included a bonus poem (that I wrote quite some time ago) below.
mountainbrideblog 