The OutlawPoets A Love Haiku Thread

 

 

You Be The Judge! Announcing the February 2007 Haiku Thread For February 2007 the theme of the monthly haiku thread was LOVE. 19 Members of the OutlawPoets posted 187 haiku to this thread between February 1 and February 22, 2007; these haiku were published in the February 2007 Sketchbook. The editors are overwhelmed with your response to this topic.  So, we thought it would be an interesting challenge for each of you to put on the "editor's shoes" and walk along their haiku path. Throughout the next weeks we ask you to take your time and read all 187 "Love haiku".  We invite each of you to select your three favorite haiku (do not choose your own) and send your choice to: To: haikuthreadeditor@poetrywriting.org Subject: 3 love haiku choices Although this is optional, we hope you will take time to write a few comments explaining reasons why each of your choices is a favorite. Your responses will be featured in the September 15, 2007 Sketchbook. An author list is included at the end of the haiku on this page. We look forward to your comments and your choices. Karina Klesko, Sketchbook editor John Daleiden, Sketchbook editor

 

 

The Judges Speak Cristian Mocanu, RO It was a very-very difficult choice. But let me try (and I will add some comments): Unanswered love— cold raindrops from your umbrella slide down my face. # 82. Zhanna Rader Zhanna's haiku just has it all: seasonal reference, a metaphor hinting at the lover's "cold" response. The raindrops coming down tear-like on he cheeks come from the departing lover's umbrella, as a kind of lingering souvenir. A story well told, atmosphere, just about everything making up a jewel of a poem. going out in search of the word you didn't hear— blizzard # 104. Ginka Biliarska, BG How nice to see Ginka join our thread...She's a well-known haijin and renku poet. From her offer I picked this: it wonderfully depicts love's excitement: the lover running to ask again: thirsting for the soul mate's each word (or maybe left in the cold, thinking of possible words and scenarios?) Also leaving the winter kigo "blizzard" as last, Ginka adds a last touch to the picture, making for a spectacular "aha" moment... dreaming of you... even a cuckoo's cry is a hymn # 125. Rita Odeh, IL Umberto Eco says a good literary work is an open one-open, that is, to all interpretations. I cannot know the "texture" of Rita's thoughts when she wrote this, but to me it spoke volumes. In Japanese tradition, a cuckoo song is a symbol of unreciprocated love. Cuckoos are a bad omen for lovers. Dreaming of one's love, however, turns everything upside down. It turns the cuckoo song into a hymn (maybe a religious one, of thanksgiving for the gift of love, as if echoing the poet's heart? even though it may all just be a dream and the love may still be unfulfilled?) In any case, it's a heartening haiku from a hopeful, optimistic lover! Yours, Cristian Mocanu

The Judges Speak Gillena Cox, TT After reading all 187 love haiku, I choose these as my favourites: full moon I think I'm in love with a rock # 50. Ed Baker It is possible that something out of nature can stir us that much this haiku reminded me of a visit, while on vacation, to a relative's new home in Grenada. In the front yard was this huge natural rock, which I fussed over and begged him to leave it natural and not to paint  it. The humour of the moon full implies a certain zaniness and makes for a well wrought haiku, to my mind. the memory vanishes in evening mist our last embrace # 05. John Daleiden I believe that our most beautiful moments are usually the hardest to retain. I like the quality of resonance in the vanishing evening mist in this haiku. Valentine's blues? cornflower eyes accented by fresh cut roses # 08. Trish Shields, CA Part of loving is appreciation of sadness, and yes, in the happiness of Valentines day, some of us are left out with the blues as is the case of the haiku persona with eyes as blue as cornflower—here again, it is the quality of resonance that appeals to me. much love gillena

The Judges Speak Terra Martin, CA full moon I think I'm in love with a rock # 50. Ed Baker-san #50: As there have been many nights that I have walked along a riverside and or a beach I could identify with the images that were portrayed. When the moon is a certain brightness the shapes and textures of the rocks are amazingly crisp. I also have had those aha moments where I felt I was in love with not one rock but several.   scent of roses wind god of love rustling the petals # 146. Shanna Baldwin Moore, US   #146: This one I found magical when read aloud. The repeating "s" sounds were liquid honey on the tongue and sounded like the breeze. The amount of smell, sight and sound that was packed into this little gem was totally impressive. Even when reading it several times over the same quality is felt and you feel that rustle on your soul as if it is a petal.   when the last rose fades the imprint of your kisses— memory’s keepsakes # 184. John Daleiden, US #184: The sentimentality of this ku moved me. My Grandmother used to take various flowers from the garden and put them between the pages of books. She would press them as reminders of different holidays and events that happened. She was a grand lady and when I read this ku I immediately thought of her romantic nature and was sad because she is gone but happy that she in her nature was like this poem.

The Judges Speak Ginka Biliarska, BG full moon I think I'm in love with a rock #50. Ed Baker-san I perceive as a reader two possibilities—I read this haiku as a love with a real rock, or as a love with a woman who is cold and hard like a rock. For me it is amazing. cemetery visit we sat and read Dad's love letters # 83. Trish Shields, CA I like this connection between the generations and the respect to the feelings of the people who have gone. I understand the poem in this way. I feel the time in it is like one endless substance... Valentine day a beggar surprises his wife with red slippers # 167. Rita Odeh, IL A very warm haiku with an unexpected end--according to me. The surprise in haiku poetry, as we know, is very important. I find something new in this poem, something invisible that is suddenly revealed--pieces of our life from today. Ginka Biliarska, BG

The Judges Speak Zhanna P. Rader our eyes meet— the coffee i am drinking misses my mouth # 38. Terra Martin It is clear that the woman (I assume it's a woman) drinking coffee is overwhelmed with joy at seeing that the man (I assume it's a man), she is infatuated with, also looks at her. She is so absorbed by the charge which passes between their eyes that she is not careful enough at bringing the cup to her mouth, and thus she spills some coffee. The humor in this senryu (for I think it is a senryu) is very attractive to me. It is written well, no unneeded words, everything is to the point. We read it, we chuckle and we understand the situation. The physical look of the poem is pleasing, too, with the first and the last lines being shorter than the middle one. warmth of early spring: even the cheated lover is humming a tune # 107. Cristian Mocanu I like this haiku for the positive feelings it evokes and for its humor. The man (I assume) probably was not in the best spirit when he found out that his beloved woman (I assume) cheated on him (or that he lost the love he wanted, or she tricked him, or fate was against him). However, the spring day was so lovely, and the first warm air of spring so soothing, that the man's spirit greatly improved, and he began humming a tune. Life goes on, after all! There probably will be a new love ahead. The 5-6-5 haiku has told us a lot about the state of the man's mind, when his love affair went wrong, but an early-spring day put him in a good mood again. One cannot read this haiku without a smile. stop me embracing you— wrong place, wrong time wrong me # 121. Ginka Biliarska It is a very dramatic love haiku. The woman is so much attracted to the man, or so much in love with him, that even knowing that she should stay away from him, she still can't help being near and embracing him. He might be married, he might be someone else's boyfriend, he might even be a person of not very high morals, but his "magnetic" pull is too strong for her to resist. She does not really ask him to stop her embracing him - she only thinks that. Still, if he does not resist her attraction to him, she cannot control it. She also knows that she does not act like usual self, thinking of herself as "wrong me". It is these intensive feelings of love or infatuation that make the haiku so powerful. This poem does not have a kigo, the syllable count in the lines is 6-4-2, and it is not an image-type haiku. And in spite of all that, it works wonderfully well, for me at least. I judge haiku, first of all, by the impression it makes on me, by how much I get involved in it. And this is one of cases when I can feel what the woman passionately in love feels. I, in fact, have chosen forty one more haiku that I really liked. Trish Shields:  2, 15 (very much), 17, 57, 61 (very much), 67 (very much), 69, 73 (very much), 83, 89, 92, 105 (very much), 106, 112, 115, 130 (very much), 151. Cristian Mocanu: 34 (very much), 45, 81, 96, 119 (very much). Rita Odeh: 32 (very much), 87, 113, 160, 176. Betty Kaplan: 28, 136, 145. Karina Klesko: 23 (very much), 110. Shanna Baldwin Moore: 71, 108. Andreas Gripp: 56, 66. John Daleiden: 10. Terra Martin: 19 (very much). Ed baker-san: 50 (very much). Ginka Biliarska: 102. Gerri Bravi: 163.

Alphabetical author list and haiku number eb = Ed Baker, US: 50 gb = Ginka Biliarska, 102, 104, 121 Gb = Gerry Bravi, CA: 163, 164, 165, 165, 166 db = Daniela Bullas, UK: 68, 98, 162 gc = Gillena Cox, TT: 74, 79 jd = John Daleiden, US: 01, 05, 07, 10, 26, 31, 36, 139, 171, 184 vpg = Victor P. Gendrano: 72 ag = Andreas Gripp, CA : 56, 58, 66 bk = Betty Kaplan, US: 13, 24, 43, 55, 132, 136, 138, 145 kk = Karina Klesko, US: 23, 110, 137, 148 Mk - Michael Kleiza, CA: 169 rm = Rich Magahiz, US: 20, 35, 40, 47, 53, 100, 117, 141, 155, 176, 183, 185, 187 tm = Terra Martin, CA : 04, 19, 22, 25, 38, 49, 54, 67, 69, 103, 105, 130, 144, 149 cm = Cristian Mocanu, RO: 30, 34, 39, 45, 52, 81, 96, 107, 119, 123, 131 sbm = Shanna Baldwin Moore, US: 06, 09, 108 , 126, 146 ro = Rita Odeh, IL: 21, 27, 29, 32 ,65, 85, 87, 90, 113, 125,128, 160, 167, 168, 172 Zh.R.= Zhanna P. Rader, US: 03, 12, 14, 16, 18, 42, 44, 46, 51, 60, 62, 64, 75, 77, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 91, 93, 95, 97, 99, 101, 111, 114,116, 118, 120, 173, 175, 178, 180, 182 ts = Trish Shields, CA : 02, 08, 11, 15, 17, 33, 37, 41, 57, 59, 61, 63, 70, 73, 76, 78, 83, 89, 92, 94, 106, 109, 112, 115, 124, 134, 142, 144, 174, 177, 179, 181, 186 jw = Jeffrey Woodward, US: 147, 153 19 Poets These haiku were published in the February 2007 Sketchbook.

 

 

 

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