tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66536615295653355272024-02-18T20:21:38.568-08:00Shaping WordsExploring English Syllabic VerseJim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.comBlogger1014125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-11901870291020322402016-04-25T11:10:00.000-07:002016-04-25T11:10:15.863-07:00Finding Room to Grow<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Finding
Room to Grow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
previous posts I have written about a slowly growing awareness among those
interested in syllabic, formal, haiku that they need their own journals, their
own online spaces, etc., to share their haiku.
There is a sense of a parting of the ways, that syllabic haiku needs to
go its own way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
think a useful metaphor here is ecology.
Syllabic haiku is crowded out by other types of haiku such as free
verse, one-liners, and consciously avant-garde approaches. It is sidelined and left malnourished. The specific skills, needs, and approaches of
someone wanting to take a formal approach to haiku are not nourished in a free
verse context and for this reason formal haiku tends to wither in a free verse
setting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Not
all plants can grow in the same garden. And not all forms of poetry flourish in the
same setting. To show what I mean by
this I would like to contrast two series of haiku. Think of them as excerpts from hypothetical
anthologies. I have chosen to use
hypothetical anthologies because there is, at this time, no anthology of
formal, syllabic, haiku. So I wanted to
contrast the two anthologies on an equal footing. First, here are some haiku from a possible free
verse haiku anthology:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">in
my silver<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">wedding
shoes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">.
. spider webs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Carol Montgomery<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (<i>Haiku
Moment</i> page 138)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Slow
swing of willows through my own fault<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Patrick Sweeney<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (<i>Haiku
in English </i>page 239)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
sky is all black<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">then
light comes slowly, slowly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">while
the cat watches<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Edith Shiffert<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (<i>The
Light Comes Slowly</i>, Preface)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">low
tide<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">all
the people<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">stoop<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Anita Virgil<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (<i>Haiku
Anthology </i>page 243)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">a
single shoe<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">in
the median<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">rush
hour<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Elizabeth Searle Lamb<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (<i>The
Unswept Path</i> page 140)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
have gleaned these haiku from published anthologies, with the exception of the
haiku from Shiffert, which is from a collection of her haiku. My purpose was to create a sequence that does
not reflect my own taste. All of these
haiku have passed editors’ criteria of what makes a good free verse haiku.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Compare
the above selection with the selection that follows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Water
registered<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the
quarrel of clouds and moon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">with
sudden blackout –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Helen Chenoweth<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (<i>Pageant
of Seasons</i> page 85)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
boys are in school;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">fall
leaves – the only swimmers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">in
the swimming pool<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Margot Bollock<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (<i>Borrowed
Water</i> page 81<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
sky is all black<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">then
light comes slowly, slowly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">while
the cat watches<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Edith Shiffert<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (<i>The
Light Comes Slowly</i>, Preface)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Night
below zero,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
the long valley’s echo<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
sound of the stars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> David Hoopes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (<i>Alaska
in Haiku</i>page 65)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What
makes them do it –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">jaywalkers
in dark clothing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">at
night, in the rain?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Mary Jo Salter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (<i>Nothing
by Design</i> page 60)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Both
series share the haiku by Edith Shiffert, the third one that begins ‘The sky is
all black’. In the first series the
Shiffert haiku is surrounded by free verse haiku. In the second series the Shiffert haiku is
surrounded by formal haiku. What effect
do the different surroundings have on the Shiffert haiku?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
the first series the Shiffert haiku reads like a free verse haiku. If you do not perceive this, try to look at
the series through the eyes of someone completely new to haiku in English. Because all of the haiku in the first series
have different shapes, because none of them share any common formal features,
the formal nature of Shiffert’s haiku is lost.
Someone new to haiku would not be able to discern the formal foundation
of Shiffert’s approach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
the second series all of the haiku share the same formal shape. They are all syllabic. They all share the three line 5-7-5 syllabic contours. If someone completely new to haiku were to
read the second series they could quickly and easily discern the formal nature
of the poems. In terms of Shiffert’s
haiku, the formal connection to the other haiku is revealed, and therefore the
underlying commitment to a formal approach emerges. This adds a dimension to the reading which
the first series does not have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What
I want to suggest is that the ecology of the two series differs. The first series is an ecology that is
defined by free verse. It is an ecology
that validates and encourages the growth of free verse haiku. When a formal haiku in 5-7-5 is placed in
such a series the particulars of formal haiku are lost and overshadowed by the
surrounding free verse poems. That is
why it is so unsatisfying to have a formal haiku placed in an anthology of
predominantly free verse haiku, or placed in a haiku journal that consists
predominantly of free verse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
ecology of the second series, in contrast, is an ecology that encourages formal
haiku and the methods that give rise to formal haiku. The syllabic structure, the underlying
rhythm, the foundational counting, are present as dominant, even essential,
features. There is a sharing of these
features as you move from haiku to haiku in the second series that is absent
from the first series. And there is a
sense of communal understanding as to the nature of the haiku form implicit in
such a series. There is no sense of
shared understanding in the first series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">From
a free verse haiku perspective the need for distinct regions for formal haiku
doesn’t make sense. The free verse view
is that they do, in fact, publish 5-7-5 haiku, so what is the problem? The problem is that free verse has a
corrosive effect on the form; the reader, particularly the new reader, cannot
see the form because of the surroundings.
In a free verse context the 5-7-5 syllabics is perceived as adventitious
and arbitrary. In the context of a
series of formal haiku, the 5-7-5 syllabics as seen as the ground from which
the individual formal haiku blossom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For
a long time now, formal haijin have accepted the dominance of free verse haijin
in ELH organizations and journals and have routinely submitted their haiku for
publication and have, sometimes with reluctance, participated in such organizations. But the felt uneasiness with this situation
has become more articulate. Formal haiku
cannot grow in the ecology that is offered to it by organizations like the HSA
and publications like ‘Modern Haiku’.
Formal haiku begins with different procedures, has different esthetic
criteria, and presents itself in different ways. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Slowly
some spaces are being opened where an ecology in which formal haiku can grow is
being found. This is a two-step
process. The first step is the
realization that free verse haiku and formal haiku have, over time, diverged to
such an extent that they have, in fact, become different forms of poetry. The second step is to follow through on that
realization and create actual places that cultivate a formal approach to
haiku. This second step is just beginning;
it is tentative and a little unsure of itself.
I think of it is a sunrise, a slow dawn, where details of the landscape
are still being discerned. Over time, I
think, it will become clearer as the ecology which supports syllabic haiku
emerges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-35672870083983830822016-04-14T09:22:00.000-07:002016-04-14T09:23:10.410-07:00Eastern Structures -- A Review<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Eastern
Structures – A Review<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For
the past maybe three to five years I have noticed that poets who are interested
in a syllabic approach to eastern forms, such as haiku, tanka, ghazal, etc.,
have expressed a need to find locations, spaces, venues, where a formal
approach to these forms in English is emphasized instead of undermined. Almost all poetry journals and poetry
societies dedicated to Eastern Forms are controlled by poets who use a free
verse approach to lineation. To pick a
good example, English language haiku associations and journals are, without
exception, devoted to a free verse approach to haiku in English even though
haiku in Japanese is formal verse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
think the first explicit expression of dissatisfaction with this situation was
in the ‘Introduction’ to <i>Ravishing
DisUnities</i> by Ali where he criticizes the tendency of contemporary English
poets to write free verse versions of the ghazal. Ali’s criticism is sharp, but it is also one
that is knowledgeable of the traditional ghazal form and that this form has
potential in English. Ali was fluent in
English and was comfortable writing in it and for that reason he was speaking
from personal experience with the form in the English language, even though
English was not his native tongue. Ali
was not saying that the ghazal has no place in English language poetry; rather
he was suggesting that if English language poets are going to compose ghazal
they should map onto English the formal features of that traditional form.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
ELH (English Language Haiku) the dominance of a free verse approach in official
haiku organizations and publications is almost total. The result is that those who take a syllabic
approach to ELH find themselves gradually alienated from those official
organizations. Most of them simply move
online and find others of like mind there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The felt
need for those taking a formal approach to these types of poetry to find their
own spaces and journals has been gathering energy for some time. But exactly
how to go about this has not been clear.
With the publication of <i>Eastern
Structures</i> this inchoate feeling has finally born fruit in something
concrete. Published by R. W. Watkins, <i>Eastern Structures</i> is dedicated to a
formal approach to such Eastern forms as Haiku, Tanka, Ghazal, and Sijo. The first issue packs a lot of material into
its 32 pages of 8-1/2” X 11”. The ghazal
are finely crafted and formally focused.
The haiku are seasonal, syllabic, and rooted in the traditional
syllabics of the Japanese. The article
and examples of tanka are similarly focused.
I would say that the only weak section in this first issue is the
section on sijo, the Korean form.
Watkins notes that he had difficulty contacting people who have written
in this form, so if you are interested, or know others who are interested,
forward information about this new poetry publication to them because they now
have a place to publish their efforts in the sijo form.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins
has done a fine job with the layout and other publication matters. Watkins has published poetry zines before
(particularly for the ghazal) and this experience has served him well for this first
issue of <i>Eastern Structures</i>. For
example, the cover is of a famous skyscraper in Malaysia, the world’s tallest
building; a reference to the name of the magazine, <i>Eastern Structures</i>. And the
back cover is a picture of a farm woman holding a lynx; a clever reference to <i>Lynx</i>, which was published by Jane and Werner Reichhold for 30 years, a poetry journal that emphasized the same forms that
Watkins is interested in. I like the way
Watkins gives the Reichholds a bow in this picture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
poetry is a pleasure to read. I have
some of my own work included in the section on tanka and I hope others feel the
same way about my contribution. The
essays are thoughtful, sometimes funny, and in general optimistic about the
potential for a syllabic approach to these forms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If
you are interested in a formal approach to Eastern forms in English, this is a
great resource. If you are a poet who is
writing in these forms, <i>Eastern
Structures</i> is a great venue for you to publish in. If you have essays, reviews, or thoughts to
share with this focus, this is the place to share them with an appreciative
audience. You can send submissions to:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="mailto:nocturnaliris@gmail.com">nocturnaliris@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins
has decided to use print-on-demand to publish <i>Eastern Structures</i>. It is
available from Amazon for $5.99 – a great deal.
Buy a copy for yourself, buy copies for friends, and post reviews at
Amazon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
closing I want to express my appreciation to Watkins for taking the time and
effort to bring forth this publication.
As someone who has published poetry magazines in the past, I know how
much time and energy goes into such an endeavor. All of us who are interested in a formal
approach to haiku, tanka, sijo, and ghazal can applaud this effort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Eastern Structures</span></i><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Editor:
R. W. Watkins<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Available
at Amazon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">$5.99<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">ISBN:
9781530638406<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-56472028343443847942016-03-24T14:05:00.001-07:002016-03-31T09:15:37.756-07:00Free Verse Mind -- Part 6<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Free
Verse Mind – Part 6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">1.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Some
time ago I posted a few times on the topic ‘Free Verse Mind’. I’ve wanted to post further on this topic,
but have been stopped by the complexity of what I’m writing about. There are many factors; sociological,
political, esthetic. And it is difficult
for me to sort them out into something that is coherent. At this point I want to make some
observations that may or may not be completely coherent in the sense of a well
thought out position.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">2.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Several
years ago I read <i>Beautiful and Pointless</i>
by David Orr. I enjoyed the book. There was one comment Orr made in particular
that stuck with me. Orr observes that
nothing gets modern poets more agitated than discussions about form. As someone who is keenly interested in poetic
form this observation resonated with my own experience. It’s almost like there is some kind of
aversion in the wider poetic community to the subject of form. Free verse poets are dismissive, reluctant,
or openly hostile to entering into these kinds of discussions. Like Orr, I remain puzzled by this kind of
reaction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">3.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I was
once at a poetry reading where one of the poets read a poem and then concluded
the reading of the poem by saying, ‘That’s a modern sonnet.’ I went over the poem in my mind and my sense
of the poem was that it didn’t scan, didn’t rhyme, and I suspected it was not
in fourteen lines, and it did not have any turn. At the conclusion of the reading I went up to
a table where the poets were displaying their poetry books. I found the book with the ‘modern sonnet’. I was right: the poem that the poet called a
‘modern sonnet’ had zero indicators, or markers, of the sonnet form. I was baffled. Why would she call it a sonnet? Why would she want to?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">4.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Christian
Wiman made a similar point in his review of <i>The
Penguin Book of the Sonnet</i>. Wiman
writes, “What is a sonnet? Careful,
because if this anthology is a reliable guide, your definition needs to include
some poems that have neither meter nor rhyme and aren’t fourteen lines
long. The editor, Phillis Levin, states
that her own working definition was that a poem ‘act like a sonnet,’ which must
have meant that it lay quietly on the page when notified of its inclusion,
because there are some contemporary poems here that have in common only ink and
English.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">5.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Part
of the problem, I think, which I have teased out in conversations and from my
reading, is that if someone, like myself, or like Wiman, says that a poem that
is called a sonnet is not a sonnet (or some other form), that means that we are
saying that the poem is a bad poem. But
the issue of form and esthetic value are separable. I could like a poem and still argue that it
is not, in fact, a sonnet even if the poet calls it a sonnet. It is my observation that these two
evaluations are often confused.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">6.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Recently
I read a collection by a poet who has achieved a significant following. In his collection there are two sections of ghazals. None of the ghazals follow the
traditional formal constraints of the form.
There is no refrain. There is no
metric unity (either with meter or syllabics).
The only carryover from the traditional ghazal is that the poems are
written in couplets. The poet does not
use either end rhyme, or the rhyme before the refrain which are standard
markers of the form. Now and then the
poet will take advantage of rhyme; but their appearance is haphazard rather than
structural.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Is
writing a series of couplets enough to make these poems ghazals? I don’t think so. Again, my remark is not about if these poems
are good or bad, pleasing or distasteful, insightful or trivial. My question is simply, why would he want to
call these poems ghazals when almost all the markers of the form are absent?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">7.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">It’s
kind of like ‘bait and switch’. For
those of you who might not know, bait and switch is a retail technique designed
to get customers into the store. The
store will advertise that an item is on sale for an incredibly good price. But they will only have a few of those in
stock. Or, in really unscrupulous
situations, they may not have any in stock at all. When customers come in the salesperson
apologizes, informing them that the item has sold out, and then steers the
customer to some other item. The sale
item was the ‘bait’; the item the customer is steered to is the ‘switch’. The ‘switch’ is more expensive and usually at
a higher markup than the bait.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I
once worked at such a retail store.
Every Thursday they would advertise in local papers items on sale for
the weekend. At best our store would get
six to ten of the items. I didn’t
realize when I first started that this was systematic and intentional. I just found it embarrassing. When I figured out what was going on I found
another job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">When
modern free verse poets take a formal designation for their poem and then don’t
follow through on it, this has many of the features of the retail bait and
switch operation. To call a poem a
‘sonnet’ is to set up expectations in the reader. The poet, in fact, may get people to buy
their books based on the idea that there are sonnets included. So when the reader goes to the sonnet in the
happy expectation that they will read a poem following the formal parameters
that they know, and then they discover that not a single one of those
parameters is met, it feels to the reader like they have been suckered. I think they are right. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">8.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">There
is another element to consider here: cultural appropriation. This happens when modern free verse, which is
a western cultural phenomenon, takes a form from another culture and then
eviscerates it of all its distinguishing features. It is then transformed into simply another
free verse poem, indistinguishable from western free verse in general. But the name of the form is retained. It’s like serving macaroni and cheese and
calling it some special Korean dish, like Bi Bim Bop, and then, if criticized,
responding that rice is a carbohydrate and noodles are carbohydrates so what’s
the problem?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I
became aware of this kind of cultural appropriation from reading the poetry and
essays of Agha Shahid Ali; the poet who did more than anyone else to bring the
ghazal to the contemporary English speaking world. In Ali’s collection <i>Ravishing DisUnities</i> he writes,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">For a seemingly
conservative, but to me increasingly a radical, reason – form for form’s sake –
I turned politically correct some years ago and forced myself to take back the
gift outright: Those claiming to write ghazals in English (usually American
poets) had got it quite wrong, far from the letter and farther from the spirit.
. . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">. . . I found it
tantalizing to strike a playful pose of Third-World arrogance, laced with a
Muslim snobbery . . . For a free-verse ghazal is a contradiction in terms. As perhaps a free-verse sonnet, arguably, is
not?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">(Ravishing
DisUnities, pages 2 and 3.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">For
Ali, who moved to America from Kashmir, the idea of a free verse ghazal <b>essentially<i> </i></b>ignores the nature of a ghazal. That is to say that it is the very nature of
a ghazal to be formal verse. If it is
not formal verse, it is not a ghazal; it may have borrowed elements from the
ghazal, but it cannot be called a ghazal in good faith. And to call a free verse poem a ghazal is an
act of cultural appropriation or colonization.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Interestingly,
Ali does not see the same necessarily applying to the sonnet. Here I think Ali may, in fact, be blinded by
what he refers to as his own ‘Muslim snobbery’.
My guess is that Ali was not as acquainted with the history and place
that the sonnet holds in English language poetry, and how closely that place
resembles the place that the ghazal holds in the Urdu and Farsi speaking
worlds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">9.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">What
I have found puzzling about free verse appropriations of forms is trying to
unpack why there is this tendency to appropriate a name, and implicitly a
tradition. At times I have suspected bad
faith; I mean wanting to stand on a venerable tradition without actually being
qualified to do so. But I know from
discussions with free verse poets who engage in this kind of appropriation that
they do not see themselves as doing this and would, I think, be angry at the
idea that they are engaged in such appropriation. Is this simply a blind spot on their
part? I’m not sure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">10.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I
have said before, in previous posts, that free verse poets are ‘form
deaf’. This deafness resembles a
musician not comprehending the difference between different time
signatures. Such a musician would be
inclined to play a waltz which lacked any distinguishing rhythmic features and
would not be able to see anything wrong with that. In a similar way, because free verse poets
are form deaf they are unable to feel the distinguishing rhythm of a particular
form and therefore feel no constraints at doing away with that feature; because
they literally lack the ability to sense that feature. This lack resembles colorblindness. Just as a colorblind person lacks the
capacity to perceive certain features in the world, so also the free verse poets
seems to lack the capacity to perceive the rhythmic shape which makes a formal
verse distinguishable from a free verse poem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I
don’t know if this is a physiological deficit, like colorblindness; I suspect
that it isn’t. But here’s the thing: if
a poet does not exercise this capacity for hearing form, then that capacity
will atrophy. This is true of many of
our capacities which explains why many people exercise regularly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">And I
think this partially answers Orr’s inquiry as to why poets today become so
agitated regarding the subject of form: because they sense that they have lost
the capacity for hearing form and this is, at some level, embarrassing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">11.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">The
end result of this rejection of all distinguishing features of a form is that
all the poems in that form, but lacking the formal distinctives of that form,
look simply like standard free verse poetry.
They are, in fact, indistinguishable from ordinary free verse. A free verse ‘ghazal’ simply looks like, and
reads like, an ordinary free verse poem.
The same is true of free verse haiku, or free verse sonnets. They all become assimilated into the free
verse collective understanding of how modern poetry should be written. All distinctions as to type vanish and we are
left with an undifferentiated fog of featureless pseudo-forms. This procedure resembles that of the Borg
Collective, from the Star Trek Next Generation series. The Borg would search out sentient life forms
and then assimilate them into the Borg Collective (symbolized by a spaceworthy
gigantic high-tech cube). If a life form
tried to resist they would be overwhelmed by the superior technology of the
Borg and forced to become a part of the collective. The Borg would announce, ‘Resistance is
futile. You will be assimilated.’ And then the Borg would proceed to do just
that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">In a
similar way, free verse has combed the poetry of the world, finding forms here
and there, and then absorbing them into the Free Verse Collective
understanding. Free verse has done this
by ejecting all the distinguishable features of particular forms (like metrics
or syllabics, rhyme, and other formal markers) and then forcing the form into
the standard parameters of modernist free verse. And they have been very successful in doing
this. Free verse haiku, free verse
tanka, free verse ghazal, free verse sonnets; they all more closely resemble
each other and standard free verse than they do the forms that they would like
to think they are connected to. In this
way they are assimilated into the Free Verse Collective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">12.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Using
language like ‘The Free Verse Collective’, and comparing them to the Borg, is,
admittedly, hyperbolic. I don’t believe
there is an actual free verse collective engaging in the practice of cultural
appropriation and imposing its will on any and all cultures of formal verse
that dare to resist. I hope that is
clear; but in case it isn’t, and in our overly literal time people have
difficulty spotting this kind of thing, I so clearly state. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Rather,
I am describing a frame of mind that simply sees its way of doing things as
naturally superior and therefore cannot see any negative consequences in the
kind of cultural assimilation described.
No doubt the Borg considered themselves superior as well and, if they
gave it a thought, would think that their absorbing peoples into their
collective to be uplifting them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I
once gave a reading of my poetry, focusing on my collection of quatrains, <i>Hiking the Quatrain Range</i>. I was reading from my quatrains that mimic
the formal parameters of the Chinese quatrain tradition: that is to say I used
five or seven count lines with a traditional rhyme scheme of A-B-C-B. I read excerpts from several sequences. Then I paused for questions and comments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">A
woman in the audience, a free verse poet I slightly know, asked why I used so
much rhyme. I responded by saying that
rhyme was an essential feature of traditional Chinese poetry and my goal was to
mimic as closely as possible the parameters of the Chinese form. She didn’t understand what I was saying. The conversation continued politely, but for
the most part we were talking past each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">The
difficulty was that she could not understand why I would want to impose
constraints upon my poetry, why not just write a free verse line? This is what I mean by being deaf to
form. For the most part, free verse poets
lack the capacity to perceive the beauty that underlies a particular instance
of formal verse; to perceive the form beneath the manifestation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;">But I
don’t think the situation regarding formal verse is hopeless. To see what is going on with formal verse at
this time you have to pull your gaze away from what I call ‘official poetry’;
those organizations and journals and MFA programs that are representatives of
elitist culture. When you do lift your gaze you find a remarkable outpouring of formal verse scattered here and
there. There is Cowboy Poetry, the
emergence of a huge variety of new forms, small groups dedicated to particular
forms found here and there, the lyrics of popular song, and dedicated
individuals who persist in composing in forms which the elites have either
rejected or absorbed into the free verse Borg.
When I look at this wide variety of emerging poetry I think of it as a
‘yearning for form’ which the elite poetry institutions no longer satisfy. Form provides us with a deeper dimension of
the poetic experience, a dimension that has been lost among the elites, but
which ordinary people find appealing and beautiful. The beautiful is, by definition, attractive. And it is by turning to beauty that form is
found.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-76068636247935999852016-02-18T10:54:00.002-08:002016-02-18T10:54:31.853-08:00On Publishing<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On
Publishing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At
the store where I work, a spiritual book and tea shop, we host events every
Thursday. A few weeks ago we hosted a
poetry reading with two Native American poets; Kim Shuck and Duane Big
Eagle. It was an inspiring evening of
poetry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
talking with Duane Big Eagle both before and after the reading he informed me
that he does not publish his poetry. I
know that some of his poetry has been anthologized, and he seems willing to let
that happen. But he has not made any
effort to have a collection of his poetry published even though he is fairly
well known in California and his poetry is admired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
have run into this before. It isn’t
common, but I have seen it with a few poets; this reluctance to publish. The quintessential example is Emily Dickinson. Bill Albert is another example that I
discovered recently. He died in the late
80’s and his haiku were published by friends who gathered his haiku into book
form. Albert himself never made any
effort to publish his haiku either in book form or by submitting them to haiku
journals. The Chinese poet Han Shan
(Cold Mountain) is another example; his poems were gathered together by others
and published after Han Shan died. If
you look for poets who were reluctant to publish you can find them here and
there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Talking
to Duane Big Eagle gave me an occasion to think about my own mixed history with
publication. Early in my writing of
renga I submitted some of my solo renga for publication. Some were accepted by various haiku
magazines. Some were rejected, but the
rejections were always very helpful and detailed. I still have some annotations by Robert Speis
on two renga I submitted to him; he rejected them but took a lot of time
writing marginal notes which I read and learned from. I also, in the early 80’s, submitted some
haiku that were published. And I was
anthologized in a few books of haiku and renga.
And finally, when I began writing tanka I submitted some to a few
journals and they were published (Denis Garrison was particularly encouraging.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then
I began to pull away from submitting and pretty much stopped doing so
altogether. I don’t recall making a
conscious decision in this regard. The
shift in attitude seems to have simply happened on its own, and I went with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Partly,
I think, the pull away from submitting my poetry had to do with my own changing
esthetic. As I moved away from a free
verse approach to haiku and renga I found the syllabic approach more and more
rewarding. But at the same time I had
the realization that I was heading in a direction not shared by the journals
and organizations noted for publishing this kind of poetry. I began to see publication in them as, in a
sense, entering alien territory. That’s
an exaggeration, of course, but I began to feel a sense of distance and
estrangement from haiku and tanka publications and organizations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
began to notice what the effect is of having a syllabic haiku published in a
haiku journal dedicated to a free verse interpretation of haiku. The effect is that the syllabic haiku simply
looks like a free verse poem. This is
because the relationship to the other haiku does not mark it as
distinctive. Thus free verse haiku has a
corrosive effect on syllabics; though free verse haijin won’t see it that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To
see what I am getting at, if you take a collection of syllabic verse that all
share the same form, say the published volumes of the cinquain journal ‘Amaze’,
as you move from poem to poem they all share the same form. This is true even when there are variations
on the form. And the reader picks up an
underlying shared sense of rhythm and shape that all of the cinquain
share. There is a relationship between
the poems that is deeper than their surface depictions; a communal commitment
to a particular pulse. You can find this
in sonnet anthologies as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
deeper dimension is lost in modern haiku anthologies because the communal
commitment to a shared syllabic shape is not present. So even if the anthology, or journal, agrees
to publish a few syllabic haiku, the effect of a communal sharing of, and
commitment to, a deeper, underlying pulse and rhythm, is lost. If you read a haiku collection by Edith
Shiffert, to pick just one example, the shared pulse acts as a stream like
current carrying you from haiku to haiku.
But if you take a single haiku from her collection, and then place it in
an anthology of free verse haiku, that current that carries the reader from
haiku to haiku is simply not there. I
began to feel the absence of this pulse, this current, as a loss of meaning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">These
thoughts are in hindsight. At the time I
just felt less and less at home in the free verse haiku and tanka
journals. Tanka journals in particular
struck me as simply collections of free verse poetry with no discernible
connection to the actual history of tanka as formal verse. This has developed into a feeling that
syllabic haiku (and other syllabic forms that free verse poets have taken a
liking to) needs its own space and journals; because when a syllabic haiku is
placed in a collection of other syllabic haiku the relationship between the
haiku, the shared shape/pulse/rhythm emerges with clarity. And the fact that this sharing is a communal
commitment, and not just an accident (which is what it seems like in a free
verse haiku context), and the centrality of that communal commitment, becomes
clear. The result is that the reader
senses that the form itself is meaningful, which is not clear when a syllabic
haiku is surrounded by free verse haiku.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There
is another aspect about poetry journals that makes some poets reluctant to
participate; and that is that they are ephemeral. And most of them have a very tiny
readership. And this readership is often
scattered geographically so that you don’t really get a sense of community from
their presence in the pages of a journal.
For some, it is unsatisfying. I
even wrote a sonnet about exactly that feeling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Eventually,
I would access print-on-demand technology, and this made it possible for me to
publish my work in a way that I find satisfying. I think this is true for many poets
today. The gate to publication is no
longer controlled by those who have a particular esthetic commitment; in the
case of haiku, publication is no longer controlled by official haiku
organizations that have an esthetic commitment to a free verse
interpretation. This kind of access has
tipped the balance away from such organizations and allowed poets to put
forward their poetry even if that poetry is based on an understanding out of
sync with the official gatekeepers. I
think that is a very good thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-63976529273723189332016-02-17T08:48:00.000-08:002016-02-17T08:48:46.433-08:00Kokinshu Day for 2016<span style="font-size: large;">The Kokinshu is the first Imperial collection of waka poetry from Japan. It was edited about 905 and contains 1111 poems, almost all of them in the waka form; what today we refer to as tanka. This form has a long history in Japan. The form is remarkably stable consisting of five lines, or 'ku', in the following pattern: 5-7-5-7-7 syllables. The stability of the form has lasted for about 1400 years and continues to be a central mode of poetic expression in Japan.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I have set aside a day to pay homage to the Kokinshu, also known as the Waka Kokinshu, primarily because there are two translations into English that replicate the syllabic structure of the original. The two translations are:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Kokin Wakashu, transalted by Helen McCullough, and</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Kokinshu, translated by Laurel Rasplica Rodd and Mary Catherine Henkenius.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Both of them are excellent. And both of them, remarkably, retain the 5-7-5-7-7 syllabic structure in their translations into English. What this means for those of us interested in English syllabic verse is that we have two anthologies of syllabic verse, written by competent scholars, excellent translators, who were sensitive to the significance that all of these poems share a common form. In an era when many free verse poets are form deaf, this is a significant accomplishment.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">My feeling is that both of these translations can serve as manuals for how to construct effective syllabic verse, and tanka in particular, in English. And that is the primary reason I have set aside a day to celebrate this anthology. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I slightly prefer the McCullough translation. But price is an obstacle. At almost $100 the McCullough version is beyond the reach of many. In contrast, the Rodd translation is priced reasonably; so if price matters (and it almost always does), go with the Rodd translation.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Just to give an idea of the difference between the two, here is tanka 210 from both translations:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Now they call again</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">above the mists of autumn --</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">those flocks of wild geese</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">who took their leave of us</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">merging into springtime haze.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">(McCullough, page 54)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">the voices of the</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">wild geese that were swallowed up</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">by the mists of spring</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">have returned to penetrate</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">the autumn haze and sound again</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">(Rodd, page 108)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">My feeling is that McCullough has a surer grasp of lineation. Notice how in the Rodd translation line 1 to line 2 is a runon; ending line 1 with 'the' undermines the basic syllabic shape. Rodd tends to use this kind of enjambment and it is the main reason why I consider her translation not quite as efficacious as the McCullough translation. I don't want to exaggerate; the Rodd translation is really fine and well worth reading. On the other hand, the syllabic shape is more clearly delineated in the McCullough translation. It's too bad about the price of the McCullough version. My hope is that Stanford University Press will issue this translation in paperback and make it more accessible to a wider audience.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So take a moment today to look at the Kokinshu in English and, if you feel inspired, you might want to compose a syllabic tanka of your own.</span>Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-8552617564193179102016-02-13T16:35:00.000-08:002016-02-13T16:35:15.416-08:00Etheree Day for 2016<span style="font-size: large;">Today is set aside to celebrate the Etheree syllabic form. I have a great fondness for this form: its simplicity, its flexibility, and the way it starts slow and then blossoms into fullness are attributes that offer a poet many opportunities. A number of my books use the form:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">'Poems of Place' contain a series of 'Tea Etheree', most of which begin with the word 'tea'.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">'Safe Harbor' contains an Etheree series I call 'Cathedrals'.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">'Even in Winter' has Etheree poems scattered through the collection.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Etheree is a form I have explored extensively and continue to do so. It seems to have endless possibilities. Here is one I wrote recently:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">From a Hermit's Perspective</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Place</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Stasis</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Quince blossoms</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">From dusk to dusk</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Boulder in a stream</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Butterfly migrations</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The rise and fall of nations</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Enacting my daily routines</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The waking world, the world of dreams,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The desert hermits from long ago</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Seasons of summer, seasons of snow,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Stability as the stars ebb and flow</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-55449677605309399052016-01-22T11:31:00.001-08:002016-01-22T11:31:57.627-08:00Syllabic Tanka Day for 2016<span style="font-size: large;">Greetings:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Today is January 22nd. I bet you didn't know that this is Syllabic Tanka Day! Hooray. It seems fitting that now that I'm plunging into Genji Monogatari, which has hundreds of tanka/waka scattered through the book, that I take a moment to celebrate this form which has been so rewarding for so many poets and readers down through the centuries. In the anglosphere tanka has not yet taken root; instead what you have are people writing free verse poems (usually five lines) and then labeling them tanka for no clear reason. That's OK; it's what is happening. But for those of us who want to really engage with traditional Japanese tanka the syllabic count is essential. Thankfully a small number of poets are slowly learning the syllabic shape and using it skillfully in English.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here is a tank from my collection 'Tanka River', a landscape:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The hours before dawn,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Before the sun has risen,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Before the stars fade,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Before the world rushes in,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The hours of the morning calm</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And here is one from a sequence on love:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">By the ocean's edge</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I wait patiently for more</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Memories of you,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Riding the incoming waves</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Or the last rays of the sun</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And here is a tanka from one of the first tanka collections in English, 'Wind Five Folded', edited by Jane Reichhold:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Walking east, I watch</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The moon rise, huge, smokey orange,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Almost full, alone.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Walking home, I'm almost used</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To you being gone again.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">John Gribble, page 65</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And another one from 'Wind Five Folded':</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Ginkgos are boring</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Until autumn golding and</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Persimmons taste tart --</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The vague words of your language</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Often mean less than they seem</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Mimi Walter Hinman, page 77</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Slowly a cache of syllabic tanka is being written. My feeling is that the less a poet has taken on the narrow esthetics of official haiku, the more accessible tanka becomes to a poet. I see tanka as more closely related to the Psalms and to hymnody than to free verse haiku. There is the same quiet contemplation, the same sense of steady rhythm meant for chanting or singing. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But to find these tanka you have to look beyond official tanka organizations and magazines because most of them (all?) were started by people committed to free verse and completely allergic to syllabics. They seem also to have absorbed the nihinjinron based mythos of the specialness of the Japanese language. But, again, that's OK. They get to do that. And we get to connect with the Japanese tradition by counting on our fingers: 5-7-5-7-7.</span><br />
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-63809478423827844782016-01-21T12:30:00.000-08:002016-01-21T12:30:59.780-08:00On Genji -- Part 1<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On
Genji – Part 1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m
rereading <i>The Tale of Genji (Genji
Monogatari)</i>. I’m enjoying it
immensely. I first read <i>Genji</i> decades ago; I think it was at
least 35 years. And, if memory serves, I
did not read the entire work at that time, finding myself overwhelmed by the
immense cast of characters and the huge size of the novel (over 1,000 pages). I admired the work at first reading, and
there were passages of great beauty that spoke to me; but as an overall whole <i>Genji</i> eluded me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
time I am responding differently. I love
it. I think this is partly due to simply
being older. The understanding of
impermanence permeates <i>Genji</i> at
multiple levels. The world of nature is
one way that this expressed, but there is also the impermanence of human
relationships both at a personal and political level. I think it is easier for an older person to
resonate with this; in any case it speaks more to me now than when I read <i>Genji</i> before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
fickleness of human desire is another major theme in <i>Genji</i> and, again, I think this is something that is learned, if it
is learned, over time. All relationships
end in parting, either by death or divorce; and though that is a universal
truth, it is a truth that takes some experience to really comprehend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I am
also more familiar today than I was when I first approached <i>Genji</i> with the specifically Buddhist
references found in the novel in every chapter.
References to past lives and karma, to the Lotus Sutra, and to the Pure
Land add dimensions of depth and meaning to <i>Genji</i>
that, I suspect, most westerners would miss.
Murasaki assumes that her audience knows these references, but a modern
westerner, unless, like myself, he took a lot of time studying the Japanese
Buddhist tradition, is unlikely to pick up on most of them. And the Buddhism of Murasaki’s time differs
in significant ways from Japanese Buddhism today. Modern Japanese Buddhism is the result of the
turmoil of the 13<sup>th</sup> century and ended up with strongly sectarian
traditions that view each other with suspicion so that in Japan today you find
institutionally separated traditions like Zen, Pure Land, and Nichiren. In the time of Murasaki (the 11<sup>th</sup>
century), however, the Buddhist tradition had not yet fragmented into these mutually
antagonistic sects. There were
divisions, naturally enough, but they were divisions found within an organization
rather than divisions between organizations.
For this reason the understanding of Buddhism in Japan at that time was
more singular and more pervasive than it is now; either in Japan or in the
West.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I am
also struck, at times amazed, by Murasaki Shikibu’s ability to comprehend and
write about human psychology. The world
of <i>Genji</i> is in many ways strange to
us. It is an insular world, an elite
world, a world of mannered gestures and coded complex customs that are no
longer part of the world (either the western world or Japan’s). Yet beneath these striking differences
Murasaki uncovers motives and purposes that drive her characters and that we
can fully recognize as operative in the world today. That is how <i>Genji</i> can manage to speak to a modern audience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
some ways I feel while I am reading <i>Genji</i>
like when I am reading some sci-fi novel set in another world. I am thinking, for example, of the <i>Darkover</i> novels by Marion Zimmer
Bradley. Bradley constructs a world on a
distant planet named ‘Darkover’, with groups and factions that differ from what
we have on earth today. Yet Bradley’s
novels nevertheless speak to us. Murasaki
is a better author; but my point is that reading <i>Genji</i></span> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">today has a similar, off-worldly, feeling
to it; like you are dropping onto a planet (a Star Trek first contact) that is
filled with strange customs and has a completely different history. Yet, in spite of that, they are still
humanoids and not only is communication possible, but it is surprisingly
enriching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And I
am a more experienced poet now than when I first tried to read <i>Genji</i>.
Murasaki was not only a great novelist and storyteller; she was also a
great tanka poet. The world of tanka
poetry is a major theme in <i>Genji</i>. Numerous tanka from the imperial waka/tanka
collections, such as the Kokinwakashu<i>,</i>
are quoted. In addition Murasaki herself
composed almost 800 tanka that are scattered like jewels throughout the
novel. This integration of story with
poetry has left a lasting impression on Japanese literature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
English language world is blessed with four excellent translations of <i>Genji</i>.
The earliest one is by Waley and is still admired by many. I am currently reading the Seidensticker
translation which I find lucid with just enough footnotes to assist the reader
with customs and references. There is
also a translation by Royall Tyler; it is more recent. And late last year Dennis Washburn published
a brand new translation through Norton.
In addition, there is a translation of all the tanka poetry found in <i>Genji</i> by Edwin A. Cranston found in <i>A Waka Anthology, Volume Two: Grasses of
Remembrance</i>. I don’t know enough
Japanese (in fact, I’ve forgotten almost all of it that I used to know) to
judge the quality of each translation. (And
<i>Genji</i></span> <span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">is written in
Japanese that is 1,000 years old. My
understanding is that modern Japanese read <i>Genji</i>
in translations into contemporary Japanese because the Japanese of <i>Genji</i></span> <span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">is too remote.) Each translation has its advocates. If you are inclined to read <i>Genji</i> my recommendation is to go online
and read from the translations and find out which one resonates most with you
and go for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
is the first post about <i>Genji</i> I plan
on writing. In subsequent posts I want
to address what <i>Genji</i> offers us in
terms of insights into human nature, and the place of Murasaki’s poetry in
Genji, which, I believe, hasn’t been fully recognized by her English language
translators. I think this can tell us something
about our own poetic culture at this time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">More
to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-61527661413725125992016-01-04T08:08:00.000-08:002016-01-04T08:08:53.382-08:00Anonymous<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Anonymous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
the first imperial collection of Japanese Tanka, known as the <i>Kokinwakashu</i> there are a large number
that are anonymous; meaning that we do not know the author of the tanka. Here are two examples:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">220.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now
that autumn hues<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">tinge
the bush clover’s low leaves,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">will
they not perhaps<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">find
it hard to sleep at night –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">those
people who live alone?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">798.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If
your affections<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">were to
scatter like blossoms,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">would
I alone grieve,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">wailing
as a warbler sings,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">to
see the end of our love?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">(McCullough
translation)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">According
to McCullough about 40% of the poems are anonymous (<i>Brocade by Night</i>, page 176).
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
oldest collection of Chinese poetry, <i>The
Book of Songs</i>, (aka the <i>Classic of
Poetry</i>, or <i>The Book of Odes</i>) is
entirely anonymous. This collection of
poems is one of the Confucian classics and appears to consist, to a great
extent, of folk songs and ritual poetry, all unattributed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It is
more difficult to find anonymous poetry in collections of western verse. Perhaps this reflects differences in cultural
attitudes. It is a fairly common
observation that the west is more individualistic than the far east and the
dearth of anonymous poetry in western collections may be a manifestation of
that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
in some of the more extensive anthologies readers do come across anonymous
poetry. In <i>The Norton Anthology of Poetry, Fifth Edition</i> there is an early
section of “Anonymous Lyrics of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries”. But this is a very small percentage of the
anthology; nothing like the 40% of poems found in the <i>Kokinshu</i> or the 100% anonymous poetry in <i>The Book of Songs</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
bring this up because I want to touch on an incident that happened in 2014 in
American poetry that, I believe, tells us a lot about how we approach poetry
today. I tend to avoid remarking about
the various squabbles among contemporary poets and poetry institutions unless
they directly impact syllabic verse and its place in English language
poetry. First, it is inherently
unpleasant and, second, it is almost always unproductive. For these reasons I refrained from remarking
on the incident at the time it took place. But now that more than a year has passed and
it is no longer a ‘current event’, I’d like to make a few remarks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
incident occurred when the American poet, Michael Derrick Hudson, found that he
could not get his poems published. So
Hudson adopted a pen name, Yi-Fen Chou.
The result was that poems that had been repeatedly rejected were now
accepted for publication, including one poem that had been rejected 40 times
and was now accepted by <i>Best American
Poems of 2014</i>. This anthology was
edited by Sherman Alexie, who is Native American. Alexie admitted that he gave the poem extra
credit for its minority source. To
Alexie’s credit, when the truth came out that the poem was written by a white
guy using a nom de plume, Alexie retained its place in the anthology.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There
was a lot written about this incident, mostly focusing on the political and ideological
aspects. Conservatives considered it an
example of SJW thinking run amok.
Progressives, in contrast, viewed the author as engaging in a strategy
of oppressive deception. But what I
would like to focus on here is what it tells us about how we, today, tend to
read poetry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To
shed light on how we read poetry today, I want to consider is how we read an
anonymous poem. When we do not know the
author, how do we engage with a poem?
How do we find an anonymous poem meaningful? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In a
way this is not a difficult question. If
we think of a poem as an artifact then we can make an analogy to other
artifacts that we use in our ordinary lives.
I don’t know who made the mug I am drinking coffee from, but that does
not hinder me from using it, admiring it.
I do not know who developed the particular type of rose in my neighbor’s
garden, but that does not create a barrier to my appreciation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In a
similar way, I can admire a poem without knowing anything about the
author. The poem can speak to me,
inspire me, offer me insight even though I do not know anything specific about
the author or the circumstances which caused the poem to be written.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Take
poem 220, quoted above, from the <i>Kokinshu</i>. The poem comments on loneliness and isolation
and uses late autumn as a seasonal expression of loneliness. This poem speaks to us because loneliness is
a common human experience and resonates with the fall season in a way that
makes sense to us even though we are living in a very different culture and
centuries removed in time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Similarly,
poem 798 is about the fear of losing the affections of someone we love. Again, this is a common human experience; one
that almost anyone can relate to (the exceptions being those who have never
been in love). This poem might have been
written by a woman, by a man, by someone young, or someone older, by an
aristocrat, or by a peasant. Those
details do not really matter because the experience transcends the specific
autobiography of the author.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
tendency today is to read poetry through ideological categories; but I think
that is a mistake. Such a tendency
imposes on the poem the specific intellectual apparatus of a time and
place. For example, the Confucian <i>Book of Songs</i> was often interpreted by
later Confucians through the lens of their own Neo-Confucian ideology. The result was to take a simple poem, what
was probably a folk song, and turn it into an elaborate allegory on duties to
the State and Emperor. This kind of
ideological apparatus, to my mind, actually creates a barrier to understanding
the poem; rather than allowing a poem to speak to us directly we force the poem
into our own preconceptions. Beginning
in the late 19<sup>th</sup> and early 20<sup>th</sup> centuries scholars
divested themselves of this Neo-Confucian apparatus. It took a lot of work. But it was worth it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ideological
analysis always, always, always, diminishes our capacity for understanding
art. And I think that is as true today
as it was in the past among the Neo-Confucians.
In the 20<sup>th</sup> century the ideologies that dominated were
Fascism and Marxism. In the 21<sup>st</sup>
century the dominant ideologies seem to be Progressivism and Radical
Feminism. Running at a distant third
place is an ideological Traditionalism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
interpretation of poetry through an ideological lens dominates most University
English Departments in the anglosphere at this time. This is a primary reason that I recommend
that young people interested in poetry not major in English literature or
pursue an MFA in poetry. There are
exceptions and if you have found a specific teacher, or even an English
Department, which has not been completely taken over by an ideological agenda,
then ignore my suggestion. But for the
most part I suspect that my observation is correct. My feeling is that a young person’s love of
poetry will be badly deformed at most Universities today. I say this because I regularly read
contemporary literary criticism and it is as marked by ideological bias as the
Neo-Confucian interpretations of the <i>Book
of Songs</i>. This is obvious to those
who do not share the ideological biases of the authors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">How
do we break free from this tendency to read poetry ideologically? I believe that a significant step in that
direction is to read the poem as if it were an anonymous poem. For example, when you read <i>Stopping by Woods</i> by Robert Frost, never
mind that it was written by someone we know about. Read the poem as if the author was
unknown. Assume you have no idea if the
poet is male or female; white, black, or asian; rich or poor. And then get a feeling for what the poem is
saying. In other words, bracket the
authorial specifics. This bracketing of
the authors specifics opens up the universal message of the poem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You
see, my view is that what all of us share is more significant than the
specifics of our biographies. And what
is it that all of us share simply by virtue of being human beings? We all share mortality; we are
impermanent. This is a central fact of
human existence and poets have been speaking about this, and how it impacts our
lives, in a multitude of ways that help us come to terms with this truth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
all share the experience of parting with those who are our friends and those we
love. Again, poets have illuminated this
experience in many ways that resonate with us across time and culture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
all interact with other human beings in ways that are both helpful and
stressful. We all have obligations that
we are expected to fulfill. And we are
all limited in our abilities which can give rise to frustrations of various
kinds or appreciations for our own and others’ talents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Because
these aspects of our lives are universal it is possible for an anonymous poet
to speak to us about them, and to illuminate their meaning, even though they
may be of a different race, class, sex, gender, and speaking a different
language. This is what ideological
approaches to poetry miss. And to my
mind what they miss is the heart of what poetry is about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-55118721170067865712015-12-17T09:09:00.000-08:002015-12-17T09:09:41.990-08:00Seven Deer<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Seven
Deer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pervasive
quiet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
glow in the eastern sky<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Before
the sunrise<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
warmth of the windless air<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
warmth of a dusty road<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
bird sings in code;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Perhaps
we don’t understand<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
way of nature<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Attending
a long lecture<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Regarding
evolution<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Waves
by the ocean<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Slowly
transforming the coast<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Transforming
a pier<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Seagulls
suddenly appear<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
the sun dissolves the fog<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
passive prologue<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To a
thickly scheduled day<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of
obligations<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Heart-felt
associations<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
draw us into the world<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
a flag unfurled<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Blowing
in a constant wind<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Next
to the town square<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An
old car needing repair<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rusting
in the parking lot<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Something
she forgot,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When
she was a little girl<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">How
she felt secure<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 14pt;">How
illness was quickly cured</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By
the concern of parents<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">How
they paid the rent,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">How
they cooked and served her meals,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">How
they bought her clothes,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">How
they helped though indisposed,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Though
they were very busy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trapped
in the city,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trapped
by fate and by karma,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By
astrology<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
the planets glide slowly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Singing
their songs in the sky<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Planet
earth relies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On
the seasons of the sun,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
wheel of the year<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Spring Equinox is here<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By
the stream are seven deer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
water is clear,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On
the bank a well-worn path<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where young students walk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
is where they smile and talk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
they’re strolling hand-in-hand<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">They
think life is grand,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
this will last forever,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
time will stand still,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
for better or for ill,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Though
they thought that this would last,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Love
becomes the past,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even
grasses do not last,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even
mist dissolves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 14pt;">As
the second hand revolves</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On
the public courthouse clock<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s
time to take stock<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At
the local statue store<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Deities
galore<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gods
and Goddesses implore<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
we put an end to war<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Turning
to the four<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Directions,
finding a place<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
the stream of space<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An
angel flies, filled with grace<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Above
the field of the past<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where
our hopes, at last,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Join
with dreams and hand-in-hand<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Create
our future<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
dance of many creatures<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On
the ground and in the air<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where
a white-maned mare<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gallops
on a field of stars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">While
the planet mars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Steadily
observes the cars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
fill the rush-hour highway<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
night of payday<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Two
friends heading to a bar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Feel
the fist of cold<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even
though they are not old<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">They
pull their gloves on tighter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
snow looks whiter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Than
the snow from last winter,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Maybe
that’s because<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
snow was thin, it would thaw,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mixing
with exhaust and dirt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where
it would convert<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Into
shiny slick black ice,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Slippery,
like vice,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Slippery,
like promises,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Slippery,
like last week’s cash<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Or
the drugs he stashed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Behind
his favorite books<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where
no-one would look<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
the ancient moonlight shook<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
foundations of his dreams<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All
his hopes, it seems,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Did
not work out in the way<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
he hoped they would<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
some badly knotted wood,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
a garden that turned dry,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
a friend whose sly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Words
covered a deception<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
a poisoned meal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">‘Come
on, it’s not a big deal,’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
she turns and walks away<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
sky’s touched by gray<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By a
subtle hint of light,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
prelude to dawn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He
wakes in bed, then he yawns,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There’s
the first frost on the lawn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As crisp
leaves hold on<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For
another week or two<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Prior
to a storm<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Whose
wind totally transforms</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
way that the garden looks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
flow of a brook<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Carries
a discarded chair<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Planks
of rotting wood<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
words we’ve misunderstood,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Given
half a chance we could<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Have
made it all good,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
that was not meant to be,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
one lost at sea<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Or a
cup of bitter tea,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Or a
song that’s badly sung,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Or a
bell that’s rung<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fading
into the warm air<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of
the afternoon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With
the cherry trees in bloom<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Outside
of the living room<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">They’ll
soon come to doom<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Shaken
from their branches,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
simple fact is<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Years
have passed and now I’m old<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
a moss covered oak tree<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
she stops to see<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Next
to the new masonry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
shadows are long<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
the sunrise sings its song<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
the new grass grasps the light<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Seven
larks in flight<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Disappear
behind the sight<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of
the dancing white<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cloud
formations, the polite</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Children
at kindergarten<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watch
the new fountain<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
was finished yesterday,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
was donated<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By a
man who was fated<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To
always feel insecure<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To
not know for sure<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What
he should do or should say<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
that was the way<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
he lived day after day<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So he
became reclusive,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Someone
elusive,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
a sound that’s barely heard,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An
unuttered word,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
the moon behind a cloud,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
a letter never sent,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
a fabric rent,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
a rock beneath the snow,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
a dream that I<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Can’t
understand though I try<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To
unravel the meaning<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It
stays unyielding,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
mist of time concealing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What
we are dealing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With,
like incense dispersing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When
the morning Mass is through<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
there are a few<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">People
sitting on the pews<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Quietly
in prayer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 14pt;">‘Times
like this in life are rare,’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Two
old friends are hand-in-hand<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
the cliffs they stand,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Monuments
to endurance<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
the seasons change<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
a fluid mountain range,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like cool
fog above a stream,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Things
swirl, planets dream,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Things
swirl, it’s the first frost’s sheen,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Things
swirl, stars careen,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Things
swirl, they are inbetween,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Things
swirl, the wind stirs the trees,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Things
swirl, falling leaves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Skitter
past a silent fox<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To a
fence that blocks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
path to some glacial rocks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lying
at the farm-field’s edge<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Near
a shaggy hedge<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By a
new development,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sixteen
new houses<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Empty,
and the problem is<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
no one can afford them<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Words
from an anthem<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">No
longer seem to inspire<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like an
off-key choir<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After
the divorce she’s mired<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
the kids, though grown, require,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Because
things are dire,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">More
assistance, more support,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Than
she expected<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Life
is tough, things neglected</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Have
a way of coming back<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dark,
the road is black,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
swift outline of a bat,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Slowly
thunder claps,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Somewhere
a twig snaps,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
feral cat eats a scrap,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Time
bends, there’s a gap,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An
angel looks at a map,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He
must arrive at<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A cop
at a speeding trap,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On
the street a missing cap<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like
other things that<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Disappear
without a trace<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cities
that vanish,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
conjuration banished,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An
ancient sea now deceased,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An
apartment leased,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
full eclipse of the sun,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Days
of joy and fun<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When
we used to play and run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On
the shore of Elbow Lake<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">August
was a break,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
motorboat left a wake,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On
our vacation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
would joke and would mention<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">How
the night was filled with beasts,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">They
were friendly beasts,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Seven
deer and fireflies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
the white-barked birch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Seemed
to shimmer and give birth</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To
stories both new and old,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stories
always told,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stories
that I never heard,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stories
without words,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stories
that seem sometimes blurred,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stories
that the moss will tell,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Stories
from a shell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
sails on the stream of time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Past
all that is here,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Past
all the things that appear<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Beyond
all that disappears<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-77443125567994010612015-12-10T09:03:00.000-08:002015-12-10T09:03:07.548-08:00A Ghazal for Emptiness<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
Ghazal for Emptiness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
recall a simple song in the Grove of Emptiness,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
lingering light of dawn in the Grove of Emptiness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I suspect
that you’ll soon leave, autumn colors don’t deceive,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nothing
lasts for very long in the Grove of Emptiness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lightning
flashes in the sky, I’m waiting for your reply,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There
is nothing right or wrong in the Grove of Emptiness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
the morning you make me some toast and fresh roast coffee,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gestures
of caring are strong in the Grove of Emptiness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ecclesiastes
said, ‘See, all of this is vanity’,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">All
our hopes and fears are gone in the Grove of Emptiness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Notions
appear and disappear like flowers from last year,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
mountain does not last long in the Grove of Emptiness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">An ancient
stream shifts course, a child, now grown up, feels remorse,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But I
feel that I belong in the Grove of Emptiness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
name is Jim, all is clear, there is nothing that is dim,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I am
dancing with a throng in the Grove of Emptiness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-10356626297638391762015-12-03T06:53:00.000-08:002015-12-03T06:53:31.459-08:00A Ghazal for December<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
Ghazal for December<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
sound of the steady December rain,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Leaves
in an eddy and December rain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
tick-tock of the clock seems to have stopped<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">While
in stillness I remember the rain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
world’s filled with the cruel and many fools,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
there’s the stochastic sound of the rain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
read a tweet that I quickly delete<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">While
I’m walking in the wind and the rain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Awake
at night, I turn on my room’s light<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
there’s the fantastic sound of the rain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
heave a sigh for a lover who died<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
recall the lullaby of the rain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
name is Jim, I seek shelter within –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There
are so many voices in the rain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-76965316056622869042015-11-28T07:45:00.001-08:002015-11-28T07:45:54.411-08:00Richard Wright Day -- 2015<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Today
is Richard Wright Day and this year I don’t have a long post or analysis of his
work. I’ve just been too busy. Nevertheless I wanted to take a moment to pay
my yearly tribute to Wright and to his contributions to English Language Haiku
and syllabic verse in general. It’s a
good day to read Wright’s collection of superb haiku poetry, or maybe to
compose a haiku tribute to Wright.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
spend time studying Wright’s work; there is a lot to learn from his approach to
haiku and syllabics. I am in the process
of building a concordance of Wright’s published haiku. I am almost finished with the concordance and
several things emerge from this project.
First, the vocabulary is accessible by ordinary readers. There are no high abstractions or obscure words,
no made-up words. The concordance
appears to be dominated by nouns that name objects in the world that anyone can
relate to. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Second,
the vocabulary is mostly short-count words.
Rarely you will find a word that has 4 counts or higher. An exception is found in haiku 653:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">You
can see the wind<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Absentmindedly
fumbling<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With
apple blossoms<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
word ‘absentmindedly’ is a rare 5 count word; but it works. It’s an ordinary word, a word one hears in
conversation. So it fits the overall
vocabulary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Haiku
87 is another example that uses a 5 count word:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Meticulously,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The cat
licks dew-wet cobwebs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">From
between his toes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here
the 5 count word holds an entire line.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Again,
such words are extremely rare, but when Wright does use them they don’t cause
the reader to stumble. They read
smoothly and fit in with the overall sense of the haiku he is writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another
aspect of Wright’s haiku that comes through in the concordance is the ordinary
syntax that Wright uses. Articles appear
in almost every haiku, as do prepositions.
Unlike many ELH haijin that have been influenced by the cerebral construction
of an artificial syntax that is pushed by official haiku (what I refer to as 'Haiku Hybrid English'), Wright’s haiku accept
the English language as it is. From my
perspective that is one of the chief virtues of his haiku and it is an ideal
that I would like to see many more ELH poets adopt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
will have more to say about what the concordance shows. But for now this is enough. Let’s take a moment of appreciation for
Richard Wright and the haiku he has bequeathed us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-49214530627195380342015-11-27T06:51:00.002-08:002015-11-27T06:51:23.307-08:00A Ghazal for November<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
Ghazal for November<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
maple leaves are red in November,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
recall what you said in November.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
sky is vast and cold shadows are cast,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Most
of the birds have fled in November.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Letter
received, she was badly deceived,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now
she rips it to shreds in November.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Solid
earth becomes sand, where do I stand?,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When
there’s nothing but dread in November.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Incense
on the altar, I pause, falter,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
pray for someone dead in November.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
rising sun, the day has just begun,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With
those Psalms that I’ve read in November.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m
alone, I reach my brother by phone,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Holidays
are ahead in November.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
completely refuse to read the news,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’ll
do something instead in November.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It
is not quite night, at dusk there’s the sight<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of
unraveling threads in November.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Somehow
I knew, what you said wasn’t true,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
was being misled in November.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I,
Wordsmith Jim, find shelter in a hymn,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That’s
the place I’ve been led in November.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-42840765674527001242015-11-19T08:45:00.001-08:002015-11-19T08:45:29.667-08:00The Haiku of Bill Albert<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Haiku of Bill Albert<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One
of my ongoing projects is to recover some of the haiku written in the past
which have now all but vanished. Now and
then I take time to see what is available from used book sites and then, using
my intuition, select what I think might be valuable. At other times I will notice in an older
essay on haiku that the author mentions in passing a haijin or book I have
never heard of. This then sends me on a
search.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That
is how I discovered a small volume called <i>Haiku</i>
by Bill Albert. It was published in
1991. As far as I know it was never
reissued. And I am not aware that Albert’s
haiku have ever been placed in any anthology that I have read. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
collection of haiku is truly excellent.
They have a secure basis in the traditional syllabic shape of 5-7-5,
they are seasonal, and they are elegant in their use of language. Most of the haiku are in two parts though the
sense of juxtaposition is muted. I
appreciate this. Using renga parlance,
the two parts are ‘close’, which means accessible. Often the two parts are divided along sensory
lines. Here is an example<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
frost-sharp window<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">shatters
the violet dawn –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
garbage truck squeals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lines
1 & 2 are visual; they also set both the season and the time. Line 3 shifts to a sonic sensation that is
strident, merging with the verb used in line 2, ‘shatters’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here
is an example where the two parts focus on two sonic elements:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
sapling’s branches<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">patter
against the window –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">a car
not starting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">‘Sapling’
is a season word, so line 1 sets the season.
Line 2 introduces the sound of branches against the window; implying a
breeze. Line 3 introduces a sonic
element of a car turning over but not starting.
The two sounds are similar and the reader can hear them merge. This is a nicely contrapuntal soundscape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here
is one I particularly like:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
full moon tonight . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">all of
the light in my room<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">comes
from a street lamp.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s
a nice setup. The ‘full moon’ is a
season word indicating autumn. The
reader is set to think of a room flooded with moonlight, and then Albert puts
in a little twist. Instead of moonlight
in his room it is a streetlamp’s light that fills the room. There is a contemplative and lonely mood to
this haiku which continues to resonate with the reader long after reading it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Albert’s
approach to lineation interested me because he effectively uses certain means
that I often find fault with. For
example, Albert will end a line with a preposition:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Two
crows rise from<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the hollow
of scrub-oak<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the
northeast wind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here
the count is 4-6-4. Line 1 ends in the preposition
‘from’. Normally I think lines ending in
prepositions are careless; but with Albert I found myself seeing how such an
approach can work effectively. In a way
this haiku is a list haiku; each line has its own image. The ‘from’ links two of the images together
and I think that is why it works to end line 1 at that point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here
is another example of line ending usage that surprised me:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Awakened
by the<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">sudden
cold of the spring night –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
frogs singing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Line
1 ends with ‘the’ and, again, normally I think of such usage as sloppy. Here Albert makes it work by having line 2 be
a self-contained image so that the word ‘the’ acts as a kind of link in the
same way that the word ‘from’ does in the previous haiku. I found this to be skillful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A few
times Albert uses a single line approach to his haiku:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Branches
lattice the chipped moon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
is a striking image. It is one of the
very few single line haiku that I have resonated with. Most single line haiku are infected with
obscurantism and self-conscious displays of avant-gardism. Albert’s single line haiku are, in contrast,
accessible and striking. My sense is
that Albert now and then, not often, experiments with the haiku form, but that
his overall approach is strongly rooted in the traditional 5-7-5 syllabics and
the necessity of a seasonal reference.
For this reason his experiments still retain some connection with the
haiku tradition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">According
to the ‘Publisher’s Note’ placed at the end of the book, Albert died in 1988 at
the age of 37. The ‘Note’ does not tell
us the cause of his early passing. But I
get the impression that it was some kind of degenerative disease. This is a pattern among haiku poets: think of
Shiki and Richard Wright. Of course not
all great haijin were chronically ill; most were not. But it is still intriguing how, at times,
really good haiku comes from those whose lives have been circumscribed by a
long illness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
any case, Albert worked on his haiku and left a modest number of
notebooks. His friends gleaned what they
considered to be his best and published the haiku as an offering from their
friend on their friend’s behalf. They
had to do this for Albert because Albert seems to have been disinclined to
publish on his own behalf. The ‘Note’
says, “He was without worldly ambition, made no effort to publish or otherwise promote
himself. His ambition, turned inward,
was purely aesthetic: he was aiming to write the perfect haiku, and in the best
tradition of the form, wanted to write it anonymously.” Albert seems to have been a modern Emily
Dickinson in his distrust for the more worldly aspects of poetry, such as
publication and promotion. What is
remarkable, given Albert’s attitude, is how many friends he had who
participated in the publication of this work.
The list of people who donated to get the book into publication is over
200. It seems that Bill Albert made a
significant impression on a wide group of people in spite of, or perhaps
because of, his reclusiveness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I am
grateful to the friends of Bill Albert for taking the time to publish these
haiku. It is a rich and rewarding
collection. It deserves to be reprinted
and more widely known. Readers may be
able to find a used copy on amazon or abebooks.com.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Children stop chasing</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">fireflies to watch shooting stars --</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the porch light flickers</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-46410724841897427452015-11-18T21:01:00.002-08:002015-11-18T21:01:50.363-08:00A Brief Note of Thanks<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This year has been very productive for me.
I’ve published a number of poetry books and read a lot of really well
done work. In the last month I have
received emails from people telling me how much they like this blog. And there have been a number of authors who
have noted my blog in their own books, usually on their acknowledgement page.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It is
gratifying to have this kind of feedback.
Poetry is such a marginal activity in the world today. Like most poets I
don’t make my living through poetry; I have a full time job to pay the bills,
and other obligations besides. Writing
poetry and talking about poetry on this blog is the way I spend a lot of my
free time. So it is good to hear from
others that this blog has touched them in some way. I think poets need to take care of each
other, support each other, advise each other, and, yes, critique each
other. I see this happening more and more
online and it is a good thing to see. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So,
thanks to those of you who have emailed or written, linked or passed on by word
of mouth information about this site, encouraging others to look over my
essays, poetry, and reviews. It means a
lot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Best
wishes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-81013870402477228312015-11-16T08:37:00.000-08:002015-11-16T08:37:36.711-08:00Pi Poems, by Becket -- A Reivew<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pi
Poems, by Becket – A Review<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">One
of the intriguing things about the emergence of syllabic forms in English
language poetry is how often the syllabic shape of these forms is determined by
mathematical constructs. Forms that are
based on some kind of maths include the Tetractys, Fibonacci, Etheree, and
Lucas. The Tetractys is based on
Pythagorean number theory; the Fibonacci and Lucas are based on related number
series; and the Etheree is based on the standard counting sequence of 1 to 10. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Given
that background, it makes sense that someone would use the number Pi as the
basis for a syllabic form. The number Pi
is the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle. It is a mathematical constant. It is also an irrational number; meaning that
the resulting ratio continues without ever coming to a conclusion or repeating.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
poet Becket, who does not give us his first name, has published a collection of
poems based on this numerical sequence.
As far as I know this is the first book of Pi poems. Becket writes in his ‘Introduction’,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Similar to the way
each line of a haiku is written according to a set number of syllables, the
syllables for each Pi poem line is determined according to the number of Pi –
3.1415926535 . . . and on into infinity.
So the first line of a pi poem would be 3 syllables, according to the
first number of Pi; the second line would be 1 syllable . . . and so on until
the poem is finished. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
challenge in using an irrational series like Pi is that with the constantly
fluctuating numerical count there will be a strong tendency for the poem to
read like a free verse poem. In the
Fibonacci there is an overall shape to the poem, a steady increase in line
length which the reader can feel as the poem grows. The same is true of the Etheree. But with an irrational number the series will
fluctuate; there will be no perceived repetition of numerical sequences and no
overall shape for the reader to use as a basis for comprehending the shape of
the poem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Becket’s
solution to this is to base the structure of his poems primarily on
grammar. But Becket is not consistent
with this approach. Here is an example
where grammar defines the lines:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Do
not stop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Run.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Keep
going on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Push.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Never
surrender<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">because
our lives are journeys from peace<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">to
peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">between
which dwell deserts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">of
misadventures,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">tragedies,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">and
too much worry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fearfulness
undermines progress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So
sidestep fear, leap over self-doubt,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">push
away biting<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">demons
crouching interiorly,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">remember<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">to
breathe,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">and
be kind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">With
the exception of the transition from line 14 to 15 (biting/demons) the
lineation is grammar based. Many of the
lines end in periods. Five of the lines
are full sentences. This works well and
the reader can enter into the numerical sequence that underlies the lineation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On
the other hand, some of the Pi poems seem to have completely arbitrary
lineation:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">22<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Flowering<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">thoughts
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">invigorate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">my <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">curiosity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
is a standard sentence and there is no strong feeling as to why the words have
been laid out vertically rather than horizontally; nothing is added by their
placement and the reader doesn’t really see anything new.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sometimes
Becket will use rhyme to define a line:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">11<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Right
now will<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">pass<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">away
like grass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fears<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">wither
while sorrows<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">wilt
like meadow heather in autumn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">weather.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Whether
I suffer or<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">jubilate,
my life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">keeps
going.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So I
go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
pass/grass rhyme is effective, although there will be the tendency to sonically
move ‘pass’ to the end of line 1. And
the use of ‘weather’ and ‘Whether’ as initial words for lines 7 & 8
resonates nicely with ‘wither’ at line 5.
Overall this is a good example of lineation which effectively uses a few
devices to present to the reader/listener the underlying syllabic shape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here
is one of Becket’s shortest Pi poems:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">74<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The present<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">is<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the
only gift.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here
is another example where this reader feels like the lineation is arbitrary,
that nothing is really added to the thought by putting it on three lines. ‘The present is the only gift’ seems to me to
be just as effective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
subject matter of the Pi poems is almost entirely focused on the poet’s inner
feelings. I think that is its greatest
weakness. Whether the poems are read as
free verse or syllabic verse, the subject matter is remarkably self-centered;
but oddly, we learn almost nothing about Becket himself and his specific
life. That’s a shame because he has led
an interesting life. Becket is a former
monastic and is currently an assistant to Anne Rice; the author of famous
vampire novels. I would like to have
read more about his specific biography in his poems. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What
I noticed is that there is almost nothing of the world in the poems: no tulips
or oaks, no birds or beasts, no mountains or streams. And the world of human beings is mostly
absent as well: no trucks or bridges, no houses or offices, no specific men,
women, or children. A few times Becket
introduces the wider world through metaphor or simile; see the above poem that
mentions grass and heather. But that
poem is unusual; it is one of the reasons why it is one of my favorites. More typical is a poem like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">78<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fear
never<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">ends<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">my
yearning to<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">end<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the
sickness in me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">that
spreads from me whenever I fail<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">to
love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
world of <i>Pi Poems</i> is about the author’s
own fears and psychological, as opposed to sociological, difficulties and his
hope of overcoming these limitations. I
believe that his approach to these poems is rooted in the literature of affirmations. I have to confess that I do not find this
type of literature attractive. I know my
limitations; this kind of writing always strikes me as self-absorbed. On the other hand, I have friends who have
benefitted greatly from the use of affirmations; so I recognize that it can
have value. If you are one of the many
who find affirmations attractive and helpful (e.g. readers of Louise Hay or
Wayne Dyer or the Hazeldon books of affirmations) you will probably be more
receptive to the subject matter than I am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
difficulty with Becket’s Pi poems is their abstractness and their psychological
orientation. The above poem about the
interaction between fear and love is not placed in any specific incident; it
remains a floating abstraction. Perhaps
it resonates with your own experience, perhaps not; it is not clear what I can
do with it or what there is to learn from it. I am intrigued by this collection
and its attempt to use a numerical series that never repeats, and wildly
fluctuates, as the basis for a poetic form.
At times Beckett meets that challenge effectively; at other times my feeling
is that it falls short. On the other
hand, I am not particularly inspired by the subject matter; it is too
self-fascinated for me. So in the end I
am ambivalent. I want to give it four
stars for trying out a difficult form and, at times, succeeding with it. But I have a two stars feeling for the
subject matter. As I said above, other
readers might find the subject matter more agreeable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
wonder if others will follow the lead given by Becket. My feeling is that there is a yearning among
21<sup>st</sup> century poets for form.
But that yearning is not met in MFA programs, Universities, official
poetry journals, or in the numerous volumes of free verse that are churned out
year after year. But this yearning will
find an outlet and one of those outlets is the emergence of various syllabic
forms that an individual poet finds attractive.
There have been a lot of these offered since the eighties. A few, such as the Fibonacci, have developed
a following, along with the older Cinquain and syllabic Haiku. It will be interesting to see if the form that
Becket has presented in his <i>Pi Poems</i>
generates a following.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pi
Poems – for the one who needs them . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By Becket<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">ISBN:
9781941240182<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">$5.99<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Available
from Amazon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-1266589951202151212015-11-12T10:14:00.002-08:002015-11-12T10:14:55.295-08:00Poetry For Sale, by Pat Nolan -- A Review<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Poetry
For Sale<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By
Pat Nolan and Poet Friends<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
Review<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Renga
is my favorite form of poetry. Those who
have read this blog regularly know that my personal poetic output is dominated
by renga and that I have been involved in writing renga for over 30 years. There are a few others who have found renga
congenial, but the number of English language renga poets is very small.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">like
some awesome god<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">in
my aspirations I’ll turn time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">back
after midnight<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">reflections
in a black glass<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">eclipse
of the autumn sun<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">reflections
in a black glass<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">eclipse
of the autumn sun<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> visiting brother’s<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> cigarette ember at dusk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> father’s ghost coughs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">(Page
50)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here
is an interesting factoid about those renga poets in the U.S. – In the early to
mid-80’s two of the tiny number of people who have spent a lot of time devoted
to renga lived in a small town in Sonoma County, California. The name of the town is Monte Rio. It has a population of 1,152 people as of the
2010 census; less than that in the 80’s.
A third poet who has devoted a lot of time to renga is Jane Reichhold
who lives just up the coast, in Southern Mendocino County. So three people who found in renga a vehicle for
their own poetic expression resided, at first unknown to each other, within
easy driving distance, and two of them lived in the same rural town. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">under
a pay phone’s dim glow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">static
from long distance lies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> imported jonquils<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> whole flock of ‘em in a jug<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> hello, fake spring!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> imported jonquils<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> whole flock of ‘em in a jug<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> hello, fake spring!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">damn
tank takes forever to fill<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">one
more flush should do it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">(page
89)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
the early 80’s I moved to Monte Rio.
Soon after I started the first English language magazine devoted to
renga. I was completely unaware that
residing in Monte Rio was Pat Nolan who was another person devoting a lot of
time to the renga form. Eventually I
would meet Nolan; I learned about him through a mutual poetry friend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Both
Nolan and I were catalyzed into the world of renga by the work of Earl
Miner. When Miner published his <i>Japanese Linked Poetry</i> it opened up the
world of renga in a way that no previous scholarly work had been able to
do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
took to writing renga by adopting many of the features of topic placement and
gradually learning about linking and shifting and primarily looking at renga as
a solo form, though I have engaged with others poets in composing renga as well. Nolan’s approach was more social than mine. And
Nolan found in Miner’s work specific features that he chose to replicate in his
own explorations of the renga form. A
distinctive feature of Miner’s translations of Japanese renga was to repeat
each verse (with the exception of the closing verse) to highlight the nature of
the link and shift that takes place as the renga unfolds. Nolan and his renga partners liked the effect
this had on renga poetry and adopted this repetition procedure when writing, or
leading, his own renga. This is in some
ways a new approach to renga; in Japanese renga the verses are not
repeated. Miner repeated the verses in
his translations in order to shed light on certain ambiguous features of the
Japanese language which can be used as pivots as verse X assumes different
relationships to verse X - 1 and to verse X + 1. For example, because the Japanese language
uses pronouns less frequently than English, and because the Japanese verb does
not decline by number or sex, it is possible for a verse to refer to a woman
when linked to the previous verse, and then refer to a man when linked to the
following verse. But Nolan, and his
cohorts in renga, found the effect of this repetition in itself esthetically
appealing, adopting it as a distinctive feature of their approach to renga.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
now, after more than 30 years of writing renga, Nolan has gathered 11 renga
into his latest book <i>Poetry For Sale:
Haikai no Renga (linked poetry)</i>. The
title is taken from one of the opening verses (hokku) in the collection which
is derived from a haikai by Basho and Kikaku that has the title ‘Poetry Is What
I Sell’. It reads:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Mortality
not debt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">leads
me to hoist another<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">poetry
for sale<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <i>after Kikaku<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <i>Poetry
For Sale </i>is a fantastic collection.
Anyone interested in the interaction between Japanese and English poetry
needs this book. And anyone interested
in renga should definitely get it. It is
an immensely pleasing collection: entertaining, surprising, sometimes sharp and
witty, sometimes introspective, sometimes descriptive, the renga unfold with
great skill and elegance. They are a
pleasure to read.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">a butterfly’s
premonition<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">it’s
safer not to move<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> me and my paper lantern<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> not surprisingly a scoop<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> among a river of stars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> me and my paper lantern<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> not surprisingly a scoop<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> among a river of stars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the
howl of dogs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">hushed
by the silence of birds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">(Page
77)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
have to admit that the feature of repeating all the stanzas at first puzzled
me. It is not the route I have chosen
with my own renga. However, I have come
to appreciate this innovation. If you
read the renga aloud you’ll get the pleasing effect the repetition has. By repeating the verses they take on a chorus
like feeling. On November 6<sup>th</sup>
I heard a reading from <i>Poetry for Sale</i>;
two of the poets, Pat Nolan and Sandy Berrigan, read from one of the renga and
the effect of the repetition was soothing.
The innovation works in a musical way that I find very pleasing and
attractive. The repetition makes the
renga journey accessible. I suspect this
is particularly true for those who have no previous experience with the form.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
speaking of the renga form, Nolan and his partners chose a respectful, but at
the same time relaxed, relationship to the numerous formal regulations. This is explained in Nolan’s introduction, “Hardly
Strictly Haikai” and in the ‘Forewad’ to the haikai ‘Random Rocks’. Generally speaking one finds seasonal and
topic placement, a rough commitment to the overall syllabic shape, and a
traditional sense of pacing. It has been
my observation that this respectful yet relaxed approach is the stance that all
renga poets have had to adopt in their relationship to traditional Japanese
renga. Nolan compares renga to the music
of a jazz combo and that feels right to me.
In good jazz there are rules and at the same time there is
improvisation. Nolan and his partners
have a good grasp of what the rules are (for example, topic placement), but
they also have an intuitive sense of when to let the renga find its own way. This is actually how the great renga masters
of Japan related to the form. A good
example is how Sogi lead a 100 verse renga that does not contain any summer
verses; Sogi allowed the energy of the renga to flow where it was going. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
book contains, with a one exception, renga written by two or more poets, which
is the standard procedure for writing renga.
Pat Nolan’s partners in renga are Keith Kumasen Abbott, Sandy Berrigan,
Gloria Frym, Steven LaVoie, Joen Eshima Moore, Maureen Owen, Michael Sowl, and
John Veglia. It is a great cast of
characters. Each of them has a
distinctive voice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
collection starts out with a solo kasen renga by Pat Nolan. (All the renga in the collection are kasen,
or 36-verse, renga rooted in the style of Basho.) Nolan achieves the effect of having multiple
participants by selecting haiku, and then editing them, from Blyth’s collection
to form the verses of the haikai. It is
an effective collage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
other ten renga all have multiple participants, starting with two poets and
ending up with five. Several of the
renga, ‘Yellow Music’, ‘Poetry for Sale’, ‘Bamboo Greeting’, which is dedicated
to Earl Miner, and ‘Random Rocks’ have a running commentary. On the left page are the verses of the
haikai, and on the right page are comments from the author of the verse which
illuminate what the poets were thinking or trying to accomplish with their
link. This is really interesting and
helpful for people who want to compose renga themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nolan
notes in the ‘Introduction’ that, with one exception, all of them were written
via snail mail. Remember that this began
when the internet was still nascent and in many ways unreliable. Eventually Nolan used email attachments; but that
was towards the end of these efforts.
The effect of this is that each poet could take their time considering
their link. This gives the renga a
polished feel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">a
raven on the blue post<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">office
box silent – still silent –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">all
their beauty gone<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the
mud rut of a bike tire<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">through
pale confetti<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">all
their beauty gone<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the
mud rut of a bike tire<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">through
pale confetti<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">ice
islands in thawed lawn –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">shiny
dribble melts a spilled moon –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">(Page
62) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nolan
and his partners have done a great job adapting renga to an English language
poetic context. Renga is a unique poetic
genre; I don’t know of any other form which has the effect that renga imparts. It is a combination of the concrete details
of life combined with a dream like sense of traveling, like some kind of
strange astral journey. It is a
difficult form to do well. It is
remarkable how graceful this collection is.
My hope is that this collection will help others access this form so
that they can also walk the journey down the renga road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">that
was the reason I bought<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the
bamboo shower curtain<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> at the merest touch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> flurries of blossoms cascade<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> onto the bright grass<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> at the merest touch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> flurries of blossoms cascade<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> onto the bright grass<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">where
the black rock fell off<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">a
sunlit cliff – steam curls up<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">(Pages
143-144)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Poetry
For Sale: Haikai no Renga (linked poetry)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Pat
Nolan with partners and friends<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nuallain
House, Monte Rio<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">$16.00<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
book is only available directly from Nuallain House, which is on the web here:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="http://nuallainhousepublishers.com/"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">http://nuallainhousepublishers.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-14537787856013910492015-11-09T10:09:00.000-08:002015-11-09T10:09:04.053-08:00'Searching for You' by Leonard Dabydeen -- A Review<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Searching
for You<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By
Leonard Dabydeen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
Review<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
reviewed Leonard Dabydeen’s earlier collection of poetry, <i>Watching You</i>, a few years ago.
<i>Watching You</i> is the first
collection of Tetractys poems; meaning the first book consisting entirely of
the Tetractys form. The Tetractys is a
five-line syllabic form with the count as follows: 1-2-3-4-10. It is based on Pythagorean number theory
where the first four numbers add up to 10.
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10, so in a way the last line syllabically gathers the
first four lines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
Dabydeen’s second book, <i>Searching for You</i>,
the author continues with his exploration of the Tetractys form. But in this volume Dabydeen has added
Fibonacci poems as well. The
relationship between the two forms is intriguing. The overall count for the Tetractys is 20
syllables. Dabydeen uses the six-line
form of the Fibonacci: 1-1-2-3-5-8, which also adds up to 20 syllables for the
overall count. The two forms are similar
in the overall shape; both forms start with a one-count word, then they open up
into longer lines, but the pacing of how they open differs. In both forms the last line has the longest
count. The interplay between the two
forms is one of the things which gives <i>Searching</i>
some of its charm. The book is a
demonstration of how a syllabic line in English functions by using two forms
with the same overall count, that share an overall shape, but with different
distributions of that count.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dabydeen’s
approach to lineation is grammatical; each line forms a grammatical unit. In overall structure, most of the poems are
single sentence poems so that they flow from the opening one-count line to the
end where the reader usually encounters the longest line. (There are some exceptions where Dabydeen
uses a reversed structure of the lines.)
The two forms both start with a one-count word; so they share that in
common. As in his previous book, the
first line often consists of a pronoun, which makes sense. It seems to me that in this second book,
though, Dabydeen is more expansive in his choice of opening one-count
words. The opening word in forms like
the Tetractys and Fibonacci carries a lot of weight; a single word of one count
holds an entire line. And Dabydeen draws
us in with his opening words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dabydeen
writes his poems based on his personal experience, often commenting on his own
emotional state, current events, the plight of refugees, and landscapes,
particularly at night. There is also a
strongly religious element threading through the collection. Dabydeen’s Hinduism plays a prominent role
and some of the poems are invocations or prayers to deities such as
Krishna. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lonely
as a Star<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dark<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">tonight<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">no
moonlight<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">behind
the clouds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I sit
on this bench lonely as a star.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
is beautifully shaped. The lineation is
clear. There is an elegant integration
of the landscape with the author’s interior mood. There is also a judicious use of rhyme,
tonight/moonlight, which helps us to feel the sense of the form. And there is a sonic resonance between dark/star which also helps to clarify the shape of the poem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here
is another Tetractys:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Friendship<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Each <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">moment<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">standing
here<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">being
with you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">brings
me closer to a wish coming true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Again
we see the well-crafted lineation and the judicious use of rhyme,
you/true. I also appreciate the way the
first four lines tumble into the long closing line in a way that feels
rhythmically natural. It’s almost like
you are hearing someone speaking this, pausing slightly at the end of each
short line, and then opening their heart in the last, longer line.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here
is a seascape:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sea<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">the sea<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">beckons
me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">from
the boardwalk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I watch
waves rushing to shore quietly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Not
all of his Tetractys rhyme, but I admire the skillful, and natural, way that
Dabydeen uses rhyme in a way that is unaffected. Here is an unrhymed Tetractys:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
Watch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">On<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">my watch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">snowflakes
dance<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">this
cold morning<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">sunshine
pretends to keep melting the snow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">There
are 125 Tetractys poems. These are
followed by 76 Fibonacci poems. Here are
some prayers to Lord Krishna:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">chant<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">your
name<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">seek
blessings<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">like
flowers blooming<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">in a
garden with trees of thorns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">live <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">this
Age<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">in darkness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">in
Kali Yuga<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">free
us from evil, Lord Krishna<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
enjoyed reading the specifically religious poems in this collection; they add a
deeper dimension to the collection.
Notice how in the second prayer to Krishna, Dabydeen starts two lines
with ‘in’, while the last two lines use a mild end rhyme, Yuga/Krishna. This gives the prayer a chant-like sound; I
wonder how this prayer would sound put to music; I can almost hear the tune.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At
times Dabydeen is philosophical:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So
Much of Life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">So<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">much<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">of
life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">is
made up<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">of
how we gather<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">all
the things we do together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dabydeen
is a major syllabic poet writing in English.
His two books are a significant contribution to the small, but growing,
body of English syllabic verse. His work
is carefully constructed, wide ranging in topics, and imbued with both
emotional and intellectual honesty. His
second book is a wonderful collection and I look forward to future
publications.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Botany
of Life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Let<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">me <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">take
you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">where
flowers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">bloom
in abundance<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">it is
the botany of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Searching
for You:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
Collection of Tetractys & Fibonacci Poems<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By Leonard
Dabydeen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">ISBN:
9781514409756<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">$19.99<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Available
from Amazon, Xlibris, or through Ingram Distribution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-61277162349192524702015-10-26T08:55:00.002-07:002015-10-26T08:55:52.487-07:00A Ghazal for Armstrong Woods<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
Ghazal for Armstrong Woods<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Walking
in the cool shade at Armstrong Woods,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
anxieties fade at Armstrong Woods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Paintings
that I see at the gallery,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Landscapes
that they have made at Armstrong Woods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
sun’s rays break through, shining on the dew,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cutting
fog like a blade at Armstrong Woods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
grove is quiet, we all should try it,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Our
egos are unmade at Armstrong Woods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Orchids
scattered there, dissolving despair,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hidden
beauty’s displayed at Armstrong Woods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
tall as one can see, the trees live centuries,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Humanity’s
a vain parade at Armstrong Woods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
name is Jim, redwoods are singing a slow hymn,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Moonlight
falls, like a stream of jade, at Armstrong Woods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-2485790288306166862015-10-19T08:21:00.002-07:002015-10-19T08:21:59.515-07:00A Ghazal for the Light<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
Ghazal for the Light<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Walking
in the dawn, walking in the light,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Presence of God hiding in the light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">She
is alone, there’s no one left at home,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
journal she’s rereading in the light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
cluster of trees swaying in the breeze,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Their
fresh leaves are glittering in the light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Outside
in fresh snow a long time ago,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a
kid he was playing in the light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
neighbor is gone the whole weekend long,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">His
dog’s constantly barking in the light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
song that is new reminds me of you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
the way you’d be smiling in the light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
friends have passed away and so today<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
will be recollecting in the light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
name is Jim, by a candle that’s dim,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">At
night you’ll find me praying in the light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-33544320141972157122015-10-16T07:28:00.001-07:002015-10-16T07:28:53.618-07:00Buson Haiku DiscoveredA friend of mine sent me the link to this story about Buson:<br />
<br />
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201510150032<br />
<br />
It seems scholars have uncovered about 200 haiku of Buson which were included in an anthology. For some reason these haiku had vanished from historical memory. But they have now been recovered. Great news.<br />
<br />
<br />Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-83159465112624436432015-10-12T06:54:00.000-07:002015-10-12T06:54:07.523-07:00Finding a Place for Formal Haiku: Part 3<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Finding
a Place for Formal Haiku: Part 3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In no
particular order, I’m going to close this series with a few random observations
that came to me while interacting with Watkins' 2007 article.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">1. My basic view is that syllabic haiku and
free verse haiku have become two separate forms of poetry. This happened gradually. Both free verse and syllabic haiku have the
same origin – Japanese haiku. But they
have responded to different aspects of the form. At first this didn’t seem to be a significant
difference. Over time, however, the
differences have become clearer and the separation between them has become
sharper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">2. I don’t think there is anything to be
gained on the part of syllabic haijin in trying to gain access to official
haiku organizations. Official haiku is
committed to the free verse approach and that’s fine. They do a good job advocating for free verse
haiku, publishing it, holding workshops on how to go about writing it,
etc. Official haiku is what it is and is
doing a good job advocating for its view.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">3. What I suggest is that syllabic haijin go
their own way and not worry about official haiku. In a sense this has already happened. A syllabic haijin like Priscilla Lignori has
set up her own haiku group that teaches a syllabic approach. And there is at least one journal which is
explicitly devoted to syllabic haiku, ‘The Haiku Journal’. At this time it seems that organizations
advocating for syllabic haiku are just emerging. I’m not sure what form they will take. Syllabic haijin might begin parallel
organizations and journals: there might be something like The Syllabic Haiku
Society of America. But I’m not
sure. I mean I’m not sure that syllabic
haijin need the same kinds of organizations that free verse haijin have. There is no American Villanelle Society, but
that does not stop poets from composing excellent villanelles. In the same way there does not exist any
syllabic haiku society, but that has not interfered with people composing
excellent syllabic haiku.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">4. Yet the hostility of official haiku
towards syllabic haiku is something that needs to be dealt with. The critiques of syllabic haiku on the part
official haiku are <b>entirely<i> </i></b>without merit. The linguistic arguments are vacuous, the
poetic critiques of syllabic haiku are uninformed. This hostility does need to be countered in
an informed way. The response needs to
be without hostility itself. The point
is to take an apologetic position rather than an antagonistic one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">5. On the other hand, these critiques of
syllabic haiku should not be given a free pass.
For example, I think that Watkins is too accommodating in his essay
when, in several places, he acquiesces to the idea that the English form of
5-7-5 may have been an erroneous application of the Japanese <i>onji </i>(sic) to an English language
context. This kind of argument is
widespread in official haiku. But it is
all smoke and mirrors. In other words, I
think syllabic haijin have been too generous towards official haiku and
official haiku’s arguments in support of free verse haiku. Syllabic haijin need to take back some of
this territory; not to argue that composing free verse haiku is wrong, but to
affirm that the counting procedure for syllabic haiku is legitimate and that it
is not based on a misunderstanding of the Japanese language. On the contrary, such an approach sees the
Japanese language as one language among many rather than something weird
and bizarre.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">6. The esthetic differences between syllabic
and free verse haiku, I think, need to be highlighted. Think of the word ‘haiku’ as resembling the
word ‘dog’. ‘Dog’ is a general concept;
there are many different breeds of dog.
For example, there are springer spaniels and corgis. We use different standards for these two
breeds; we evaluate them differently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In a
similar way, syllabic haiku and free verse haiku are two different breeds and
they use different standards when writing their poetry. On the rare occasion when free verse haijin
evaluate syllabic haiku, they do so using the standards of free verse haiku. It is not surprising, therefore, that their
evaluation will be negative. If I use
the standards of a corgi to evaluate a springer spaniel my conclusion will also
be negative. And irrelevant. In a similar way, official haiku critiques of
syllabic haiku are, almost always, simply irrelevant to what syllabic haijin
are doing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">7. I have found it helpful to remember that
the overt hostility towards syllabic haiku on the part of free verse haiku is
not representative of all, or even most, free verse haijin. I suspect that most free verse haijin are
simply writing haiku and are not really concerned with these issues. I know free verse haijin who are completely comfortable
with those who choose to write syllabically.
I refer to free verse haijin who are publicly hostile to syllabic haiku
as ‘evangelical’. They go around the
world wide web looking for places to express their dislike of, which at times
becomes indignation towards, syllabic haiku.
Their efforts leave an impression of a kind of poetic pugilism. I am thinking of facebook entries which
graphically express their distaste of syllabic haiku, or those who write online
screeds denouncing a syllabic approach.
I don’t want to be misunderstood: critique is good. Discussion of these different approaches is
good. I am referring to a tone wherein
the advocate for free verse haiku considers their cause to be a settled issue;
they aren’t really interested in having a discussion. And we need to be honest here; this hostility
can, at times, be extreme, which is weird, but there it is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">8. My feeling is that syllabic haijin need
to build a more secure foundation for their approach. First, I think syllabic haijin would benefit
by developing a semi-official canon of syllabic haiku poets. These would be syllabic haiku poets that
would be considered as good to excellent representatives of a syllabic
approach. This would include Richard
Wright, Edith Shiffert, James Hackett, and others. The function of such an informal canon would
be to serve as a resource for teaching others about a syllabic approach and as
a kind of well to refresh one’s own efforts.
Such an informal canon is found in other fixed forms such as the sonnet
(Shakespeare, Wyatt, Browning, etc.). An
informal canon like this is found in Japanese haiku; it is why Basho, Buson,
and Issa are so frequently mentioned.
The purpose of an informal canon like this is to assist in stabilizing
the form and to act as a kind of entryway into the artistic realm of that
particular form.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Second,
I think it would be good to generate an anthology devoted exclusively to
syllabic haiku. Such an anthology might
include about 100 poets with representative samples of their work. I would include in such an anthology examples
from popular haiku such as <i>Haikus for
Jews</i> or <i>Redneck Haiku</i> as they are
part of this heritage. In other words I
would not confine such an anthology to only ‘literary haiku’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Third,
perhaps a saijiki of syllabic haiku could be created. This would be a big project and would need
the participation of more than one person.
I don’t know if there is enough interest in such a project at this time,
but it is something to think about. With
devices like skype it would be possible for distant editors to regularly
consult with each other on such a project.
It would be time consuming and perhaps it is somewhat premature at this
time; but I think it is worth putting out the idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Finally,
I would like to see syllabic haijin put some effort into reprinting some of the
earlier works of syllabic haiku that have gone out of print. An early anthology like <i>Borrowed Water</i> has some really good syllabic haiku in it. And the haiku of specific authors needs to be
brought back into the present. With the
development of print-on-demand services this is much easier to do than it was
even a few years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">9. The creation of alternative spaces for
syllabic haiku will encourage others to follow this kind of approach. Because I have a concern with syllabic forms
in general, I also think that such alternative spaces could assist in
introducing English language poets to how syllabics works in the English
language. Syllabic haiku is the most
successful syllabic form in English. It
has already developed a large literature of high quality. Syllabic haiku is a demonstration of the
efficacy of a syllabic approach to English language poetry. I think that is quite an accomplishment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">10. Again, I think syllabic haijin need to cut
the cord with official haiku. Not out of
anger or resentment. Rather it is a
recognition that what official haiku is doing isn’t going to change; it is not
going to alter its course in order to accommodate syllabic haiku. And that is not a bad thing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Instead
of trying to convince official haiku organizations that they should modify
their program or approach, I suggest that syllabic haijin go further down the
path they have already started on. When
we do so I think we will find many friends walking on the same road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-88108220441039142162015-10-08T08:08:00.000-07:002015-10-08T08:08:16.424-07:00Finding a Place for Formal Haiku -- Part 2<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Finding
a Place for Formal Haiku </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 14pt;">Part 2</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins:
I say “for the past 25 years or thereabouts” because it was in 1980 that George
Swede and Eric Amann published ‘Toward a Definition of the Modern English
Haiku’ (<i>Cicada</i>; Vol. 4, No. 4; pp.
3-12), which, quite frankly, probably did for haiku what the brush did for
curling and the helmet did for ice hockey: made life less arduous for the
produce, but more confusing and alienating for the consumer. In their essay . . . the authors laid the
blueprint for the contemporary Western haiku by (seemingly) accommodating
virtually every deviation from the 5-7-5 format that had materialized over the
previous 3 decades. The modern
English-language haiku, they thus concluded, can be read aloud in a single
breath, evokes a moment of deep emotion or insight in which some aspect of Man
is related to Nature, relies mainly in simple images, and is always in the
present tense. Such a prescriptive summation
probably illustrates why grassroots-up democracy is only as dependable as the
people being polled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim: Official
haiku is forever seeking to impose some kind of definition on ELH. One of the funniest analyses I have read
regarding this tendency is found in Jane Reichhold’s <i>Writing and Enjoying Haiku</i>, pages 75 – 79. There Reichhold lists 65 regulations which
have been proposed by various haijin here and there in an effort to impose
their own preferences on the form. It is
a really strange list. I say strange
because anyone familiar with ELH can easily come up with exceptions to each and
every proposed rule.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Official
haiku is all about controlling ELH through definition. In a way, the contest between syllabic and
free verse haiku, between popular haiku and official haiku, is about who has
the power to define the word ‘haiku’ in an English language context. The elites want to impose their definition
from the top down. That is why they get
so irritated when someone ignores their definition; because it undermines their
sense of power. My own view is that
meaning follows usage. Most ordinary
people consider haiku to be a syllabic form of 5-7-5 syllables and for that
reason it should be the primary definition.
The real purpose of the proposed definitions found in official haiku is twofold:
first, to justify free verse haiku even though Japanese haiku is formal, and
second, to marginalize syllabic haiku.
The problem is, no one outside of their organizations care about their
definition and ordinary people continue to simply compose haiku in 5-7-5 in
spite of what the elites say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins:
To make matters worse, whenever someone has attempted to apply a little
‘top-down’ structural order to this very open-ended set of guidelines, it has
often only contributed to the confusion and intimidation. Cor van den Heuvel, for example, has
emphasized the fact that 12 syllables in English is actually more analogous
with the 17 <i>onji</i> of the original
Japanese version. He adds fuel to the
fire in his forward to the third edition of <i>The
Haiku Anthology </i>(Norton, 1999), insisting that: Though a few poets still
write in the 5-7-5 syllable form, this form is now mostly written by
schoolchildren as an exercise to learn how to count syllables, by beginners who
know little about the true essence of haiku, or by those who just like to have
a strict form with which to practice. (p. xxviii)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim: I
have already commented extensively on this blog on my view that the 17 count in
Japanese is comparable to the 17 syllable count in English and that both
Japanese and English count syllables; so I won’t repeat that here. (Those interested please see the <i>Unexceptional</i> series of posts which can
be accessed from the list of categories on the right side of this blog.) I will just say that this is an example of
how a nihonjinron based view of the Japanese language has been used to critique
a syllabic approach and that I think van den Heuvel is just plain wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here
I want to point out strategies of marginalization embodied in van den Heuvel’s
remarks. The first is to infantilize
syllabics by suggesting that it is childish and serves only a didactic
purpose. The implication is that free
verse haiku is adult, grown up, and serious.
This would surprise Haydn Carruth, Richard Wilbur, Edith Shiffert, and
countless other poets who have taken a syllabic approach to haiku. This idea of syllabics as infantile is rooted
in the progressive ideology of free verse as a movement. The view of free versers is that free verse
is to replace traditional verse and that we have now progressed into the
modern, free verse, era where the unwarranted restrictions of traditional verse,
such as counting, have been put aside.
With this kind of chronocentric analysis, a syllabic approach could only
be seen as immature and, possibly, reactionary.
This analysis has the advantage of alleviating its adherents of any responsibility
to actually look at the syllabic haiku being published since they know in
advance that it is infantile and childish as a matter of ideological
analysis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
second strategy of marginalization is to argue that the 5-7-5 approach is only
engaged in by a few people who misunderstand the deeper aspects of haiku. The truth is the opposite: the majority of
haiku written in English is syllabic. So
why can’t someone like van den Heuvel see this?
Because they remain firmly locked in the gated community of official
haiku and simply can’t bring themselves to look over the fence. Every year there are numerous haiku books
published, and countless haiku published at online poetry communities, in the
5-7-5 format. In contrast, official,
free verse, haiku remains the concern of a closed, inbred, elitist community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins:
Now, as far as I’m concerned, this is merely an exercise in sheer snobbery
bordering on historical revisionism. If
it didn’t also reek of self-fulfilling prophecy, I would have to dub it
painfully laughable. (I have often
wondered how many bards have stuck up their nose or middle finger at closed
forms not because of any aesthetic disdain for syllabic, linear and metrical
structure, but merely out of their own lack of talent and other
shortcomings. I have a very strong
feeling that the average free verse poet today would not be capable of
composing a proper sonnet or ghazal in a month of amphetamine-fueled Sundays.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim: I made this same point about a general lack
of a grasp of basics among modern free verse poets in my review of Stephen
King’s book <i>On Writing</i>. In my own personal journey to syllabic verse
I did not have a background in traditional poetics. I had to learn all of it on my own. I had some assistance, but my experience was
that free verse poets were just blank about the English language poetic heritage,
its structure, its history, etc. I’m not
complaining. Being self-taught has its
advantages. But I think it is the case
today that if someone is interested in closed forms and how they work for the
most part they will have to find their way on their own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins: Such conflicting, imprecise and structurally
lacking definitions may have been fine and dandy in an era when the term
‘poetry’ was still inclusive, but in an era like the one we currently exist in
– where poetry is synonymous with free verse –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim: That’s true only for the elites; for the
average person poetry still means rhymed metrical verse, like what they hear in
popular song.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins:
such a blueprint merely invites the composition of verse that holds a position
the haiku sphere analogous to the position free verse once held in the
then-inclusive world of poetry. In fact,
ironically, the general public’s continued belief that the notion of haiku
automatically entails the 5-7-5 pattern may be the only thing that prevents the
modern English-language version from being defined as ‘the shortest form of
free verse’. . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim:
I think what Watkins is getting at is this: how do we distinguish haiku from
standard free verse if there are no formal criteria one can use to make the
distinction? Free verse ELH has dropped
the syllabics and has opted for a free verse line. The result is a type of poetry which is
indistinguishable from the free verse one encounters in non-haiku poetic
contexts. And modern ELH has not stopped
with dropping syllabics; it has dropped the seasonal requirement as well. There is a push in free verse ELH to focus on
a two-part division of the poem as definitive; but lots of non-haiku poems are
in two parts, so that does not seem to be a defining characteristic. Juxtaposition is not haiku specific.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins: So this is the basic reason why I believe the
5-7-5 syllabic form to be so very vital: If we are going to exist in a Western
environment where the term ‘poetry’ denotes free verse exclusively, and
resulting haiku – like other (traditionally/supposedly) closed forms – is now
in a literary or artistic category all its own, then we might as well make the
best of a bad situation, and devote a considerable portion of our talents to
composing haiku according to the tenets of the original English-language form –
albeit a faulty or outright erroneously derived one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim:
I don’t think the syllabic form is faulty or erroneously derived. Here I think Watkins is giving the
nihonjinron sourced discourse regarding Japanese and English too much credit. My view is that the English and Japanese
syllable are comparable and not qualitatively different from each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins:
This would enable haiku to transcend being ambiguously perceived as “just
another way to write free verse” (as Larry Gross once described the possible
state of the sijo if allowed to mutate too far from its original Korean blueprint)
– a separate literary category that no longer produces examples of itself and
now strives to be accepted back (?) into the world of poetry/free verse. Simultaneously, it would help us to avoid
confusing and/or alienating the general public (i.e., potential readers) who
have grown up accustomed to the 5-7-5 form of their secondary and
post-secondary textbooks: a persona might require some reference point if he or
she were encountering a haiku outside the usual context of a haiku periodical
or solo volume – the 5-7-5 format would probably provide that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim:
With 5-7-5 at the center and understood as normative, the deviations from that
form become variations. But if free
verse haiku is taken as normative it simply melts into the surrounding bog of
free verse poetry in general with nothing to point to that is distinctive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins:
I should also stress the usefulness of the 5-7-5 structure as an unifying
factor in the context of the haiku’s ever-expanding subject range. As I have already noted, haiku is no longer
merely the verse of cicadas, frogs, sunsets and cherry blossoms. The form’s natural landscape now flows almost
seamlessly from the mountains into the subways, from the <i>frogponds</i> into the workings of the human brain and genitalia. (I can’t help but be reminded of those lines
from Sonic Youth’s ‘Making the Nature Scene’: “The city is a natural
scape/Order in the details”.) In fact,
there is no true distinction any longer between the traditionally nature-oriented
haiku and the human-centered senryu along the lines of subject matter – the
whimsical senryu’s ability to be interpreted as light or satirical verse is its
only true qualifier amongst most contemporary English-language haijins. Where there is no limit on subject matter,
the haiku’s propensity for (d)evolving into ‘the shortest form of free verse’
is only exacerbated by the lack of a standard closed form. The presence of a closed form would serve as
an uniform filter, playing the Apollonian to the limitless subjects’ Dionysian,
in other words. And the best closed form
to provide this Apollonian element would have to be the one with which the most
people are already familiar, the one which has been officially instilled into
the minds of the general public for at least the past 4 decades: the 5-7-5
syllabic structure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim: The question is, how do you know that a poem
is a haiku? The formal response to this
question would be that if the poem is in 5-7-5 it is a haiku. Simple question, simple answer. It is the same approach used to define a
sonnet: a poem is a sonnet if it has 14 lines and 10 syllables, or 5 beats, per
line. Of course there are additional
things one can say about haiku and sonnet.
But these formal characteristics are foundational and are never left
behind. Without this formal parameter
that defines haiku as a tercet in 5-7-5 syllables haiku becomes a kind of
nebulous muddle of words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins:
Erroneous as it may have been in its conception, at least it is indefatigably
ours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim: I don’t think the 5-7-5 structure is
erroneous. It is my view that the
Japanese and English syllables are completely comparable and to argue otherwise
is to uncritically accept the culturally chauvinistic discourse of nihonjinron. On this point I think Watkins gives the
critics of syllabic haiku too much credit.
The Japanese language is an ordinary language and I do not think there
is any compelling reason to treat the Japanese language as something unique or
estranged from other languages. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins: Mind you, I’m not suggesting for a second that
all of us should ‘revert’ to the 5-7-5 pattern exclusively or otherwise face
literary ostracism. What I am suggesting
is that the editors, publishers and reviewers be more open to the traditional,
and less arrogant in their approach to those who prefer to compose their haiku
(and senryu) in this original English-language adaptation of the Japanese
classic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim: Not going to happen. If anything, elitist haiku organizations and
publications have become more hostile, not less, to syllabic haiku in the eight
years since Watkins published this essay.
For the most part they don’t anthologize their work and don’t review
their books and do their best to pretend that syllabic haiku just doesn’t
exist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
that’s OK. Syllabic haijin have
discovered that they do not need these organizations or publications. Syllabic haijin publish their syllabic haiku
online at general poetry sites and their collections via print-on-demand. Some have even started their own journals for
syllabic haiku. So it’s all good:
syllabic haijin are going their own way and enjoying the journey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins: As I’ve pointed out, in a Western climate
where poetry is now synonymous with free verse, and haiku must stand as its own
literary form awash in an endless sea of subject matter, any reference points
and defensive uniformity that such haijins can provide should be welcomed, not
mocked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim: The reason syllabic haiku is mocked is
because the official haiku organizations identify with free verse. The reason they identify with free verse is
because they have internalized the chronocentric views of progressive
ideology. That isn’t going to
change. It is, I think, a hopeless task
to ask for some space for a syllabic approach from official haiku. Let them have their view. I think it is time for syllabic haijin to
raise their own standard and create their own spaces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins:
In conclusion, I would just like to say that I started out over a decade ago
writing haiku, and from the beginning, I composed them in traditional 5-7-5
form (or as close to it as I could get).
Over the years, my output has (d)evolved into numerous mutations and
variations, ranging from the two-liners found in ‘<i>Hitchcock Presents . . .’</i> to the various ‘eyeku’ that will be
collected in small flowers crack concrete; from the full-blown binary
abstraction of <i>‘2001: A Space Haiku’</i>
to the 18 to 22 syllable experiments found in the ‘Outlaw Haiku’ section of my
most recent chapbook, <i>In the Grip of
Sirens</i> (co-written with Robin Tilley).
Still, I much prefer the work I’ve done in the 5-7-5 pattern, and these
days I’m utilizing it almost exclusively again.
It’s not for everybody, true; but as I’ve hopefully made clear, it has
its benefits in this day and age.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim: Interesting journey. I’ve already spoken of my journey from free
verse to syllabic haiku. What both of us
have found is that there is something profoundly satisfying in composing in
5-7-5. I believe that it has to do with
connecting with the tradition. As Clark
Strand noted, when you count syllables, 5-7-5, on your fingers you are one with
the mind of Basho and all the other haijin of the tradition. Just as Basho counted syllables on his
fingers, so also today’s syllabic haijin count syllables on their fingers. There is an embodied unity that is shared
across time and cultures. Remarkable and
nourishing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins: I guess it’s as someone once noted: I tend to
stress traditional form over traditional subject matter. Then again, maybe I’m still just a
schoolchild and unknowing beginner; but I don’t think so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim: I see Watkins as connecting with the beauty
of form itself. This is the key to
comprehending the function of closed forms in poetry. Free verse haijin are form deaf. The thing is, though, that form itself is an
aspect of both the meaning and beauty of haiku.
That is what 5-7-5 is about and that is why it remains appealing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653661529565335527.post-34566222364073984372015-10-07T07:32:00.001-07:002015-10-07T07:32:53.715-07:00Finding a Place for Formal Haiku: Part 1<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Finding
a Place for Formal Haiku<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Part 1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
2007 the online poetry zine, Lynx, edited by Jane Reichhold, published an essay
by R. W. Watkins called ‘Dial 5-7-5 for Classicism: In Defense of the
Seventeen-Syllable Haiku’. </span><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 14pt;">I
think it is an insightful essay on the place of syllabic haiku in English and
its relationship to free verse haiku.</span><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 14pt;">I
read it recently and it is my feeling that some things have changed in the
eight years since the essay was written.</span><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 14pt;">What I am going to do here is to repost the essay, with the permission
of Watkins, and add some running comments to update the situation for 2015 and
add my own perspective to Watkin’s observations.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
before going into the essay itself I want to note that the essay was published
by Jane Reichhold who is a free verse haijin.
I have been friends with Reichhold for decades and one of the truly
admirable qualities she has exhibited in her interactions with the ELH
community is a sense of spaciousness.
Though Reichhold herself does not endorse the views of this essay, and,
in addition, composes free verse haiku, she has no problem posting an
articulate defense of syllabic haiku. In
my personal relationship with Reichhold I have always found her to be
supportive of an individual poet’s leading.
In my own history I started out composing haiku in the manner of free
verse, the approach advocated by official haiku organizations. Gradually, I pulled away from this approach
and adopted a syllabic, 5-7-5, approach to ELH.
During my journey Reichhold has always been completely supportive of my
direction. Reichhold’s example has kept
me centered in my own ongoing, and ever changing, relationship to ELH. When I have felt frustrated with what seems
to me to be a kind of rigidity and dogmatism on the part of free verse haiku,
Reichhold’s example has kept me from becoming too extreme, kept me on course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
let’s move on now to the essay by Watkins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">DIAL
5-7-5 FOR CLASSICISM:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
Defense of the Seventeen-Syllable Haiku<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By R.
W. Watkins<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins:
Like it or lump it, we might as well face the truth: composers of haiku, tanka,
and other Japanese forms of verse are no longer considered poets by the
literary mainstream – if they ever truly were in the first place. Sadly, Japanese verse – like various classic
European closed forms, epigrams, rhyming light verse – is no longer regarded as
poetry by the editors and publishers from said mainstream. (More recently adopted Asian forms like
Korean sijo and Middle Eastern ghazal were delivered still born, being
considered as nothing more than non-poetic novelties or Oriental curios from
the outset.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim: Watkins
sets up a contrast between the ‘literary mainstream’ and those interested in
formal verse. This is a huge topic that
many have written about. But what I want
to note here is that I think for haiku this picture needs a little
modification. Norton recently published
an anthology edited by Jim Kacian, <i>Haiku
In English: The First Hundred Years</i>.
It would seem to me that this signals, at least to some extent, a kind
of official recognition. Norton preceded
Kacian’s anthology by including the haiku of Richard Wright in their fifth
edition of <i>The Norton Anthology of Poetry</i>
(see page 1502). The fifth edition will
be used in many college courses (that is one of the purposes of Norton
Anthologies), and the willingness of Norton to publish an anthology devoted entirely
to ELH would seem to me to indicate a slow shift in the direction of acceptance
of the form. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
Watkins is making, I think, a more general point; and that is the
marginalization of ‘closed forms’ from the mainstream by official poetry
organizations. It is worth noting that
Kacian’s anthology is dominated by free verse and avant-garde haiku. It is true that <i>Anthology of Poetry</i> features the syllabic haiku of Richard Wright,
which is a good balance. But I get the
feeling that mainstream poetry would not have even this modest interest if the
free verse haiku had not dominated official haiku organizations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
situation today for ELH is a contrast between what I call ‘Official Haiku’ and
what is going on outside of these official haiku organizations. I haven’t thought of a label for this much
larger region of ELH. Sometimes I think
of it as ‘blue collar haiku’; but that isn’t quite right. It isn’t exactly wrong because some of the
syllabic haiku are, in fact, written by ordinary blue collar types. But some syllabic haiku is written by more
dedicated poets like Haydn Carruth or Mary Jo Salter. So I have simply settled on the term
‘syllabic haiku’, implying that the composing of syllabic haiku takes place
outside of Official Haiku organizations.
‘Official Haiku’ is free verse haiku.
Syllabic haiku is written almost entirely outside of the Official Haiku
organizations. Syllabic haiku is a grass
roots movement in the sense that it is unsponsored. Syllabic haiku has no official organization
advocating for its point of view; unlike free verse haiku which has
organizations pushing its agenda such as the Haiku Society of America and the
journal Modern Haiku. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
larger point that Watkins makes, that closed forms are rejected by the literary
establishment, is still true today. It
is, perhaps, even stronger today. When I
go to poetry readings, for example, it is extremely rare to have a poet read
from a fixed form. And free verse poets
I know who have ventured into fixed forms have tended to lose their standing in
the local poetry community. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
situation, though, mimics what I have observed about the two realms of haiku
composition in the U.S. There are still
lots of poets writing sonnets and other closed forms; but by and large they are
not being acknowledged by official poetry organizations, University literary
departments or MFA programs, or published in literary journals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
observation is that poets who are attracted to closed forms have found a home
online. They have bypassed the official literary
organizations and structures; in fact they seem to ignore them completely. This is a change since Watkins published his
essay in 2007. There was a lot of online
poetry in 2007 (the essay was published online), but that has dramatically
increased in the following eight years.
Today someone interested in closed forms has numerous online poetry
communities to post their efforts. I
have observed on these sites that others admire their efforts and encourage
them. It is a very different atmosphere
from that found at the University. And I
think it is a good thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins:
The term ‘poetry’ in the North American, British and Irish contexts now refers
exclusively to free verse. Other forms
of verse are now seen as separate literary forms – or even separate artistic
entities – at best; at worst, they are now seen as pointless undertakings more
reminiscent of parlor tricks to be performed by clever children. The form which is the focus of this essay,
haiku, seems to be now interpreted as something more on par with Zen koans or
esoteric incantations than anything resembling poetry. Ironically, this comes at a time when
English-language haiku [ELH] subject matter suddenly seems limited only by the
human imagination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim: To
a significant extent Watkins is right about the place free verse holds in the
anglosphere. This is particularly true
at the University level. If a student is
interested in traditional metrics, or syllabics, in many Universities and MFA
programs it would be difficult for them to find a teacher to offer
guidance. I don’t want to exaggerate;
there are exceptions. Still, I would
argue, along with Watkins, that free verse is the norm among University English
Departments. And since most poetry
journals are sponsored by English Departments, this is reflected in the
dominance of free verse in poetry journals at this time. (A significant exception is the journal
‘Measure’, devoted to metrical poetry, sponsored by the University of
Evansville in Indiana.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I have
met countless poets who have never been introduced to how to compose closed
forms, to metrics, or any of the tools of the poetic trade. And this situation seems to be only growing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But,
again, it has been my observation that to understand the situation as a whole
we need to look beyond the official journals and MFA programs. In general, what I have found, is that there
is widespread interest in traditional approaches to poetry, but you won’t find
it in Official Poetry Program or journals.
Think of the Cowboy Poetry movement which has developed its own
organizations, journals, and published anthologies. Almost all of Cowboy Poetry is traditional
metrical verse. Cowboy Poetry has a wide
following, but you won’t find any of it in anthologies of modern verse that are
almost always sponsored by Universities.
I am suggesting that we are kind of blinded when we see the culture of
poetry only through the lens of official poetry. There is much more going on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">What
we are talking about is an elite poetic culture in contrast to a poetic culture
that does not participate in the elite structures. Modern free verse poetry has always been an
elitist undertaking. This was explicitly
stated in its early years when free poets rejected popular and magazine poetry and
set up a program that was against the popular understanding of what poetry
means. The creation of Poetry Chicago
Magazine was explicitly undertaken as a rejection of popular poetry. Modern free verse has often been welded to
ideologies that understand their mission as reforming or replacing traditional
culture. For Pound the ideology was
fascism; for Elliott traditional conservatism; for many contemporary free verse
advocates it is progressivism and/or radical feminism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
contrast, the non-elite do not view poetry through an ideological lens. The non-elite do not have an ideological ax
to grind. I would say that the non-elite
poets take a craft approach to their poetry.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, this view of poetry resembles
being a carpenter to shape wood, or being a baker, or gardener. The non-elite poet feels a delight in shaping
words into recognizable forms (sonnet, sestina, ghazal, haiku, cinquain,
etc.). This is not an ideological
approach just as baking bread is not an ideological undertaking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins:
True, the position of us Western haijins as poets has always been somewhat
vicarious, to say the least. We have
long been seen as extreme and eccentric inhabitants (even for poets) on the
social, cultural and geographic fringes of Western society: elderly Buddhists
and flaky New Agers who operate health food stores; ‘the last of the beatniks’
– aging former lovers of Snyder, di Prima, Ginsberg and Kerouac; wacky wiccan
women who dance naked through the woods with their 13-year old daughters in
celebration of the latter’s first menstrual cycle; middle aged male divorcees
who wander the windswept back streets, measuring out their lives with elm
growth and weather statistics; lonely young college boys and girls who have
never had a lover, and teeter on the brink of suicide, committal or convent life;
etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim: This
is hilarious! I love this kind of
writing; I’m not very good at it myself, but I love this kind of caricature and
editorial slash and burn. Fun, fun, fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Again,
though, I think it is worthwhile to look at this through the lens of the two
haiku cultures operating in ELH. There
is some truth in this hyperbole when looking at official haiku. But I don’t think it really applies to
non-official haiku, popular haiku.
Popular haiku often tells us about the life of the author in brief snapshots. Or the culture that the author comes
from. This non-elitist, popular haiku,
is down to earth and unpretentious.
Popular haiku may refer to a favorite bar, the trailer park they live
in, the sub-culture they occupy, or simply words of encouragement for the
difficulties of life. That is one of the
reasons why I like popular haiku; it is direct and unadorned and opens a door
onto another person’s life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watkins:
Yet in spite of our reputation for being anything but pretentious,
Atwood-imitating academics or politically correct, latte-slurping down<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">towners
(What’s the point of a smoke-free coffee shop or jazz joint anyway?), there was
always one thing we could count on: people knew the attributes of our craft. For the past 40 years or so, students as young
as at junior high level have known that haiku poets write a Japanese-derived
verse form that captures a moment of higher human awareness and is written in 3
lines of 5 syllables, 7 syllables and 5 syllables respectively. Whether or not the original Japanese
‘syllable’ count and configuration was actually the equivalent of the 5-7-5
pattern is irrelevant. What is important
is the fact that for approximately 40 years, 5-7-5 was our pattern, even if for
the past 25 years or thereabouts it has been so only in the minds of students
and the general public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jim: What
I find kind of amazing is the tenacity with which the 5-7-5 approach to haiku
has retained its centrality in the mind of the general public. This is openly acknowledged by official
haiku, and even briefly mentioned in <i>Haiku
in English</i> in Kacian’s essay on the history of haiku. It is a source of frustration for those who
affiliate with official haiku. I think
it is remarkable how widespread and strongly rooted the 5-7-5 shape is in
current ELH. Again, this is a grassroots
understanding. It is an understanding
which has taken root in spite of the hectoring efforts of official haiku. What I find surprising, and gratifying, is
that ordinary people retain this commitment to 5-7-5, post their creations
online, and publish their collections using print-on-demand technology without
really being bothered by the fact that official haiku trivializes their
efforts. Watkins feels, in 2007, that
syllabic haiku is being lost or undermined.
I understand why Watkins gets that impression. If you read Modern Haiku, or Frog Pond, you
would definitely feel that way. But in
the intervening eight years, my observation is that syllabic haiku is stronger
than ever. In some ways this resembles
the displacement of traditional news media by online news sources; including
specific news sites and operations like youtube. People do not need the officially sanctioned
news organizations and have simply drifted away to those online sources that
bring them actual news. Yes, I said it:
the traditional news media absolutely deserves its declining following. In a similar way, the official haiku
organizations that have issued their edicts on what constitutes real haiku, are
simply being bypassed. I doubt that most syllabic haijin even pay them any
mind. And why should they?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Part
2 to Follow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jim714http://www.blogger.com/profile/06135451195351824085noreply@blogger.com4