crayon map
my son shows me the way
to Neverland
The Heron's Nest, XIV:1, March 2012
John McManus
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
彩繪地圖
兒子指示我一條路
到奇幻國度
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
彩绘地图
儿子指示我一条路
到奇幻国度
Bio Sketch
John McManus is a poet from Carlisle, Cumbria, England. His haiku and senryu have appeared in various journals all over the world and is the current expositions editor for the online haikai journal A Hundred Gourds. He currently works as a support worker for people with mental health issues. In his spare time he enjoys watching films, sharing poetry with friends and spending time with his family.
A fresh take on father-son haiku.
ReplyDeleteThe jux. of "crayon map" (real and cartographic) and Neverland (imaginative and literary) is thematically and emotionally effective.
And structurally speaking, L2 is well placed, confirming that "the child is the father
of the man."
Note:
"Neverland (also spelled Never Land or expanded as Never Never Land) featured in the works of J. M. Barrie and those based on them. It is the dwelling place of Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys and others. Although not all people in Neverland cease to age, its best known resident famously refused to grow up, and it is often used as a metaphor for eternal childhood (and childishness), immortality, and escapism. It was first introduced as "the Never Never Land" in the theatre play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by Scottish writer J. M. Barrie, first staged in 1904."