tomorrow still a house of knives
Bones, 1:1, December 2012
Alegria Imperial
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
明天還是滿屋子的刀
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
明天还是满屋子的刀
Bio Sketch
Alegria Imperial’s haiku for Haiku Foundation’s 2012 Haiku Competition was Commended in the traditional category. She has also won honorable mentions in the 2007 Vancouver Cherry Blossoms Festival Invitational Haiku and her tanka adjudged Excellent, 7th International Tanka Festival Competition 2012. Her poetry have been published in international journals, among them A Hundred Gourds, The Heron’s Nest, LYNX, Notes from the Gean, eucalypt and GUSTS. Formerly of Manila Philippines, she now lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Confronted with existential angst as subtly depicted in the opening words, especially in the well-chosen word, 'still,' the implied speaker's fear is heightened by the sharp image of a house of knives.
ReplyDeleteAnd read in the literary context of House of Knives that portrays the turbulent, and often violent, relationship between iconic French poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine, this allusive haiku carries metaphoric significance.
You can see House of Knives' trailer at http://vimeo.com/59922984.
ReplyDeleteThe film is produced by Poet in the City in partnership with University College London, and written by acclaimed poet and screenwriter David Harsent, House of Knives promotes the new Rimbaud and Verlaine Foundation at No 8 Royal College Street in Camden, once famously occupied by these two French poets.