a dark side
to the memorial
fading light
renders all
soldiers unknown
Skylark, 4:1, summer 2016
Tim Gardiner
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
在紀念碑
陰暗的那一面
逐漸消失的陽光
使得士兵們的名字
難以辨認
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
在纪念碑
阴暗的那一面
逐渐消失的阳光
使得士兵们的名字
难以辨认
Bio Sketch
Dr
Tim Gardiner is an ecologist, poet and children's author from
Manningtree in Essex, UK. His haiku have been published in literary
magazines including Frogpond, Modern Haiku and The Heron's Nest. His first collection of poetry, Wilderness, was published by Brambleby Books in 2015. Tim's debut children's book, The Voyage of the Queen Bee, was published by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in 2016.
Tim’s tanka effectively builds, line by line, to a thematically significant and emotionally powerful ending that has the most weight and reveals the theme of anti-war. This sociopolitically conscious tanka sparks the reader's emotions and reflection on this important issue -- why we keep fighting wars.
ReplyDeleteIn Canada, November 11 is officially called Remembrance Day, but it is also known as Armistice Day and Poppy Day. I would like to share the following anti-war haibun written for Remembrance Day:
ReplyDeleteCollateral Damage
for Susan Sontag
white poppy
pinned to her son's first suit
Remembrance Day
Inside the top drawer of her husband's wooden desk, there is an old photo album. It starts with pictures of toy trucks, toy soldiers, toy tanks, and other delights of boys from the neighborhood playing in the sunlight. It ends with the picture of a new military cemetery with a row of white crosses in winter mist.
Kokako, 24, April 2016
Note: First introduced by British pacifists in 1926, the white poppy is used as a symbol of peace and worn as an alternative to (or complement to) the red poppy for Remembrance Day.