gathering dusk
all the colored pencils
back in their cup
Second Place, 2017 Harold G. Henderson Awards
Michele Root-Bernstein
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
將近黃昏
所有的彩色鉛筆
都放回到杯子裡
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
将近黄昏
所有的彩色铅笔
都放回到杯子里
Bio Sketch
Michele Root-Bernstein appears in A New Resonance 6; the 2016 chapbook, Scent of the Past…Imperfect; Haiku 2014; Haiku 2016; and on three rocks in Ohio. She is co-author with Francine Banwarth of The Haiku Life, What We Learned as Editors of Frogpond and facilitator of a Michigan haiku study group.
With minimal brushstrokes (if we may mix artistic media) the poet beckons readers to imagine what the artist created with the colored pencils. The absence of an overt seasonal reference lets readers conjure scenes from any season: the first wildflowers in spring, an abundant summer meadow beneath blue sky and white clouds, the brilliance of autumn foliage, or the brightness of holiday lights and decorations. The artist/ poet has the utmost love and respect for the tools of the trade as, like a good shepherd, the flock is gathered safe and sound for the night. There we too await whatever artistic engagement tomorrow brings.
ReplyDelete-- excerpted from the Judge's commentary, accessed at http://www.hsa-haiku.org/hendersonawards/henderson-judges2017.htm