Sunday, May 17, 2020

Butterfly Dream: Second Chance Haiku by Neal Whitman

English Original

no one
gives me a second chance
jury duty

Neal Whitman


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

沒有人
給我第二次的機會
擔任陪審的義務

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

没有人
给我第二次的机会
担任陪审的义务


Bio Sketch

Neal Whitman lives with his wife, Elaine, in Pacific Grove, California, where he is a docent at Point Pinos Lighthouse. Visitors who come there from near and far inspire him to write poetry that takes the “particular" to convey the “universal". Neal is Vice President of the United Haiku and Tanka Society.

1 comment:

  1. The unexpected yet ironically effective last line enhances the "hai" aspect of this jury haiku: being a juror, the speaker has the authority to give the defendant(s) a second chance in the cases involving minor offences. And the following poem works well as a sequel to Neal's haiku:

    jury room ...
    an airplane splits
    the winter sky

    NeverEnding Story, September 28, 2014

    Cynthia Gallaher

    ReplyDelete