Friday, May 23, 2025

Poetic Musings: Sniper Haiku by LeRoy Gorman

in the sniper’s peripheral view sky

Body of Evidence, 2017

Leroy Gorman

Commentary: Grammatically speaking, this one-line haiku consists of only one phrase with no juxtaposition of its two parts; however, its shape is similar to that of a sniper's/professional killer's view: a straight line as s/he is focused on something. 

In addition, as a sniper typically hides on tope of a building or behind some other tall structure, the sky would be the only thing in the peripheral view.

Therefore, a tense moment is keenly captured in this sniper haiku, and what's left unsaid, such as who is the human target and why..., and what will come next are left to the reader's imagination and reflection.

And it might be interesting to do a thematic comparison reading of my haiku below:

the sun glints on his revolver a falling leaf

Modern Haiku, 44:3, Autumn 2013

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