English Original
court summons—
I carefully fold it
into a crane
The Heron’s Nest, 28:2, June 2026
John Richard Stephens
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
法院傳票—
我小心翼翼地把它
折疊成一隻鶴
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
法院传票—
我小心翼翼地把它
折叠成一只鹤
Bio Sketch
John Richard Stephens has been an author for most of his life. His 25 published books are on various topics—mostly history and fiction anthologies—but so far none are on poetry. He enjoys the challenge of composing haiku, but also enjoys reading it. He lives on Maui in Hawaii but is preparing to return to Japan to study haiku, among other things. www.JohnRichardStephens.com
This haiku relies on a stark, powerful contrast between two opposing worlds:
ReplyDeleteThe summons in L1 represents bureaucracy, stress, rigid legal systems, and real-world trouble.
And
The paper crane in L3 represents peace, hope, delicate artistry, and the traditional Japanese symbol of healing and longevity.
Taking a cold, stressful document and transforming it into a delicate piece of origami creates an immediate, striking image. There is deep psychological depth packed into just nine words.
Furthermore, the adverb "carefully" does heavy lifting here. It shows that the speaker is not aggressively ripping or crumpling the paper in anger. Instead, the speaker is bringing deliberate focus, mindfulness, and calm control to a situation that is likely chaotic or upsetting. It is an "act of quiet defiance."