tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786207835641480928.post5405330852116935479..comments2024-03-28T12:59:41.910-04:00Comments on NeverEnding Story: Poetic Musings: Broken Moonlight Haiku by Judt ShrodeChen-ou Liu, 劉鎮歐http://www.blogger.com/profile/06235248170011255532noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786207835641480928.post-13244418742153144892018-02-20T06:26:13.316-05:002018-02-20T06:26:13.316-05:00Fascinating accounts by Chen-ou Liu and Carmen Ste...Fascinating accounts by Chen-ou Liu and Carmen Sterba. Perhaps one of the core driving aspects of writing haiku, or at least attempting to do so, is to be part of the same group that started in Japan, and its foremost haikai writers such as Basho; Buson; Issa; Chiyo-ni etc…<br /><br />I’ve seen so many times at first hand how general members of the public, not overly interested in poetry, and not knowing I was the actual author of the haiku on display, commented enthusiastically about the poems. In fact, at times I felt I was in a masterclass, where their interpretations, often as or more insightful than poets and even critics, reassured me that I had been successful in creating a poem, and that it had more than just a flat surface of meaning. I never revealed I was the author, but those overheard public conversations have continued to power me along as a poet.<br /><br />I do not think I am alone in this, that a lot of haiku writers are still interested in what we can give, or at least present, to the reader, so that they, the reader, are an equal, a 'co-poet', rather than a passive isolated anticipant. Sometimes poets 'overthink' and it can put off the general public, and it can pay to use the litmus paper test of displaying or reading in public. I've overheard or been told that people have been put off poetry as they either felt controlled (schools, colleges, even literary events in their various forms) and that haiku allowed them to be a reader, and a poet. I've felt haiku has often been an ambassador and a re-introduction to other poetry because of this. I wrote a piece touching on the reader-as-poet and poet-as-partner, which was published by the British Haiku Society's journal, then part of their website set of essays, and then later a longer piece was commissioned by the New Zealand Poetry Society. It has since been anthologised this year in "old song: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2017" ed. Jim Kacian and the Red Moon Press Editorial Staff (of which many years ago I served on its panel, helping to select the best haiku; haibun; essays etc... of each year around the world).<br /><br /> Haiku and The Reader as Second Verse by Alan Summers: http://area17.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/haiku-and-reader-as-second-verse-by.html<br /><br />I wonder what Judt Shrode experienced, was there broken glass amongst the moonlight, or an inexplicable noise or set of sounds she felt she had to quickly investigate. We have tiled floors so I can relate to a harsh coldness late at night if I haven’t grabbed some shoes. I see that the subtle alliteration actually ramps up and doesn’t detract from the tension. That also, the verb and adjectives, from stepping along with cold and broken, and the use of both assonance and consonance, pushes this haiku towards excellence, and perhaps sharing a common experience of a disturbing night. The very unresolvedness of it, a kind of negative space as well, makes the reader physically step into the poem to complete it.<br /><br />Alan Summers<br />President, United Haiku and Tanka Society<br />co-founder, Call of the Page Area 17https://www.blogger.com/profile/07472190637554124160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786207835641480928.post-32372466778254394582014-10-26T15:41:56.598-04:002014-10-26T15:41:56.598-04:00Dear Carmen Sterba:
"The reader is an import...Dear Carmen Sterba:<br /><br />"The reader is an important part of the success of a haiku"<br /><br />The sufficient condition for your statement above is that a haiku in question is a "half-finished" poem where there is space/dreaming room for the reader's (the co-author's) imagination.<br /><br />In the case of Judt Shrode's haiku whose textual framework and thematic concern similar to those of Buson's, I think John Stevenson's interpretation helps the reader to get a broader understanding of the poem.<br /><br />Thanks for sharing your insightful comment.<br /><br />And look forward to reading your work.<br /><br />Chen-ouChen-ou Liu, 劉鎮歐https://www.blogger.com/profile/06235248170011255532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786207835641480928.post-74342651723107007952014-10-26T14:47:28.745-04:002014-10-26T14:47:28.745-04:00Judt Shrode's haiku is one that she struggled ...Judt Shrode's haiku is one that she struggled with until she succeeded. Even though the form of haiku is brief, the most successful have layers of meaning. The reader is an important part of the success of a haiku. John Stevenson, as the judge, believed that 'cold floor' alluded to Buson's famous haiku, 'piercingly cold,' even though Judt did not associate her haiku with Buson's. Instead, her haiku stemmed from a chilling personal experience. However, this is an example of how many personal or cultural associations can be interpreted for one haiku. <br /><br />With Jim Westenhaver, Judt Shrode and I established Commencement Bay Haiku three years ago for haiku poets in the Tacoma area. Carmen Sterbahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05931961425684014587noreply@blogger.com