half moon --
a white face stands out
in Harlem
Simply Haiku, 7:3, Fall 2009
Dick Whyte
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
半月 --
在紐約哈林一個白臉
脫穎而出
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
半月 --
在纽约哈林一个白脸
脱颖而出
Bio Sketch
Dick Whyte is an artist from Wellington, New Zealand, who works in a wide range of media (video, music, poetry, visual art, sculpture). He has been writing haiku (and related forms) for the past 6 years, and is the co-editor of Haiku News, a poetry journal dedicated haiku, tanka, senryu and kyoka that engages with sociopolitical issues and themes.
Denotatively speaking, this haiku is a poem about Harlem, known as a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. It is characterized by its implied contrasts in the line (L1; visible vs invisible) and between the lines ("white" vs "black").
ReplyDeleteConnotatively speaking, this haiku reveals the poet's dualistic thinking in regard to the politics/poetics of visibility.
Note: Below is excerpted from the Wikipedia entry, Harlem:
"Harlem is a large neighborhood within the northern section of the New York City borough of Manhattan. Since the 1920s, Harlem has been known as a major African-American residential, cultural and business center.
Since New York City's revival in the late 20th century, Harlem has been experiencing social and economic gentrification. However, Harlem still suffers from many social problems. Large portions of the population receive a form of income support from the government—with West, Central, and East Harlem respectively at 34.9%, 43.3%, and 46.5% of the population.[8]"