ceasefire news ...
Mother mutters as she draws
her last breath
Justice Joseph Prah
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
停火新聞 ...
當吞下最後一口氣時
母親口中喃喃不止
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
停火新闻...
当吞下最后一口气时
母亲口中喃喃不止
Bio Sketch
Justice Joseph Prah is a Ghanaian and a member of Africa Haiku Network and United Haiku Tanka Society. His haiku have appeared several times in Africa Haiku Mamba e-anthology, Mainichi Daily Haiku column, Haiku Masters webpage, Asahi Haikuist Network, Robert Epstein Haiku anthology on Animals Right, The Moon Takes Off Haiku and Senryu anthology, Brass Bell, Cattails, and Shambhala Times Community Magazines etc.
The poignant juxtaposition of a piece of sociopolitically significant news and the death of the speaker's woman makes what's left unsaid at least as potent as what's said.
ReplyDeleteAnd the well-chosen verb effectively adds emotional weight and psychological depth to the haiku.