One Hundred Twentieth Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary
after vincent tripi who wrote this famous transcendentalist haiku:
with me the same cloud out of the covered bridge (Haiku Anthology, p227)
with Trump the same virus out of Marine One
FYI: He soon tweeted a minute-long video from the balcony, saying he'd "learned so much about coronavirus" and believes he might be immune to it. CBS News, October 6
One Hundred Twenty-First Entry
written after Facebook removed Donald Trump's Tuesday post in which he falsely claimed coronavirus can be less deadly than the seasonal flu.
an army of workers
in hazmat suits
cleaning the White House --
at misty twilight the virus
creeps into the Pentagon
FYI: The top U.S. general, Gen. Mark Milley, and several members of the Pentagon's senior leadership are quarantining after a top Coast Guard official tested positive for coronavirus, several US defence officials tell CNN -- CTV News, October 6
Added: One Hundred Twenty-Second Entry
written after this [so-called] most important vice presidential debate (in the time of Coronavirus) in American history
vice presidential debate
two adults argue back and forth
and they even ... smile
This opening haiku by Tripi is a wonderful example of his transcendental style. It gives us an image of a person going for a walk on a beautiful day, all alone except for one cloud in the sky. The cloud follows the walker, until he or she goes into a covered bridge, and the cloud disappears. However, when coming out of the covered bridge, there again is the cloud, like a faithful friend. Although the cloud may just be a suspended collection of water molecules, Tripi sees it as a creature tied even to a complex human being. He creates a bond between the walker and the cloud.
ReplyDeleteTripi also uses powerful imagery in this haiku, and imparts an emotion of happiness and calm. With the one cloud, we get a warm feeling of the blue sky surrounding us. Everything feels perfectly in its place in the universe, and life seems simple on a day for a walk. The haiku is also very effective with its structure placed in one line. Usually haiku with one line do not appeal to me as much as others, but the structure of this one helps to reinforce its unique image. It portrays a linear movement, walking across a bridge, and in the moment without the cloud while the narrator is under the bridge, there is a space, then words appear out of the bridge again.
-- excerpted from "Kay Millikin on Vincent Tripi's Haiku," accessed at http://performance.millikin.edu/haiku/writerprofiles/KayMillikinOnTripi.html
Below is a senryu written in response to the 122nd entry:
ReplyDeletethe spotlight's glare
on the Vice President's head
a fly
Chen-ou Liu
A Kyoka Version:
Deletefor Kobayashi Issa (who wrote the famous "don't kill that fly" haiku)
"the most important
vice presidential debate ..."
a fly rests
on the Vice President's head
in the spotlight's glare
election hype
ReplyDeletestill lauding fools
as if they are gods
a flock of crows
Deletein the gathering dusk
a Trump fan yells
"big win, big victory"
until he convinces himself