blossom wind
my sick wife holds my hand
tighter
Judge's Commentary:
A poignant moment; the wind takes the delicate blossoms which can no
longer hold on to their branches and the writer’s sick wife is perhaps
holding on to life and the lifeline of love. The middle line being the
longest also speaks effectively to that extension of the heart one feels
towards an ill loved one; as the hand is extended, we will love and
healing through it and wish them strength and recovery. That one word
“tighter” at the end delivers the emotional impact of bracing tight
against the illness, against the scattering of the blossoms with the
wind; the unvoiced desire to keep things stable. The blossoms provide a
stark contrast (life as usual outside with blossoms appearing on
schedule in spring) against the illness scene (sickness, pain, fear of
survival), while also highlighting the inner mechanics of both elements
in the juxtaposition (blossoms subject to the will of the wind, as
illness is subject to the alchemy of medical care and one’s health in
the healing process.)
Here is the link to my Haiku Invitational Interview with committee member, Michael Dylan Welch, accessed at https://www.vcbf.ca/meet-canada-haiku-invitational-winner-2020
ReplyDeletePoetry is here, just here. Something wrestling with how we live... something honest.--- Dionne Brand
It is not success or failure that matters but the struggle itself. The purpose of a writing life is the struggle, and a haiku poet’s salvation is based upon how well he or she handles the struggle.
-- Chen-ou Liu