hurricane
the taste of rain
from a barrel
Third Prize, 2007 Porad haiku Award
Ernest J. Berry
Commentary: L1 sets the stage for a wide and rich range of emotions, including dread at the thought of one's house taking the brunt of a hurricane's winds or being damaged beyond repair by fast-moving floodwater, or even worse, of one's loved ones being injured. Then, just as these worries take over the periphery of the reader's thoughts, Ls 2&3, show something seemingly trivial, something that the narrator may taste everyday, but which today has a different flavor, a bit of a metallic edge to it, that the narrator hasn't sensed before.
What's left unsaid is at least as potent as what's said. This well-crafted haiku reminds me of the following remark by Bob Spiess: a multi-sensory haiku is likely a better haiku than others.
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