English Original
first trick or treat ...
the toddler reaches
for her mother’s face
Third Prize, 2005 The Betty Drevniok Award
Barry George
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
第一次不給糖就搗蛋 ...
蹣跚學步的孩子伸手去摸
她媽媽的臉
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
第一次不给糖就捣蛋 ...
蹒跚学步的孩子伸手去摸
她妈妈的脸
Bio Sketch
Barry George is the author of Wrecking Ball and Other Urban Haiku and The One That Flies Back, a tanka collection. A regular contributor to haiku and tanka journals, he has won numerous short-form competitions, including First Prize in the Gerald R. Brady Contest. He lives and teaches in Philadelphia.
L1 sets the theme and mood while unexpected yet visually and emotionally powerful twist/surprise ending in L3 makes this Halloween haiku fresh and heartwarming.
ReplyDeleteFor more about the use of a twist/surprise ending, see my "To the Lighthouse" post, "Twist/Surprise Ending," accessed at https://neverendingstoryhaikutanka.blogspot.com/2021/06/to-lighthouse-twistsurprise-ending.html