English Original
protest march
potbelly men
hold the line
Akitsu, Fall 2021
Adjei Agyei-Baah
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
抗議遊行
大肚腩男人們
堅守陣地
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
抗议游行
大肚腩男人们
坚守阵地
Bio Sketch
Adjei Agyei-Baah (June 29, 1977 -- December 18, 2023) was the co-founder of the Africa Haiku Network and The Mamba and author of afriku: haiku and Senryui from Ghana, 2016, Finding the Other Door, 2021 and Scaring Crow, 2022.
L1 sets the theme and tone while unexpected yet visually and emotionally "powerful" L3 makes this "protest" haiku fresh and effective, sparking the reader's emotions and reflection on what kind of reason is this group of potbelly men, who are, generally speaking, less active or energetic, protesting for? Which "sociopolitical" goal are they trying to achieve by "holding the line" firmly :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat's left unsaid is at least as potent as what's stated.
And it might be interesting to do a thematic comparison reading of the following "magic-realist-esque" haiku:
a police phalanx
moves backward
a black woman
Applause Please, 2020
Jack Galmitz