a small girl ...
the shadows stroke
and stroke her
Maya, 1975
Michael McClintock
Commentary: This is one of the most disturbing haiku, by genre a haiku noir, I've ever read.
It explores a dark theme of "sexual abuse" by a group of people (as implied from the shadowS repeatedly strok[ing] a small girl).
Technically speaking, combined with visually and symbolically rich "shadows" (not explicitly men or people), the use of repetition, "stroke and stroke," not only enhances the poetic rhythm, but also adds emotional weight and psychological depth to the haiku.
What's left unsaid/what will come next is far more poignantly potent than what's stated in the haiku.
FYI: For more about haiku noir, see "To the Lighthouse: Haiku Noir"
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