Poetic Musings: New Leaf Haiku by Eric A. Lohman

turn of a new leaf over and over climate conference

 

Trash Panda, 5, 2023

Eric A. Lohman

Commentary: This climate haiku works effectively because it uses the monoku (one-line haiku) format to create a "looping" effect that perfectly mirrors its subject.

The opening phrase, "turn of a new leaf," is a classic idiom for change, but in the sociopolitical context of a "climate conference," it becomes literal (foliage/nature) and ironic (the lack of actual progress). And by placing "over and over" in the middle, the haiku creates a circular rhythm. The reader's eye repeats the phrase, mimicking the repetitive, cyclical nature of these conferences where the same promises are made and broken.

Furthermore, in a one-liner, the lack of stops allows the "leaf" to "turn" right into the "climate conference," suggesting that the rhetoric is just part of a spin cycle. This haiku captures a specific modern frustration—the performance of change vs. the reality of repetition.

And my vertical climate haiku below could be read as a narrative and thematic prequel to Eric A. Lohman's horizontal one-liner above:

climate

talk

after

talk

leaf

on

leaf

Scarlet Dragonfly Journal, May 12 2022

Chronological Shift:

The vertical haiku captures the agonizing, passive passage of time before or during the climate event. The horizontal one-liner captures the frantic, repetitive aftermath.

Escalation of Frustration:

The vertical structure isolates the word "talk" to show quiet disillusionment. The horizontal structure crams the words together to show overwhelming political fatigue.

Accumulation to Action:

The phrase, "Leaf on leaf" in the vertical haiku shows the physical pileup of unaddressed time. This accumulation directly triggers the manic, cyclic action of turning the leaf "over and over" in the horizontal one-liner.