English Original
exchanging glances
bonfire sparks
rise into the night
Fourth Australian Haiku Anthology, 2023
Ling Ge
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
交換眼神
篝火的火花
升入夜空
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
交换眼神
篝火的火花
升入夜空
Bio Sketch
Ling Ge studies creative writing and works as a statistician in Toronto. She is a graduate of The Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University. Her poems have appeared in Ribbons, Wales Haiku Journal, The Rising Phoenix Review, emerge 23, and are forthcoming in Pinhole Poetry.
L 1 establishes an intimate human connection, while Ls 2 & 3 expand outward toward the bonfire and the night sky. This upward physical movement beautifully mirrors the rising emotional tension or spark shared between the individuals.
ReplyDeleteBy using the present participle "exchanging" rather than the past tense "exchanged," the haiku captures a continuous, living moment that aligns perfectly with the ongoing ascent of the sparks.
Ultimately, the haiku succeeds by showing rather than telling; it completely avoids explicitly naming the emotion—whether romance, attraction, or passion—and allows the vivid central image to carry the weight of the feeling.