distant gunshots
a cloud of ravens
darkens the day
Body of Evidence: A Collection of Killer Ku, 2017
Chen-ou Liu
Commentary by Shay Buchanan: The imagery in this haiku is incredibly cinematic. It is a common trope in film to cut away from a death, especially via a gun with a loud shot, to a flock of birds flying away from the scene. This being ravens in this case is even more fitting. They often represent death, decay, and all things macabre. A flock of crows, of which ravens are a part of, is even called a murder, with ravens also more specifically having the collective nouns of “treachery”, “unkindness”, and “conspiracy”. So, even without saying “murder,” the author has implanted it into the minds of those who know that fact. And, finally there is the imagery of them darkening the day. A large flock of ravens may act like a black cloud, blocking out the sun as they fly away. That image paired with the gunshots of the presumed death in question give a sense of hopelessness and tragedy. It is a scene we as the reader are removed from, but one that hits us hard nonetheless.
