Comments on: 4th Sailing http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/2009/08/19/4th-sailing/ Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:47:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Carole MacRury http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/2009/08/19/4th-sailing/comment-page-8/#comment-905 Carole MacRury Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:30:52 +0000 http://thehaikufoundation.org/?p=4061#comment-905 Oh, and I didn't answer the question! "What is the purpose of our poetry? I can only speak for myself, but to me it's all about shared experience. I don't want to teach anyone anything, or make any political points, or save the world. I simply want company in this one-way walk through life. And the best company I can find are those people who, like me, recognize the fleetingness of this life and want to record with accuracy moments that honor both the darkness and the light without emotional manipulation. I tend to prefer haiku that pays homage to the seasons. That pretty much sums it up for me right now. I might add that by 'accurate', I mean as honest as possible, whilst still trying to retain the beauty of the english language and using it to best advantage. Carole Oh, and I didn’t answer the question! “What is the purpose of our poetry? I can only speak for myself, but to me it’s all about
shared experience. I don’t want to teach anyone anything, or make any political points, or save the world. I simply want company in this one-way walk through life. And the best company I can find are those people who, like me, recognize the fleetingness of this life and want to record with accuracy moments that honor both the darkness and the light without
emotional manipulation. I tend to prefer haiku that pays homage to the seasons. That pretty much sums it up for me right now. I might add that by ‘accurate’, I mean as honest as possible, whilst still trying to retain the beauty of the english language and using it to best advantage.

Carole

]]> By: Carole MacRury http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/2009/08/19/4th-sailing/comment-page-8/#comment-904 Carole MacRury Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:17:37 +0000 http://thehaikufoundation.org/?p=4061#comment-904 What is the Purpose of our Poetry? I had to read this twice, because the first time I actually interpreted it as pertaining to the purpose of writing. But the question is really about product, not practice. I enjoyed Peter's comment, “The best art, the best haiku whatever the subject, shines the brightest when it has come through the dark. For me, it’s not that it ‘comes through’ the darkness, but more a simple recognition that without darkness there would be no light. It’s about cycles, life and death. For instance, my appreciation for Michael McClintock’s haiku on poppies is felt only because I’m aware poppies have a season. For a moment I share the poet’s astonishment at such a massive blooming. I love the way this poem grows from an awareness of a single poppy to hills blowing with poppies. Then there is the old song ‘blowing in the wind’, and the significance of poppies and war memorials. So death is never far away from the brightest haiku. a poppy… a field of poppies! the hills blowing with poppies And then this dead cat haiku, also written by Michael McClintock, addresses the darkness directly by showing the cats vulnerability to the elements. The truth of this haiku is inescapable to me. I love cats but unfortunately we tend to outlive our pets. This cat exposes our own vulnerability, our own loss of control over our lives with the finality of death. I like being reminded of how short life is. How else to reap the most from those good moments? dead cat… open-mouthed to the pouring rain I just discovered this blog and I'm enjoying the questions and mulling over the many excellent responses. Carole What is the Purpose of our Poetry?

I had to read this twice, because the first time I actually interpreted it as pertaining to the purpose of writing. But the question is really about product, not practice.

I enjoyed Peter’s comment, “The best art, the best haiku whatever the subject, shines the brightest when it has come through the dark.

For me, it’s not that it ‘comes through’ the darkness, but more a simple recognition that without darkness there would be no light. It’s about cycles, life and death. For instance, my appreciation for Michael McClintock’s haiku on poppies is felt only because I’m aware poppies have a season. For a moment I share the poet’s astonishment at such a massive blooming. I love the way this poem grows from an awareness of a single poppy to hills blowing with poppies. Then there is the old song ‘blowing in the wind’, and the significance of poppies and war memorials. So death is never far away from the brightest haiku.

a poppy…
a field of poppies!
the hills blowing with poppies

And then this dead cat haiku, also written by Michael McClintock, addresses the darkness directly by showing the cats vulnerability to the elements. The truth of this haiku is inescapable to me. I love cats but unfortunately we tend to outlive our pets. This cat exposes our own vulnerability, our own loss of control over our lives with the finality of death. I like being reminded of how short life is. How else to reap the most from those good moments?

dead cat…
open-mouthed
to the pouring rain

I just discovered this blog and I’m enjoying the questions and mulling over the many excellent responses.

Carole

]]> By: Merrill Ann Gonzales http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/2009/08/19/4th-sailing/comment-page-7/#comment-851 Merrill Ann Gonzales Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:53:14 +0000 http://thehaikufoundation.org/?p=4061#comment-851 TYPO: source....not sourse....Oh, My...I can see it's time to slow down. I was out by Whetstone Brook this morning and I think my mind is still flying in the sky with that hawk that was following me. What a joy that was. How do I bring my mind back in here to type bird tracks across a page? TYPO: source….not sourse….Oh, My…I can see it’s time to slow down. I was out by Whetstone Brook this morning and I think my mind is still flying in the sky with that hawk that was following me. What a joy that was. How do I bring my mind back in here to type bird tracks across a page?

]]> By: Merrill Ann Gonzales http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/2009/08/19/4th-sailing/comment-page-7/#comment-850 Merrill Ann Gonzales Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:50:59 +0000 http://thehaikufoundation.org/?p=4061#comment-850 P.S. #1) Charles did not know what my point was when I submitted them. So that had no bearing on his choice. #2) TYPO: The word is "invective" not "invections" Sometimes my fingers type jokes to me! P.S. #1) Charles did not know what my point was when I submitted them. So that had no bearing on his choice.
#2) TYPO: The word is “invective” not “invections” Sometimes my fingers type jokes to me!

]]> By: Merrill Ann Gonzales http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/2009/08/19/4th-sailing/comment-page-7/#comment-849 Merrill Ann Gonzales Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:46:56 +0000 http://thehaikufoundation.org/?p=4061#comment-849 Scott: Regarding war poetry. I tested my proposition to you that only those people who are engaged in war can write about war and if haiku poets are given the subject of war to write about they will only get a whole lot of drivel. Of course, I was reading how Michael Dylan Welch, brought out how there are thousands and thousands of journals in Japan...and perhaps their purpose is to allow haiku of all degrees to be published and from that experience, to learn. But I went out one night when the cicadas were really vociforous and I was overcome with their cries...cries/prayer/invections...and went in and wrote my series of "war haiku" (if you can call them that.) I just kept writing as long as they came to me. I wrote them down in every form they appeared to me. I held them up a couple of days and went back to them, and they still spoke to me. So I decided to submit them to Charles Trumbull of Modern Haiku...(I figured he had the critical ability to spot anything that might be good in the group) I knew he would give his unvarnished opinion. And he proved my point. The only poem he found worthy to accept was one that had to do with my own BEING. It will be published in Issue 41.1 (winter/spring 2010) MODERN HAIKU. I just had to know for myself. I just had to cut through all the shoulda/coulda/woulda to the essential haiku. And I found it was in my own being. In our sourse is our truth and the right path. I am so glad you challenged us with this one. Wrestling with what "might have been" was such a valuable lesson for me. In gratitude, Merrill Scott: Regarding war poetry. I tested my proposition to you that only those people who are engaged in war can write about war and if haiku poets are given the subject of war to write about they will only get a whole lot of drivel. Of course, I was reading how Michael Dylan Welch, brought out how there are thousands and thousands of journals in Japan…and perhaps their purpose is to allow haiku of all degrees to be published and from that experience, to learn.
But I went out one night when the cicadas were really vociforous and I was overcome with their cries…cries/prayer/invections…and went in and wrote my series of “war haiku” (if you can call them that.) I just kept writing as long as they came to me. I wrote them down in every form they appeared to me. I held them up a couple of days and went back to them, and they still spoke to me. So I decided to submit them to Charles Trumbull of Modern Haiku…(I figured he had the critical ability to spot anything that might be good in the group) I knew he would give his unvarnished opinion. And he proved my point. The only poem he found worthy to accept was one that had to do with my own BEING. It will be published in Issue 41.1 (winter/spring 2010) MODERN HAIKU.
I just had to know for myself. I just had to cut through all the shoulda/coulda/woulda to the essential haiku. And I found it was in my own being. In our sourse is our truth and the right path.
I am so glad you challenged us with this one. Wrestling with what “might have been” was such a valuable lesson for me.
In gratitude, Merrill

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