Editor's Choice August 2009

sounding

the wind-chime

hailstones

André Surridge, New Zealand

Brevity is the soul of wit. So it is with haiku. And it is not so much the syllable count as the feeling or sense of brevity that counts. A haiku with more syllables can sometimes feel briefer than that with fewer syllables as it depends on other factors as well.

The haiku I have chosen for this issue is short both in terms of syllables and of the feeling or sense of brevity. It is so satisfying to encounter such a haiku which the author gives the impression that he or she has succeeded in creating a short haiku effortlessly, namely, without forced truncation or blindly following minimalist teachings. It went well for André Surridge. It happens.

The point about this haiku is the role reversal: instead of the wind-chime making a sound, the hailstones are doing it, even if it is quite possible that the wind accompanying the hail storm was also causing the usual wind-chime sound to be heard. For our attention is focused on the hailstones striking against the wind-chime.

Well, if we have both of these sounds, what a wonderful orchestration the nature and man have produced here!

Reading this haiku, one cannot help being reminded of Santoka’s haiku talking about hailstones striking against his iron begging bowl. When I suffered from depression millions of years ago I wrote a haiku in which I said I felt as if I was being punished hearing hailstones violently striking against my windowpanes. If I were to make a poor pun, the punishment was painful. I came out of my depression. Maybe it was some kind of enlightenment.

Many other more obvious things can be said for this haiku but I leave them to others. One thing I want to say though is that it is remarkable that this haiku has escaped a common trap of what I call a “template” haiku whereby ready-made boxes are provided for the three lines for anyone to fill in like filling in the tax return or some application form: plonk, plonk and plonk. These factory-made haiku for supermarket sales abound. When they are done with misconceived juxtaposition (which is in itself a misconception) the results are even more dismal. I do not know whether André Surridge is a seasoned haiku poet or a beginner. No matter. He did so well in this haiku and is to be congratulated!

My Ten Haiku

Introduction

The World Haiku Club has endeavoured to celebrate and demonstrate haiku poems of quality, newness and originality.

In this series of My Ten Haiku we ask poets to select by themselves, say, 20 to 50 haiku from among the numerous haiku poems which they have written all through their haiku life and which, without false modesty or show-off, they feel confident, happy and genuinely proud in the sense that they represent what they want to say in haiku and reflect what they believe to be the essence of haiku. We will narrow these to 10, hence My Ten Haiku.

It is hoped that these stringently selected ten will represent something by which the authors can be judged critically and emulated.

Poets are selected not according to the length of their haiku life, 'position' or fame in the world haiku community or even the number of their publications, but purely and simply according to the quality and merits of their poems. They are presented in alphabetical order. In this issue,

the featured poets are Origa (real name: Olga Hooper) and Pamela A. Babusci..

My Ten Haiku

By Origa (Pen name of Olga Hooper), USA

winter's end ...

the grape tendrils clutch

a bare twig

pills and bills ...

dragging footprints

from the mail box

first sunbeam

before love-making

your shyness

in the weathered field

a white egret stands alone

swaying with the wind

the old woman

sells me a bit of spring

for small change

autumn wedding --

the bride holds a little hand

of a grandson

afternoon heat --

the hose-sprayed puppy

shakes off a rainbow

sun through the pines ...

the perched raven has a look

of a philosopher

dark garden --

white belly of the moth

taps on the window

from a compost pile

a rising Morning Glory

catches sunbeam

Origa's bio

Origa is a pen name of Olga Hooper, a native of Siberia who now lives in Michigan, USA. She is a sumi-e artist and haiku poet, writes in Russian and English, and translates haikai poetry and related material. Twice a year, Origa holds an international bilingual haiku contest "Calico Cat” with her original sumi-e as prizes (it will be Tenth Calico Cat contest in October 2009). Her own works have been awarded in many international competitions (the most recent include: Grand Prix in the Genkissu! Spirits Up! 2008, Best haiku 2008 in Mainichi Daily News, Second prize in the Anita Sadler’s 2009 Award, etc.), and published in 10 countries in 12 languages. One of her haiku was translated into 44 languages by poets from around the world (http://origa.livejournal.com/68237.html?nc=390) In 2008, Origa’s haiga participated in the gallery exhibition "Issa and world fellows" in Giken Gallery, Tokyo. Her Live Journal is a bridge for intercultural communication for haiku and art lovers. Origa’s art is in collections in 19 countries, she illustrates magazines, exhibits in virtual and real (Michigan) galleries, and is one of the resident artists in Moonset, The newspaper. Her works have been published in Mainichi Daily News; Asahi Shimbun; Asahi Weekly; World Haiku Review; World Haiku Anthology (World Haiku Association, Japan); Simply Haiku; Hermitage: A Haiku Journal; Reeds: Contemporary Haiga; Dasoku; Yellow Moon; Frogpond; The Heron's Nest; Lishanu; LYNX; Modern Haiku; Haigaonline; Modern Haiga (online and in print anthology); Contemporary Haibun; Eucalypt: a tanka journal; Moonset: Literary Newspaper; South by Southeast; White Lotus; Among the Lilies (Anthology); and many others.

Origa's Live Journal: http://origa.livejournal.com/

Virtual galleries:

http://www.artwanted.com

http://www.yessy.com/origahaiku/

http://hiero.ru/Origa

http://graphic.org.ru/hooper

My Ten Haiku

By Pamela A. Babusci, USA

pouring tea

into a chipped cup...

loneliness returns

first yellow crocus

i release

my winter heart

plum viewing

i abandon

the moon

unrequited love...

ink bleeding profusely

on rice paper

appearing

disappearing

fireflies

clouds escape over the mountains leaving me the thunder

for his ashes...

blue moonlight

for the river

(In Memory of: William Higginson)

so lonely

i stir the wind chimes

evening rain

suspended dewdrops

on wild grasses

the moon sinks deeper

winter mountains

i lose myself

in whiteness

Pamela A. Babusci is an internationally award winning haiku, tanka, and haiga artist. Some of her awards include: Museum of Haiku Literature Award, International Tanka Splendor Awards, First Place Yellow Moon Competition (tanka category) Aust. First Place Kokako Tanka Competition (NZ) Basho Festival Haiku Contests (Japan), Honorable Mention Suruga Baika Literary Festival (Japan), and Joint 3rd prize for the 1st With Words International Online Haiku Competition. Pamela has illustrated several books, including: Full Moon Tide: The Best of Tanka Splendor Awards ,Taboo Haiku, Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka 2008 and the forthcoming haiku chapbook: Chasing The Sun. She was the logo artist for Haiku North America in NYC in 2003 and Haiku North America in Winston-Salem, NC in 2007. You can visit her solo exhibit listed under past shows at: www.threelightsgallery.com. She was the sponsor and judge for the First International Erotic Tanka Contest for 2008. Pamela has a deep desire to be creative on a daily basis, which feeds her spirit and soul and gives meaning to her life. Poetry and art have been an integral part of her existence since her early teen age years and will continue to be a driving force until she meets her creator