Cor van den Heuvel's Baseball Haiku
Throughout Global Haiku class, there have been many authors that have stood out to me. I went from knowing nothing about haiku to learning so much about it and also creating haiku. After reading The Haiku Anthology, I was drawn to one particular author, Cor van den Heuvel. Van den Heuvel was born in 1931 in Biddeford, Maine. He began his haiku writing career in 1959 after being exposed to the art in San Francisco just a year before (“American Haiku Archives”). Since then, he has published many haiku and has also been an editor for a few books as well. Not only is an author of haiku, but was also a baseball player. He played for a sandlot team called the Comets in the 1940s in Dover, New Hampshire (Van den Heuvel and Tamura, 12). With his experience playing the game, he wrote haiku about baseball.
When I first read some of van den Heuvel’s haiku about baseball in the The Haiku Anthology, I was surprised that baseball haiku existed honestly. My initial thought about what haiku could be about ranged anywhere from nature, family, romance, grieving of a loved one, etc. I did not realize that haiku could use baseball as inspiration. I grew up playing the game of baseball and softball. I was around it a lot as a kid since my grandpa encourage my siblings and I to get into the game. I fell in love with it which is why I continue to play softball today. I doubted at first that haiku could successfully capture the overall essence of baseball. There is so many things that go on in baseball and many different words or actions that some people don’t understand if they are not in the sport. I thought that baseball haiku would only capture just the surface of the game, if even that. Can a short poem actually take all that baseball has to offer and successfully transfer its message to readers? That is the question that I was answering for myself when I read Baseball Haiku and saw many haiku and many different authors do just that. Including Cor van den Heuvel, whose haiku makes me think I am watching a baseball game and not just reading haiku. Throughout this essay I will give my readings of some his haiku which will hopefully show that how specific and accurate his haiku is to the game of baseball.
first warm day
fitting my fingers into the mitt
pounding the pocket
Van den Heuvel, Baseball Haiku, 12
Van den Heuvel sets the scene of this haiku with the first line. Saying it’s the first warm day makes me think of the transition of winter to spring. Baseball is not played in the winter for the most part unless it’s in the south since its warmer or it’s played indoors up north to avoid the cold. I know for me, that moment it is warm enough to go outside and play some catch, I am going to do it the first chance I get. I like the way van den Heuvel uses this first line to show his eagerness in getting to play some baseball. Other words could have been chosen, like something generally about the time of spring, but it is the urgency of the very first day that makes it special. It shows the passion van den Heuvel has for the game by him not wanting to wait another day to get it started again. Moving onto the final two lines of the haiku, the rest of it is the action that is going on. A clear image was made in my mind about this haiku. What I picture is van den Heuvel, as a younger boy, getting his glove out from storage and putting it on. If a glove is not used in a while it will become stiff and hard to move. Despite a glove not being broken in or the condition it was before it was put away for the winter, the glove will always still fit the owner’s hand. Though it is stiff and needs some work, it is that athlete’s glove and nothing feels better than knowing it’s a perfect fit even after time away from it. I think it is important that van den Heuvel captures this essence in this haiku because a baseball players glove is extremely important to each and every player. Lastly, I like the action that is capture by it saying: “pounding the pocket” in the last line. The choice of the word pounding is extremely accurate, trying to get rid of the stiffness of the glove. I also picture dust flying up with each pound of the glove since it has been some time since it’s been used. I loved how van den Heuvel captured so many different aspects of the game that people might overlook in a way that was simple and to the point.
under the lights
hitting it out of the park
and into the night
Van den Heuvel, Baseball Haiku, 16
I think this haiku sets the scene very well with the first line. For me, I picture a warm summer night and I can see the field lit up by all the lights surrounding it. It seems like it is daytime on the field and night time everywhere else. In the last two lines, I at first read it thinking that a batter had just crushed a ball that was going to go over the fence and you could not even see it travel over the fence because it was engulfed into the dark night. I just imagine someone’s strong power that they had to hit the ball that distance. Also, I think the lines support my initial thought that the ballpark is lit up in such a way that it is completely drastic compared to the rest of the surroundings. I think that helps set the time of day which this haiku is set in, not just in the evening, but really late because of how dark it is. This reading was what came to my mind the first time I read it. I looked it over several more times and my reading changed a little just because of some uncertainty I have with what was going on. I still see the drastic difference of the light versus dark, but what I began to question was if the ball was hit in such a way that it was a homerun or if I simply just jumped to that conclusion too fast. It could have happened where the ball was hit so high it went over the height of the lights and could no longer be seen, but it not necessarily left the park for good but just temporary. Or possibly, that a batter hit a foul ball which went over the sides of the park and was taken into the darkness. I feel like most people would have the same conclusion I did with the first reading, that it was a homerun ball that was hit. But it could very well be that there in fact is a different meaning to Van den Heuvel and the haiku is not as simply as some may portray it to be. Either way, I enjoy this haiku because of the imagery it creates with light and darkness all while letting the reader point the own image in their mind to what is happening.
dispute at second base
the catcher lets some dirt
run through his fingers
Van den Heuvel, Baseball Haiku, 17
Close calls happen quite often in the game of baseball. Umpires have the same eyes we do, they can’t always tell what got to the base first: the ball or the runner. The margin for error in the game is large, so the odds of an umpire making the wrong call on a close play is extremely possibly. Knowing that this happens in baseball I think it important with this haiku. Van den Heuvel explains what is going on in a game of baseball. Some close play just occurred at second, which I imagine was someone was stealing second base, and the umpire made a call that one of the coaches did not like so they are arguing over it now. With the context of the haiku, I read it as the coach of the catcher that is mentioned in the second line, going out to argue the call that was just made. I think it is the catcher’s coach arguing because I think van den Heuvel would have made the last two lines about the runner if the call did not go the way that the runner’s team wanted. To continue off my idea that it’s the catcher’s coach arguing at second over the call, I think it is important to then note the catcher’s actions that van den Heuvel describes in the rest of the haiku. The catcher is not storming out to second base to argue the call trying to get the umpire to change the call, but rather he is hanging back and letting the dispute unfold itself. It makes me wonder what this is supposed to say about the catcher. Possibly that the catcher knows the runner was safe and does not want to argue a call he agrees with. Or, on the other hand, the catcher may disagree with the call but realizes that umpires just call it how they see it and stolen bases are something that occur within the game of baseball. Either way, the catcher clearly wants nothing to do with the dispute as he is just passing the time with the dirt in his hands. I like how van den Heuvel made the imagery of this haiku very clear yet there are quite a few questions about what specifically is going on and what exactly is going through the catcher’s head in this moment. It creates an open-ended thought for the reader to come up with their own answers to the questions and I enjoy that about this haiku.
the batter checks
the placement of his feet
“Strike One!”
Van den Heuvel, Baseball Haiku, 18
With this haiku, I felt like I was in the middle of the game that was going on. I did not feel like I was merely just watching from the stands but rather that I was right next to the batter as he was up at the plate. I imagine being able to watch the batter’s eyes move from the pitcher down to his feet and seeing where he was at in the box. What I can’t quite interpret from this haiku is the timing of which it is taking place in the game. It seems that van den Heuvel is leaving this haiku up to the reader to decide when and how it is exactly taking place. There are two main ways that I interpret this haiku. First, I read the haiku in a chronological order as it is happening. The batter is stepping up to the plate and making sure his feet are in the spot they are normally in when going up to bat. Once he does that, he his gaze goes towards the pitcher to the ball coming at him and the baseball zooms by. That is when the umpire makes the call that it is a strike. Another way I read this is that the batter actually was just prepared or ready for the pitch to come yet. I almost picture the batter stepping into the box, moving around the dirt, trying to get it to feel comfortable to hit the ball. But while he is so focused on his foot placement, he hears the umpire call “Strike One!”. I could debate in this reading that the batter was oblivious to the pitch and his mind was simply not focused yet, or that the pitcher purposely quick pitched in to not give the batter a chance to get set and ready. With either reading, I like how van den Heuvel captured a moment in baseball that happens quite often. It is simple and to the point, which then gives the reader the chance to interpret and go deeper into actually what was occurring and try to get in the mind of the batter and see what he was thinking during the pitch.
the ball sky-high
as the crack of the bat
reaches the outfield
Van den Heuvel, Baseball Haiku, 18
I like this haiku because I think it focuses on the illusion of time and speed without just plainly describing it. The first line gives the reader the location of the ball, high up in the clouds. I like how van den Heuvel describes the location of the ball in this way because it clearly emphasizes that the ball was not just poked by the batter but rather crushed because it was hit so high. I think van den Heuvel uses the next two lines to describe the time, speed, and force of the ball. I imagine the ball floating right next to the clouds, and then the sounds come a few seconds after it. Since the ball was already so high up in the air, the ball had to have so much force on it that it got up there quicker than sound can travel. It is a bit of an exaggeration, but it feels like this sometimes does happen in baseball. Standing in the outfield when the ball is hit, and you can see it reach its peak towards the sky before the sound of the bat from home plate even makes it to you. I love how the speed of noise and the baseball is compared in this haiku. By comparing it, it gives the reader a vivid image of the exaggeration of how high the ball was truly hit. Another aspect I like about this haiku is the word choice. In many of his haiku, I think van den Heuvel chooses words that describe baseball perfectly. In this haiku specifically, I think the choice of the word “crack” adds to the descriptiveness of the haiku. By using this word, I think it adds to the force and power the ball when it was hit to be essentially faster than the speed of sound.
conference on the mound
the pitcher looks down
at the ball in his hand
Van den Heuvel, Baseball Haiku, 19
This haiku, for me specifically, hits well on two main topics: disappoint and defeat. My initial thought of this haiku brought me straight into the mind of the pitcher. When a conference happens with the pitcher on the mound, you know that the game is not going in favor of the team on defense. The pitcher has such a crucial job in the game because if they do not perform well, then that gives the other team to take advantage to take the lead. Speaking from personal experience, I felt like I was letting people down if I did not pitch well. I felt disappointed in myself but also felt like my teammates, coaches, and fans were disappointed in me as well. I know now that is not the case, people are human and cannot reach perfection no matter how hard they try. I also feel like this haiku captures the idea of defeat in a time like this. The response of the pitcher in the haiku shows that he is discouraged and possibly questioning if he can do better when just staring at the ball in his hand. Going off of the topics of disappointment and defeat, I feel that this haiku has a deeper meaning than just it being relatable to haiku. If someone is struggling and feels defeated, no matter what it may be in life, they always have support through friends and family that will back them up and continue to go through the fight with them. Just like a team will never leave the field if the pitcher starts doing bad, a person’s community won’t leave them when time is rough. They will help the person that feels defeated and help them out of a rough time. If someone does not have people in their lives to be those teammates defending you in the field, then going through trials will be tough because they will be going at it alone. This haiku, as many others of van den Heuvel, I think can be read in a deeper way that applies to more in life than just baseball.
perfect game, end of seven
in the dugout the pitcher
sits alone
Van den Heuvel, Baseball Haiku, 24
Without knowledge of the game of baseball, some readers may not fully understand the meaning of this haiku in terms of the game. If a pitcher has a perfect game going, no one on the team is supposed to talk with them, but rather leave them completely alone. They should not encourage the great job the pitcher is doing or give him praise for it because some believe that will jinx the perfect game and the pitcher will lose it. If someone does mention something, the team will get on them about it especially if the pitcher then loses the perfect game. Achieving a perfect game is an amazing accomplishment for pitchers. It means that the other team has gotten no hits, and that the pitcher has given up no walks are free bases. Throwing 9 seamless perfect innings is extremely difficult and it happens rarely. I imagine the thoughts going through the pitcher’s mind in the haiku. He knows why his teammates aren’t talking to him and he knows the achievement he is trying to work towards. I can just imagine himself to stop thinking about the perfect game, yet that is all he is thinking about. This haiku leaves in anticipation in what happens next. After reading it I wanted to turn the page to the next haiku and get the answer of what resulted in the game. Did the pitcher finish his perfect game? Did he choke? Did one of his teammates make an error costing him the perfect game? So many questions ran through my mind after reading it. The haiku ended as a cliff-hanger for me and I think that is the thing that makes it such a great haiku and stand out from others. No one knows what happened after the fact besides van den Heuvel and I found that he uses this strategy in quite a few of his haiku.
the catcher cocks his arm
halfway to third, the runner
— hesitates
Van den Heuvel, Baseball Haiku, 26
This haiku is similar to the last one I discussed because of the strategy that van den Heuvel used by making the haiku a cliff hanger and up to interpretation to the reader. When I read this haiku, I can a vivid image in my mind of the play going on. My focus first turns to the catcher with the cocked arm. I imagine him moving so fast that the moment he catches the ball, he somehow is in the position to throw. After I picture this, I then picture it like a freeze frame and the play is in the middle of occurring but paused for a moment. I then can see the runner have a look of uncertainty in his eyes as he is trying to decide whether or not to keep going to third, or possibly make his way back into second. I like the simplicity of this haiku because it lets the reader fill in the gaps of the specific details of what is occurring. Again, like I mentioned in the last haiku, van den Heuvel leaves the reader with a cliff hanger. There is more to be said about the play happening and the end result of it, but van den Heuvel chooses to again leave it in a way that lets the reader’s imagination take over. In addition, with this haiku I like the word and punctuation choice. The word “cocks” is a great choice here because I think it helps paint the image better of what is being described. If another word was used in place of this I think it would have a lesser effect to the haiku. Lastly, I like how the last line is tabbed and a hyphen is used. While reading the haiku, I hesitated from the second to last line. I like how van den Heuvel took the word hesitating in the last line and actually made the reader hesitate in this specific haiku. I think it explains more how the runner in the haiku hesitated and how that little time can affect what goes on next.
pitcher and catcher
head for the dugout
the batter stares at his bat
Van den Heuvel, Baseball Haiku, 26
After reading this haiku, I was not sure if it made me feel happy or sad. At first, after reading the first two lines, I was trying to figure out what exactly was going on. A few thoughts ran through my mind including if the pair had just completed warming up, if they finished an inning, or maybe they both are just arriving to the game. It then became clear with the last line that the two had just completed an inning with a strike out. My first thought was that it was a happy feeling because the pitcher and catcher did their job and got the batter out. After digging deeper into it though, I then was confused about how I felt about it because the batter was just left there staring at his bat. A few questions race through my mind like if he struck out swinging, struck out looking, or maybe there was another factor to why he was upset. It is possible a scout was looking at him and he did not perform his best, or he needed to get a hit for his team to give them the lead. There is so many different options to why the batter was left there at the plate disappointed in himself, but I felt guilty for feeling happy at first. I know that feeling of a strike out and it is not a good one. The other team is happy for it though because by you striking out, then nothing good could result from it. I think this haiku brings up the point of how in baseball we celebrate other people’s failures. Whether it this instance when a person strikes out, or if a defensive player makes the error, the other team is happy for it because it benefits them, and they did not even have to do anything to make the person mess up. Another point that I want to bring up about this haiku is that the batter is left there staring at his bat. It almost seems like he is astonished about what just happened to the point he doesn’t even move. That feeling of astonishment happens in life and I think it is captured very well in this example. Not everything will go the way someone wants it to and I think this haiku shows that.
Works Cited
“American Haiku Archives.” American Haiku Archives Honorary Curator Cor van den Heuvel, 2017, www.americanhaikuarchives.org/curators/CoVanDenHeuvel.html
Van den Heuvel, Cor, and Nanae Tamura. Baseball Haiku. Norton, W.W., and Co., 2007.
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