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Geert Verbeke's Thimble-full of Haiku
In the introduction to his haiku collection entitled Rain (2005), Geert Verbeke addresses his readers with a quirky piece of wisdom: "Dear Kuyu (haiku lover), [a] haiku is a thimble, that I try to fill up without spilling!" (page 5) With this sentence, an idea of this author's haiku-writing philosophy is already quite clear: Verbeke values lighthearted, concise—yet meaningful—haiku. With this notion in mind, an exploration of this Belgian author's haiku, senryu, and haibun will provide an eclectic sort of perspective to the Japanese art of haiku.
Verbeke's haiku, generally speaking, tend to fall into three categories: witty and raunchy, light and jovial, or traditional and timeless. In fact, Verbeke's own definition of haiku aligns with this suggest. In the introduction to Rain, he tells his readers that "haiku are objective, image-centered and 'one-breath' poems, often brimming with childlike wonder, this quality often merely camouflages its deeply rooted aesthetic principles" (5). In his haibun collection, Jokerman: Haibun about Playing Cards (2005), he declares: "Do you care for meditative and contemplative points of view in which humour is not overlooked? You will find your little piece of candy!" (5-6). Regardless of the unique categories found in Verbeke's writing, a few overarching principles seem prevalent throughout his work. These principles, as defined by Eric W. Amann in The Wordless Poem: A Study of Zen in Haiku (1978), include wordlessness, and suchness.
First, let us look at a few examples of Verbeke's "witty and raunchy" haiku. From Rain (2005) comes one haiku which wryly compares to an old Bashô favorite:
hotel 'Old pond'
frog's legs
and mineral water
Geert Verbeke, Rain 84
old pond...
a frog leaps in
and a splash
Matsuo Bashô
Clearly, Verbeke's intent with this haiku was to allude to Bashô's most acclaimed verse. The original "old pond" haiku is simplistic, nature-oriented, and timeless. In stark contrast, Verbeke's haiku brings the old verse into a modern setting—but this time, the frog is the main dish at a hotel restaurant, served aside machine-processed bottled water. While the juxtaposition of the two is a rather sad criticism of modern society, the message is still approached with a wry sense of humor. Clearly, this witty style is the cornerstone of Verbeke's haiku writing.
Another "witty and raunchy" work by Verbeke is a haibun from his collection Jokerman: Haibun about Playing Cards (2005). This particular work is risqué and sexual:
QUEEN OF DIAMONDS:
Key words: purposeful — animation — vitality — charming.
Darling Queen of Diamonds,
you touch my heart my midnight star, and it happens with passion my well-beloved Queen. Take me to your studio and show me your new paintings with blossoming trees, canyoned paths and wild pink flowers. Be wild.
hunchbacked tree
in tones of black and grey
ink on paper
Duke Ellington plays the piano and I, a simple soul, kiss your plunging neckline. I fall in love with you, so please dance with me now to your rooms of imagination. Let's taste fresh olives, goat's cheese and sparkling wine. Offer me your personal guidance to your pleasure garden. We, the beauty and the beast, are bursting with life, both beautiful winners with strong energy and a creative and powerful mind. Be my wild flower. Touch me, charming protectress of my heart and I write your gentle name on the new calendar, while you are asleep. Soften my feelings with poetical stories about haiku poets, show me your path to the sea. I am your stray cat. I purr.
dewdrops
on the pomegranates
footpath by dawn
Geert Verbeke, JHAPC 66
In this haibun, the prose content and the two haiku are of very different natures. The prose is a "love letter" to an imaginary lover, filled with romantic and sexy thoughts and images about kissing "your plunging neckline" and "guidance to your pleasure garden." While this aspect of the haibun falls under the "witty and raunchy" category, the two haiku—taken out of the context of the whole haibun—are more traditional. This is a unique form of "suchness" that Verbeke gives to his haibun verses—they are simplistic statements, filled in with connotations and ideas by the accompanying prose.
Finally, the last "witty and raunchy" haiku comes from Ada (2004):
on the lingam
rain composes
hymns
Geert Verbeke, Ada 38
This haiku meant very little to me until I looked up the word "lingam"—a religious penis-shaped statue. Outside of its cultural setting (in which such a statue would be revered, not gawked and laughed at), such an image seems awkward and perhaps even offensive. And still, its original intent prevails—nature creates beautiful, heaven-sent music on its surface. I chose to include this haiku in the "witty and raunchy" category because of its connotations in the context of Western culture—without knowledge of this statue's religious meaning, such a sight would be shocking to a spectator. Perhaps, in this case, Verbeke uses his wit to put the joke on us.
The second category that Verbeke's haiku fall into is the "light and jovial" category. In many ways, these haiku align with Bashô's philosophy of "lightness." In this example, Verbeke's haiku is compared to another similarly light-hearted haiku from A Hidden Pond: Anthology of Modern Haiku (2003):
tea brews
the dawn winks
fragrant bread
Geert Verbeke, Ada 50
Right in the heart
of a water lily plays
a dewdrop child
Asakura Kazue, AHP 149
These two haiku are not alike in subject at all, and yet they are easily comparable because of their similar uses of personification. In Verbeke's haiku, a vivid and playful image of an early breakfast is described. One can smell and taste the tea and warm bread in lines one and three, but best of all is the middle line: "the dawn winks." This personification of the morning sky makes this early morning moment come to life. Similarly, Kazue's haiku uses personification to bring life to the morning dewdrop on a waterlily. The winking of the dawn and the playing of the dewdrop create lighthearted moods in these two haiku.
Finally, a number of Verbeke's work stray from his more innovative style, reverting to the more traditional haiku styles:
yellow ochre
the outer wall
and her hair
Geert Verbeke, Ada 20
This haiku creates a unique comparison without saying much—in this way, it fulfill's Amann's concept of "wordlessness". The mustardy-yellow walls described by the first two lines create a very warm scene—perhaps Mediterranean. And the woman the author speaks of is not just a "blonde"—she has a very unique and rich hair color, one that creates a sense of warm Mediterranean atmosphere. The fact that the author puts that much thought into describing this woman's beauty—that he sees her in a unique way—suggests some very deep admiration. Along this vein, the haiku is rather timeless; it uses no literary tricks or modern-world references to create the mood. Instead, it sticks to the traditional haiku rules of brevity and simplicity.
Another haiku by Verbeke that is timeless also comes from Ada:
in the melting pot
the ancient stories
of wedding rings
Geert Verbeke, Ada 88
This is my favorite haiku by Verbeke. The wording is so perfect: it conveys a very straightforward message without outright saying it—instead, it uses a series of images to suggest it. And the message is a very universal one, something everyone can relate to: it is the idea that each person's life is part of a greater scheme. This universality is very traditional in haiku; so is the conciseness of the verse.
Finally, one last haiku by Verbeke that is traditional and timeless comes from the haiku collection entitled Kokoro (2004):
frightened ducks
and circles on the water
the splash of one stone
Geert Verbeke, Kokoro 53
This haiku exemplifies the Amann's concept of "suchness." We are presented with a scene—a snapshot—but nothing more. The first line provides us with an image of ducks, stirred by something and scattering about, feathers flying everywhere. The next line provides another image: a pond that has been stirred by movement, perhaps from the frightened ducks. Finally, the third line completes the scene with an explanation for the frazzled ducks and roiling water: a stone has been tossed in the pond. The beauty of this haiku is that it imposes no ideas or feelings on the reader. Instead, it provides a complete and concise image that leaves room for the reader to fill in with his or her own reactions and memories. According to Jack Kerouac, "above all, a haiku must be very simple and free of all poetic trickery and make a little picture and yet be as airy and graceful as a Vivaldi Pastorella..." (qtd. in Rain 7). Verbeke himself continues this thought, stating that "Haiku are related to pebbles, not to armchair scholars" (Jokerman 39). The works of Geert Verbeke seem to embody these ideas, employing various undertones and moods to create haiku that are witty and raunchy, light and jovial, or timeless and traditional—or in some cases, all of these at once. Verbeke has cultivated the art of haiku to his own style by combining modern innovative ideas with traditional techniques. His verses are eclectic, quirky, and artful—similar to contemporary and traditional haiku poets in many ways, yet unique to his personality.
• • • Works Cited
Amann, Eric W. The Wordless Poem: A Study of Zen in Haiku. 1969. Toronto, Canada: The Haiku Society of Canada, 1978.
Katô, Kôko, ed. A Hidden Pond: Anthology of Modern Haiku. Trans. Kôko Katô and David Burleigh. 2nd ed. Tokyo: Kadokawa Shoten, 2003.
Verbeke, Geert. Ada. Flanders, Belgium: Empty Sky, 2004.
Verbeke, Geert. Jokerman: Haibun about Playing Cards. Govindpur Colony, India: Cyberwit, 2005.
Verbeke, Geert. Kokoro. Flanders, Belgium: Empty Sky, 2004.
Verbeke, Geert. Rain. Govindpur Colony, India: Cyberwit, 2005. |
