Lorin Ford's Haiku: Simple, But Not Easy
Born and raised in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, Lorin Ford grew up in close proximity to the water and unique wild life. She dropped out of school early to pursue a career as a hair dresser. However, she later went back to school and received a degree in English Literature which allowed her to teach high school classes. Even as a teacher, Ford continues to make learning a priority in her life (A Hundred Gourds: A haiku, haibun, haiga & tanka poetry journal np). She finds joy as she encounters new facets of the world. This is then reflected in her haiku.
Ford is a popular author not only in Australia, but also around the world. She has been published in many "journals and anthologies including the Red Moon Anthologies 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, Montage: The Book, A New Resonance #7, Haiku 21 (Modern Haiku Press), Haiku in English: The First Hundred Years (W. W. Norton & Co), and Where the River Goes (Snapshot Press) ("AHG" np). In the last decade, she has won several awards and honorable mentions in haiku.
In 2009, Three Lights Gallery published a collection of thirty of Ford's haiku in an online exhibition, what light there is. This author reader response essay will go in depth on a number of these haiku. Author's intentions and inspirations will be considered and discussed in detail. As a bit of a background, I briefly emailed Ford about her inspiration for this collection. She told me Liam Wilkinson put together several short collections of his own haiku for the "3 Lights Gallery." She immensely enjoyed his collections and decided to respond with her own haiku (Lorin, Ford). Upon completion, she sent it to him and he accepted it as a viable collection.
Her focus for the haiku was a seasonal approach. She laid out the exhibition much like the seasons of the year. In Ford's words, "I selected haiku from all four seasons then placed them in a sequence, beginning with late Winter, continuing through Spring, Summer and Autumn and ending in Winter." One should remember at this point that the author is from Australia. Seasons in her country do not line up as they do in the United States. Summer is from December to February, and winter is from June to August (Lorne, Vic np). While this may cause some confusion to USA readers, it does not change the order of the publication. Instead, the reader must realize that this is not a calendar based exhibition. Instead, it is simply Ford's editorial decision. Moreover, as she writes from the perspective of Australia, her verse often does not match with the Japanese references or even that of the United States of America (Ford Interview). This helps her haiku to stand out. Ford does not change her writing technique in the interest of conforming to haiku social norms. Instead, she follows the culture that she knows and shares it with her audience.
a silver hair
woven into the nest
winter light
(Ford, Lorin., what light there is., np).
According to Ford's description of the format for this publication, this first haiku of what light there is is set in the winter season. The average reader can quickly figure this out by reading the last line. Ford sets this haiku up by informing the reader of the setting. I get the feeling that this haiku is targeted at a night sky atmosphere with the moon offering its light. With this being the first haiku of the collection, Ford reflected almost immediately. The reader is directed into the center of the exhibition from the third line. The winter light—the light at the beginning of the year—is all the light that can be obtained. While this original thought may be expanded and adapted throughout her work, I feel as though she makes a strong statement through the correlation between the title and the third line.
Take a step backwards and look at the first two lines. As I read and reread these words, I was struck with different pictures. Each time I experienced Ford's words, I felt drawn deeper in. Whose hair is it? What kind of nest? I thought of an old woman, rocking on her porch swing. Her hair neatly tucked into her high bun as she rocked back and forth in the night. She would likely be contemplating something deep and mysterious—the winter moon shining down on her. From this scenario, I got a feeling of either worry or detachedness. Perhaps waiting for family, or praying for a friend, or slipping away from the world of reality. No matter what her thoughts, I felt uneasy at the image of this grandmother figuring rocking in the winter's night air.
This caused me to take a new route with the haiku, perhaps the nest was not a high bun. Perhaps it was a bird's nest. Then I thought about birds that migrate in the cold days. What if Ford is alluding to an old abandoned nest? Perhaps the former builder found hair to entwine in his home. On the other hand, the silver hair could simply allude to the age of the nest. At one time, the hair may have been a luscious brown, but in the harsh cold air it turned silver.
Ford made an interesting choice when she wrote this haiku. Aside from the message of the words or even the connection with the title, she utilizes a unique formatting. The space on the second line forces an elongated pause. It forces the reader to think a little more about the words of the haiku. I think Ford wanted to emphasize the word woven. The silver hair was not just a part of the nest. Instead, it was integrated within the nest. It was at one with the other ingredients of the nest. It was not a new thing, not a flimsy adjunct to the nest. Instead it was a centralized point. I believe that the extra spacing within the second line adds weight to the words. It calls for a deeper meaning.
early heat—
jacaranda buds burst
into sparrows
Ford, WLTI, np
Following Ford's format, this haiku is set in the spring season. In Australia, this season falls in the months of September through November. As the general reader knows, spring is the transitional season between the cold winter and the hot summer. However, Australia rarely faces a harsh winter. When my mom visited in her friends during the Australian winter, she generally wore jeans and a blouse. The spring is perfectly described by the first line. The early heat enters the reader into the context of the haiku.
Australia's spring season is also referred to as the "build-up season" (Lorne, np). It is the time of optimal growth of plants. Similar to Washington D. C.'s cherry blossom trees, the budding of the jacaranda is a majestic sight. This seasonal act of nature brings people together near and far.
Ford's haiku has a clear progression. As previously mentioned, she entices the reader with early heat. From this, anticipation of words of spring commences. She then transitions to talking about the flowering tree, the jacaranda. When in full bloom, it is full of luscious flowers. In the season of spring, however, the tree must bud. As Ford words it, the "buds burst" (Ford, WLTI, np). This brings movement to the haiku. The words explode as the reader experiences the poetry. Finally, Ford enters in sparrows. As birds migrate in the winter, they come back in the spring time. The return of avian wild life truly signals the start of spring.
The season of spring also brings more light to the sky. As the season approaches the Autumnal Equinox, the days get longer, and the nights get shorter. Longer days call for more sun. As this haiku pushes away from the previous verses set in the winter season, Ford allows the light to grow. What light there is shines brighter than before.
scorched garden. . .
enough water
for the birdbath
Ford, WLTI, np
Australia is a dry country. According to australia.com, it typically receives "an average annual rainfall of less than 600 millimeters" ("Weather in Australia." np). In the hot summer heat, this lack of rain is detrimental to Australian gardens. Some years have gotten to the point where restrictions had to be placed upon water usage. Citizens were limited as to how much water they could use for lucrative activities. Any water usage that was not strictly necessary was strongly frowned upon.
Ford enters her readers in by describing a familiar sight to many Australian natives and non-natives alike. In reading the first phrase, readers can picture a lifeless plot of land. A place where plants previously grew but now lay withered on the ground. The summer heat drives away all traces of life. The word scorched immediately focuses the reader on the topic at hand. This descriptive word draws him or her to the haiku.
As Ford moves past the first line, the verse seems to take a double meaning. I feel as though the lines "enough water/ for the birdbath" can change the entire haiku depending on how it is taken (Ford, WLTI, np). The first time I read it, I thought that it meant only enough water was available to bathe a bird. I got the feeling that the citizens of Australia were so stretched for water that they could hardly use it for anything useful. On the other hand, I pictured an older woman who had to make a choice. She could either use her water to revive her garden, or she could use it to bathe the birds. In the end, she decided it was more important to care for her house guests and gave her last bit of extra water for the birdbath. Both of these scenarios account for the fact that little water was available. However, I think that the way the last two verses are read determine the real heart of the haiku.
Again, Ford hints back to her title of what light there is. The summer sun destroyed the garden. Therefore, the sun must be hot and bright. The light would hit its peak in these summer verses.
seashells—
I sort through
my childhood
Ford, WLTI, np
In this haiku, Ford immediately sets the first verse apart from the other two. She uses a hyphen to force a pause within the reading. From this set up, the reader can easily denote that the concept of seashells is the main focus for this verse. As the reader pauses, he or she can reflect on what the word "seashells" means in the context of haiku. After the pause, the reader can move on to hear the rest of the author's story.
Interestingly enough, Ford uses the second line as a dual meaning verse. With the usage of the hyphen, it would seem clear that "I sort through" is meant to modify childhood (Ford, WLTI, np). However, one might also pause after the second line. In this instance, it could be that the seashells were being sorted. Either way, the author uses the second line to show that the subject was processing something. Perhaps it could be joyful memories or maybe the subject could be much graver.
I believe that Ford was self-reflecting as she wrote this haiku. Perhaps she walked upon the beach prior to sitting down to write. By sharing her haiku, this universalized feeling can be shared. Others who read this verse can feel peace in knowing that they are not alone in sorting through the past. Furthermore, Ford relates sorting through the past with sorting through a physical object, such as a seashell.
unswept leaves
my foot brushes
a sparrow
Ford, WLTI, np
The feeling of excitement one gets when seeing a pile of unraked leaves is universal. As I read the first line, I could feel my heart rate rise in anticipation. However, the line I expected next, one about jumping into a great pile of leaves, never appeared. Instead, Ford abruptly changes the direction of her haiku. A calm step and a foot reached a road block—a sparrow. The elated feeling quickly fell to sorrow. Whether Ford did this intentionally is unclear; however, the introduction of the third line was a major shock.
In fact, it is my opinion that the third line changes the entire atmosphere of the haiku. Although Ford does not make any particular making of pause for a break, I feel as though one is necessary in the reading. If I were to imagine a theatrical reading of the haiku, I see the speaker wrinkling his nose as he reads brushes. He pauses, almost to double check the third line before reading.
This haiku clearly points to the season of autumn. The leaves have fallen and are waiting to be raked into neat piles. As the main character's foot brushes a sparrow, the birds must not have migrated for winter quite yet. Fallen leaves and present sparrows are two solid indicators of the autumn season. With this setting, readers can more easily connect with the haiku on a personal level. They can reminisce upon their own memories and link it to Ford's haiku. As for me, I remembered when I use to walk down my driveway where the leaves piled against the concrete curb. I imagined how surprised I might have been if instead of the pleasant feeling of crunchy leaves I came upon a dead bird.
With the ominous feeling of death in this haiku, I feel as though the light is being sucked from the haiku. As previously mentioned, this haiku seems to take a turn for the worse as it reaches the third verse. At this point, I also believe that the light decreases when the final word is uttered. As the summer haiku seemed to have the highest potential for light, I suddenly feel as though the lights are beginning to dim with this haiku. The world feels just a little bit darker even with something as minuscule as an insignificant sparrow.
fading light. . .
his voice in the crowd
of shadows
Ford, WLTI, np
Once again, Ford utilizes spacing to modify her haiku. In the third line, she forces a pause and thereby adds weight to the final words of the haiku. It forces the reader to truly think about the impact the third line makes on the haiku overall. As in several of the previously analyzed haiku, I believe the last line redirects that haiku. Instead of being in the midst of a large crowd of people, the boy seems to be alone in the shadows. He is surrounded by only his thoughts. However, as Ford uses the word crowd, I believe she is insinuating that his head is a very busy place filled with thoughts.
Ford makes reference to the title, what light there is, via the first line. The light is growing dimmer and dimmer. As her exhibition nears its end, the light seems to fade from existence. This is much like the days of winter – short. As Ford told me that her collection would start and end set in the winter, I believe the reference she makes at the beginning of this haiku also refers to the return of winter.
In the haiku that I have analyzed above, Ford consistently does two things. First, she ensures that the reader has a point of reference. Whether it be a season, a setting, or just a key word; she wants those participating in her haiku to be able to connect with her. Secondly, she often tries to direct the haiku by using spacing, multifunction verses, or abrupt changes. When I emailed her, she mentioned that she put this compilation together after reading Wilkinson. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at one.
august afternoon
the shopping trolley
lying on the beach
Wilkinson, The Haiku Foundation, np
In looking at this haiku, it would seem that Wilkinson also likes to write in connection to the seasons. In the first line, he informs the reader that they are in the month of August. With this information, all those who read the haiku can make a connection with it using their own memories. Ford does this as she works to draw readers in through intentional words.
As I had the opportunity to email Ford, I decided to ask of her general opinion of haiku. She mentioned that she enjoyed the endless possibilities with haiku. No matter how far you get in the subject, more can be learned and experience. When she first started her journey with haiku, she did not know the depth of haiku. Yet, as she delved into this form of poetry, she found it greatly intriguing. She mentioned that as she began to read haiku more in depth, she wanted to write better haiku. One of her mentors told her, "haiku is simple, but not easy" (Ford Interview). This lead to the inspiration behind her haiku. As discovered by analyzing her haiku, Ford said that her experiences often dictate her haiku. Ford went on to say, "Perhaps the greatest gift that comes with writing haiku is that one becomes more and more attentive to the 'ordinary' things going on around us all the time. Our lives are comprised of these 'ordinary' things, we are in relation to all of it, we experience it (or we are asleep, and don't, so life passes without our noticing ... our life)" (Interview). Haiku increases awareness and consciousness of the world. This clarity can then shape and define life and our perspective of the world.
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Works Cited
A Hundred Gourds: A haiku, haibun, haiga & tanka poetry journal. N.p., 2 Mar. 2013. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. <http://www.ahundredgourds.com/ahg32/index_editors32.html>.
Ford, Lorin. Email interview. 7 Apr. 2014.
Ford, Lorin. what light there is. 3LG | Lorin Ford. 3lights Gallery , n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. <http://www.ahundredgourds.com/ahg32/lorinfordwebpages/whatlightthereis.html>.
"Haiku News." Haiku News RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. <http://www.wayfarergallery.net/haikunews/?page_id=191>.
Lorne, Vic. Australia's Seasons. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. <http://www.australia.com/about/australias-landscapes/australias-seasons.aspx>.
"Poet Details." RSS. The Haiku Foundation, n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. <http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/poet-details/?IDclient=745>.
Weather in Australia. Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park, NT., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2014. <http://www.australia.com/about/key-facts/weather.aspx>. |
