Jorgen Johansson’s Ironic Haiku in The Firefly’s Signature
I was drawn to Jorgen Johansson’s work after reading his collection, The Firefly’s Signature published by Red Moon Press in 2014. His short poems said so much with only a few words and had a very unique spin on normal human events. Johansson opens the collection with a poem involving a fly and ends with another one. In between the two fly poems his work varies from comical and quirky to serious and profound. He has been writing in both Swedish and English since 2001, and you can tell he has spent time making sure his work provokes the image and feeling he is trying to portray. In his work I saw a lot of irony and it showed that he really sees the humor in the world and in ordinary events, which I found very interesting.
the stiff glove
on the ground
giving me the finger
Johansson, 44, TFS
This poem is an example his comical and quirky way of writing. This haiku begins in a very plain way so the reader is not sure of how it will continue. At the last line “giving me the finger” we realize how comical the poem really is and see that it has a meaning that we couldn’t see before. I like the way that the haiku can surprise us with meaning like that and it is something that Johansson does well in his works. I like how he takes something so simple like a glove and can see the irony and comedy in the glove flipping him off.
paying
the street musician
not to play
Johansson, 21, TFS
A lot of people see a street musician and there are a lot ways to view them. You could see them as an inspiring image of someone who is following their dreams or a lonely needy person. Johansson just views him as a man playing and he twists it to make it funny because instead of enjoying the music or writing about the image of the musician he writes that he wants to pay the man to stop playing. Although, I often enjoy street musicians I can picture a time where I might think they were so bad I wanted to pay them to stop.
circus in town
the long shadow of a dwarf
on stilts
Johansson, 24, TFS
This poem takes a more serious and profound approach. This haiku is revealing the hidden truth behind an image. Although, it does come off in a somewhat comical way because the tall shadow is really just a dwarf, just like most of his work, I think it has a deeper meaning. I can tell that the dwarf is hiding and trying to be seen as tall and entertain, but at the same time it is kind of sad because he never will be tall, not even his shadow will be tall unless he is on stilts.
June bride
the church filled
with second thoughts
Johansson, 19, TFS
In this poem he is also very serious and profound, however it creates a sad feeling when reading it and makes you see the situation in a darker light. This poem is not very funny, perhaps slightly ironic, but more sad and regretful than anything. Once again Jorgen leaves us waiting to the end to fully grasp the haiku. The beginning of the poem makes it seem like a happy poem, creating a picture of a church wedding in June and you think the last line will be something like, with loving family. The fact that he makes “with second thoughts” creates uneasiness and makes you question will the wedding occur or not.
heart failure
the warm hand
of a nurse
Johansson, 51, TFS
Johansson shows that he can also write about very serious subjects in a very serious way. This is very different from his other poems and although it is very sad it also somewhat refreshing because of how simple and heartfelt it is. This poem is clearly revolving around a death and is sad. However, within the sadness is warmth of the nurse and it makes it a very sweet poem. I think this haiku really shows how Johansson can take such simple haiku and make them really bring out feeling and create a scene with only a few simple words. There are not big words or fancy structured lines, it shows the beauty and importance of the simple events in life and this is something he does well throughout his work.
the earthworm
moves away
from itself
Johansson, 9, TFS
watering
the plastic flowers
just in case
Johansson, 23, TFS
Most of his poems are very different and have such a unique view on a subject and just make you change perspective, two such poems I will analyze below. The first poem about the earthworm makes the inching of the earthworm seem so unique and special, it is funny to think that the earthworm is trying to get away from itself and that is why it crawls the way it does. The haiku about the watering of plastic flowers is just funny and something that no one would think to actually do, but to water fake flowers just in case is a very different way to view them.
prison guard
opening the window
letting out a fly
Johansson, 7, TFS
This is my favorite haiku by Johansson in the collection. I feel that this poem captures all three aspects of his writing: his comical and ironic view, his serious and profound writing, and his very different view on things. It also leaves the most important part of the scene for last like a majority of his other poems. I feel that this poem grasps all of these so well because it is comical that the prison guard is supposed to be keeping things in prison and he is opening the window to let something out. It is serious and profound because it seems like the prison guard has more respect for the fly’s freedom and quality of life that the people in the prison. It also creates a different view because we are waiting to see what will escape and then it is just a fly something no one makes important or pays attention to in everyday life.
Johansson has so many more interesting haiku that I didn’t mention. They vary just like the ones above from being serious with meaning to more fun and just stating what is seen. He has very comical ironic poems and then very simple and dark ones. His varying types of haiku and his ability to create something out of a very simple scene is what makes his haiku so great. I like the way he creates anticipation in the haiku because it seems you never know what the last line will be and I also enjoy the way it creates a simple yet vivid scene.
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Works Cited
Johansson, Jorgen. The Firefly’s Signature. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, (2014). Print. |
