Elizabeth Stiner • Foster Jewell's Haiku • Foster Jewell Profile •

My View of Home: Selected Haiku by Elizabeth Stiner For years, whenever we got to the poetry section of English class, I cringed behind my desk. I never felt that I was any good at writing poetry. Then, in my junior year of high school, I took a writing class and was introduced to the poetic art form "haiku". At first I found the idea of haiku to be too brief; not long enough to be a "real poem". But gradually, as I learned more about haiku, it grew on me. Now it is one of my favorite forms of writing. In the Zen tradition from which haiku comes, it is the ordinary moments in life that are important; reflecting the world exactly as it is (the concept of "suchness"), not just the big moments. In my opinion, there is no way for a human being to "reflect" nature truly as it is in any art form. Nor is there such a thing as an ordinary moment, at least and especially not in haiku: any moment that inspires a work of art cannot be a "small" moment. Every moment of life has the potential to be a painting, a story, a haiku . . . every moment is precious and worth preserving.

My haiku are taken from moments of my life. Whether they are big or small moments, I leave the reader to decide. As the haiku poet J.W. Hackett said, "Haiku is more than a form of poetry…it can be a way…of living awareness. A way which leads to wonder and joy…" I merely encourage you, the reader, to think about your life, your days; and find the precious, beautiful moments that exist in every day of life. Forward I have known Beth for three years now, and in all this time I’ve found that she is not only a compassionate person, but an accomplished writer. One can see her creativity in her haiku, as well as in her projects involving haiku. (For example, she made a "haiku wind chime", which contains a collection of her haiku.") Her devout spirituality is also expressed in her haiku; truly an inspiration for anyone who reads them. I hope you enjoy her haiku as much as I have. —Catherine Sadowski