Travis Meisenheimer

rearviewmirror Selected Haiku by Travis Meisenheimer This collection of haiku was written during the autumn semester of my fifth year of university studies. In some ways it reflects this time in my life. The title "rearviewmirror" is an interesting metaphor that represents this gathering of haiku. A rearviewmirror (one word, all lower case) is, as we all know, used to look at what we have just passed while driving . . . history. This collection gets its name from a song by Pearl Jam. In this song the author writes, "saw things . . . clearer . . . once you were in my . . . rearviewmirror." Though I am using this title, I have a slightly different meaning, more akin to "saw things . . .  clearer . . . once [insert object] were in my . . . rearviewmirror."

Though I may not be exactly remembering someone or some event in my haiku, I am obviously remembering something. I see the creation of poetry like looking at things in the rearviewmirror. You see something that elicits some emotion and then you think about it . . . work out all the small details in your mind and then you look back at it again. This time around you are in a different place and you are looking back in your mind's eye. But it is only a reflection of the moment. That is what you see and that is what you write. At least, that's my take on it. This is a collection of haiku that fit that idea of reflection on the past. Enjoy.