Katie Burke • Katie's Haiku •

The Truth behind Anita Virgil "The feeling beneath or deep within the haiku can and must be intense or the poem wouldn't happen at all...Perhaps that's what I like so much about the haiku---it's exquisite purity and power. Now truth can live in that environment." After reading this quote from Anita Virgil in the interview, On my mind, the thought of what is Virgil's truth came to mind. What kind of truths does she successfully convey while writing her haiku? While the reader peruses Virgil's writing, he/she will find that she has an affinity with nature much like that of Matsuo Basho, father of haiku. In the preface to One Potato, Two Potato, Etc. by Virgil she describes her parallel between herself in nature and Bashô in nature. She finds peace in the mountains and writes with sabi, "a primeval lonely feeling shared by all things in the world." Here in the wilderness she finds truth which she conveys eloquently through her poems. The first truth is witnessing the acts of nature.   in a downpour watching the cornfields shine green (Virgil 3) Here in this haiku the reader is observing the color and sheen of the corn leaves while in a rainstorm. She discovers beauty in the image set before her.                         fall wind the tall trees stir up the sky (Virgil 39) This is another example of her presence while nature carries on around her. The treetops are swaying in the breeze which break up the open sky. In many of her haiku she takes note of the surrounding nature and its residents including how she fits into it. daybreak glittering thrush songs (Virgil 4) Here she is present while the next day begins and the birds are singing. Both the thrush and daybreak are occurrences that are innate and constant. Daybreak will always come and the thrush will sing because of their instincts as birds. Her existence in nature as a human being is completely voluntary yet she continues to make an effort to notice and interact with nature. This feeling is continued in these haiku also. in the evening sky flocks of blackbirds flapping the silence (Virgil 18) Once again the animals rule their surrounding environment by imparting their noises upon the boundaries of sound. The animals in their environment pass over undisturbed by Virgil's presence. While her place in nature was not monumental in these previous haiku, there are some instances in her work that speak about conflict between nature and humans. Tug of war . . . 'Now let the puppy win,' says Grandpa. (Virgil 9) This senryu is an obvious conflict, puppy vs. human, or on a larger scale, wild animals vs. civilized humans. It seems that this time the puppy or wild animal is given the misconception that it is stronger and in fact the victor. She raises the question of who is really stronger and/or more important in nature and if there are grounds to even ask that question. a fine day! out for a walk the puppy & her beggar's lice (Virgil 27) The conflict in this haiku is between the cliché of a nice day's walk versus the unexpected infestation of an innocent animal. The readers would expect something beautiful as the haiku progresses but instead are given a twist ending in disease. Although the haiku may be somewhat surprising in a disgusting manner, the reader accepts what is given to them because it is truthful and a reality. The conflict lies within wanting to accept these tainted occurrences. from the bay morning sun warms vomit in the alley (A 2nd Flake, 7) This is another good example of the reality of life vs. the cliché of what we would like to believe. In the rengay "Antiquing" by Virgil in One Potato, Two Potato, Etc., there are several links that speak of rejuvenation of aged objects in nature. an old iron          baby swing bought as much for its SKREEK SKREEK (Virgil 10) This old baby swing that was once trash and insufficient is now being used again. There is a precious quality about pre-owned objects being renewed. This is expressed through this haiku in which the family bought the swing because it is an "antique." The cracked cup gets packed better than the rest. (Virgil 72) There is something truthful about sentiment behind older objects that is satisfied through this haiku. It is an appreciation and loving gesture to embrace the aged entities. Communication in nature is a truth that Virgil conveys through her haiku. talking to the garden snake his tongue reaching my warmth (Virgil 7) Here the snake is responding to her body warmth while she interprets it as a dialogue between her and the snake. 'a clatter of leaves' descent into autumn               stillness (Virgil 20) In this haiku the communication is much deeper than the dialogue between animal and human. This one seems to speak to the reader and writer's soul through nature. Calmness is instilled once the leaves finish falling. This "stillness" can be a truth for many situations in people's lives including Virgil's.            What are Anita Virgil's truths? Her truths can only be found through considerate analysis of her work. Within her poems you can find not only the truth behind Virgil but also truth behind universal reality. Poems about nature are not just that. They have the answers to many of life's questions. Bibliography Virgil, Anita. A 2nd Flake. U.S.A.: Montclair, 1974. Virgil, Anita. One Potato, Two Potato, Etc. Forest, VA: Peaks Press, 1991. Welch, Michael Dylan. On my mind: an interview. Foster City, CA: Press Here, 1989.