|
Anthologies
including the author's haiku:
The
Parakeet’s Mirror. Spring Street Haiku Group. 1993
Wood
Shavings. Spring Street Haiku Group. 1994
A
Small Umbrella.
Spring Street Haiku Group. 1995
After
Lights Out.
Spring Street Haiku Group. 1996
In
the Waterfall.
Spring Street Haiku Group. 1997
Pink
Bulldozer.
Spring Street Haiku Group.1999
The
Haiku Anthology, third edtiion, Norton, 2000
|
Reader
Responses
Haiku
Highlights:
Though I suppose the habit could be somewhat frowned upon by haiku
purists (who are these haiku purists anyway?), I think what I like
most about Patrick’s haiku is the amount of content linking
that he uses. In many of his pieces, he sets up the scenario for
us and then after the karigi, he tells us how the event plays out.
His haiku moments are incredibly subtle, and often, it seems very
difficult to detect a break at all-the images are so cohesive.
at
the fruitstand
taking off my mitten
to feel the coconut
The
Haiku Anthology (142)
For
instance, in this haiku, Patrick uses both a scent link in the fruitstand
as well as a content link with the same object since we all know
what its like to walk down the aisle of a supermarket. We can each
relate this image to a specific instance in our lives, or to be
even more general- associate it with a certain feeling or comfort
level that is connotative of the environment.
The
other interesting thing about this piece is Patrick’s use of
the mitten in the second line. This gives us a very good seasonal
element, though I doubt mittens are listed in any traditional Japanese
lists of season-words. The juxtaposition of the mittens against
the fruitstand makes us at once aware that he is indeed in an indoor
situation, and also that it must be considerably cold outside because
he’s wearing mittens to begin with. We get the image of someone
all bundled up and pining for warmer climes, when all of a sudden-
they see a coconut and reach to touch this harbinger of the oh-so-distant
tropical life. Perhaps to make sure that it is not a mirage.
Carl
Patrick’s other great strength comes in the brief, yet ever-telling
one-line haiku that he presents. Not too many authors can pull off
the one line format because of the intrinsic difficulties it presents.
For instance, some authors run their words together in an attempt
to create a poem of one very long and complex word; an amalgamation
of several smaller ones. This works very seldom, because the reader
is taken aback by the sheer size of the word they are presented
with, and they can scarcely glean anything meaningful because of
the aforementioned abstraction. Patrick, on the other hand, does
his best to keep the one-liners brief and to the point. One of his
best is a mere three words long. The reader is presented with one
solid image on which to gorge their senses.
Here
is an excellent example of Patrick’s one-line haiku.
anthill on grandpa’s grave
In
the Waterfall. 1997
|