Erin Crow • Erin's Haiku •

Alan Pizzarelli’s Prankster Senryu As defined in The Haiku Handbook, senryu is a form of haiku that humorously or satirically focuses on human affairs (Higginson 293). It usually deals with more general subjects than haiku (Berkeleyprep.org). The haiku we have been creating and experimenting with do not necessarily follow the 5-7-5 traditional syllable pattern. Senryu is very similar in that there is no set pattern besides the common three lines. Spacing and shape is also variable. This allows the author to be creative with word choice and linking. Previously, humor and human nature were excluded from haiku and saved specifically for senryu. Now, both of these are used in haiku but also in senryu, thus making it difficult to distinguish between the two. George Swede describes the human nature issue by breaking English language haiku into three categories: human haiku, nature haiku, and human plus nature haiku. Swede also notes that humor cannot be used to distinguish senryu from haiku as it can be present in both. Senryu, often referred to as human haiku, do not incorporate seasonal words or the natural world. Instead, they make reference to some part of human nature (members.tripod.com). Senryu is a personal favorite of mine because it is more playful. It makes me forget stressful issues and worthless worries that are such an everyday part of life by focusing on the little things that are so entertaining. As one of the best senryu writers, I have selected Alan Pizzarelli as my author of choice. His poetic background began around age 20 when he acted on this passion and sought the guidance of Louis Ginsberg, a lyric poet and punster. In 1970, Pizzarelli began writing haiku poetry. Within a year, he began looking at related forms, such as senryu. For this, he was mentored by Harold G. Henderson, author of Introduction to Haiku (Pizzarelli interview). Now, he is best known for the "prankster sensibility that he brings to his haiku readings and performances" (nc-haiku.org). His work has been included in many major publications, including all three editions of The Haiku Anthology (First Edition 1974, Second Edition 1986, and the Third Edition 1999), The Haiku Handbook (Higginson 1985), Handbook of Poetic Forms (Padgett 1987), Haiku (Milosz 1992), Haiku Moment (Ross 1993), Haiku World (Higginson 1996), Stone Bench in an Empty Park (Janeczko/Silberman 2000), How to Haiku (Ross 2002), Zen Poems (Bazzano 2002), and others. His latest book is Senryu Magazine. When asked what his favorite haiku and senryu were, he responded with, "I do not think in terms of favorite poems (I like them all equally.)." He referred to the following as one of his most popular haiku and senryu, respectively. (Pizzarelli interview) twilight staples rust in the telephone pole the fat lady bends over the tomatoes a full moon Both of these poems emphasize the unique twist he adds to poetry, particularly his playfulness. In the first poem, he sets you up to imagine a beautiful night with a full moon shining down upon the Earth. Within the blue clear sky, the twinkling stars dance for miles. After you have this splendid image, he bursts out the unattractive image of rusting staples in a telephone pole. Pizzarelli completely turns your thoughts in the opposite direction than expected because who would really be looking at the staples when there are stars to gaze at? Anita Virgil explains this, "His unique vision shines through his haiku which make innovative use of his city environment, elevating some of the most unlikely material into pure poetry" (2001). Virgil included this statement in her nomination form for Masaoka Shiki International Haiku Award. The senryu, on the other hand, is playful from the very start. The older overweight woman is wearing red shorts and a white sleeveless shirt with red polka dots. She wears Hushpuppy shoes on her feet with cutoff pantyhose as her socks. Her hair is in curls and she uses clown sized (somewhat comparable) glasses to see. She is working in the garden in her backyard. She spends much time out there and as a result, her garden is very well kept. All of the neighbors know that when summer rolls around, there’s bound to be a full moon out every night, no matter the weather. Besides the two haiku that Pizzarelli states as two of his most famous pieces, I have selected some of my favorites from The Haiku Anthology (1999). the gas station man      points the way with a gas nozzle                             p. 145 Only in small towns do you get the man to pump your gas for you. Thus, when the foreign car pulls up and can’t find the dirt road 3 miles away, the gasman can point her in the right direction. Since his hand is already occupied though, he points with the nozzle too. Pizzarelli illustrates the actual pointing by his uncharacteristic spacing. Notice that I referred to the driver as female. This is because women will typically stop and ask for directions whereas a man would just drive for hours looking for the unmarked dirt road. the taffy pullers                the taffy pullers the taffy pullers                             p. 153 This is a very unique haiku since the text of the three lines is identical. The real emphasis is put on the spacing. You can see the taffy being pulled from one direction to the other in the same way the line spacing is alternated. Pizzarelli’s creativity again shines not only through his word choice, but also in the stylistic spacing used for effect. tiny fish          swaying into the current          shadows rippling    over a hubcap                             p. 146 Pizzarelli again takes advantage of using spacing to emphasize the image. In this haiku, the lines alternate indenting in the same way the fish sways back and forth to push its way through the current. The indenting pattern is also symbolic of the flow of the shadow as the water ripples through it. Pizzarelli’s choice of images is very unique in that the entire haiku follows the form of the spacing. This haiku is also of particular fondness to me because my research centers on aquatic ecology. More specifically, I looked at a nearby stream, Friends Creek, to see if the conservation area within the channel was providing any enhancement to the fish community. To go about this, I chose five sites that I thought best represented the entire creek. I sampled the area and brought the fish back to the lab for identification. Due to limited funding, sampling was performed using a standard seine, not an electro-shocker. Thus, the fish species collected were mostly minnows. Some of them were so small that I couldn’t understand how they just wouldn’t get washed downstream. Also, we saw some of the most random things accumulating in the stream and on the bank. We didn’t find any hubcaps, but how exactly does a hubcap end up in a stream? squinting to read the sign "optician"                             p. 147 Maybe this is a good indication that contacts/glasses are necessary. Pizzarelli is very good about making ironic and silly comments such as this. I admire it so! I remember when I first got my glasses. I was in the seventh grade and had problems seeing the board. I went to the eye doctor and got glasses. I didn’t get contacts too because it would have been way expensive then. I didn’t really like my glasses so I just didn’t wear them. I would sit in class and when something was written on the board, I would put them on. As soon as we were finished, though, I would immediately take them off. There was no sense in looking goofy during junior high. Aren’t adolescents awkward enough during those pre-teen years? Then to add glasses to that list. Geez, life is troublesome at times . . . or so we think at age 12. I was also playing volleyball during junior high. I was having some difficulty passing as I couldn’t read where the hitter was swinging. This may be a result of me not wearing my glasses. My coach soon found out though that I had gotten glasses. So, strict orders from Coach Carter made me have four eyes at the next game. It’s amazing what good eyesight can do for you. I’m going to jump back in time a little bit to the first time I wore my glasses. Mom and I had just left the eye doctor and were going out to my brother’s baseball game. On the way out there I was having so much fun just looking around at everything. I could not remember ever being able to see so far. The thing I remember most is being able to see the individual leaves and branches in the trees. Before, everything was just a blob. the dog runs after the stick i pretend to throw                             p. 150 What a mean trick, but everyone is so guilty. Dogs are so good about fetching. They have no real purpose in life other than being man’s best friend. They just run around, sleep, eat, make me smile, etc. Who really thinks fetching is fun besides the dog? Maybe that’s why we like the dog so much. It’s relaxing to watch the dog perform monotonous tricks, especially since we are somewhat of a lazy society and the dog does all the work as he runs out and brings the stick back. reaching for the wind-up toy it rides off the table                             p. 145 Pizzarelli shows his prankster style again here. I see a mother and son (approximately age 3) sitting at the dining room table. They just returned from McDonald’s where the boy insisted he must have a Happy Meal. After the outrageous temper tantrum, the petite mother gave in. Now at the table, the mother is trying to enjoy her salad with light dressing while the son has taken only a bite of his hamburger. Instead, he continues to play with his new toy – Grimace driving a monster truck. The soft-hearted mother repeatedly tells the son to quit but he carries on with a devilish grin. He pulls the truck back with all his might and then lets it fly out of his hands. Just at that moment, the mother realizes that the family’s puppy is politely waiting at the edge of the table. Everything is happening in slow motion. The mother jumps up to snatch the truck before it rolls of the table but … too late. The innocent puppy lets out a whelp. buzzZ       slaP buzzZ                             p. 150 The sounds are very direct in the form of onomatopoeia. You can automatically tell what the organism is just by the sound words. Also, there is no question what the sound is because it is stated explicitly. Pizzarelli is very playful in the way he conveys this image. He gives you a little bit of information, but then lets the reader’s imagination run wild. I see a family picnic that has been planned for months. In my family, all the grandkids are growing up – going away to college, getting married, and having their own kids. Thus, it is very unusual when the entire family (5 kids and spouses, 17 grandchildren, 4 with spouses, 2 with fiancés, 4 with serious significant others, 1 great grandchild, and of course Grandma!) can all get together at the same time. This particular picnic, though, has been in the planning for over 6 months. Every detail has been properly arranged, including the guarantee that all in the family can be present. The day starts great. The sun is shining, yet there is a cool breeze. Everyone brings a dish and there is more than enough food to go around. Stories are told and laughs are shared. Everything is perfect, except that everyone keeps slapping at the pesky little sweat bees. We thought all the details had been taken care of, so who invited the bees? I am excited to share some wonderful senryu and information on Alan Pizzarelli as his work often goes unnoticed. Virgil called him, "the best-kept secret in the haiku world" as he does not frequently publish in haiku magazines. Others, such as Cor van den Heuvel (editor of The Haiku Anthology) and William J. Higginson are very familiar with and appreciative of Pizzarelli’s talent. Virgil refers to his work as "real poetry" even though they may sound modern. Thus, she believes his work exemplifies the fundamental techniques and spirit of the best Japanese haiku and senryu (Virgil 2001). tonight nothing to write but this                             p. 148 This haiku is a perfect example of the little prankster actions of Pizzarelli. He specifically states that he has nothing to write, yet he continues with this haiku. There of three lines of text present so evidently he had something to write, but after reading the content of the text, he really had absolutely nothing to write. Here again, he experiments with line structure. He states that he has nothing to write. Then he shows a pause through use of a skipped line where he can then state that since he had nothing to write, this is all he wrote. Pizzarelli’s unique blend of humor and prankster style sets him apart from many other haiku writers. He incorporates linking and spacing patterns that become even more effective with his articulate word choice. For instance, in his poem with the fish swaying and the shadows rippling, his unique blend of verbs and spacing influenced the image moreso than the context itself. I am excited to share some wonderful senryu and information on Alan Pizzarelli as his work often goes unnoticed. Virgil called him, "the best-kept secret in the haiku world" as he does not frequently publish in haiku magazines. Others, such as Cor van den Heuvel (editor of The Haiku Anthology) and William J. Higginson are very familiar with and appreciative of Pizzarelli’s talent. Virgil refers to his work as "real poetry" even though they may sound modern. Thus, she believes his work exemplifies the fundamental techniques and spirit of the best Japanese haiku and senryu (Virgil 2001). —Erin Crow Works Cited http://www.berkeleyprep.org/lower/fourth/writing/senryu.htm Heuvel, C.V.D. The Haiku Anthology. New York, 1999. 363p. Higginson, W.J. The Haiku Handbook. New York, 1985. 331p. http://members.tripod.com/~Startag/HkSenDiff.html http://nc-haiku.org/hna/hna-04.htm (photo available) Pizzarelli, Alan. E-mail interview. April 23, 2002. Virgil, Anita. Nomination form for Masaoka Shiki International Haiku Award, 2001.