Michelle Dalluge • Michelle's Haiku •

When I learned we had to do an essay on a Haiku author I began my search on an author that I knew I could fully understand. When I was told that Cor van den Heuvel wrote Baseball Haiku I knew right away this was the author I was going to use. I grew up around baseball. My dad coached my brother’s teams and was very involved in the baseball program throughout our childhood years. It’s no wonder that both my sister and I took a huge interest in softball. I married my high school sweetheart whom was also involved in baseball his entire life even in college. We have one daughter and it shouldn’t be a surprise to you that she is very involved in softball as well. She is very dedicated to the sport and is the starting pitcher on both of the teams on. Our summers are consumed with softball games and we would not have it any other way Now that you know the reason I chose Cor van den Heuvel, I will tell you a little about him, along with some of my favorite haiku he has written. Cor van den Heuvel was born in Biddeford, Maine on March 6, 1931. During his childhood years he lived in Maine and New Hampshire Cor van den Heuvel is married to Leonia Leigh Larrecq and currently resides in New York City. Cor van den Heuvel is the former President of the Haiku Society of America and was the poetry editor for Newsweek Magazine until his retirement in 1988. In May 2002 Cor van den Heuvel it was announced that he was the co-recipient of the Masaoka Shiki International Haiku Prize. Cor van den Heuvel has a writing style that is easy to understand and gives you the feeling of warm summer days. As my daughter and I were sitting inbetween games at her tournament over the weekend, we shared the readings and it amazed me how my daughter could relate to about every one. His approach is simple and he is able to catch the interest and imagination of people of all ages. conference on the mound the pitcher looks down at the ball in his hand I like this haiku a lot because I can relate to it very well. The conference on the mound is something that happens often, at least 2 times in every game my daughter plays. As the coach walks out to the mound I sit in the stands my heart beating rapidly. The reason the coach usually goes to the mound is because the pitcher is struggling and or rattled. I believe the pitcher has the most stressful position and carries the weight of the team on their shoulders. As my daughter looks down at the ball the coach is telling her to focus and be confident. As the meeting is called off by the umpire, the coach turns away from the mound and as he is walking back to the dug out offers one last piece of advice to the pitcher with her head hanging low, he says, hold your head high, you are doing a great job, keep it up. under the lights hitting it out of the park and into the night Even when I was little there was something exciting about being able to play under the lights, this excitement has carried over to my daughter as well. Maybe it is that it gives you the feeling of being in the big leagues. There is just something about it that you always seemed to have your best game when you played under the lights. I enjoyed this haiku a lot because this is one that I could relate my own personal story. It was a hot muggy evening and the bugs were swarming around the lights at the ball diamond. As I stepped into the batters box, I looked up at the lights with excitement, how I loved these evening games. The pitch came in quickly and I hit the ball over the center fielder’s head, not out of the park but far enough to get a home run. As I came across home plate I knew that playing into the night would always be special to me. Another favorite haiku of mine is one that I put a little imagination to. My husband has always enjoyed baseball cards, so therefore I am sure at one time or another he did have his baseball cards all spread out. baseball cards spread out on the bed April rain This haiku takes me to a group of boys that have finally been able to get outside after the long winter months to play baseball. It is an early April morning and as they finish picking the teams the rain comes and washes them inside. They are all into collecting baseball cards and don’t go anywhere without them. They go inside and shut the door to the bedroom. As they spread the cards out on the bed you can hear the rain hitting the window. Before long the sounds of the rain are drowned out by the words of trade, I will trade you Ozzie Smith’s card for your Sammy Sosa card. the batter checks the placement of his feet “Strike One!” For anyone that has played or even watched baseball I am sure they are familiar with the umpires and the strike zone. This haiku makes me smile as I realize how important whether we like it or not the umpire is to the game. As I read the haiku I get mixed feelings on which way I want to respond to it. Cor van den Heuvel does a wonderful job of taking something so simple and allowing the reader to enjoy it for a long period of time. The first few times I read it I got the feeling of the umpire having a strike zone that was very outside. When the umpire calls the strike I picture the batter looking at his feet and wondering how on earth he could’ve gotten any closer to the plate to reach the ball. As I continue to read the haiku over and over again, I begin to imagine another situation. The batter is up to bat, here comes the pitch, the batter could not make up his mind if he wanted to swing or not, so he holds up. The catcher appeals to the base umpire and the base umpire says “Strike One”. In disbelief the batter looks at his feet and thinks to himself that there is no way I went around, my feet are still in place. Spring rain Waiting on the front porch With my ball and glove This haiku is so simple but again so powerful. I envision a cool spring Saturday morning, my daughter has been waiting all week to play catch with her father. They get up early Saturday morning to find the rain coming down. My husband and daughter like to spend time on the rockers on the front porch so this morning she got the ball gloves and took them to the front porch to wait for the rain to subside. As I stated earlier I took a special interest to Cor van den Heuvel because of his ability to write such wonderful Baseball haiku and I feel a real close connection to his haiku. However, Cor van den Heuvel did write about other simple things in life. the evening paper on the darkening lawn first star This haiku takes me back in time many years. At that time the world was so different and it did not seem we lived in such a complex world. Every night we would get an evening addition to the paper. I can remember playing outside as a kid, in the fall as the darkening of the night came so early. The paper would be delivered at dusk, I didn’t look forward to this because I knew once the paper had arrived it was time for me to go in for the evening. Cor van den Heuvel has not only made a lasting impression on me but to the haiku community as well. He has given me the desire to want to continue reading his haiku. He takes the simplest things and is able to give the reader the opportunity to let their imaginations take over for hours.