Keith Johansen • Keith's Haiku •

John Dunphy Words of Wisdom and Reality How does haiku have anything to do with what's happening today? Haiku is a tradition that has been around for ages. The use of a few words to invoke feelings and arouse the senses encompasses the tradition known as haiku. Typical approaches to haiku include many of nature's elements. An author that smashes the traditional elements of haiku while still staying incredibly effective is John Dunphy. John Dunphy is a writer that focuses on the hardships and struggles of today's western culture. He takes real life events, such as child abuse, drug abuse, death, and war, and puts these images to words. Dunphy's approach to haiku can be compared to a rap artist's approach to music; informing the audience of today's real-world problems that plague society. As I was reading through his haiku, or senryu to be more precise, I noticed that every piece had a quality that made me appreciate and relate with the culture that I am a part of. Although some of his haiku are hard to read because of the painful images they paint, it is important for the people of today's western culture to realize that this type of pain really exists. One topic that John Dunphy covers that really speaks to me is his portrayal of children growing up in a harsh society. Being a product of these past few decades and knowing that these issues exist, these senryu really put words to the images I've seen on television or film. Here is an example: with a pin child pricks both doll's arms now just like mommy's Modern Haiku, 28.3, 1997 This reminds the reader that drug addicts are not just faceless people. Addicts are mothers or fathers, and more importantly, role models to their children. This also reminds me of Courtney Love, a rock star and mother of my generation. She was on television being interviewed by Barbara Walters, admitting that she was in fact still using heroin after the birth of her daughter. I can remember thinking to myself, "how could she do something so horrific, while the eyes of her young daughter act as mirrors reflecting every terrible image of her junkie mother." This senryu made me realize that children are put in situations everyday that they have no control over. This lack of control puts real pain into the heart of every reader. Here is another example of John Dunphy's senryu that deals with the suffrage of children: emergency room parents tell their child to say he fell down the stairs Modern Haiku 23.2, 1992 This senryu focuses on one of the biggest hardships a child can face. Child abuse is a subject that has been portrayed by all facets of media, including news, film, and television. We've all see the child abuse specials on television, wishing that we could do something to end this horrific act. I personally had a friend who was a victim of this. When I read this senryu, I think of what my friend had to go through and all the warnings I received about child abuse as a child. I think it's something that every person can relate to by either experiencing it, knowing someone who experienced it, or by remembering when learning about it. This to me is a very powerful piece about one of the most powerfully repulsive and deeply saddening topics. The next set of haiku from Dunphy I will be discussing is a collection he wrote about the Oklahoma City bombings. I personally remember watching this tragedy on television, wishing I could do something to comfort the victims or to help in some way. Dunphy captures the essence of the aftermath of this event. With his haiku, he takes you to ground zero. new widower clutches a piece of rubble knuckles white Frogpond 18.2, 1995 It's always hard to lose a loved one. It's especially hard to lose a loved one unexpectedly. I also can't image how hard it would be to lose a spouse in such a tragic way. This senryu really expresses the anger and the sorrow that this person is feeling. I can see someone with a look of utter shock and despair on their face as they are standing at the sight at which their wife or husband was taken from them without warning. I can only image the millions of thoughts running through this person's head. The best part about this senryu for me is that he left it up to the reader to imagine either a man or a woman. This allows the reader to make the piece more personal and less constrictive to the imagination. Here is another haiku from Dunphy's Oklahoma City bombing collection: another body recovered the next morning another bouquet opposite the ruins Frogpond 18.2, 1995 Once again, Dunphy does an excellent job of portraying a sense of loss and despair. This particular haiku reminds me of watching the news reports on television. There would always be constant updates on the raising death toll. I also remember seeing the victim's families watching over the site with flowers, pictures, and candles. This haiku speaks of a harsh reality that to me invokes an entire story. I can almost hear the telephone ringing as the police office makes the call to inform the victim's family of the loss. I can then see the shock on the faces of the family members. Next, I imagine a family member at the flower shop buying the bouquet as the clueless employee asks, "What's the occasion?" As the last line of the haiku suggests, I then see the end of a long car ride as the families approach the site with the flowers in hand. I can only imagine how hard a process like this can be on someone. At this point in the essay, your probably wondering, "Does this Dunphy guy write only tear-jerking, gut wrenching haiku?" The answer to this question is no. John Dunphy also has a great sense of humor. He shows great versatility, writing about things a stand-up comic might preface with, "Don't you hate it when..." Here is a great example: the mechanic's grin slowly broadening as he peers under my hood Modern Haiku 30.3, 1999 This is probably one of the funniest senryu I have ever read. The humor comes from the tremendous amount of truth behind this, which is a quality many comedians try to focus their comedy on. Anyone that has ever had car problems and was at the mercy of a mechanic knows the feeling that Dunphy is trying to portray here. I can almost smell the oil and gasoline of the garage. I can also see the dirty hands of a mechanic opening my hood and unleashing a stain-toothed grin that automatically breaks my heart. I really enjoy the way Dunphy captures one of life's precious misfortunes. Here is another one of Dunphy's lighter hearted haiku: wet footprints in a U-turn on the diving board Modern Haiku 24.1, 1993 One of my favorite aspects of haiku is the way that they can make you feel like a child again. This haiku in particular reminds me of standing on the diving board for the first time. Like many others, I turned around immediately after seeing how far the water below actually was. This captures the image of a child, or even me at 10 years old, making a complete 180 degree turn off of the diving platform. I can almost smell the chlorine in the pool and feel the board at my feet. This is a great portrayal of a very common childhood fear. As you can see from our journey through the work of John Dunphy, he is an excellent haiku writer. Dunphy captures the essence of pain, fear, death, and even humor. If one word could be used to describe all of Dunphy's haiku, that word would be "real." —Keith Johansen