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Midwestern Haiku by Lee Gurga
by Kathy Carter
Haiku can be written by anyone who lives everyday life, has a memory, or an imagination. Each line of a haiku is only a fragment of a thought about anything. I feel that by giving only small pieces of information, it is like a snapshot of the story. There is no haiku that is too complicated for normal people to understand. People reading haiku may not come up with the same meaning because it will trigger a memory of something they have experienced. I believe it is a way to pull the reader into the haiku so that they cannot only enjoy, but also relate at a deeper level.
When reading The Haiku Anthology in class and deciding what author I would choose to write an essay about, I read several haiku by Lee Gurga. I am attracted to haiku that takes me back to my childhood or simpler times. Gurga captures that feeling for me. He is passionate about his family, nature, and the mystery of the seasons. I was even more interested in Gurga when I discovered he lives in the small Midwest town of Lincoln, Illinois, because that is where I live.
Lee Gurga was born and raised in Chicago and began writing haiku in 1966 after discovering a book on haiku in a Chicago bookstore. Gurga attended college at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana where he studied dentistry as well as mathematics, Asian studies, and dance. While in college, Gurga had an opportunity through the Asian studies program to study kabuki dance and tea ceremony under the direction of Shozo Sato.
Haiku has been a part of Gurga’s life for many years. Now residing in a country setting outside of Lincoln with his wife and three sons, Gurga practices dentistry and writes and translates haiku. I am drawn to the work of Gurga because of the vivid images that I can see so clearly. Here are some of my favorites:
fresh scent –
the Labrador’s muzzle
deeper into snow
Gurga, Fresh Scent, 19
This particular haiku by Gurga brought a smile to my face. I have the image of a black Labrador my family owned. The first snow of the season, “Magie” would stand at the picture window barking at the snow coming down. That was her way of saying she wanted to run and play in the snow. When Magie was let outside, she would run around as fast as she could with a cloud of snow behind her. Then as she tired of running, she would begin tracking animals that had walked in the snow during the night. Magie would stick her nose into the snow at the base of a tree or around a bush and make snorting noises. When she came up for air, she would have snow all over her head, and all you could see was her black nose and eyes. Gurga captures this moment for me with this haiku. He captures the memory for anyone who has watched their dog play in the snow. I was pleased to discover that in 1996, Gurga placed 1st at the Haiku Summit Contest, International Division, for this haiku.
rural interstate—
all the other cars
exit together
Gurga, Fresh Scent, 23
For this haiku, I picture Interstate 55 that runs through the farm land west of Lincoln. Perhaps Lee Gurga and his family can see the interstate from their home. I live not far from this interstate and sometimes on a summer night if the windows are open and the wind is just right, you can hear the humming tires of the semi tractor trailers against the pavement as they speed by the exits on their way to St. Louis or maybe Chicago. Other times when you are driving, especially at night on the interstate, you may see a line of brake lights and turn signals from cars as they exit the interstate in unison. The exit I am thinking of has a diner, fast food restaurants, gas stations, a convenience store, and lodging. Gurga presents an image everyone has experienced.
horse slobber
frozen to my coveralls—
New Year’s Eve
Gurga, Fresh Scent, 36
I remember reading that Gurga has five haflinger horses. I imagine Gurga going to the barn in his Carhart coveralls to check and feed the horses on a very bitter cold New Year’s Eve. As he pries open the frozen barn door, the wind catches the door and whips it back against the side of the barn with a loud clap. Startled, the horses whinny and two gallop into the brisk air. Warm body heat streams from the horses’ nostrils. The horses know why he is there. Gurga comes to the barn at the same time each evening to feed, water, and give them attention. The horses follow him back into the barn. As he reaches outside to pull the door closed, one of the horses nudges his head. As Gurga turns around, slobbers from the horse run down the front of his coveralls. He gently pushes the horse’s head back and tries to wipe the thick substance with his jersey glove. Gurga then goes about his business filling the water buckets at the outside water spigot. When he returns to the house he notices the slobber frozen on his overalls. This haiku is not a fond memory, but is a memory. In 1996, Gurga won honorable mention for this haiku in the Haiku Splash haiku contest.
restored prairie…
where the grasses end
the prison’s outer fence
Gurga, Fresh Scent, 104
This haiku is interesting to me. The fence surrounds the prison. Life in the prison is restricted as men and women serve time for wrongs they committed. From what I have heard from a couple of people I know who work in the prison system, the routine rarely changes. It is a hard and sad existence. Some inmates take college courses to pass the time. Other prisoners join gangs. “The grasses” in this haiku are the prison world. The “restored prairie” beyond the outer fence represents freedom or a life of your own. In the life outside the fence you can decide what you want to do and where you want to go.
a bike in the grass
one wheel slowly turning—
summer afternoon
Gurga, The Haiku Anthology, 52
This haiku is a favorite because Gurga has brought back a childhood memory of a warm summer afternoon. A child is riding his bike around the neighborhood and stops to talk to Mr. Hudson about mowing his perfectly manicured lawn for a small fee. With a negative nod of the head, the child then rides his bike over to Mrs. Dixon’s house with a rock in hand. She gives big sugar cookies for beautiful rocks to add to her collection, and she doesn’t seem that picky. Each time the child stops for a conversation, he throws the bike in the grass, and the handle bars keep the bike from lying flat – the front wheel spins for several seconds. Then the child picks up the bike and pedals farther down the road, stopping to talk to the retired man in the neighborhood who performs balloon shows at children’s birthday parties. The man shows the child how to fasten playing cards to the spokes with clothes pins. The child picks up the bike and turns it around to head home. The sound of a motorcycle is clear as the wheels of the bike turn and the playing cards begin to flap against the spokes. As the child nears his house, he can hear his mother calling him in for an afternoon snack. He aims for the front yard and jumps off before the bike has stopped and throws it to the ground. The front wheel is turning with the playing card slowing the momentum with the touch of each spoke. Perhaps Gurga had a similar memory. I know I did.
wedding picture:
each face finds
a different camera
Gurga, The Haiku Anthology, 54
I was drawn to this haiku by Gurga because my husband dabbles in photograph and has taken wedding pictures, and this haiku is so true! The day is very special for the bride and groom, and they want everything perfect, especially the photographs. Sometimes the photographer is allowed to break tradition and take the wedding photographs prior to the wedding when everyone is at their best. However, if the photographs are taken after the wedding, the photographer is sometimes in competition with family members taking pictures at the same moment. With so many people taking pictures, the members of the wedding party are not looking at the same camera. The photographer is paid and expected to get the best photographs of the bride and groom. As my husband’s assistant, it can be frustrating setting up for the perfect shot and having another camera flash at the same moment. Gurga may have noticed this situation occurring at a friends wedding or maybe his own.
graduation day—
my son & I side by side
knotting our ties
Gurga, The Haiku Anthology, 57
I am sure Gurga is sharing a graduation experience he had with one of his sons. This haiku gives the reader a feeling of college graduation. I don’t believe it is high school because not too many high school students wear ties. Sadly today, many high school graduates wear shorts and sneakers. “Knotting our ties” sounds more mature – like college. Standing side by side knotting their ties makes me think the father has taught the son about being a man and one of those things is knotting his own tie. The father is proud as they prepare for the graduation ceremony – standing side by side in front of the bathroom mirror with their crisp white shirts and dark ties on. The father and son are watching each other in the bathroom mirror wrapping the tie around and pulling it through to form the knot. I can see the son being slightly taller and leaner than the father. My husband told me that his father could not knot a tie. On the day my husband graduated from college, he formed the knot around his neck, and slipped the tie on his dad for final adjustment. Maybe this was the case for this haiku.
last bale of hay—
we sit down on it
and watch the moon
Gurga, The Haiku Anthology, 57
Gurga has a gift of taking his readers right to the season and the weather. This haiku takes me to a warm summer evening after a sweltering hot sticky day. A father and his three sons have been baling hay for the past two weeks from sunrise to sunset. The work is hard and back breaking. Days are long, but baling hay brings in earnings for four families. It has not been an easy season. There have been several delays because the tractor that pulls the batwing mower has had mechanical problems. The family hopes to replace the mower after this season…if it every ends. The baler has been doing its job, but the hot weather and the heat have caused short tempers to flare. A stop for lunch confirms they should be done by late afternoon. However, a pin slips on the mower and attempts to find it in the field fail. A two-hour trip to the equipment dealer becomes a necessity. Hours later, the last bale is formed. The sun has set and the moon is out. The men climb down from the equipment and share nods of relief. The cooler in the back of the pickup truck is open and cold beers are handed out. The men sit on the bales left to load, click open their beer cans, toast the moon, and celebrate a job completed.
winding a bobbin
cotton the color of
her husband’s winter
Gurga, Lee, Autumn Mosquito, 5
teaching her to sew…
I wind back to bobbin thread
from half a life ago
Lyles, Peggy, To Hear the Rain, 66
In comparing these matching haiku, I admire the style of both of authors. To me, Peggy Lyles and Lee Gurga seem to write about similar haiku subjects. These haiku remind me of my mother’s sewing room wall covered with a peg board that held hundreds of bobbins. These haiku make me think of the colors of thread that may have been wrapped around shiny metal bobbins. The colors of the bobbins represent years of sewing and a particular piece of clothing that someone in the family wore in the spring, summer, or winter of a certain year. In the first haiku, I see a bobbin wrapped in rust, red, brown, green, or tan…thread the wife has used to make several flannel shirts for her husband to wear during the cold winter months. The second haiku takes me to a sewing room where my mother is teaching me to sew. She could be winding a bobbin with thread she hasn’t used for many years that may have been used to make my father flannel shirts. The thread is now being used a second time as a teaching tool, and I see my father as the thread is pulled through the material.
prairie farmhouse
two empty lawn chairs
facing the blacktop
Gurga, Autumn Mosquito, 7
This scene is easy to see as you drive through the country side. Farmhouses sit in the middle of several acres. The house is surrounded by pine trees to block the wind and snow, there is a detached garage, and equipment sheds near. But the one thing that is not near are neighbors and interesting sights. There is a peacefulness about living in the country but people need socialization, too. In this haiku, I can see an elderly husband and wife sitting in their lawn chairs at the end of a day enjoying each other’s company. They have eaten their evening meal and relax in the two lawn chairs in the yard facing the blacktop road. As they visit with each other, they wave at neighbors driving by on their way to town. If a strange car drives by, the conversation changes to, “I wonder who that was?” However, they are mostly content living in the country. This is another haiku where Gurga takes you there.
Over the years, Gurga has been a part of the many aspects of haiku. He has served as president and vice president of the Haiku Society of America and helped organize several 20th Anniversary gatherings in the Midwest. He also has served as editor of the journal Modern Haiku and the haiku selector for the Illinois Times newspaper. Gurga has won the top prize in haiku contests in the United States, Canada, and Japan. His books In and Out of Fog and Fresh Scent were both awarded the first prize in the Haiku Society of America Merit Book Awards. Gurga also was awarded an Illinois Arts Council Poetry Fellowship in 1998 for his work in haiku. Gurga continues to be involved in the world of haiku.
Works Cited
Gurga, L. (1998). Fresh scent. Decatur, IL: Brooks Books.
Gurga, L. (2005). Autumn mosquito. Lincoln, IL: Modern Haiku Press.
van den Heuvel, C. (1999). The haiku anthology. New York, NY: W.W. Norton &
Company, Inc.
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