Justin Matthews • Justin's Haiku •

Paul Miller, who is more commonly known as Paul M. in most of his haiku, discovered haiku through Yuki Sawa’s book, Haiku Master Buson. He discovered this book while he was putting together an undergraduate poetry project he ironically entitled Seventeen Moments. He completed this project as an undergraduate at the University of California, San Diego. A major theme that he developed in his research project was "poetry’s greatest strength is its ability to closely examine any brief, revelation-filled moment." Paul believes that because of the potentially small size of haiku, it is a form of poetry that can do a very effective job of mimicking and isolating such moments. Paul says that after reading Yuki Sawa’s book, he’s been "hooked on haiku ever since." After his undergraduate work, he moved to San Francisco in 1990 to pursue a Master’s Degree in English. Although he has undergone much literary education, Paul is an employee in Finance for a pair of Investment Banks. Paul also says that he enjoys the Millikin Haiku website, and is very interested in the Eric Amann collection, which he has ordered as a reference. Paul has been working on haiku for about fifteen years. He has been published in periodicals such as Acorn, Frogpond, The Heron’s Nest, Mayfly, Modern Haiku, and Snapshots. His work has also been included in the 1998 and 2001 Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku, which is edited by Jim Kacian, A New Resonance 2, which is edited by Jim Kacian and Dee Evetts, and How to Haiku: A Writer’s Guide to Haiku and Related Form by Bruce Ross. His work has also been recognized in various contests. He received co-first prize recognition in the Suruga-Baikai Literary Festival in Japan. He also received a third prize in the 2000 HPNC haiku contest. Paul is a member of the Haiku Society of America, and the Haiku Poets of Northern California (HPNC), which is a regional Society. He will be one of the featured readers at this year’s HPNC Two Autumns reading. Miller does not have a website, but his work is available online. He is published quite a bit on The Heron’s Nest website, which can be found at http://www.theheronsnest.com/haiku. Paul has not put out any chapter books yet. However, he has one planned for this summer. He has sent me a rough draft of this book that is still in the works. Paul also states that he is glad to be studied, but he also notes that his wife thinks that I must have lost my mind. Paul is married, and has a dog. He highly recommends both! The following is from a rough sketch of Paul M.’s preface to the book he is currently working on, which he would like to publish in the next few months. This passage gives us a great feel of how Paul M. feels about poetry, and especially haiku. A poem is a fragrance in the wind. It is time captured, emotion quietly caught. Poetry’s subjects should not be cataclysmic events such as war or falling meteors (although they can often have the impact as such), but rather the daily motion of the earth and of all things upon it. The lightness of a spring rain on an old pasture wall; the passing of a river through a mountain’s shadow; traces of life on the high slope of a barren peak. These are the proverbial things of Williams Carlos Williams’ "No ideas but in things." We seek the light reflected from them, for they are the songs of our world. As Emerson says, "The light is always identical in its composition, but it falls on a great variety of objects, and by so falling is first revealed to us, not in its own form, for it is formless, but in theirs." Of all poetry, it is haiku that most closely examines the light, which connects ourselves and the seemingly disparate, the intimate details of our lives and surroundings, the echo of one thing upon another. R.H. Blyth wrote: "...it is only very seldom that we attend to such things... To do this twenty-four hours a day is the Way of Haiku. It is having life more abundantly." Where bigger subjects are the kindling of fiction, haiku are the small life-giving sparks in-between. They are the most honest of all poetry, free of polemics and preconception. Haiku teach us to trust instinct over logic. Rather than show us the world as we expect to see it, or as we wish to see it, they show us what is really there—unbounded by ego or philosophy—whether we understand what we see or not. Because they are more discovery than invention, they are the sincerest of poems and thus, unbeknownst to us in that moment of discovery, questioners of our faith. For how can we argue with what we have arrived at so cleanly? Haiku are a journey into the selves we but think we know. Poetry is the trailhead we stand before. But we are not the first to put up wood signs and rock markers. Thus, I must acknowledge a debt to the myriad editors and poets I have been fortunate to work with over the years. Without their footprints to guide me, I wouldn't have gotten to this place at all. And it is with deepest gratitude that I thank my wife, Mary Catharine, for her constant patience, love, and a hand to hold.’ —Paul M. from finding the way (a book in the works) It is very clear that Paul M.’s focus is directed toward the moment that fuels the haiku. He discusses that haiku are a journey into us. That moment present in haiku is a very important aspect of what is written in the haiku. He also concentrates a great deal on that moment of discovery we get when we write haiku. Paul M.’s haiku do many things, but they are highly focused on the moment, as well as self-discovery. These elements are present in Paul’s haiku. below the falls— a stepping stone just out of reach This haiku demonstrates those aspects of the moment, as well as self discovery. We are immediately taken into the setting. Then, the third line generates that feeling of self. The reader can genuinely sense the reaching for the stone, and the will to make it past that point. Readers may interpret certain aspects of the haiku differently, but there is no question of the moment present, as well as the self-discovery. Reading the haiku can have the effect on the reader of being in this beautiful setting around the water, but an alternative route to cross will have to be found. Otherwise, the traveler(s) will have to head back. The language is rather simple, but it is a very nice haiku. an elusive butterfly the warm wind through meadow grass This haiku also does a wonderful job of putting the reader directly into the moment. Again, the haiku is simple, but the moment really is captivating. Readers can be sent directly to the warm, grassy spot where the butterfly can be observed. We really notice a lot about the creature because of the word elusive. This butterfly has a very subtle presence, which gives Paul M. more self-discovery. There is plenty of beauty in the image, but the butterfly, which is elusive, is noticed. Once again, Paul M. shows us that aspect of self-discovery in his haiku. mountain shadow river water runs through my fingers This haiku presents with a very captivating moment. We are placed in a setting where the river is flowing and the mountain shadow is very visible. This is truly a beautiful setting in nature. Yet, we still have that element of self-discovery. Paul M. achieves this with one simple word, "my". It is his fingers through which the river water is running. Readers almost get the feeling that he is lucky enough to be in this place and feel the water. It shows a great appreciation for the nature around. unpacking the map— a mountain spring crosses the trail This haiku by Paul M., once again leads to self-discovery. Despite the possibility of being lost, because of the need for the map, we are witnessing a deep appreciation of nature. The unexpected occurrence of a spring crossing the trail does not get in the way of the astounding beauty nature presents. Although the map comes out, observance of this spring shows that the situation is not so tragic. Making the best of the situation given is being done, and it is completed through the deeper appreciation of the natural beauty around. milky way the thud of acorns when they fall This haiku is a great representation of self-discovery. Possibly observing the stars, a huge area, we see the attention drawn to small acorns. The galaxy is beautiful to observe, vast, and often can bring one to awe. However, these acorns, too, become marvelous. The thud of the acorns is very noticeable. We are drawn outdoors, where we speculate that concentration is upon the Milky Way, yet quickly taken away at the sound of acorns. This appreciation and attention shows more self-discovery in Paul M. haiku. uphill trail the scarred trunk of a giant sequoia This haiku by Paul M. won the Heron’s Nest Award. Self-discovery is a major reason this haiku is so worthy of an award. There are two elements present, the trail and the tree. Uphill implies hardship or exertion in the journey. Also, this sequoia is giant, which means it is worthy of admiration. There are scars on the tree, which also imply hardship. There is some juxtaposition involved here; hardship involved with both the tree, as well as the man. Paul M. separates himself from the rest of the world, and when he admires the tree, he almost becomes an integral part of it. He, too, is struggling to survive in the many hardships of life. Paul M. does a great job of presenting various elements of haiku to the reader. He obviously is a naturalist because of the presence of nature in many of his haiku. In addition, he truly captures the moment in his haiku. Often, simple language is used, but the meaning is worthy of reflection in all of the haiku he has written. If Paul’s haiku were only read once, it would be difficult to benefit from the many wonderful things his haiku does for us. Perhaps the most significant element of his haiku is the aspect of self-discovery. He puts us into the moment, and then shows us what that moment did for him, as a human. Readers can benefit from this too. Many different perceptions may be taken from one haiku, but the haiku always allow us to ask ourselves the question "What did that haiku allow me to discover about myself?" —Justin Matthews Sources Cited Paul M.’s rough draft of a chapbook to be published this summer, finding the way. An interview via email with Paul M. http://www.theheronsnest.com/haiku