Billy Flowers • Alan Pizzarelli: Senriffic

Selected Haiku by Billy Flowers I am a business major who began studying the art of haiku just four short months ago in January, 2003. I am not the most in tune with nature, although I have come a long way this semester in being able to visualize and enjoy the beautiful moments nature has to offer. Most of my influence comes from the art of senryu: namely, Alan Pizzarelli. Most of my senryu are written from two perspectives: being a kid, and being intoxicated. This original work has a little bit of everything: haiku, haibun, and, of course, senryu.

Reader's Introduction Upon reading Billy Flowers' haiku, you immediately get a sense of what kind of person Billy is. This is not only because he writes primarily out of personal experience—his senryu, usually involving midgets—are written from imagination. This is also because his haiku is infused with feelings of humor, love of good times, and a carefree character. Billy uses events from his own life, like cracking beers to the setting sun or leisurely swatting flies from hamburgers, to create the relaxed atmosphere that permeates the majority of his work. Those haiku that do not share this feeling are regardlessly saturated with Billy's own perspective on the moment. By putting himself into a moment, such as wishing for gloves as he scrapes off a windshield, Billy also places the reader into that moment in time. Thus, a reader can easily relate to the feeling he is trying to portray. This is a hallmark of excellent haiku, a hallmark fround frequently in Billy Flowers' work. —Alyson Ludek