EN340
/ IN350 Global Haiku Tradition
Dr. Randy Brooks
Spring 2003 |
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Selected
Haiku
by
Ryan
Jones
As
a historian, I am trained to see patterns. When I look at
a problem, I want to know as many variables as I can so
that I can understand the situation and evaluate it. To
find the information I need, I must sift through many resources
and take mountains of notes to produce paper or other work
that will address the problem at hand.
Haiku writing would seem to be something quite removed from
historical analysis as the emphasis is on a small number
of images, few actions words, and lines packed with sensory
details. Haiku focus in on the everyday, on the natural,
on the moments in life that produce an "Ah!"
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Haiku,
in my opinion, are not meant to be ruminated on for hours;
instead, they are meant to capture the moment, and
they are recited to invoke that moment and the memories
of that or similar moments in the listener's head.
I
believe that a haiku should contain interesting juxtapositions;
they should be simple, full of imagery. I also think that
they should convey common experiences and highlight special
times in awareness. My haiku usually feature some sort
of natural element, and I like to juxtapose the human
world and the natural world. We forget how connected the
worlds are sometimes, and with my haiku, I seek to bridge
this perceived gap.
A
senryu should capture a moment in a personal relationship
to which people can easily relate. My senryu deal with
first loves and kisses, shared moments of beauty, moments
from childhood, those moments that all of us who were
ever wallflowers have felt, and other moments of personal
interaction. Senryu may seem to lack the natural aspects
of haiku or the deeper meanings, but really, I think that
quite profound realizations and experiences can be had
with a shared social experience, and that senryu are a
distilled version of the communications between people
called language.
I
am not afraid of writing haiku with a narrative slant,
and this approach is present in many of my haiku. Haiku
are small stories, at least when memories are added to
them, and providing the context needed to set the scene
of the moment that was captured at times does require
an active verb, which in turn lends the haiku a more narrative
quality. While this may not be the Zen approach, I believe
there is more to say than simple description, although
a few of my favorite haiku aim to just that end, and that
a way to say more profound messages with haiku is to acknowledge
that humans are involved with haiku. Language is a human
creation) and it's tools should be utilized to the fullest
to present the world for others to share. This is not
to say that haiku should be wordy; the haiku writer should
just be open to where the haiku needs to go.
This
preface finds me at the conclusion of my four year undergraduate
career at Millikin. As such, this collection is one that
has special meaning. In the following pages, you will
find the very best of the haiku and senryu that I have
to offer. All of these poems were composed over the past
few months as part of the Global Haiku class under the
caring instruction Dr. Randy Brooks. I hope you enjoy
them and that they help you connect with yourself, with
nature, and the world as a whole.
—Ryan
Jones
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fragrant
irises
the boy asks
where babies come from
(Heron's
Nest , July, 2003)
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skyscrapers
the ant pulls his meal
through the grass
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fresh
cantaloupe
the butterfly and boy
share the juice
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father
and son
shaving cream
drips
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spring
payday
she sighs
the money already spent
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stuffy
library
a pretty blonde's tanned legs
s t r e t c h e d
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small
shoes
dangle off the chair
first haircut
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old
wooden bench
only fallen crabapple blossoms
for company
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jellyfish
on the beach
the boy loses
his innocence
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soft
rain
hop scotch pebble
in a puddle
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spring
breeze
boxers on the line
dancing
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she
pretends
to
ignore
my
sweaty
hand
the
park
at
dusk
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on
the path of wet leaves
our stumbling embrace
first kiss
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snowed
in
warm
cookies
on
the
china
plate
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birch
bark
he paddles a canoe
in words
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at
the
drive
in
her
eyes
on
the
screen
his
eyes
on
her
neck
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hiding
from the rain
in the wet sleeping bag
first kiss
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the
teenager
the
grasshopper
tobacco
spit
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blueberry
pancakes
another day
canoeing
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ripe
orange
the
juice
from
chest
to
navel
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In
the fall, my family picks
apples from our own tress.
Yellow delicious apples,
plump and solid, mixed
with tart Jonathons for
steamy skillets of sweet
fried apples. The air
is cool during apple harvest,
crisp. The sky is clear.
And leaves flutter onto
the splashes of yellow
and violet mums outside
our window.
fall
harvest
the perfect apple
hides a worm
blue
hooded sweatshirt
a small boy squeals
under the apple tree
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spring
evening
another
bomb
in
Jerusalem
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ashes
fall
from his forehead
HIV-positive
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sunset
the
many
angry
words
spoken
behind
my
back
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red
bud blossoms
in her chestnut hair
first gray strands
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Butterfly
Weed
is
one
of
the
few
orange
flowers
on
the
prairie.
It's
my
favorite
flower
too,
and
the
hourglass
flowers
in
large
clusters
are
the
color
of
ripe
tangerines.
Pioneers
used
its
roots
to
treat
pleurisy,
and
butterflies
flit
from
cluster
to
cluster
for
nectar.
one
leg
caught
the
black
ant
far
from
home
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A
Return
to
Nature
Reader's
Introduction
by
Bri
Hill
Living
their
lives
in
the
rush
of
modern
day
society
people
often
fail
to
notice
the
beauty
of
the
natural
world
that
surrounds
them
In
fact,
many
people
even
venture
so
far
as
to
claim
that
nature
no
longer
holds
any
significant
place
in
their
lives.
They
simply
cast
it
off,
forgetting
that
they,
themselves,
are
mere
extensions
of
the
natural
world.
Living
in
a
society
focused
on
jobs,
office
buildings,
homes,
concrete
constructions,
and
human
production,
however,
does
no
simply
mean
that
people
can
correctly
claim
complete
detachment
from
the
surrounding
world.
In
fact,
people
remain
intricately
connected
to
the
natural
cycle
of
life
whether
they
recognize
the
connection
or
not.
The
beauty
of
Ryan's
haiku
is
its
ability
to
return
readers
to
nature . . . to
reveal
those
long
forgottenconnections
to
the
surrounding
world.
One
way
in
which
he
manages
to
accomplish
this
task
is
with
a
simple
redirection
of
focus
to
the
smaller
creatures
of
the
world
that
reflect
human
behavior.
For
instance,
Ryan
wrote:
skyscrapers
the
ant
pulls
his
meal
through
the
grass
This
poem
begins
by
focusing
on
skyscrapers,
an
element
of
modern
society
that
seems
almost
completely
detached
from
nature.
In
the
following
two
lines,
however,
Ryan
manages
to
pull
the
reader's
focus
to
the
juxtaposed
image
of
a
tiny
ant.
The
ant,
an
element
of
nature
that
people
generally
never
take
the
time
to
reflect
upon
seems
to
strangely
reflect
human
behavior
with
the
dragging
of
its
food.
People
work
in
the
skyscrapers
that
were
mentioned
in
the
first
line
in
order
to
feed
their
families.
Similarly,
the
ant
works
in
the
grass
to
feed
its
colony.
Although
these
elements
seem
juxtaposed
in
terms
of
natural
versus
unnatural,
they
also
reveal
an
intricate
connection
between
the
two
that
might
normally
remain
unnoticed.
Another
way
in
which
Ryan
manages
to
accomplish
the
task
of
reconnecting
modern
people
to
the
natural
world
is
through
the
recounting
of
a
moment
in
which
the
two
worlds
interact
with
one
another.
For
instance,
he
wrote:
jellyfish
on
the
beach
the
boy
loses
his
innocence
In
fact,
in
this
poem,
Ryan
provides
his
readers
with
a
moment
in
which
the
natural
world
and
humanity
not
only
interact,
but
one
in
which
nature
teaches
a
life
lesson.
The
boys
curiosity
about
the
world
around
him
led
to
the
lesson
that
not
everything
in
life
will
be
pleasant.
Occasionally
life
will
present
a
situation
that
can
cause
harm,
but
that
such
situations
are
simply
a
part
of
being
human,
of
living.
The
third
and
most
entertaining
way
that
Ryan
helps
his
readers
to
reconnect
to
nature
is
by
presenting
a
moment
of
communion
between
the
two
that
expresses
a
sense
of
peace
or
sheer
happiness.
For
example:
rainbow
in
the
east
mother
and
son
splash
in
the
puddle
Poems
such
as
this
allow
the
reader
to
reconnect
to
the
world
that
they
have
distance
themselves
from
by
portraying
a
special
moment
of
connection
to
nature
that
they
can
experience
for
themselves.
By
seeing
the
rainbow
and
by
feeling
the
joy
of
splashing
in
a
puddle
with
a
parent
or
a
child
of
their
own,
readers
suddenly
feel
closer
to
nature
than
they
have
for
a
long
time.
Although
people
commonly
find
themselves
distance
from
the
cycle
of
the
natural
world
while
dwelling
in
modern
society,
Ryan's
haiku
has
the
unique
ability
to
reconnect
these
two
aspects
of
life
by
returning
people
to
moments
in
which
they
can
experience
and
discover
nature.
Therein
lies
its
beauty.
So,
relax
and
prepare
yourself
to
reconnect
with
the
whole
of
the
universe
that
defines
who
we
are
and
will
always
remain
an
intricate
part
of
us.
Enjoy!
—Brindan
Hill
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©2003
Randy Brooks, Millikin University, Decatur, Illinois || all rights
reserved for original authors
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