Mary Gamble   Mark Grizzard's haiku • Rengay by Mary & Mark

Colleague Analysis of Mark Grizzard’s Haiku Haiku poet, Mark Grizzard, has a unique style of writing. His haiku perfectly captures each moment in time. Often, Mark’s haiku are focused on real-life occurrences. As a result, Mark’s haiku really relate to each reader in a little different way. Often, Mr. Grizzard’s haiku are interpreted in several different ways and each way is special to the individual. I find this to be one of the neatest aspects of Mark’s haiku. Mr. Grizzard is also a very skilled "Rengay" poet. I have worked with him on many "Rengay" projects. Working on such projects with Mark is always fun. Mark is constantly suggesting new and inventive ideas in his work. During one "Rengay" writing session, in which we composed "Second Glance," Mark and I focused on the aspect of "twos." Originally, the idea came to us because Mark is a twin and we thought twins was a neat subject. As we continued to brainstorm, his ideas for writing about "twos" were impressive. His input into our "Rengay" really pulled the piece together into a solid piece of work. One of my favorites of Mr. Grizzard’s haiku is waiting room— doing a crossword puzzle with white knuckles This haiku is brilliant. The haiku catches a moment with a unique description. Also, this haiku puts the reader directly in the moment. I especially like how Mark leaves the reader with a sense of questioning about the moment. As a reader, many different interpretations can be made. Who is this person? What kind of waiting room is this? Hospital? Doctor’s Office? Lawyer’s Office? Job Interview? Is this person waiting for someone? Is a loved one sick? Is he waiting for test results? What exactly is going on in this situation? I find this sort of haiku intriguing and I enjoy Mark’s use of words. When Mr. Grizzard writes about nature, he gives the image a particularly interesting spin. Often, concentrating on a certain aspect that is often unnoticed, he does this. For example: piles of dead leaves still there after snow melts that was fast Mark’s haiku about the changes in the season is really beautiful. I think the idea behind this is that time flies. I can certainly relate to the fact that seasons seem to come and go quickly. Overall, I like the feeling this haiku exhibits some great characteristics of inventive writing about seasons. Mark often gives very helpful edit suggestions during workshops. One of Mark’s strongest traits as a poet is his willingness to help another haiku poet. Mark has a knack for helping his peers to brainstorm about edits until their happy with the results. Mr. Grizzard never makes people feel uncomfortable when editing. Instead, he simply offers helpful suggestions to those willing to take them. I think this quality of Mark’s is exceptional. I always enjoy reading Mark Grizzard’s haiku and I look forward to reading more of his work in the future. He is a very talented artist! —Mary Gamble