hosts : Sanjuktaa Asopa & Aparna Pathak
sanderlings their legs longer on the wet beach
-- Ian Storr
(Presence 62, November 2018)
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hosts : Sanjuktaa Asopa & Aparna Pathak
sanderlings their legs longer on the wet beach
-- Ian Storr
(Presence 62, November 2018)
sanderlings their legs longer on the wet beach
The more I read it the more I'm drawn into this evocative poem by Ian Storr. The wet beach is the wave spread between the dry shore and the sea. It keeps getting wet wave after wave. The wave is an outcome of the sea's restlessness. We can think of the analogy between the ocean and the human mind.
When the poet says sanderlings' legs, I take them as their shadows because the actual legs can not be longer than the legs. Longer shadows indicate the time of the day, the evening, poetically indicative of one's old age. The shadow, the karma, the work we have done in this world in our…
It's a beautiful imagery and one that will make the reader seep in it again and again over time. I am new to poetry and even newer to birdwatching. Although I am yet to see a sanderling in person, I have seen pictures of them and other shorebirds. I can visualize how their thin stick like legs will blend with the reflection and make them look longer. As commented by Nalini, there is that maya (illusion) which also has us all wrapped up in our worlds and which makes us look taller than we are.
The haikuKATHA, Issue 37 list is up at CELEBRATION!
https://www.trivenihaikai.in/post/celebration
Beautiful ku Ian....I m still an amateur at this, please forgive me if I m a bit wayward in interpreting this ku..... considering your backstory.....
I’m drawn to the delicate interplay of maya, sandhi, and shanta rasa. The phrase “their legs longer” conjures an almost maya-like illusion—the sanderlings’ legs seem stretched by their reflections, a reminder that what I see holds layers, blending the real with something beyond. There’s sandhi here, too, in the seamless merging of the birds with their surroundings; bird, reflection, and wet sand come together as one, creating a harmony between life and landscape.
The mood of the haiku brings shanta rasa to the forefront—a quiet tranquility. I feel the gentle calm of the scene, the…
And here is Ian Storr with his backstory.
It's obviously a reflection haiku and, for me, it carries a suggestion of the playful side of the Cosmos but I wouldn't want to shared this and so guide readers to this interpretation. I would be curious to see if this emerges from the discussion. Perhaps Hinduism of all the major world religions is most aware of this aspect so the reaction of Indian haiku poets would be particularly interesting to me. Maybe you could include the following:
"Sanderlings are small, active waders, often seen along the British coast. The beach is at Filey in Yorkshire. It's long and sandy, ideal for beach cricket! The time of year is late September."
Again,…