hosts : Sanjuktaa Asopa & Kashiana Singh
his unopened letter
propped on the mantle —
lingering rain
---- Marietta McGregor
(Chrysanthemum Number 19, April 2016; featured haiku, Mann Library's Daily Haiku, February 5, 2017)
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Rain always evokes strong emotions. The type of rain further plays with that aspect. ‘Lingering’ is such great word; a longing, pining, something still there - is it lost love, regret, etc. The reader will project their own experiences without even realising it. I like how open ended the haiku is, how it invites the reader to continue the story. Beautiful share. :)
I loved your comments. That unopened letter entranced me completely. A vivid image, very cinematic, as Lakshmi says.
However,Marietta says : "The "unopened letter" in my haiku is a metaphorical symbol, rather than a literal image. Sometimes an unexpected letter arrives from someone you haven’t heard of or even thought much about for many years. This was the case for me when I received a note from the daughter of an old friend I’d lost touch with more than a decade earlier. The poem relates to my feelings of regret at leaving things untouched and unfinished (the letter “unopened”), and of not knowing how the friend was faring or what had become of him in the years since we last met.…
The lingering rain lends to the atmosphere - will his letter be opened later or will it remain unopened?
Beautiful!! So many things happening at the same time.
unopened letter - left to stare at first place
propped on the mantle - action comes later
lingering rain - nature's way
(There is a mystery and I could see Sherlock Holmes doing all the investigation, very cinematic too.)
The above is my thought on it, nothing serious.
Thank you Team!!
Most poignant.