hosts: Shobhana Kumar and Kala Ramesh
12th May
This month we'll be showcasing haibun written by Harriot West
Here is our second offering from Harriot West’s vast repertoire.
The Way Things Were
There she is on eBay—the doll mother never let me have—poor Barbie, dismissed in the house where I grew up as cheap, not for the plastic she was made of but for her perky in-your-face breasts.
sepia shadows
a young girl tugs
at her tee shirt
Previously published in Haibun Today 6:3
Here is another haibun from Harriot West. In the commentary on her second book, Shades of Absence, Ray Ramussen in this article below, writes of her remarkable ability to write powerful, short haibun. Brevity is an art that haijin are perhaps adept at mastering, but haibuneers like Harriot West have made the art of succinct writing stand out.
Here are some more links to her work:
Until One Day I Said Enough: Harriot West on Haibun, an interview by Jeffrey Woodward in Haibun Today (Volume 9, Number 1, March 2015)
Harriot West and Minimalist Haibun by Ray Rasmussen in Haibun Today (Volume 8, Number 4, December 2014)
For this week, we invite you to espouse the case of brevity. Eschew elaborate mentions. Try to see what you can do with limited words. How much can you say in how little? PLEASE NOTE:
1. Only two haibun per poet per prompt.
2. Share your best-polished pieces.
3. Please do not post something in a hurry or something you have just written.
Let it simmer for a while.
4. Post your final edited version on top of your original verse.
5. Don't forget to give feedback on others' poems. We are delighted to open the comment thread for you to share your unpublished haibun (within 300 words) to be considered for inclusion in haikuKATHA monthly journal.
The Enso His face is charismatic and handsome. He has an aura about him. The salt and pepper hair suit him. Slowly he steps out of the car. I notice his shoes… one higher than the other. He has a limp. Polio was an epidemic in his time. deep autumn — pulling off the scab from an old scar
Feedback appreciated:)
Funny Bone
The night grandpa invented a loudspeaker for his television set, we watched Monty Python’s Flying Circus, at a decibel guaranteed to damage eardrums.
crack of dawn
the quail perfects
it’s silly walk
Feedback appreciated. My goodness, haibun are hard!
Please let me know about the change in title if any. As of now, I am keeping
'Race'. If not, how about 'Once upon a Time', A Tiny Recall', 'At Home' or please suggest. Now, I have two more titles; thanks Kala..Get, Set, Teddy Go or One, Two and Three.
.
Race
I always wanted to be first, but I couldn't. Each time I tried, my wheezing would show up and I had to stay at home for almost a week. Father would write a letter to the principal. The same lines for the seventh time. This time I learnt a new word, 'convalescence'.
July rain ...
drops follow drops
on the windowpane
.
feedback please
Revision 2
(Thank you, Kala. A new haiku. Critique welcome with thanks.)
Small Voices
I crush the dried rose petal in my foot soak between my toes. A hint of a fragrance rises, and no more.
big city —
warblers hit
a glass tower
*********************
Revision
Thanks to the kind feedback from Diana, Shobhana and Mona)
That Small Voice
I crush a dried rose petal in the foot soak between my toes. A hint of a fragrance rises, and no more.
warm dawn
the wind caught
in thorns
********************
That Small Voice
I crush the dried rose petal in my foot soak between my toes. A hint of a fragrance rises, and no more.
steaming dawn
no wind stops
b…
Warriors
There’s caregiver in the room when we arrive, a beautiful Muslim woman wearing a bright floral hijab. She sits off to the side, quietly waiting, and listening for any request for comfort or aid.
While Janice and I chat with the kids, Jenny mostly dozes.
Toward the end of our visit, Jenny briefly wakes. She smiles when she notices that I’m wearing camo. “What’s with the Rambo shirt?”
warm and wide-open the eye of the doe in headlights
.
Warriors
There’s caregiver in the room when we arrive, a beautiful Muslim woman wearing a bright floral hijab. During our visit, she sits off to the side, quietly waiting, and listening.
While Janice and I chat with the kids, Jenny…