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back empty-handed
A haiku experience as sensitive as a rare ikebana arrangement. The expression shows admirable skill and restraint. Subtle suggestion is the keynote, with each word carefully selected for its effect, as in the choice of ‘bursting.’ This single epithet not only suggests the season and the scene, it hints at the raison d'etre of the verse. And how well the simple phrase ‘idle ikebana bowl’ makes the point. Moreover, it is wisely separated, creating a pregnant pause. A most sensitive and subtle haiku with exemplary expression. untended garden --
A vivid and riveting haiku moment: one that provides an affecting, keenly observed experience. The ambient harmony of the aging man and the untended garden is poignant; in spite of infirmity and neglect, both have survived to share the summer. A ‘classic’ haiku. Barely contained
An unusual haiku offering -- the keenly perceived, sensuous experience of a single fruit. Though unorthodox in content, focus, and expression, it is a very lifeful and direct haiku. The experiential moment is so vivid we can virtually see, feel, and smell the fruit! To suggest the fulsome ‘suchness’ of a ripe peach in a few syllables is no easy feat. Haiku has been well (if not deeply) described as a poetry of the the senses. But the best haiku provide an emotive dimension as well. And here, beyond the tactile, redolent, and bursting ripeness of the fruit, the haiku seems to intimate something deeper. Such suggestion accrues when (as Basho urged) the poet and subject intuitively interrelate and become one. A broken nutshell
A haiku distinguished by a rare sensibility, one that well demonstrates how haiku sensitivity can ennoble mundane experience. It is apparent that the poet clearly understands what constitutes ‘the haiku experience:’ a successful use of the traditional haiku form presents a scene imbued with the ‘suchness’ of Zen in its depiction of ‘a thing, just as it is.’ The mood is stark and melancholy, befitting a sense of loss. How challenging to focus a haiku upon what no longer exists -- and in this instance, how very affecting the result! harvest dusk--
A memorable haiku: one that offers more than a whimsical irony. It may be day's end, and a tired worker needs to ‘sit a spell’ or perhaps a sleepy child is getting a ride home! Whatever the interpretation, an aura of oneness is suggested in the nexus between the land, toil, and our survival. It is a stunning and even painterly image, reminiscent of Van Gogh's early work depicting peasant life.
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