Selections
and Comments by DeVar Dahl, Editor
Magrath, CA
|
Haiku
Dedicated to John Crook
Josefina
Gerlach
5th Grade
Zagreb, Croatia
|
dividing
time,
the clock makes the silence
unsettled
|
...Here
Josefina shows us that the sound of a clock makes us aware of passing time;
if we are troubled or bothered by something, then this heightened awareness
can be quite unsettling. [DD] |
razdvajaju i
vrijeme, sat ti inu
ini nemirnom
|
|
a
broken web -
a refugee spider is still
looking for a home |
...Josefina’s
observations of a spider in this haiku makes me think of the
spider haiku the Issa wrote. She is not frightened
or repulsed by them. She states with some
degree of compassion that the spider is still without a home.
[DD] |
|
razderana mre
a -
pauk izbjeglica jo
tra i novi dom |
|
the trees
make ready
for a masked ball -
all are good fairies |
...I
think this is a very good autumn haiku. The trees put on their coloured
leaves and are ready for the new season. I like
Josefina’s final line that all are good
fairies. It is a positive statement about the change of seasons.
[DD] |
|
stabla se
spremaju
na bal pod maskama -
sva su dobre vile |
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the clock image to visit the
WHChaikujunior Multimedia Gallery
|
Winter Haiku
Brendan Ryan
Charnwood, UK
Age 9
|
half way to
Christmas -
suspended from branches
a full moon |
| ...Brendan
has nicely composed a haiku that stops the bustle of Christmas. It
draws out attention to the moon which appears to
suspended on tree branches. Wouldn’t it
be wonderful if we could put such an ornament on our own Christmas
tree? [DD] |
| In
four words Brendan has powerfully captured a feeling
of loss and loneliness. A strong winter haiku.
[DD] |
|
music bellows
no people to listen -
a wet day |
| Brendan
paints an intriguing picture. The bellowing music
is ignored because of the wet conditions. Even
though the music is extra loud it still is ignored
by everyone except Brendan who remarks on the
irony of it. A good haiku observation.
[DD] |
|
Winter dawn
rainbow colours scattered
across the sky |
| ...Winter
morning can be cold and uninviting. Brendan gives us some hope for the day when
he shows us the scattered rainbow colours. [DD] |
|
Click
the stonebench to visit the
WHChaikujunior Multimedia Gallery
|
Holiday &
Family Haiku
Kayla Christine Kohlmaier
Florida, US
Age 10, 5th Grade
|
|
first
birthday
baby sister wears her cake
before eating |
...Kayla
has a keen eye for the funny things that one year old children can do.
I can just see the cake all over her face and down
the front of her dress or shirt. [DD] |
opening
presents
when her baby doll cries
the baby laughs |
...Another
good family haiku; Kayla sees that her baby sister is amused by the realistic
actions of her new doll. She shows that a one year old is still too young to
understand and sympathize with her crying baby doll. [DD] |
Christmas
Day
my baby sister
takes all my toys |
...Again,
Kayla makes a keen observation on babies and Christmas. Actually, it could
be extended to most people and not just babies. We all tend to look at and
want what the other guy has. [DD] |
Click
the cat image to visit the WHChaikujunior
Multimedia Gallery
All poetry and art copyright belongs to their respective
authors and artists.
|
Haiku
Sonia
Cristina Coman
Constanza, Romania
7th Grade
|
|
Themed Haiku:
Places |
|
| ...Sonia
has a sensitive and gentle way to shows the influence of the believer’s faith.
This is a haiku I can read many times and enjoy its sense of faith and peace.
[DD] |
serpentine
road -
I think it will end
nowhere |
| ...Most
people can relate to this one. A long trip on a winding road that seems to never
end. [DD] |
above the sea
sustained by a cloud
the moon |
| ...In
this haiku Sonia leads our sight up from the sea, to the clouds and then the
moon. A clever and very well crafted haiku. [DD] |
|
| Themed
Haiku: Light |
|
|
the twinkle
lights' game
in my cat's eyes -
waiting for Santa Claus |
|
still life -
the light comes
from the same direction |
|
sunrise...
a shadow still persists
in the garden |
|
| Haiku
with Kigo: Snow |
|
snowfall -
practicing quietly
the tea ceremony |
|
a dog goes
round
the snowmen-
scattered orange peels |
|
tolling
fainter and fainter
the snowy bell
of the church |
|
Haiku
for WHC
New Year's 2001-2002 Double Kukai |
|
drops of
champagne
refreshing my tears -
sadness or joy? |
|
For this issue, we had a special selection arrive from Zegreb, Croatia: Haiku
from Josephina Gerlach with photography by
her mother, Smiljana Gerlach. We are pleased
to present her haiku, written in Croatian with English translation. Josephina
has dedicated their series to Mr.
John Crook, Deputy Chairman of the World Haiku Club, who passed
away in February 2001. Josephina and Smiljana have special pages on John's
"Grains
of Rice" website. Please see the mother-daughter
collaborations and a brief biography on the next page, WHChaikujunior's
Multimedia Gallery.
Brendan Ryan submitted four winter-themed
haiku from Charnwood, England. The seasons with their celebrations and changes
of scenery offer opportunities to write haiku in themes and as series. Brendan
takes part in Ginko
- haiku walks, with his family, one of them last September as part of the WHC
Fall Festival events. He enjoys using art/photo programs on his computer and has
made some very fine haiku-art which is published in the Volume 1, Issue 1, May
2001, the premier issue of World Haiku Review and also on the Paper
Lanterns website in the "Arts-ren", "New
Sun Planet".
Kayla Christine Kohlmaier, of Florida, US,
submitted three haiku on a theme of holidays: Christmas and birthday, all
written about her newest baby sister. Kayla enjoys writing haiku about her
friends, family and pets. She has recently collaborated with her grandmother,
Debi Bender - Kayla's own photography combined her grandmother's haiku, several
which are in WHChaikujunior's
Multimedia Gallery, and some on the WHCe-Cards
site.
Sonia Christina Coman, from Constanza,
Romania, has been selected, along with James W. Hackett, to represent WHC for
the UNESCO
World Poetry Day Project, Babele poetica.
She submitted haiku for the March column of WHChaikuforumworkshop, under the
categories, "General Haiku", "Themed Haiku: Light" and
"Kigo Haiku: Snow" winning the Editor's Choice Award for haiku; and,
she entered in the WHC New Year Double Kukai winning an honourable mention! As
WHC's Ambassador of World Haiku, Sonia has recently begun working with WHC and
the Romanian Minister of Education to bring haiku into the public elementary
schools in Romania. You can read her report in the feature column Haiku
in Education.Sonia and her mother, Maria Coman, collaborate with
haiku photography. Please see their work and a brief biography on the next page,
WHChaikujunior's
Multimedia Gallery (also in the WHCe-cards
site).
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