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Judge James W. Hackett (US)
10 Selections

Three Top Choices

First Choice:

182

Cryptomerias
receding in mountain mist
I forget the shrine

Tim Hornyak
Tokyo, Japan

Quite aside from its formal attributes, a 'classic' haiku aesthetic distinguishes this verse: one which, in the anarchic context of today, brings honor to the genre. It truly deserves the label of a 'haiku poem,' for it subtly engenders an array of emotions that defy easy definition. But then again the serene, contemplative ambiance of this fine poem does not need commentary! Having said this, I will nevertheless commit the 'sin' that Blyth described as 'adding legs to a snake.'

The 'floating world' of this superb haiku poem 'works' whether one happens to be approaching, recollecting, or leaving the shrine -- all because the poet has used the verb 'forget.' The reverence that the word 'shrine' ordinarily elicits is more than counterpoised by a direct Zen-like awareness of the conifers gradually disappearing into the mist. This shift of focus causes me to recall one of Blyth's great insights, that "Zen is the unsymbolization of the world."

So in place of 'religion,' a serene, Sesshu-like scene is offered for contemplation. With trees gradually fading into nothingness, it reaches beyond its painterly aspect, and is a poem with mystical dimensions. From such an evocation of transience, the very evanescence of life its Self is felt.

Second Choice:

98

Lizard's tail
twisting and stroking
the Tom cat's moustache

Milosav Doderovic
Novi Sad, Serbia (Yugoslavia)

*Note: in American usage, 'tomcat' is one word

This verse epitomizes the lifefulness that is such an important quality in haiku. While hardly traditional, it typifies one modern concept of what constitutes 'haiku.' Formal considerations aside, it superbly manifests Suchness (the experiential Zen quality of "is-ness") that focuses on things just-as-they-are. Suchness ranks high among haiku aesthetics and it characterizes the best haiku poems.

At the outset we are struck by a shocking life-death struggle between the lizard and cat. And a powerful and quite unforgettable image it is. Excruciating and raw? Perhaps. But the trauma of the event is mitigated through the apposition of the verbs 'twisting' and 'stroking' that inject a strong  ironic note of whimsy -- that by providing balance, actually makes the verse successful. Whether by design or happenstance, its abrupt presentation and terse form greatly intensifies this rare moment of haiku experience.

Such physical 'drama' is certainly not common in haiku. However, its stunning effectiveness here demonstrates the genre's capacity for range and elan. It seems possible that such an aesthetic, if employed sparingly and with discretion, might well be used more in haiku. Certainly the suggestion or evocation of some feeling or emotion -- be it shock, empathy, pleasure, or compassion -- is a vital but neglected component of haiku creation.

This haiku reminds one of Issa and other great haijin whose poems sometimes described similar unconventional and provocative moments of life experience in vivid terms . (For example, think of Basho's peeing horse, and Buson's eminent Roshi relieving himself on the withered moor.) In their immediacy and directness, such verses offer keenly observed and deeply affecting haiku (and Zen) experiences, as can be well seen in this verse.

Third Choice:

79

melting snow
under a forgotten work glove
earthworms mate

Jerome Cushman
New York, United States

This verse epitomizes how strange some moments of haiku can be. Such a haiku is not invented, but simply records some extraordinary and compelling mundane experience. The verse testifies to the supra-literary intent of haiku to depict the simple (yet profound) Suchness of things-as-they-are: a Zen quality that is well represented here. The haiku's unique experience remains pristine, unsullied by the poet's subjectivity.

However bizarre, such unexpected instances of wonder and discovery are precisely what should capture the attention of haijin and move their pens. No attempt at 'beauty' or poetics deters the reader from sharing the astonishment that this unexpected experience conveys. One may indeed be moved by it for what seems no reason at all.

This verse might seem a 'So what?' haiku. However, it can be taken as something more when seen with the ken of 'That Art Thou' consciousness. The very huddling and coupling of the worms under the warm protection of the cast off glove can be interpreted -- in spiritual terms --  as epiphanic.

For in this Eternal Now (the realm of Ultimate Reality), the Universal Spirit is ever acting out and identifying with its Self. As Shakespeare, Zen, and quantum physics attest, "no thing really is, but thinking makes it so." Indeed, the mystic's experience of ultimate reality has now been conceptualized by quantum physics as "interrelated fields of energy:" that which transcendental consciousness knows as Spirit.

In some haiku, a profound mystical interpenetration (or identification) can be intuited between poets and their subject. All 'things' are  infinitely more and less than they seem to be. Such 'That Art Thou' identifications can and do occur in haiku experience. For in such melding moments the Universal Spirit is manifesting its Self in our poetry and in our lives.


Fourth Choice:

268

wet sand
a line of footprints
fades behind me

Sue Mill
Brisbane, Australia

Fifth Choice:

82 

A dog without owner               

passes with sorrow in eyes      

seldom stopping 

                  

Rade Dacic
Belgrade, Yugoslavia

Sixth Choice:

16  before the monk
& his walking stick
ageless mountain

Pamela A. Babusci
New York, United States

Seventh Choice:

356 

retired noddleshop keeper
tending his minnows
amaryllis in attendance

Junko Saeki
Tokyo, Japan

Eighth Choice:

519

drifting with the wind
a frog disappears into
a submerged forest

Hans Jongman
Ontario, Canada

Ninth Choice:

365 

the Moonlight Sonata
faintly traverses the night --
whose house?

Tei M. Scott
Virginia, United States

Tenth Choice:

45 

learning to love
this emptiness you left...
spring dusk

Marjorie Buettner
Minnesota, United States

 

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Next read Judge, Michael McClintock's selections and comments

Read more about the WHF2002 Akita

2002 Speakers

See the WHC Website for Details & Application Form

 

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