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Kirk Jordan's avatar

I like the poem with extended deciphering. The poetry feels so Asian, but leaves me bewildered. It is nice when it snaps into place with infused meaning.

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Mark Rico's avatar

Thank you, Kirk! One of the beautiful things about Japanese forms is that they leave so much meaning available for the reader to create. I could write this haiku:

--

hawk calls

alone above—

january

--

And it could mean that my wife died.

But it could also mean that your artistic impulse is in a barren season and you're experiencing the death of a dream as you scream into the void.

But it could also mean that the quiet of winter makes room to hear all kinds of things that we normally wouldn't hear in busier times of life.

But it could also mean that I wish I was free but feel frozen in place.

--

It all depends on the reader's felt experience at the time. I love that about these forms. One of the struggles I have is to cull extra words and explanation. My tendency is to tell more than show, and I have to edit to welcome the reader in with their own experiences.

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Christine Rico's avatar

Strange experience in a far country - surreal!

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