HAIKU FROM 55 DEGREES NORTH

A haiku poem might be described as a moment of insight. The example above contains the common devise in Japanese Haiku of a seasonal activity (sweeping leaves) to help fix the time of year. It also includes the idea of the quiet time after the storm has passed a time of rest - (no one sweeps leaves) but then adds the surprise - people are at work (the sound of hammering) What would they be hammering after the storm ? Repairing the roofs, and fences broken down, making the homes safe again perhaps ? and so no one sweeps leaves... because they are too busy with more urgent work after the storm or yet another thought because after the storm all the leaves that needed sweeping have already been swept away ?... This somewhat lengthy explanation will not be applied to any of the other poems, but the images will be allowed to show themselves and touch the imagination without unnecessary prompting. In Western or International Haiku, the rules are often relaxed in recognition of the difference in language structure and form. Whatever variations are used the poet still attempts to express what is seen as simply as possible. Writing and reading International Haiku is one way of becoming awakened to the stories that surround us all daily. It has been said that one picture is worth a thousand words, but it is also true that,with a few carefully chosen words, a Haiku poem can create vivid and long lasting images. They can also produce the seed of ideas for new tales.
In 1996 I read Deep River, by one of my favourite authors, Shusaku Endo. As I read it suddenly became clear to me that several of the descriptive passages were for me flash bulb moments, extremely similar to Haiku. So I wrote the following;