hAiKu-sTyLe prOsE for the PaRaDox GeNeRaTiOn
contained herein are ideas that have come to mind as i’ve walked through the valleys, climbed the mountains, and navigated the seas of my internal landscape. brain as pen; blood: ink. skin: paper. feet trudge across experience; interchangeably, its ground is cement, sand.
cupped hands have briefly held teardrop raindrops, running down swollen cliff sides. I have sailed down rivers of doubt toward the buoyant property of saltwater. god's promise: beyond the confinement of logical thought, there is wingless flight. revelation.
haiku-style prose has been an effective vehicle for the communication of these revelatory instances during self-reflection. I find the medium effective for expressing ideas that come to mind while the mind is contemplating its own nature.
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haiku, in the traditional japanese form, is composed of three lines containing five syllables, seven syllables, and five syllables, respectively. modern writers of haiku manipulate this form in variations of lines containing one, two, three, or four syllables. in this collection, I have adhered to the traditional five/seven/five configuration consistently throughout, for the sake of simplicity and uniformity.
in the classical style, haiku poems are meant to convey one moment's essence, as captured by a reflective observer. captured is an "aha moment", that illuminates the observer's poetic grasp of his or her surroundings.
haiku typically illustrate the character of the natural world, highlighting serene or dazzling aspects of its infinite variation. and they most often contain one elemental word that alludes to the season in which the noted image occurs. for instance, if a writer's purpose is to communicate the essence of a humid summer evening in rural america, she might mention a firefly, which implies summertime in the outdoors; (most likely in the southern country- side, where we think of fireflies flying; and where a firefly's natural luminescence is not washed out by the edgy neon of city lights):
breath of warmth alive
alight in the firefly
buzzing through cornfields
here, a scene is witnessed, and the subsequent feeling experienced by the writer, in its entirety, is recorded in only a few concise fragments of prose. haiku's elegance lies in the precision of its structure; and in the writer's ability to deliver wide and deep responses to any of nature's images in what appear to be short, simple, frames.
according to the general rule, the mention of humans or human activity in haiku is a literary blunder. the poem itself encapsulates a human's perspective of its natural surroundings; and the time of year during which the scene is set, which makes for more emotive imagery. but the human observer him or herself is supposed to remain “detached”, in a sense, from the vision; only to see it from behind the glass of a reflective consciousness.
in another type of japanese poetry in the haiku genre, called senryu, it is acceptable to include a human element or character. still, this aspect is not typically the focus, but rather a subtle nuance in the piece.
herein, you will find a form of poetry that is somewhat the emergent property of haiku and senryu's marriage.
the writing binds the standards of haiku and senryu in that it is based on the fundamental paradox of our existence as human animals. it speaks both about and from the unique perspective of human nature.
the writing encompasses the psychological and spiritual nature of one human's internal environment. this environment, in the central metaphor of my estimation, can be equated symmetrically with the external, biospheric environment. the idea central to the writing assumes that the human mind is a second world of wilderness; one inhabited by none other than human animals. humans are animals that fluctuate throughout their own psychological and spiritual evolution. we oscillate between pacing, caged; and roaming free across vast open space. over time progressing through the continual challenges of unpredictable emotional conditions and an ever-changing mental landscape.
humans are a unique, thinking species of animal. we are cognizant of our own individual positions as living beings, while simultaneously (ideally) realizing these as integral parts to the interconnected whole of the earth’s biological family. we are the only species that observes nature as though separate from it. this collection encompasses the collective conundrum of humans’ primitive/meta-conscious brain split; as seen in one human’s intellectual struggle to communicate both her human and animal experience synchronously.
* * *
the number zero, quantified solely as the absence of quantity, is the fundamental paradox.
zero possesses an imaginary quality. herein, this quality represents the absurdity of a human mind’s personal, analytical consciousness, attempting reconciliation with the human’s pure, sensory immersion in her physical environment during moments of bliss, awakening, or rampant aliveness.
the collection is both a celebration and a grievance for humans' dual nature. for our displaced place, within nature and without it. it is a tribute to the human brand of perfectly imperfect insight. an offering of acceptance.
I humbly surrender to the fact that the true nature of nature, which our human minds have forever attempted to quantify, will eternally remain... intangible to logic.
* * *
then naturally, the collection herein contains zero meaning. so find what meaning you will.
E.R.K.
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one plus one plus one
one is a lonely number
one plus one plus one
ONE
eyes see but a dream
mind determines everything
but the fact of god
TWO
purge wordless feelings
include not just joy but pain
both reveal the same
THREE
love, a slice of pi
imaginary number
illogical heart
THREE POINT ONE FOUR AND SO ON AD INFINITUM
life is beautiful
if you choose to believe this:
tears let beauty live
FOUR
damaged: umbrella
under rain and uncovered
umbrella: spirit
FIVE
there is a first time
for everything; unless
you don’t try new things
SIX
rabbit, will you die
if injected with disease?
I will; so will you
SEVEN
reconcile physics
down and down the wall falls down
I fall to my knees
EIGHT
garden of eden
love devours to the core
apple is eaten
NINE
be the single cell
life is lived one at a time
serve your high purpose
TEN
on best behavior
I want glory not remorse
god unlocks the cuffs
ELEVEN
you would be the one
otherwise i’d go alone
wonder how I knew
TWELVE
logic not so bright
unhinge the mechanical
sun would still shine on
THIRTEEN
watch old home movies
whirled, spun in a crooked wind
blown from then to now
FOURTEEN
gospel choir in flight
sheet music is obsolete
birds exist on key
FIFTEEN
vulnerable beast
I see wisdom in your eyes
cry and feel your pain
SIXTEEN
the neutral corner
attained when a square is round
taking sides away
SEVENTEEN
eerily aware
fragile; in the open eye
of the tidal wave
EIGHTEEN
pain originates
in the physiology;
animals feel pain
NINETEEN
water never ends
effortless but not aimless
there is no reason
TWENTY
what we have termed “birth”
beginning of difference
great sum is constant
TWENTY ONE
in open water
shipwrecked hearts must still sail on
islands isolate
TWENTY TWO
no longer afraid
I touched its mass and matter
death lay in my hand
TWENTY THREE
saltwater teardrops
blood sweat mucous saliva
we are sea creatures
TWENTY FOUR
mourn for what has gone
grieving brings one love of life
live for what will go
TWENTY FIVE
sprinting from stasis
strong legs override weak thoughts
this stress is no stress
TWENTY SIX
dinosaurs respired
prehistoric museum
alive; in the flesh
TWENTY SEVEN
on the long walk home
souls not feet leave their imprints
across her body
TWENTY EIGHT
divine human flesh
jesus was an innocent
animal risen
TWENTY NINE
rigid is the rule
in this game there are no sides
the whole world is round
THIRTY
whales understand us
by some ancient name for thought
emerging from depth
THIRTY ONE
negotiate the
randomness or fate of things
argue with who knows
THIRTY TWO
not two and not one
my life your life me and you
where do we begin?
THIRTY THREE
sweet dog at my feet
what do you know that we don’t?
speak dog speak wisely
THIRTY FOUR
numb I need to be
numb unwanting of desire
I want not to need
THIRTY FIVE
heaven is so high
draw a line between my eyes
hell so far below
THIRTY SIX
the golden spiral
cycles sea shells DNA
earth breathes in patterns
THIRTY SEVEN
close to vanishing
each time I breathe in and out
endangered species
THIRTY EIGHT
five seven five five
seven five five seven five
five seven five five
THIRTY NINE
scientists do not
undermine the prophecy
by saying “evolve”
FORTY
I would hurt a fly
I am a human being
humbled by my faults
FORTY ONE
intuitive fact
natural intelligence
higher than IQ
FORTY TWO
corporation x
stealing space from artistry
the white collar crime
FORTY THREE
disappearing act
forests jungles coral reefs
not an illusion
FORTY FOUR
the absolute truth
each of us sees uniquely
we all see as one
FORTY FIVE
I say grace these days
knowing that my heart may crash
if not blessed with wings
FORTY SIX
who is in control?
believing I am, am I?
who can answer me?
FORTY SEVEN
feeling uninspired
outside branches down trodden
yawn and close my eyes
FORTY EIGHT
one two three four five
one two three four five seven
had to leave out six
FORTY NINE
I am one lone soul
(god and I are self-possessed)
honoring my debt
FIFTY
titled untitled
up is down and black is white
tragic comedy
FIFTY ONE
piece this together
id ego superego
past present future
FIFTY TWO
it’s like we’re looking
down at wayne’s basement, only
that’s not wayne’s basement
FIFTY THREE
mourning grief sorrow
one dies another is born
joyous rejoicing
FIFTY FOUR
embrace mystery
what we cannot know is gold
possibility
FIFTY FIVE
synapses highways
traverse new and strange cities
brains are vehicles
FIFTY SIX
write to learn my lines
written, I believe i’m real
story of my life
FIFTY SEVEN
wish I were a wall
then I could be more like you
feel nothing at all
FIFTY EIGHT
no one nothing not
no one nowhere never mind
time is lost in time
FIFTY NINE
root system and leaves
strange emotional colors
changes of season
SIXTY
raw nerve is exposed
naked bodies wear no clothes
cover me i’m cold
SIXTY ONE
rain depletes the soil
war brings the justice we seek
fish need no water
SIXTY TWO
power beyond life
our love is bigger than us
power beyond death
SIXTY THREE
who am I am why?
rat on a wheel in a maze
questioning the way
SIXTY FOUR
he is but a song
he was born an instrument
he is the music
SIXTY FIVE
monotonous end:
the end of my existence
never ever ends
SIXTY SIX
dream within a dream
birds have fins and fish have wings
am I as I seem?
SIXTY SEVEN
if you want no pain
human objective machine
pretend not to care
SIXTY EIGHT
draw the curtain shut
answers are not for our eyes
be blind; witness faith
SIXTY NINE
dawn erases night
from yesterday we ascend
we are rising light
SEVENTY
emotions be damned
leave me blank-faced, thus relieved
of heavy duty
SEVENTY ONE
close the window now
in your heart you’ve come to peace
face tomorrow clean
SEVENTY TWO
inspire nothing
unfurl the snake of fire
whose eyes burn empty
SEVENTY THREE
brown face and red blood
long trip on a thousand ships
black waves and red mud
SEVENTY FOUR
solace in the storm
pours forth from the darkened sky
soaking wet grass green
SEVENTY FIVE
hold fast to ideals
aging is an abstract art
old but growing young
SEVENTY SIX
blasphemy and infidels
passage of spirits crossing
tower of babel
SEVENTY SEVEN
be the rest in peace
sleep until the mourning comes
finally find relief
SEVENTY EIGHT
feet, walk forward please
do not stop to test yourself
moving on, you pass
SEVENTY NINE
put me in jail for
unforgiving self-abuse
grant me no parole
EIGHTY
hawaiian islands
volcanic rock beaches sand
“progress”: construction
EIGHTY ONE
negate emptiness
signs are there, read into them
else the page is blank
EIGHTY TWO
I can breathe and move
thank you god for all I have
I am privileged
EIGHTY THREE
see behind the scenes
believing the media
gives life to the lie
EIGHTY FOUR
kissing you is good
like rain and oceans are good;
wet; out of my head
EIGHTY FIVE
eve was a mermaid
adam was a land-dweller
trying to get back
EIGHTY SIX
trying to get back
to the comfort of the womb
swim in the ocean
EIGHTY SEVEN
pride is far more blind
than an eye that’s lost its sight
as it shuts out light
EIGHTY EIGHT
senses nerves heart hands
too aware in my own skin
completely human
EIGHTY NINE
simplicity is
the page numbers as titles
this one is ninety
NINETY
earth is treasure
who is stealing it from us?
thief in the mirror
NINETY ONE
were it not for the
justice of their sin, life would
not be...as it is
NINETY TWO
time is not a line.
forever is forever-
changed by finite minds
NINETY THREE
vomitous life forms
spewing forth idiocy
jerry springer show
NINETY FOUR
female animal
she nurtures, protects, and bleeds
in self-sacrifice
NINETY FIVE
for nature’s dying
immeasurable lament
at the funeral
NINETY SIX
churchgoers at mass
pray for the second coming
whale watchers in wait
NINETY SEVEN
grow beyond conflict
grow fins over finger bones
opposable thumbs
NINETY EIGHT
driving cross country
gas stations and mcdonald’s
strange folk in small towns
NINETY NINE
she cried for the end
as he came inside of her
the end of the world
ONE HUNDRED
this does not make sense
no matter how you spin it
one and one hundred:
ONE HUNDRED AND ONE
