Poetry Magazines - The best collection of poetry magazines online - Simon Armitage

Alison Williams writes that she finds it interesting to observe the on-going debate in haiku journals precipitated partly by Haruo Shirane and partly by ‘calls for a closer relationship between haiku and mainstream poetry’. She points out that some see the debate as ‘heralding a new era of freedom’ while others see it as ‘threatening what is most distinctive about haiku’. Is there a Middle Way?

She continues: ‘It would seem that haiku in English is at a very interesting point in its history. It is beginning to move beyond simplistic ‘don’t...’ rules to a deeper understanding of the positive spirit of the form. There is a wider appreciation of the way in which the subtle use of techniques such as selection and juxtaposition of images, allusion, imaginative elements and implicit metaphor can be used.  If these techniques are applied with such a light hand that the literal meaning is left undisturbed, this can result in much stronger, much more multi-layered work than that produced simply by the shasei [‘sketch from life’] exercise which Shiki recommended for students of haiku, which can risk producing the well-known ‘so what?’ reaction.’

By chance, Martin Lucas (page 29) considers what might be called ‘haiku as light-handed metaphor’ and Annie Bachini provides a trailer (page 4) for ‘surreal haiku’ which contain what might appear to some to be ‘imaginative elements’.

If an editor may have an opinion, I find it near impossible to respond to any haiku with a dismissive ‘so-what’. Any result of Shiki’s advice to ‘depict as is’ can evoke ‘complexity of meaning’ (Beichman) in the competent reader; the most insignificant incident can be construed as being ‘emblematic of the rhythm of existence’ without any ‘didactic design’ (Martin Lucas). All linguistic weaving of ideas about the world goes beyond, is meta to, ‘the way things are’ but depicts it somehow or the other, leaving room for us to make our own accommodations.

Alison’s conclusion is spot on: ‘The challenge now will be not to allow this increasingly sophisticated understanding to compromise the essential simplicity and honesty of haiku that we learned through the ‘don’t...’ rules and shasei, but to hold both in balance in our writing. We may need to return to the basic shasei exercise often to retain the freshness that is such an appealing feature of haiku. If we fail to achieve this balance there is likely to be a growing divide between those who write experimental, imaginative and fictional work and those who stay with the haiku moment and write from direct perception.’

This editor does not feel as though he’s in a ‘rut’ (not even a fivesevenfive rut!)  but then fishes are unaware of the element they swim in until deprived of it.