winter winds
behind my back
the stars
I came to haiku by a circuitous route. Looking back over the journey, it seems like the right route and the inevitable destination. I am where I need to be. I've spent a lifetime writing, mainly novels and large works, gradually paring back my words, my focus, until arriving at haiku. I am drawn to the single-minded attentiveness of the form, full attention to one moment, the layering of two images atop each other, snow upon the bough. The view of creation as billions of pieces of matter and, at the same time, forming a whole, resonates with me. Haiku honours the bits and pieces, and also sees the whole, the “holy” in it.
ascension—
sunlight through the wings
of the shad fly
“ascension” first published in Tiny Words, 2016
“winter winds” first place Shambhala Mid Winter Haiku Contest, 2014
The haibun as a whole published in the Haiku Canada Member’s Anthology 2017
The Literary Kayak
Marianne Paul
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your hand
settling easily
into mine
the interlocking fingers
of river and shore
Editor's Choice, tanka, cattails
The poems examine the daily rituals of life and death, as rivers become symbols of mutability and mortality. The most memorable ones deal with the grief that accompanies deaths of loved ones, including father and mother.
~ Robert Reid, The Record
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bowl of cherry pits
my grandson tries to guess
my age
Winner, Canada category, Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival 2016
"A haiku that captures attention by not mentioning cherry blossoms. Instead it focuses on the aftermath, edible fruit. It reminds us that blossoms are merely a fleeting prelude. The brilliant juxtaposition of cherry pits and growing old is deepened by the interaction of the grandchild and grandparent. The complexity of thought and feeling that results is the goal of every writer, but one not often achieved."
-Judge's comment
Interview - Cherry Blossom Festival
I had the delight of being asked some questions about my haiku-writing practices by Michael Dylan Welch. View the interview here.
© Marianne Paul 2011