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Text of the page (random words):
fy a breakup a departure an illness or even death this openness invites readers to enter the poem with their own memories and emotions giving the haiku a universal and enduring quality remaining snow my eulogy rests in the closet martina matijević croatia commentary by nicholas klacsanzky the poem opens with a seasonal reference kigo that indicates late winter when the snow has refused to melt the em dash cut marker or kireji at the end of the first line allows readers to pause and consider the image presented the run of n sounds in this line also brings a sense of heaviness the second line my eulogy rests creates a turn in the haiku however the word remaining relates well to rests it makes a connection between the snow and the eulogy as a written tribute to someone who has passed it is intriguing that the poet s eulogy is already composed either by the poet herself or by someone else the word rests also personifies the eulogy or the piece of paper it is written on it gives the eulogy a life of its own there is a mix of soft and hard sounds in this line with o and r continued from the first line these letters reflect the mixture of emotion someone might have when writing a eulogy in the closet as a third line brings the haiku back to the mundane from the flight of the previous line the expression in the closet has many connotations and interpretations a closet is often a repository of postponed things our winter coats our old lives the objects we can t quite throw away and can t quite use having one s eulogy in the closet could mean you were close to death once and have now recovered furthermore it could be interpreted as the eulogy being less important than previously thought from the poet s perspective perhaps the poet feels that words cannot adequately describe a life finally in the closet can mean keeping a key aspect of your identity such as sexual orientation or gender identity a secret from others it stems from the phrase skeleton in the closet highlighting a time when hiding your true self was seen as a shameful secret leaving these mysteries in the haiku provides space ma for the reader to find meaning that is their own there are a lot of soft sounds in the last line with o l and i but the t at the end subtly closes the matter and makes us feel that perhaps the eulogy will remain in the closet for some time more the resonance from remaining snow deepens after reading the whole haiku both the snow and the eulogy belong to a colder season a season of dying and yet both persist in form the haiku hits the sweet spot with only eight words the diction is simple though poetic enough to have flavor each word is needed and adds to the sentiments and scene this haiku is a grand layered association between nature and human mortality painting by hiroaki takahashi several one line haiku by alan summers on june 22 2026 june 22 2026 by nicholas klacsanzky in haiku 6 comments we have a special feature this time around here are several commentaries on one line haiku from alan summers new book modŏ new selected the robin and the snow and the robin s song again underscored commentary by hifsa ashraf when i read this poem in one go i feel as if an old vinyl record is playing on a loop with slight pauses between the music that are almost imperceptible it is a profound monoku in which the poet sketches a winter scene for us a season of deep silence where snow and cold weather often keep people indoors yet winter is also a season of reflection allowing us to connect more deeply with our inner selves and with nature since snow is a familiar part of winter in many regions of the world connecting one s emotions with it feels both natural and profound the opening word the makes me think of a particular robin it may be a bird enjoying itself in the snow or perhaps its song carries a note of sadness or loneliness symbolically i also see the robin as a person seeking solace in nature in whatever way they can is the robin connected to deeply personal feelings that resurface each winter is it an old longing or desire that has quietly endured over the years and now emerges again in this season the snow in the background plays an important role in highlighting these thoughts emotions moods and desires it also evokes a sense of nostalgia something that keeps returning with the arrival of winter the snow likewise may represent the familiar qualities associated with winter silence loneliness emptiness and stillness yet i also see it as a kind of white noise something vast and difficult to fully grasp in this sense the robin and the snow create a yin yang relationship complementing and defining one another the repetition of and in italics though less emphasized together with the recurring presence of the robin and the snow creates an interesting rhythmic effect in the background it emphasizes both elements and encourages readers to view them not as separate images but as parts of a unified experience the real cut for me occurs at again the word suggests continuity something returning time and again whether through the cycle of the seasons or through recurring personal memories it is as though the robin s song repeatedly resurfaces within the snowy landscape perhaps it is something a solitary person longs for in winter a sound that breaks the silence and resonates with their feelings the song inspires one to join nature s chorus and find comfort within it it becomes something impossible to ignore amid the quiet fall of snow the haiku concludes with the word underscored which shifts our attention from the surface imagery to the deeper music beneath it besides the robin s song and the silence of the snow there is a hidden harmony created by their interaction the robin gives voice to the snow while the snow in turn amplifies the robin s song the ending carries a subtle melancholy that invites us to reflect on our relationship with nature regardless of the season at the same time it offers hope showing us how silence itself can become a symphony even when no one else is there to hear it the repeated sounds of r s o and n further enhance the musical quality of the monoku creating a melody that readers can almost hear as they move through the poem wintergreen that time spent as christmas alone commentary by jacob d salzer it is remarkable how certain scents can transport us back in time to a specific memory or a collection of memories in a specific place and circumstance in this monoku the word alone could have at least two different interpretations 1 it could mean that the wintergreen scent is only smelled on christmas day with family and or friends or 2 christmas day was spent alone without the company of family and or friends this monoku makes me think of elderly people who live in assisted living homes memory care facilities or hospice facilities who may not have family nearby although the person referenced in this monoku could also be young and alone for many different reasons did the person get stranded in a snowstorm did they experience a tragedy or a flight delay did they want to spend christmas with family but their family members passed away does this scent bring back memories when the person celebrated christmas with family but can no longer do this anymore i also think of a beautiful forest perhaps the person spent christmas in the woods for the first time i also appreciate how this monoku shows a disruption in our day to day lives where the christmas holiday is celebrated hopefully beyond the capitalist mindset of gifts and money exchange and where actual relationships are made and nourished beyond the idea of money regardless of our interpretations it is the wintergreen scent that is remembered viscerally felt and re experienced in this monoku perhaps this scent brings a mix of emotions all at once melancholy joy nostalgia etc the wintergreen scent is also strong and powerful and therefore hard to forget which in my mind translates to strong emotional correlations what other scents do we recognize and where do they take us what mental impressions samskaras remain in the subconscious mind from this lifetime and even past lives that are associated with various scents this is a powerful monoku to experience and contemplate a single gate faces the forest snow hinting sky commentary by ron scully why a single gate rather than a double or another open or closed alan summers shows deftly the doors read gate are one way one off and we are stopped by the stand of thick forest rather than forest bathing we are on the brink of snow bathing quite the piquant piece by a master several readings would yield richer reactions self penned obituary again the snow commentary by nicholas klacsanzky though this monoku is extremely concise there are at least three ways of reading it my first interpretation was that the poet or another person in the poet s life is writing an obituary for themselves again and this act is represented in or connected to the snow falling outside the second look made me think that snow itself might be the obituary that is penned and that the poet feels or felt one with snow the snow could be falling after the obituary has been read signifying that nature continues without indifference or reverence finally on the third reading i saw that a self penned obituary is perhaps being compared to snowflakes where variety is present at a focused level but from far away it might appear the same in any way you read this one line haiku the kigo or seasonal reference of snow is important it expresses the mood the cold and sometimes the beauty of impending death snow can also be a metaphor for the blank page or erasure it also adds a layer of sound with s that matches the beginning with self perhaps it is representative of the cycle of life and death in addition the o sounds in obituary and snow provide an open feeling as if the person in the poem is welcoming death and ready for it the cut to form the two parts of the haiku is felt naturally after either obituary or again the word again acts as a pivot that can give meaning to both the first and second parts of the haiku there is a lot of feeling behind the words and phrasing in this monoku not a word or image is out of place an impactful haiku that calls us to pause and introspect about our relationship with nature death and identity publications the robin previously published in whiptail journal of the single line poem ed kat lehmann robin smith november 2025 a single gate previously published in haikukatha 52 january 2026 founder managing editor kala ramesh self penned obituary previously published in whiptail journal of the single line poem ed kat lehmann robin smith november 2025 roodborstje op besneeuwde boomtak 1878 1910 print in high resolution by theo van hoytema original from the rijksmuseum digitally enhanced by rawpixel haiku by urszula marciniak tuyet van do and elliot nicely on june 17 2026 june 17 2026 by nicholas klacsanzky in haiku 1 comment plans for the new year my list is turning into origami urszula marciniak poland published in esuj h english haiku december 2025 commentary by nicholas klacsanzky this haiku opens with the common new year s ritual of making a list of resolutions the seasonal reference kigo of new year is extremely traditional in japanese haiku each japanese haiku master of old has written perhaps hundreds and even thousands of new year haiku so the poet leans into this tradition the word plans carries weight as wishes is usually used this seriousness is undermined or transformed in the second line though turning suggests a shift and origami being used on its own allows the reader to imagine the infinite possibilities of this artform the enjambment in the second line is uncommon in haiku especially traditional haiku but it holds readers in suspension it is difficult to expect origami to be the third line and the surprise helps the haiku become more endearing also this haiku does not have punctuation but most likely does not need it if there were a punctuation mark in the first line it would make that line super long there is a clear line break between the first and second lines the final image in this haiku suggests a mixture of things it could be showing frustration at the act of creating a list to adhere to it could also be a sense of whimsy viewing resolutions as play rather than concrete business like aspirations in another way it could be suggesting that time is relative and new year s rituals are not as important as people think looking at the sound the opening pl cluster gives a brisk purposeful feel while the long vowels in new and year give the first line a sense of expansiveness befitting new beginnings frustration is felt in the short vowels in the second line with list is and in in the third line every syllable is open and soft which is a complete contrast to the clipped sounds of line two ultimately this haiku folds meaning into itself just as its imagery suggests it transforms a ritual and tradition into a playful act which i feel is needed in these harsh days await discharge papers outside the ward window a fleeting bird tuyet van do australia published in freexpression issue 2 february 2026 commentary by jacob d salzer this haiku has considerable psychological weight and significance according to vocabulary com a ward is a group of rooms or a section in a hospital or prison in a hospital different wards deal with different needs like the psychiatric ward or maternity ward the discharge papers signify that the person was in the hospital or prison ward for a number of days weeks or even months or years but we don t know why in this haiku we are standing at an important threshold between worlds evident in the transition of being discharged back into society and noticing the bird glimpsed outside the window the last line a fleeting bird could be interpreted as a symbol of hope that the spirit of the person will have a new kind of freedom and a better life on the other hand the word fleeting could contain connotations that this hospital or prison stay may happen again in the future ultimately this haiku sparks important conversations about hospitals prisons and larger conversations about society in general for example in the u s there are more people in prisons than in any other country in the world source https www sentencingproject org reports mass incarceration trends why is this the case how can we prevent more crime to begin with how can we prevent more illnesses and also give people a better chance at a better life when they are discharged from hospitals and prisons my hope is that this haiku will encourage more people to take a closer look at healthcare systems and prisons and take proactive steps to make life better for more people this is an important and vulnerable haiku that shows deep wounds in society and in people and hopefully also shows signs of true healing transformation and a better life memory care unit this rippling twilight...
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