SUUPAA FURAFFII (Super Fluffy) (c) 2004 Yumiko Kayukawa
SUUPAA FURAFFII (Hatsu Yuki)
for Yumiko Kayukawa
seal hunter polar
bear losing traction on ice
is human at home
Superflat Elephant Blues (Atsusa)
for Chinatsu Ban
piercing wit reveals
elephant sagacity
hidden enigma
Survivor (Kasumi)
for Aya Takano
blue octopus ink
deimatic display acts
counter maneuvers
Here is the writer who with all his heart and soul, with his art, in anguish and travail offers nourishment – there is the reader who’ll have none of it, and if he wants, it’s only in passing, offhandedly, until the phone rings. Life’s trivia are your undoing. You are like a man who has challenged a dragon to a fight but will be yapped into a corner by a little dog. from Ferdydurke
I’m an Executive Director with a doctorate in education, a consultant, painter, photographer, composer, poet, and vocalist.
Language casts sheaves of reality upon the social body, stamping it and violently shaping it… Language as a whole gives everyone the same power of becoming an absolute subject through its exercise. But gender, an element of language, works upon this ontological fact to annul it as far as women are concerned and corresponds to a constant attempt to strip them of the most precious thing for a human being – subjectivity. Gender is an ontological impossibility because it tries to accomplish the division of Being. But Being is not divided. God or Man as being are One and whole. So what is this divided Being introduced into language through gender? It is an impossible Being, it is a Being that does not exist, an ontological joke, a conceptual maneuver to wrest from women what belongs to them by right: conceiving of oneself as a total subject through the exercise of language. The result of the imposition of gender, acting as a denial at the very moment when one speaks, is to deprive women of the authority of speech, and to force them to make their entrance in a crablike way, particularizing themselves and apologizing profusely. The result is to deny them any claim to the abstract, philosophical, political discourses that give shape to the social body. Gender then must be destroyed. The possibility of its destruction is given through the very exercise of language. For each time I say ‘I’ I reorganize the world from my point of view and through abstraction I lay claim to universality. This fact holds true for every locutor.
All the things that really matter to us are impossible…Writing poetry is impossible. I don’t know how to write a poem. A poem – there has to be a part of it that is not my own will; it comes from somewhere that I don’t know. There is so much that comes out of what we don’t know and what we don’t have any control over. I think that one of the only things we can learn as we get older is a certain humility. – from Doing the Impossible
Chromapoetica
thanks for writing animal activist poetry. we need to express ourselves more, and get the word out.
Very true. I studied environmental ethics at college, it’s one of my deepest passions. I’m glad we share it.
Very interesting. The seal hunter one especially cool (No pun intended.)
Nice pun (intended or otherwise :)).
Very good descriptive imagery within the dictates of the form. I also liked the originality you displayed in the topics.
Thank you Steve, glad to see you around dVerse again!
There are very few people I would overcome my visceral hatred of the haiku form, to come see. You are one of them! (plus, there’s an elephant!)
I am terribly sorry for the infliction – I specifically thought of you before I posted and hoped you’d forgive me :).
Enjoyed another visit to your Superflat art and your skill with saying a lot in few words. I guess your website name gives you away, but I always look forward to playing with wondrous color at your house!
Thanks Victoria, that’s very kind of you; I always love it when you come to play :)!
These are delightful. I love the pants on the elephant, and umm…the octopus and stuff. I am rather dazzled by the art, and the words are most appropriate as well–especially human at home and elephant sagacity. Though he is not sagging noticeably.
All three artists create worlds where the boundaries of human/animal are not divisive, almost utopias of environmental peace. The human at home is a reference to the shamanistic belief that polar bears are human when no one can see them. I’m laughing at the lack of sagging. So glad you enjoyed these!
I especially like your pseudomorphing “Survivor” — including the “atic” and “acts” in the second line, the “er”s in the third, and the “t” consonance in among all three.
Thank you Geoff, nice to meet you.
Yay you! One would think you’ve been writing in this form for ages! Survivor was my favorite…but you made it hard to choose!
Very creative and profound! I enjoyed them all… pictures, too.
Thank you Laurie, I’m so glad you saw through to the depths!
Thanks for your encouragement Tash!
wow, profound post.
you have a special style that impresses your audience.
Thank you, that’s so very kind of you to say. More importantly thank you for bringing us a vital poetry community!
All three are wonderful and the artwork… wow. Survivor is my favorite of the three.
Beth
Thank you Beth, I’m so glad you enjoyed the art too! I always appreciate your visits.
I gotta tell ya’ I am not usually a big fan of haiku…but these are so very nice. Cool work. Appreciated.
Thanks Jesse, I always appreciate your visits. These are my first haiku and I was inspired by Gay to try them. I’m going to send you an e-mail about publishing :).
Oh Anna these were very cool. The images are captured brilliantly and the language within is so perfect. Absolutely love each of these- If I had to pick a favorite it would probably be Pan Chan- but thankfully we don’t and can enjoy them all:)
Thank you Fred, that’s so nice of you – these are my first haiku. Can’t wait to see what you’ve written.
I enjoyed these. And it make me smile to think even the mighty polar bear is prone to slipping in its own native habitat, a familiar connection from that image.
Thank you Ravenblack! Yes, now especially with global warming though I prefer your interpretation :).
I always enjoy your juxtaposing art with your verse, Anna. Sometimes setting a tone or, in this case, almost illustrative. To take this form and make it mean something beyond its succinct beauty and image shows your depth of belief and artistry. Wonderful work!
Thank you Joe, I attempt to inculcate my poetry with layers of meaning; it’s always good to hear that comes across.
Very creative as usual, Anna. And the art work is charming.
Thank you, we had a pop art prompt and I didn’t get all my Superflat yayas out then so they spilled over into this form for all :).
Anna your voice is unique and distinctive. Your care with word choice is always surprising to me, not easy choices or even expected ones. Your haiku here arc time yet keep us in the “now”. They are profound, caring, beautiful, and “strange” in my own personal connotation which means unusual and perceptive. I love all three–I have a special place in my ancient genes for elephants. Wonderful!
Oh Gay, you’ve spoken straight to my heart tonight with your carefully selected words. Truly, I cherish what you’ve said here, especially strange (I appreciate you sharing your connotation so I understand). I have to go off now and have a little happy cry. Thank you.
some really cool art you brought into this…and your play on it…the elephant one dances in my head…i like that…smiles.
Ooo dancing elephants! Thanks Brian … big smiles back.
i like them all anna but my fav is your Superflat Elephant Blues ..this is just divine..
Thanks Claudia, I was really moved by your tribute haiku. How did I know you would love the blues best :).
I love these. Beautiful animal gestures.
Thank you, it’s nice to see you again!
So glad you took the plunge and attempted this form. Enjoyed stepping into these images, particularly the second one, as I do love the sagacity of elephants. The pairing of the pics as sources of inspiration, or even just visual reinforcement, were great, too!
Gene, I so appreciate the encouraging words you left for all of us at your blog (and for you ignoring my terrible spelling in the comment :).
I am actually amazed that you took this challenge as I have known you to be long and wordy.
Like animal themed haiku set specially the second one.
My share is here:
http://everydayamazin.blogspot.com/2011/10/thoughts.html
Ha ha, yeah, me too but Gay inspired me! Thanks Heaven, I’ll be by to read yours soon. Also, I did submit three instead of only one and titled them so I kinda got verbose even with this form :).
I’m not usually much of a Haiku chick, but then it’s all new to me, experienced only since joining Twitter…but I really enjoyed your haiku, I feel you’ve made the form your own here, keeping your voice, ’tis lovely>> ‘Survivor’ especially speaks to me, both your words & the painting…
Thank you, keeping my voice is a great compliment! Survivor is, of course, close to my emotional core.
art, colors, elephants, and more, these make your post very appealing.
So wonderful you found it appealing! Thank you.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, Anna about octopi (octopuses?) having a lot on their clever minds. And elephants knowing what we may never.
Delightful artwork too!!
Jannie, so very true, thanks for stopping by!
I’m lost on the firt Haiku…sorry – this is my dense fault.
Here’s what I perceive:
the polar bear is a metaphor for the seal hunter? and losing traction is natural/normal human behaviour?
second Haiku I see it and like it. it in itself is a ‘hidden enigma’ — good Haiku.
third Haiku, is also very good (I confess I had to look up deimatic behaviour — silly me).
thanks for sharing!
Thank you, in the first the seal hunter is the polar bear as its the main part of their diet (I thought we weren’t allowed metaphor but forgive me I’m brand new to writing haiku) and the losing traction on ice is a reference to global warming as bears have shorter hunting seasons and have to travel further. The human at home is about shamanistic belief that bears are human at home. There are other things I am saying in the first one but I don’t want to provide too much expatiation as to ruin further exploration :). I look forward to reading your submission.
Clever play of the haiku to the pics. Your haiku (been told there’s no plural) are refined and penetrating!
Hank
Thank you for your kind encouragement Hank; I have changed the title per your advice.
did I read you were new to this form .. would never have guessed ..
loved them Anna
Lib
Thank you Lib!
stunning ones, each is delicate on colors and words too.
🙂
Thank you so much!
Excellent haiku, especially the second one!
Very kind Madeleine, elephants seem to be everyone’s favorite.
I have to confess I was drawn to read these finely-crafted haiku over and over again…they fit the images marvellously. The second stands on its own though. I enjoyed reading it and ‘picturing’ it.. 🙂 // Peter.
Well thank goodness because I was worried, these being my baby steps, I’d make a fool of myself. Now I think I may try others in the far future when Fireblossom has forgiven me for inflicting these on her :).