"Baseball is uniquely American, haiku uniquely Japanese, and they fit together like a perfect catch on a flawless summer's day. 'While haiku gives us moments in which nature is linked to human nature, baseball is played in the midst of natural elements . . . as haiku happens in a timeless now, so does baseball, for there is no clock ticking.' In this literary form, nature must be invoked by a prescribed season word, or kigo. American haiku poets are less strict, but still evoke the tradition, as in this gem by Helen Shaffer, who masterfully combines nature, a hint of a season, and baseball strategy in only eight words:
drooping flag . . .
the visitors' manager
moves a fielder
One of the great pleasures of baseball is listening to it on the radio; in fact, it's the only way I can iron with any equanimity. Ed Markowski and Mathew V. Span capture the magic and even poignancy of airwave baseball:
rainy night
a hole in the radio
where a ballgame should be
radio static
somewhere in the muggy night
a ballgame
A more definite season, mixed with childhood dreams, is evoked by Cor van den Heuvel:
baseball cards
spread out on the bed
April rain ..."
Shelf Awareness
Found in an NYC Junk Shop: Forgotten Postcards between Two Haiku Masters
Episode 7: Baseball Haiku (Audio)
W - Cor van den Heuvel
Baseball Haiku
amazon
Cor van den Heuvel
No comments:
Post a Comment