f/k/a . . . the archives

“Senryu” is poetry that is structurally similar to haiku, but primarily concerned with human nature; it is often humorous or satiric.  Senryu can be particularly enjoyable for lawyers and other city folk — who are frequently far more attuned to human foibles than to nature’s essence. See the senryu webpages compiled by Ray Rasmussen for several definitions and explanations, plus examples and relevant links.

• Author/poet Jane Reichhold of Aha Poetry has noted: “Because haiku and senryu are written much alike, often on the same subjects and usually by the same authors, great controversies have ensued over which is what.”  Anita Virgil has artfully stated the difference in her book “one potato, two potato” (Peaks Press, 1991):  “… if it is man within the world, it is haiku. If it is the world within the man, it is senryu.”
• Some distinguished haiku publications continue to differentiate between haiku and senryu; others no longer do.   Also, check out “Haiku or Senryu? How to Tell the Difference,” by Elizabeth St. Jacques.
• Click here, to see the Collection of winning senryu from the Haiku Society of America’s annual Gerald Brady Memorial Senryu Contest.

“. . .  It portrays the characteristics of human beings and psychology of the human mind. Even when senryu depict living things such as animals, insects, and plant life, or when they depict inanimate objects, they are portrayed with the emphasis on their human attributes.

“The senryu can make use of poetic devices such as simile, personification, and metaphor. It can also employ puns, parody and satire. . . . Senryu are not all strictly intended to be humorous. Many senryu express the misfortunes, the hardships and woe of humanity.”

update (May 2005) : See our “is it or ain’t it haiku?” to learn more about the

haiku genre and how it differs from senryu and various forms of “quasi-haiku”.

George Swede has written some of my favorite senryu.  Here are a pair: 

young widow

asks for another

fortune cookie

alone at last

I wonder where

everyone is

from Almost Unseen: Selected Haiku of George Swede

(Brooks Books, 2000)

        

summer haze

the bridge goes

          nowhere

 

 

             from Chincoteague: haiku by jim kacian  “chincoteague”

watercolors by janet marsh (Red Moon Press, 2000)

 

 

 

• 
  
  by dagosan: 

July escape –

pensioner parked

in front of a fan

                      [07-22-04]

 

 

an old resume
my son colours in
his rainbow

 

 

children’s playground
a swallow’s nest
high above the noise

 

 

 

by Matt Morden, from a selection at World Haiku.   

  credits: “an old resume” – Snapshots #7 2000;

 ”children’s playground” – Haiku Canada Newsletter VXII Feb 99

• 
  
  by dagosan: 

the child runs 

in tears –

“mommy! that man smiled at me”                               

                                                                  [07-21-04]

 

after chemo

wanting only to read

seed catalogues

 

 

 

 

hot train station

the sudden rush

of his cologne

 

by Pamela Miller Ness, from A New Resonance 2: Emerging Voices

in English-Language Haiku (edited by Jim Kacian & Dee Evetts, Red Moon Press, 2001)

credits — after Chemo: Acorn 2; hot train station: Frogpond XXIII:3

 

• 
  
  by dagosan: 

idling

at my bedroom window 

the garbage truck                      [07-20-04]

 

 

loose stone–

the depth

of the canyon

 

 

screen door between angry words

 

 

by Tom Painting , from A New Resonance 2: Emerging Voices in English-Language

Haiku (edited by Jim Kacian and Dee Evetts, Red Moon Press, 2001)

credits: “loose stone”: Frogpond  XXI:3; “screen door” Frogpond XXI:1 

• 
  
  by dagosan: 

car sick

she hears 

the repair estimate

                              [07-19-04]

 

 

long summer day

a hawk holds its place

between the clouds

 

 

 

the farmer’s spit

catches on a thistle–

still no rain

 

by DeVar Dahl, from New Resonance 3: Emerging Voices

in English-Language Haiku  (Edited by Jim Kacian  and Dee Evetts, Red Moon Press, 2003) 

credits: “long summer day”  Presence 15; “the farmer’s spit”: Heron’s Nest IV:11

 

 

• 
  
  by dagosan: 

waking fully dressed –

the sun brighter

than the bedside lamp

                                                  [07-17-04]

 

 

long summer day

a hawk holds its place

between the clouds

 

 

 

the farmer’s spit

catches on a thistle–

still no rain

 

by DeVar Dahl, from New Resonance 3: Emerging Voices

in English-Language Haiku  (Edited by Jim Kacian  and Dee Evetts, Red Moon Press, 2003) 

credits: “long summer day”  Presence 15; “the farmer’s spit”: Heron’s Nest IV:11

 

 

• 
  
  by dagosan: 

waking fully dressed –

the sun brighter

than the bedside lamp

                                                  [07-17-04]

 

airport lounge

a Muslim man prays toward

the emergency exit

 

 

in the pawnshop window

a hooker studies

her reflection

by George Swede, from pegging the wind: The Red Moon Anthology of  English-

Language Haiku 2002  (Red Moon Press; edited by Jim Kacian and Ed. Bd.) 

 

the old man stops

at a green light

driving into the sunset                        [7-17-04]

 

 

one-breath pundit

• p/i firm Pennock, Breedlove & Noll (Saratoga County, NY) makes Fair Fee Promise — tv ad abandons standard contingency fee. [ethicalEsq is ecstatic: see here, here, and where’s the risk?]

update (excerpt from our post contingency fees: market failure, April 3, 2006):

To my dismay, however, that firm — Pennock, Breedlove & Noll – which we praised in July 2004 after seeing its new tv ads, has removed its Fair Fee Promise from its ads and website. [the URL http://www.fairfeepromise.com/ now redirects you to http://www.pbnlawyers.com/ ]

pb&n

The PB&N masthead logo has replaced “Fair Fee Promise” with the innocuous, uninformative, and non-threatening (to other lawyers) “Fighting for You.” Although the site’s “personal injury” page still has the caption “IT’S OUR JOB TO GET YOU MORE, FOR LESS,” there is currently not one word about fees on that page, nor any other, beyond saying they only take a fee if you win. I would love to know what prompted this change — and, especially whether there have been hints (subtle or not) from their p/i colleagues that price competition is not acceptable in their guild.

                                                                                   

 

 

birdsong

opening the sliding door

in her red pajamas

 

 

` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

 

sudden swell

taking the tiller

from my father

 

by paul m., from A New Resonance 2: Emerging Voices in English-

Language Haiku  (Jim Kacian & Dee Evetts, eds., Red Moon Press, 2001)

credits: “sudden swell” Agnieszka’s Dowry 12; “birdsong” Frogpond XXII:1

 

• 
  
  by dagosan: 

jaws clenched

writing

haiku

             [07-16-04]

 

Afternoon warmth–

a soft breeze curling

fallen peony petals

 

 

Day’s end–

sink faucet dripping

on the coffee dregs

 

by Rebecca Lilly, from A New Resonance 2: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku 

(Jim Kacian & Dee Evetts, eds., Red Moon Press, 2001) both poems originally in Modern Haiku

 

• 
  
  by dagosan: 

mottled gray sky

impatiens

grow louder                        [7-15-04]

 

The beetle I righted
flies straight into
a cobweb

from The Red Moon Anthology 1997
(Jim Kacian & The Editorial Staff, 1998)

in mother’s room
only the photos of the dead
dust free

 

from pegging the wind: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2002 (Red Moon Press, 2003)

George Swede: There are very few “household words” in the world of English-language haiku, but George Swede’s work as both poet and editor has put his name on that short list. You can learn more about him and his work, at his home page, from the reviews of Almost Unseen (Brooks Books, 2000), and from biographies, such as this and that.  I’m sure, however, that the poet and psychology professor from Canada would prefer his haiku speak for themselves. Listen, and all your senses will be rewarded and enhanced.

• by dagosan:

 

 

false dawn
the paperboy hits
the snooze button

[7-14-04]

one-breath pundit

• Burning bridges in Madison County. Scaeffer v.Ribstein. Weigh in!
• Shrinks who cross-examine: career move for depressed lawyers? [see NYT, 07-13-04]
• Denise eavesdrops on a Lessig, Jurvetson, Powell chat at AO..
• Congratulations to Tara Calishain for Web Search Garage. I need it.

from paul m.

 

strewn driftwood

a boy asking

about his father

 

rain stopped

her silk blouse

on the chair

 

“newRes2 neg small”  from A New Resonance 2: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku 

(Jim Kacian & Dee Evetts, eds., Red Moon Press, 2001) both poems originally in Modern Haiku XXiX

 

Welcome to paul m., our newest Honored Guest.   Proclaimed an “emerging voice” in

2001, paul’s book finding the way (PressHere, 2002), won First Place in the Haiku

Society of America’s 2003 Merit Book Awards. 

 

Paul’s World Haiku bio notes “Married with dog, he highly advocates both.”  He’s our first

Guest with the vocation of financial analyst.  Find out more about paul here.

• 
  
  by dagosan: 

empty punchbowl

husband and wife

avoid the mistletoe

                        [7-13-04]                                      

one-breath pundit  

• BenefitsBlog lists rights/benefits of marriage. (see WashPost, too)
  
• webloggers opine on Fed. Marriage Amendment:  CurmClerk, Olson, Volokh-Levy
  
• haikuEsq likes low-cost, used books online (see NYT article, 07-12-04)
  
• our thanks to the obviously civilized Uncivil Litigator!

one-breath pundit  

• 
  

  Dennis Kennedy has been cranking out a lot of good stuff lately.  Click for examples & retorts.