The short of it ... (2)
By Kelly Joseph
little blue penguins
nesting under the wood pile
asthmatic donkies
I’ve always been a fan of short fictional forms—I’ve tried my hand at short stories, short film, and more recently short poetry, specifically haiku. A haiku is a brief non-rhymed verse that communicates an image or feeling. In its most common form it uses three lines of 17 or fewer syllables.
Traditional Japanese haiku often focused on nature and how humans connected to it, so it seemed a fitting genre to explore while I was on Kapiti Island earlier this year as writer in residence. The magical surrounds and creatures, especially the manu, inspired the content while the short form allowed me to compose a ditty as I took one of the many walks around the northern part of the island.
Haiku like many short forms are deceptively simple; it can be a tricky thing to convey an idea in such a short space. Composing a haiku is like figuring out a puzzle or a brainteaser. But they are satisfying to write and like other short forms, these gems can pack an emotional punch.
It was haiku that I chose to read to the school groups while touring with the Toi Māori On the Bus tour. I felt that my short stories were s a bit long, and the content perhaps too adult (boring) for kids. The brevity of haiku was more suited to the tamariki attention span. Also, the poems could be read on different levels, and I felt the subject matter of indigenous manu was more accessible to a range of ages.
As I read a poem I played a sound recording of each manu that the haiku referred to. For instance, I played the dulcet tones of the riroriro (grey warbler) as I read:
riroriro’s song
reminds me of my father
sweet notes rise and fall
With the birdcall playing in the background, the poem took on a singsong quality that the kids seemed to respond to and enjoy.
Posted in Te Ha, Nga Pou Kaituhi Maori