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Home • Journal • About • Connections Valentine Awards 2000. First Annual Valentine Awards |
| Readers' Choice — Runners Up a swirl of ink This haiku by Cherie Hunter Day is so accessible. I was immediately struck with her revelation. She is painting a scene and, as with most paintings, light and shadow are of great importance. Naturally this painting reflects the qualities of the day's passage. The mind does not have to struggle to find the poet's perspective. And when the artist is winding up her afternoon's work she notices that the very act of cleaning a brush is in accord with all else, a resonance with the painted canvas and with the coming of dusk. To read this poem is to swirl. Another admirable aspect of this haiku is Cherie's beautifully understated seasonal reference “early dusk.” The summer solstice has long since passed and dusk arrives sooner each day. As darkness overcomes daylight, so too does the ink overcome the water's clarity. In this poem there is a feel of the onset of winter. morning tea I commented at some length on June Moreau's poem in the December issue of The Heron's Nest. Her haiku was my choice for the award that month. With clarity and simplicity, June magnifies a subtle mood. It is a peaceful moment, one that evokes the feeling of contentedness. She conveys this feeling, in part, by utilizing the musical quality of words. June Moreau writes as if she were playing a fine instrument which, indeed, she is. And she plays beautifully. Her “morning tea” haiku has now received two awards for excellence. These haiku are both quiet. They both bring to mind those moments when we simply close our eyes and sigh happily in deep appreciation and gratitude for life. | |
| – Christopher Herold February, 2000 | |
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