Rachel Perry • Alexis Rotella & Masajo Suzuki • Norman Rockwell Haiku

STILL LIFE WATERCOLOR Selected Haiku by Rachel Perry Like the title of my collection? I took the name of my collection from a Simon and Garfunkel song called "The Dangling Conversation". This song reminds me so much of wonderful haiku. Dangling Conversation is basically painting a moment with music and lyrics. I like to think of my haiku as stiff life watercolor paintings, put to words. Paul Simon clearly had the same idea when he wrote Dangling Conversation: "It's a still life watercolor of a now late afternoon, as the sun shines through the curtain lace and shadows wash the room. And we sit and drink our coffee, cast In our indifference like shells upon the shore, you can hear the ocean roar. Lost in the dangling conversation and the superficial sighs, the boarders of our lives. " —Paul Simon 6/21/66

Reader's Introduction The world of modem English-language haiku cannot but benefit from the contributions of one of its most effervescent new voices. The sheer tonal beauty of words in their own right is an aspect of the poetry that many haiku writers embrace, but that Rachel Perry employs to especially meaningful effect. In her collection, lines like "mushy shoe slush," and "drippy pickles to drooling dogs," roll off the tongue and appeal not only to the aural faculties, but to the tactile, olfactory, and other senses as well. Her sense of alliteration and assonance add a rich texture to everyday events, while staying true to the brevity of form for which haiku is so beloved. When we write haiku we set out to capture a defining moment that we wish to share with others. Rachel Perry's haiku intrigue us with their linguistic structure almost as much as with the actual subject matter. Even beyond her skillful treatment of the language, Rachel's strengths find more than ample expression. For example, not only does she tackle the everyday seasonal wonders of growing up as illustrated in her snow haiku, but she also addresses serious social issues in her pieces about physical abuse, and relationships en mass. Far too often, we as writers of haiku, tend to neglect the more serious subjects and lean instead towards the principle of karumi (lightness) in our work. While this is certainly a worthwhile path to follow in many cases, it takes an especially brave author to touch upon the seemingly untouchable subjects.           new Bruises where he                "loved"                     her In this case, not only does Perry address abuse in a relationship, but she does it with so delicate a touch, that we are left with a kind of haunting lightness instead of the more traditional sense of the device. Whether describing the face-stinging cold of a winter sledding expedition or the gay abandon of running barefoot after the ice cream truck in the summer time, Perry's work also reminds us what it is to be children. More importantly though, her pieces show us the ways in which we can retain those childlike qualities into adulthood, despite the ever-encroaching front of grown-up concerns that we must face. Our lives are truly multifaceted, and Rachel's haiku reflects and celebrates this diversity. —Eric Sharp