Haiku Roundtable • Fall 2010
Dr. Randy Brooks

A Field of Written Clouds

by
Tyler Storm Lamensky

Over the past year I have indulged myself in the global haiku seminar, and now the haiku roundtable, to develop an understanding of this contemporary style of poetry. The consensus I have reached is that a haiku is the creation of our own “cloud”. A cloud does not have a definite shape to follow, exemplifying how haiku have grown from the traditional Japanese style of 5-7-5. A cloud is up to the interpretation of the viewer, creating the co-creation of the image very similarly to how a haiku is born. Furthermore, a cloud is constantly changing, but to identify an image the viewer must capture the moment that the cloud has become an idea. Playing on the emotions of the individual and combining it with the nature around us, haiku can represent any aspect of life that the creator is willing to confine. This is a life-long skill that will help maintain and express inner peace, which I am grateful to share for the rest of my life.

warm melted marshmallow
forever wanting
s'more

my wading feet
dangle from the dock
nature's wet massage

piles of gray clouds
hang over the lofty boulders
clash of the titans

from miles away
her distant call
slowly breaking up

black mirror
my mother's face
ripples away

by Tyler Lamensky & Grant Dartman

scattered sketchpad
her many pages
of happiness

silently lost in
a close eyed kiss
we find our vision

lost in your eyes
I find
myself

cuddled on the cliff face
she holds onto
his smile