SOFT LANDING NEAR THE LEBANON MILLS IN THE BUCKET

POEM OF A CHILDHOOD MEMORY OF ROLLING DOWN THE BANKS OF THE BLACKSTONE 

Writing inspired by the Rain Meditation and the Paintings by Rachel at Poetry Workshop at FORGET ME NOT in Pawtucket in September 2018 as part of Galway Kinnell Poetry Festival. I led the workshop and here is  one of the products of  trying to make haiku from  lines of  a poem  we wrote that day.

Poems and lines by Norma Jenckes

Inspired by painting of green –poem about rolling as a child in the wet grass down a hill on the banks of the Blackstone in Pawtucket.

SOFT LANDING NEAR THE LEBANON MILLS

Soft hiss of rain fills every pore

of dry earth,

Spring peepers roar

to new life.

Haiku version: soft hiss of rain fall/Spring peepers roar to new life/filling every pore.

Spinning down the slope

dizzies me,

overhead the sagging rope

of high wires

Haiku version: spinning down the slope/ overhead the sagging rope / high wires dizzy me .

scares me with lightning's flash.

Rolling under

sparking lines to high grass,

I come full stop.

Haiku version: rolling under lines/ that scare me with lightning flash/ high grass brings full stop/

My ear pressed to earth,

I hear storm drains

pour dark broken births

into surging cisterns.

Haiku version: My ear pressed to earth/ hear storm drains pour broken births/into dark cisterns.

After the reading of lines inspired by the paintings and imagery, Patti McAlpine presented an evocative lesson on Haiku. And encouraged us to try some in 5-7-5 form from the lines we had just written.

I was reminded of Haiku of Basho which I wrote in a rough adaptation.

How clever he is

who does not think life is brief

when he sees lightning. 

Basho

Clouds burst over head

Etta James cries out “At Last”

I push re-play—Wait.

Jenckes

I want to end with a reminder from the Master Basho of the importance of the poetic process over the product when we write Haiku: “Haiku exists only when it is on the writing table. Once it is taken off, it is just a scrap of paper.” Basho

Thanks to Rachel, for her work, to Patti, for her dedication and talent, to Denise for her organizing skills and willingness to try something new, and to the select few who were with us.