'Neko Haiku' is a fantastic little entry into the Scriptorium Writing Competition, focusing on the relationship between the speaker and his cat. Haiku's have a number of technical requirements, including the well known five-seven-five structure, which the poet manages to fulfil. Some of my favourite aspects include the modern, subtle take on the traditional seasonal reference found in haiku's - the whole theme of the poem focusing on cats and love in haiku poetry is a well-known symbolism of spring, reinforced by the reference to 'yellow eyes', another colour symbolic of this season. Another is the effective cutting that is present, signified with the word 'But', which is delivered with a powerful simplicity founded in how easily the emotions of annoyance and love contrast and are relatable with the phrases the poet uses in the second and third lines.
There are more features of this entry to comment on, but hopefully these brief examples show how this haiku, despite its simple appearance and length, is skillfully crafted by the poet, who offers a lot to explore and analyse. To summarise, the short and simple appearance of this haiku shouldn't detract from the skill used to craft it nor the quality of the poet's work. With subtle references and powerful but relatable expressions of emotion, the poet has created a wonderful haiku which has been a pleasure to read and that is why we in the Scriptorium staff have decided to award Gunny with the Librarian's Choice medal.
- Shankbot de Bodemloze
|