snow brighter than the day moon between the caribou
Published by
martin gottlieb cohen
Martin Cohen was born in the South Bronx somewhere on Simpson Street, went to a Yeshiva on East Broadway and Canal Street, and then lived in the South of Brooklyn, the South of Long Island, The Southern Tier of Upstate New York, The South of Manhattan, and finally South Jersey in Egg Harbor. View all posts by martin gottlieb cohen
martin, i’m mindful somewhat of the winter nights ever brighter than the grey drab winter days; my childhood in pennsylvania.
–
nightly crossing
moonlit snow
field mouse tracks–
akin to my own
I’ve read this many, many times, and like it more each time.
An absolute delight to read out loud to myself in private.
It’s also a great performance haiku too!
Hi Martin,
this is a fascinating combination…
I’m drawn to the images…and the wilderness atmosphere.
And congrats on your haiku in the new Roadrunner!
:-)
Lary
Thanks everyone!
I prefer to read it silently. I wrote this a couple of years back and got the image from a PBS “Nature” film. So my sketch is from the filmmakers perspective and therefore secondhand. I suppose this is plagiaristic…what do you think?
Martin, your haiku sketch is no more plagiarizing PBS than Shakespeare was plagiarizing Ovid… every artist takes inspiration from nature and from other art!
the artist
staring at the young man
in his self-portrait
Martin, if you were inspired by what you
saw in a nature film, surely that qualifies
as a haiku moment?
Who knows what the old masters might
have written about if movies, tv
and the internet had appeared in
their lifetimes…!
:-)
Lary
Forgive me; I’m simple. Aren’t I experiencing the filmmaker’s perspective instead of seeing the moment for myself? Isn’t direct experience the best way to sketch?
Hmmmm….I see what you mean, Martin…
in a way. But if the photographer has
not manipulated the image, isn’t it still
the truth?
I agree that direct experience is the best,
but I don’t think it’s the only way.
When we write haiku to go with photos
on the web, we’re inspired by that photo…
and this seems to be an accepted practice.
;-)
Lary
:-
martin, i appreciate your afterthoughts.
pbs captured the moment, but you share in the moment.
this new age gives many the opportunity to experience things they might have missed out on.
loneliness doesn’t dictate to the haiku; nor discovery of the moment while being alone.
the haiku needs new directions; away from that worn path today’s writers naively imitate…
martin, thanks