22 thoughts on “”

  1. empty lawn chairs
    all our serious talk
    last night

    —Roger Jones

    A nice sense of mystery, even intrigue, as the reader will wish for an idea about the clues left around a late night talk, and did it start in the daylight, or evening?

    I like it when a haiku isn't just a snapshot, something should always be left out, left aside.

    This haiku resonates beyond its words, and allows the reader to become a creative partner.

    Wonderful!

    Alan, With Words

  2. We've all had them–those "serious talk[s]" with a friend or loved one that go long into the night. Hopes and dreams are expressed; deeply-held beliefs and deeply-buried fears are revealed. You feel euphoric, ecstatic, drunk with words. In the magic of the wee hours, the usual barriers to communication are temporarily lifted. There is no gap between what you think and what you say, what they hear and what you mean. You are filled with language and filled with life. But then the morning comes. And in the light of day, you doubt the experience of the night before. Was I really able to articulate everything in my heart? Did they really and truly understand? Words then seem hopelessly inadequate, and true connection with another human being forever out of reach. In this haiku, the "empty lawn chairs" perfectly convey this. In the words of Flaubert, "Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars."

  3. I see one meaning of "empty." Sometimes though the conversation blesses for a long time. Could be a note or phone call as well. I like the look of empty chairs, even filled with snow in the winter, a peaceful image.

    Thanks to Roger Jones for a poem with many layers. I can't know what he was thinking, of course.

  4. This is why I love Tinywords so much! Showcasing wonderful poetry, combined with vigorous and "real time" commentary.

    This was how the Japanese masters used to engage in their "poetry parties", each giving a poem then everyone at the table comparing interpretations. Everyone gains, everyone wins! By sharing and engaging in this way, we all deepen our levels of appreciation of a particular work, deepen our emotional intelligence and repertoire, and deepen our understanding of the art of haiku, all while maintaining an engaged and respectful sense of community.

    Roger's poem, and the discussion today, reminds me of such a haiku party. The subject of the poem could indeed be the "morning after". I too love the ambiguity of the word "empty" – vacant, or ineffectual? Then the phrase "serious talk" – is it tongue in cheek or was it indeed in earnest at the time? The final line "last night" again contains ambiguity – obviously there is the temporal dimension, but then I read again and pick up the sense of finality, or something finished – the last night of a production. Something like the song from Les Miserables: "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables".

    Truly a wonderful poem and a wonderful experience. I am sure, though, that in this case the talk will "go on"!

    Strider

    1. T i n y w o r d s , an apt subtitle of this site might well be "Poetry In Real Time" where poets remain present and honest with one another.

      I love reading all the positive comments about the poem and the choices the poets have made in constructing them. But I would also encourage a poetic response–a riff, if you will, off the poem into one of your own. Sometimes, this happens. Good poems spark good poems.

      Of course, any constructive comments are always welcome. I agree, Strider, we are a community of writers. A circle of poets that always has room for one more . . . and another . . . and another . . .

  5. a mobile phone
    in the half-empty pub
    the one-sided conversation

    Alan Summers
    Publications credits: ‘in a heron’s eye’ Jack Stamm Haiku Award 1999 anthology ISBN 0 9577925 0 6 pub: Paper Wasp, Australia

  6. Beautiful haiku, Roger . . . especially love the image of the empty "lawn chairs."

    memorial
    so many empty chairs
    touched by moonlight

    Margaret Dornaus
    A Hundred Gourds 1.1, December 2011

  7. Dankeschön Und Dank des Quoten-Curlies ist der Curly meiner Freundin jetzt auch hübsch gemacht… Und beim Curly-Treff spielen wir dann einfach die Rolle des Quoten-Tollers… Wahrscheinlich hüpft sie dann von einem zum anderen “Hallo Hallo, Ihr müsst agiler sein, viiieeel agiiiiler! Und quietschen müsst ihr auch…”

  8. It could run for about 0 minutes on a single charge, but it takes hours to completely bill, which is an unbelievably very long time. That alone makes this totally inappropriate

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