As a poet, but also as a recently retired banker who has been on the other side of this equation and seen this situation with folks who never thought it could happen to them, this piece is quite poignant…lovely work!
Laurence Stacey again shows us what a truly human haiku poet he is. He has captured poignantly the dehumanizing effects of debt, and the humiliation of the debtor being harassed presumably by a bank).
But there is also a delicious sense of humour and irony in the haiku. I can imagine his voice, perhaps deliberately falsetto to imitate his son. And the opening line, "deep in debt" recalls to me another common phrase when we are buried in troubles – being in "deep sh@!"
Such resourcefulness and such humanity makes this poem ultimately for me optimistic. Well worth coming back to again and again. Thank you Laurence!
August 1st, 2013 at 12:49 pm
Been there, again and again.
August 1st, 2013 at 12:52 pm
Great stuff.
August 1st, 2013 at 1:36 pm
Painful and heartfelt. Crafted with simple elegance.
August 1st, 2013 at 2:13 pm
Sad and poignant, great senryu.
August 1st, 2013 at 4:26 pm
Debt is not a nice state to find ourselves dealing with most of the time.
zombie debt–
the practised slice
of a bread knife
Alan Summers
Publications credits:
Haiku News (Vol. 1 No. 41 2012); Does Fish-God Know (YTBN Press 2012)
August 1st, 2013 at 5:15 pm
This one struck home. Nice senryu.
August 1st, 2013 at 5:40 pm
pool algae
all the green
I shouldn't have spent
August 1st, 2013 at 6:48 pm
As a poet, but also as a recently retired banker who has been on the other side of this equation and seen this situation with folks who never thought it could happen to them, this piece is quite poignant…lovely work!
August 2nd, 2013 at 2:30 am
Very strong senryu
August 3rd, 2013 at 6:38 pm
Laurence Stacey again shows us what a truly human haiku poet he is. He has captured poignantly the dehumanizing effects of debt, and the humiliation of the debtor being harassed presumably by a bank).
But there is also a delicious sense of humour and irony in the haiku. I can imagine his voice, perhaps deliberately falsetto to imitate his son. And the opening line, "deep in debt" recalls to me another common phrase when we are buried in troubles – being in "deep sh@!"
Such resourcefulness and such humanity makes this poem ultimately for me optimistic. Well worth coming back to again and again. Thank you Laurence!
Strider
August 4th, 2013 at 8:54 am
I love the way Alan never misses a chance.
August 5th, 2013 at 10:04 am
This is one of those senryu that makes you feel sad and want to laugh all at once. Wonderful.
marion
August 13th, 2013 at 9:03 am
Love it. Deadly accurate in this era of economic depression we're living in…..
August 25th, 2013 at 10:56 am
Just catching up on two months' worth of tinywords, this one stands out. Terrific.