migrating red knots
the return
of my heart murmur
Published by
Cherie Hunter Day
Cherie Hunter Day’s haiku and related forms have been widely published in journals and anthologies including: Haiku in English: The First Hundred Years (W.W. Norton, 2013); Where the River Goes (Snapshot Press, 2013); and Haiku 21 (Modern Haiku Press, 2011). Her third full-length haiku collection, for Want (Ornithopter Press, 2017) was shortlisted for The Haiky Foundation's Touchstone Distinguished Book Awards and received an Honorable Mention in the Haiku Society of America's Merit Book Awards. View all posts by Cherie Hunter Day
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migrating red knots
the return
of my heart murmur
—CHERIE HUNTER DAY
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Knots are a classic “jump” migrant (Piersma 1987), undertaking long flights that may span up to 8,000 kilometers without stops (Niles et al. 2010), thus taking advantage of a seasonal window of available food resources at stopovers and non-breeding areas through the annual cycle (Buehler and Piersma 2008).
Birds of North America Online
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Cherie Hunter Day is consistently a tightly observant poet. The information around the Red Knots (birds) but also allusive to the human heart's components, and her return of a heart murmur, is using the best of techniques for haiku writing, that of juxtaposition that feels distant until we lean in and read close.
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A very wonderfully crafted haiku, and a privilege to read.
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Alan, With Words.
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I agree with Alan – an excellent haiku!
I didn't know what a Red Knot was until I read Alan's comments. I'm so glad I did, as it revealed the intricacies of this haiku. Strong writing.
marion
Hey Allen, Great writing and we are privilege to read your comment!
thats deep