HAIKU DIALOGUE – Ad Astra – weightlessness
Ad Astra with Guest Editor Alex Fyffe
My name is Alex Fyffe, and I am honored to be the Guest Editor of Haiku Dialogue. I would like us to look up and take inspiration from the vastness of outer space. Each week, in a series called Ad Astra (To the Stars), I will present a new topic based on the Great Out There, ranging from satellites to constellations. However, we will be avoiding our sun and moon, as they already get enough exposure in haiku, and, frankly, I think their egos are big enough as is. So we will focus more on their siblings and hopefully write some stellar haiku in the process. I look forward to reading all of your submissions each week.
next week’s theme: The opposite of the weightlessness of zero gravity would have to be a black hole, something that is so heavy with gravity that not even light can escape its pull. Black holes have become a metaphor for feeling the crushing weight of forces outside of our control, confronting darknesses so deep that we can hardly imagine light on the other side of them, or dealing with people who seem to drain the joy out of everything. Take inspiration in the dark side of the universe, the inescapable pull of black holes.
The deadline is midnight Central Time, Saturday December 18, 2021.
Please use the Haiku Dialogue submission form below to enter one or two original unpublished haiku inspired by the week’s theme, and then press Submit to send your entry. (The Submit button will not be available until the Name, Email, and Place of Residence fields are filled in.) With your poem, please include any special formatting requirements & your name as you would like it to appear in the column. A few haiku will be selected for commentary each week. Please note that by submitting, you agree that your work may appear in the column – neither acknowledgment nor acceptance emails will be sent. All communication about the poems that are posted in the column will be added as blog comments.
below is Alex’s commentary for weightlessness:
Many of the poems based on the “weightlessness” prompt focused on that fluttery feeling of a first love or a first kiss. There were also several concerning body issues, whether in the form of weight or aches and pains, and the desire to feel lighter. Flying off into a dream or reverie was another common motif, as to be expected from poets. Meditation came up several times, too. And there were a handful of poems centered around allusions, from a painting by Chagall to a Tintin character. The following poem combines both the theme of love and a popular allusion:
first love wingardium leviosa
Vandana Parashar
India
The Harry Potter reference is sure to bring a smile to many faces, but the poem works mostly because of the juxtaposition of the spell with those other magical words: “first love.” Not only can we imagine that Parashar grew up loving the book series, as so many have (and continue to do), but the use of that particular spell, which makes things levitate, suggests that love, whether of people or books (or characters in books), allows us to slip off the weight of the world awhile, to drift away into a good feeling, in the arms of a special someone or in the pages of a fantastic book (both good options).
falling in love
no conditions applyTeji Sethi
India
Sethi’s poem visually floats above the missing third line that usually ends English-language haiku. Just as the two lines drift there over the blank space created by our expectations, so does unconditional love allow us to walk on clouds every now and then.
arthritis pool—
my aching limbs rejoice
as they risePenny Harter
New Jersey, USA
Tubs and pools were another popular topic for this theme. Few things on Earth can make us feel as light as water; it allows us to float and to come as close to natural flight as many of us will ever get. And for Harter, the pool gives a short reprieve from the pain in her body, something we can all use from time to time.
half dose of morphine
out of my pain
out of bodyMeera Rehm
UK
The other way to float away from bodily pain is through drugs, as does Rehm with a dose of morphine. Anyone who has been hospitalized and needed morphine can relate – that stuff will knock you right out of your mind, or as Rehm says, “out of body,” into a strange weightlessness, indeed.
heavy fog–
weightlessness
of skyscrapersTeiichi Suzuki
Japan
Something so massive and heavy like a skyscraper seems to become weightless in the fog. I love the contrast here of “heavy fog” and “weightless… skyscrapers.” The thing that is actually weightless is described as heavy because of its thickness, and the things that are impossibly heavy become as light as air.
& here are the rest of the selections:
body image
reminding myself I’m
1/6th on the moonShloka Shankar
India
and again
ready to take off
dreamsDeborah Karl-Brandt
Bonn, Germany
space waltz . . .
an astronaut discovers
he can danceMarion Clarke
Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland
a talk with father
I become
feather lightAmrutha Prabhu
Bengaluru, India
starry night
the weight on my shoulders
lighterStephen A. Peters
Bellingham, Washington
freediving
I am adrift
in spaceChristina Sng
Singapore
teenage rapture
falling in love with
Chagall’s BirthdayMaxianne Berger
Outremont, Quebec
dreaming escape . . .
the ease with which I’m propelled
to the ceilingIngrid Baluchi
North Macedonia
tai chi crane
I glide from the landscape
into the skyHazel Hall
ACT Australia
cloud…
runs over the mountains
the shadow of my dancenuvola…
corre sulle montagne
l’ombra della mia danzaGiuliana Ravaglia
Bologna, Italy
negative space—
the prima ballerina
spooning her shadowAlex Lubman
Morgantown, West Virginia
weightless
the starlit journey home
from our first kissJohn Hawkhead
UK
fasting
there is no fat
in heavenCaroline Giles Banks
Minneapolis, Minnesota
grandpa’s coma rehab –
his laughing tears
after pinching my legsR. Suresh babu
India
sound of his voice
floats on the air
butterfly summerConnie Pittman Ramsey
Irving, Texas
plunging lift . . .
the weightlessness
of the gold necklaceAparna Pathak
India
childhood fantasy
the captain’s whiskey
floats in the spaceship(the allusion is to Captain Haddock of Tintin comics)
Arvinder Kaur
Chandigarh, India
murmurations
from once fragile bones
mother’s scattered ashes…Amanda White
Morvah, Cornwall
a little sparrow
shoots in the air-
a drifting featherRam Chandran
India
catching his eye …
for a fleeting moment
weightlessnessNatalia Kuznetsova
Russia
I told them
anyone can touch the stars
can IRoberta Beach Jacobson
Indianola, Iowa
milkweed wishes
a monarch is released
from the hospitalRichard Matta
San Diego, California
bungee jump
preparing for first flight
a caterpillarRobert Kingston
Chelmsford, UK
a harp glissando…
I’m nowhere
swathed in turquoise notesBittor Duce Zubillaga
Algorta-Basque Country
scintillating stars echo of a broken bough fall
simonj
UK
afternoon nap levitating into my own space oddity
Sue Courtney
Orewa, New Zealand
zero-gravity
whatever love was
at firstFirdaus Parvez
India
deep winter
I fill the bath
until I floatSarah Metzler
USA
cupcakes my weight on Mars
Deborah P Kolodji
Temple City, California
ocean tide ebbing
how weightless
this thought of youDeborah Beachboard
Adna, Washington
floating high
above the earth
first loveLouise Hopewell
Australia
against
the pull of Earth
a skylark’s songKeith Evetts
Thames Ditton, UK
free fall
a dove’s feather
lands on my palmVladislav Hristov
Bulgaria
first kiss
in the moonlight
zero-GDan Iulian
Romania
foraging mouse
a weightless falcon
hoversRavi Kiran
India
zero gravity
my mind floats
here and theregravitasi nol
pikiranku melayang
ke sini ke sanaAgus Maulana Sunjaya
Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia
zero-G
a lift
to his flatDaniela Misso
Italy
soap bubbles–
the child travels
to outer spaceMona Bedi
Delhi, India
dead man’s float…
the last touch of her dad’s hand
on her backLaurie Greer
Washington, DC
propelled
out of your orbit
the lightness of beingNeena Singh
Chandigarh, India
mountain top
once again that impulse
to flyGrace Galton
UK
feather quilt
I hitch a ride
with a dreamBarrie Levine
Massachusetts, USA
somersaulting
through the sun and saline
salt lakeSonika Jaiganesh
UK
secluded pond
the clouds and I
float as oneMargaret Tau
New Bern, North Carolina
so light I could fly…
in my hand the weight
of a robin’s trustWendy Gent
UK
laughing and laughing..
a feather
in the windLuisa Santoro
Rome, Italy
turning giddy
one underwater somersault
after anotherCynthia Anderson
Yucca Valley, California
zero g
we become
stardustAnn K. Schwader
Westminster, Colorado
space sickness
weightlessly
losing weightMark Gilbert
UK
weightless
I hold
my newbornMargaret Mahony
Australia
weightlessness
going for the space trip
with empty pocketsMinal Sarosh
Ahmedabad, India
changing her name back to her name weightless
Mariel Herbert
California, USA
no longer anchored
by the weight of promises
I release your handSusan Rogers
Los Angeles, California
december breeze
the touch
of her linen scarfZahra Mughis
Lahore, Pakistan
first therapy session
I float
back homeTomislav Sjekloća
Cetinje, Montenegro
first kiss
I glide
room to roomPadma Rajeswari
Mumbai, India
floating
among origami stars
the saxophone in grandpa’s roomMircea Moldovan
România
chasing a bee
my shepherd dog
defies gravityPriti Khullar
India
spaced out-
a billionaire floats
above rising seasDorothy Burrows
UK
meditation
the weightlessness
of discarding IMadhuri Pillai
Australia
first kiss
my legs feel
flutteryMargie Gustafson
Lombard, Illinois
winter night…
my dreams lighter
than snowflakesElisa Allo
Zug, Switzerland
the anaesthetist counts back to eight and i drift
Guy Stephenson
Donegal, Ireland
playground swing–
the child flying
in spaceLafcadio
USA
the space between
your footprints —
wider and widerDuende onFuego
USA
rope bridge
i spacewalk
across cloudsRoberta Beary
County Mayo, Ireland
shavasana –
my body
flying to my soulCristina Povero
Italy
antigravity
a well-timed photo
on her trampolineM. R. Defibaugh
Chesterfield, Virginia
360 degree flight
over patagonia…
hatsuyume(hatsuyume: first dream of New Year)
Keiko Izawa
Yokohama, Japan
in her pink faery pinafore
not even earth
holds her downRonald Scully
Burien, Washington
alter ego –
Shatner goes where
Kirk has gone beforeValentina Ranaldi-Adams
Fairlawn, Ohio
dream-catcher…
if only all my dreams
included flyingNancy Brady
Huron, Ohio
for a moment
weightless as a feather
Icarus falls to earthGreer Woodward
Waimea, Hawaii
The Birth of Venus
she opens the door
to the space stationKath Abela Wilson
Pasadena, California
falling
into the sky
in my headPippa Phillips
Kansas City
Guest Editor Alex Fyffe teaches high school English in the Houston area. Although he has been writing haiku off and on for a decade, he only started submitting his work during the Global Event known as 2020. Since then his haiku and senryu have been published in various journals, including Frogpond, Modern Haiku, Failed Haiku, Akitsu Quarterly, and the Asahi Haikuist Network. Alex’s first glimpse of haiku was in a collection of writings by Jack Kerouac, and he found the work of Issa while studying abroad in Japan, but he didn’t fall in love with the haiku until he discovered the free-form work of Santoka Taneda. Currently, Alex uses haiku in the classroom to ease students into poetry and build their confidence as readers and writers. Alex also posts haiku on Twitter @AsurasHaiku.
Lori Zajkowski is the Post Manager for Haiku Dialogue. A novice haiku poet, she lives in New York City.
Managing Editor Katherine Munro lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and publishes under the name kjmunro. She is Membership Secretary for Haiku Canada, and her debut poetry collection is contractions (Red Moon Press, 2019). Find her at: kjmunro1560.wordpress.com.
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This Post Has 21 Comments
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Congratulations to all the poets featured in this week’s dialogue! Thank you also to Alex, Kj and Lori for including my poem in the column. There are so many poems to admire that it is difficult to select a favourite. One that I particularly enjoyed because of the visual image it created and its sense of movement was…
tai chi crane
I glide from the landscape
into the sky
Hazel Hall
ACT Australia
Alex, thank you so much for selecting my haiku with your impressive review.
And congratulation to all the poets
Dear Alex,
I am delighted that my poem was included in the last week selection. Thanks a lot to you and to all the people involved in this project. It’s priceless the work you all do encouraging everybody around the world to create beauty with a few words.
Yours sincerely,
Bittor
Lovely selection. Congratulation to all the featured poets
Thanks Alex for including mine. I think these two were my favourites, both are beautiful:
feather quilt
I hitch a ride
with a dream
Barrie Levine
weightless
I hold
my newborn
Margaret Mahony
This is just such a lovely interpretation of something many of us may have seen, at least in photographs…
heavy fog–
weightlessness
of skyscrapers
Teiichi Suzuki
Japan
. . .and these days, we need a bit of humour, so I enjoyed this:
bungee jump
preparing for first flight
a caterpillar
Robert Kingston
Chelmsford, UK
Flying well before it’s time, I guess.
Thank you, Alex, for including mine. Always appreciative of the work involved behind the scenes in these Haiku Dialogue series.
Thank you for the mention Ingrid Baluchi. Pleased it brought you a smile.
Ingrid, thank you for your mention to my haiku.
In the chill morning in Japan, I sometimes see a mountain castle floating on the fog.
I saw thick fog flowing under the hotel window at the Lisbon.
At that time, I felt weightlessness for a moment.
Alex, thank-you for publishing mine. Also, thank-you to Kathy and Lori for their efforts. It was good to see a haiku by fellow Ohioian Nancy Brady next to mine. Congrats to all the poets.
I feel like I am floating. Such a varied collection of haiku on the subject. Valentina’s Shatner/Kirk haiku was priceless (or priceline considering his ads?) Loved the Harry Potter allusion with the levitation spell. Congratulations to all the poets, and thanks Alex for including mine in the mix.
Nancy, thank-you for the comment on my haiku. The comment is priceless.
Valentina, I loved your alter ego haiku too. Sue
Thank-you Sue.
Thank you Alex for including mine. Love the selection. Congratulations to all!
Thank you so much Alex Fyffe for the wonderful prompts every week. I wrote out of my own experience of morphine shots when I had kidney stone and I couldn’t tolerate the full dose.
Congratulations to all the featured poets!! So many lovely poems!!
J
A few years ago, I had to have my gall bladder removed. While lying in the hospital bed over the next day or two, I took all the morphine I could get! Certainly made the visit far more tolerable than the midnight television options ever could have.
Hi Alex
I think my haiku should say:
–
walking on air
the starlit journey home
from our first kiss
–
The first line is missing.
You are absolutely right. There must have been some error in copying it over from the submission form. I apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you for quickly finding the error. It’s a wonderful poem! I will ask and see if there is a way to edit it.
I double-checked the submission, and it read like this:
weightless
the starlit journey home
from our first kiss
Some error occurred in the upload process, though. I hope we can resolve the issue.
No problem Alex – don’t worry about it, you have resolved it here so I’m happy wit that. Strangely, this is the first time I didn’t keep a record of what I uploaded! So that’s why I thought it was …
walking on air
the starlit journey home
from our first kiss
but this is correct:
weightless
the starlit journey home
from our first kiss
Cheers
John
Thank you for understanding! Lori and kj were able to edit it on the site, so it should appear as intended now. Happy to have it there in the mix.