HAIKU DIALOGUE – door to door – revolving door
With a nod to ‘Haiku Windows’, a past feature from when I first began this column, & also an idea suggested a long time ago by poet Laurie Greer, for the next several weeks we will explore some concepts relating to doors. Be inspired by these prompts – I can’t wait to read where they take you – & please note that there is no requirement to include the words of the prompt in the poems… enjoy! kj
next week’s theme: doorstep
If something or someone is ‘on the doorstep’ it is very close – this is the step leading up to the outer door of your house…
I look forward to reading your submissions.
The deadline is midnight Pacific Daylight Time, Saturday April 17, 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Please use the Haiku Dialogue submission form below to enter one or two original unpublished haiku inspired by the week’s theme, and then press Submit to send your entry.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 the commentary for revolving door:
This week a few poets were influenced by the banner photo rather than the actual prompt – this was identified as a risk when we were setting up the post – & if good poetry results, there is nothing lost. The selected poems, however, all revolve around the prompt…
revolving door…
pushed around
by strangers
Laurie Greer
Washington DC
How timely – of course in a revolving door we can be literally pushed around by strangers, but in this time of social media, its anonymity, & the plethora of opinion, this poem may be referring to the way the comments on social media so often deteriorate into personal attacks…
HA HA my grandson
ha ha HA through HA HA ha
the revolving door
Maxianne Berger
Montreal
Several poems address sound & the revolving door – here upper & lower-case letters indicate the fluctuation of volume, & the reader can easily picture the delightful scene. One could consider centering this poem to add an additional visual element, & to emphasize the central axis around which the grandson is moving…
my ups and downs revolving door
Olivier Schopfer
Geneva, Switzerland
A nice contrast of movement – the up & down versus the round & round – in very few words, as well as the suggestion of a person’s continually changing mood…
roundabout
we argue
in circles
Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
Fairlawn, Ohio USA
Here the poet takes two unrelated concepts – a traffic circle or carousel & an argument – & links them by emphasizing something they have in common. Further to this, people often disagree about routes & directions – is a back-seat driver involved?
a mother’s life revolving door
Vandana Parashar
India
It can often seem that parenting is a whirlwind of activity – whether caring for babies, toddlers, or school-aged children – & as the children get older, the door to the house can become a revolving door with people coming & going all the time. A mother is often characterized as putting others’ needs ahead of her own, caring for & nurturing her family ahead of everything else. In this poem, maybe the mother herself is the revolving door – it is an interesting take on the stages of a life…
& here are the rest of my selections:
revolving door…
she finally decides
to stay the same
Agus Maulana Sunjaya
Tangerang, Indonesia
one turtle falls
from a rolling log…
another climbs on
Al Gallia
Lafayette, Louisiana
spring again
the unseen
stirring
Alan Peat
Biddulph, United Kingdom
entranced I watch
their antics round and round
too many squirrels
Albert Schepers
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
revolving door
the children’s laughter
comes round again
Alex Fyffe
United States
red rose –
opening the door
of her heart
Aljoša Vuković
Šibenik, Croatia
childhood –
the doors close
after a short while
Amrutha Prabhu
India
revolving door –
all those pages
in my diary
Ana Drobot
Romania
fog here and there –
colors and outlines
they come and go
Angiola Inglese
Italia
climbing up
the rockface door
a slimy snail and its shadow
Anna Yin
Ontario, Canada
revolving door –
the world that waits
on the other side
Arvinder Kaur
Chandigarh, India
painted rocks
a migrant child escapes
through a fairy door
Babs McGrory
Delaware
revolving door –
my shadow
slips away
Barrie Levine
Wenham MA USA
new faces
old hyperbole –
election cycle
Bona M. Santos
Los Angeles, CA
revolving door
one more time around
for the fly
Bryan Rickert
Belleville, Illinois USA
bouncing
from house to house
foster kids
Carol Judkins
Carlsbad, CA
in the interim
I practice oneness
Carol Reynolds
Australia
open air theater
out of the blue
a nightingale
cezar-florin ciobîcă
Romania
locking
the revolving door
retirement
Charlotte Hrenchuk
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
seeking a way out
I find a way in
enso
Cristina Povero
Italy
my timing
not quite right –
revolving door
Cynthia Anderson
Yucca Valley, California
my reflection –
trembling
in a mountain stream
Dan Campbell
Virginia
carousel horses –
looking at his smile
anyway
Daniela Misso
Italy
there and back again
the life long journey
of eels
Deborah Karl-Brandt
Bonn, Germany
Thick clouds
circling in the sky
gray pigeons
Dejan Ivanovic
Lazarevac, Serbia
magic –
the way doors open
for her
Dorothy Burrows
United Kingdom
antique shop
rare and collectible
former friends reminisce
Dottie Piet
Tulsa, OK
starting over again
running out of time
to get it right
Edna Beers
USA
beyond the door
plum petals
above the road
Elisa Allo
Switzerland
night captures
the weary soul
dawn pounding the door
Germina Melius
Saint Lucia
Eucalyptus scent –
playing hide and seek
with my childhood memories
Hassane Zemmouri
Algeria
covid out on parole…
round and round we go
Helen Buckingham
United Kingdom
going in the out door
finding myself
on the other side
Helen Ogden
Pacific Grove, CA
blindfold
the nowhere escape
of the millstone donkey
Ingrid Baluchi
North Macedonia
revolving door…
reflective fragments
of autumn dawn
Ivan Gaćina
Zadar, Croatia
spring breezes
through the open door
people come and go
John Daleiden
Phoenix, Arizona in the Sonoran Desert
Ritz entry
round and round
my brother and me
John S Green
Bellingham, WA
thief arrested –
a front door
and another exit…
Jorge Alberto Giallorenzi
Chivilcoy.Bs. As. Argentina
child migrant
crossing the border –
a dead Texas cactus
Julia Guzmán
Córdoba Argentina
the deckhand
now a skipper
. . . new hat
Kanjini Devi
The Far North, Aotearoa NZ
you can’t slam
a revolving door…
recurring dreams
Karen Harvey
Pwllheli, Wales
dad’s exit
the lost carousel
of my childhood
Kath Abela Wilson
United States
open french doors…
wisteria scented
moonlight
Kathleen Vasek Trocmet
Texas, USA
long leave…
a pebble heart awaits me
on my desk
Kavitha Sreeraj
Hyderabad, India
town clock
the mechanical dolls’
languid walk
Keiko Izawa
Japan
the ebb and flow
of the tides –
a revolving door
Lafcadio
USA
the sky folds
and unfolds the moon…
the fortnights
Lakshmi Iyer
India
detritus bobs
in and out on the tide
glass ceiling
Louise Hopewell
Australia
open-sky wells –
the profound colors I reach
through your eyes
Luisa Santoro
Rome, Italy
unfinished story
another turn
at the brass ring
Margaret Walker
Lincoln, NE, USA
summer camping –
the door always open
to the stars
campeggio estivo –
la porta sempre aperta
alle stelle
Maria Teresa Piras
Serrenti – Italia
wormhole
pushing at the open
door
Mark Gilbert
UK
old hare
between the dappled roots
an opening
martin gottlieb cohen
Egg Harbor, NJ United States
invisible
in a vast world
roots of a tree
Mary Vlooswyk
Calgary, AB
old cathedral
the signs for the pilgrims
coming and going
Maya Daneva
The Netherlands
his constant back and forth
through the building entrance
dementia
Melanie Vance
USA
revolving door
taking the long way up
to the office
Michael Henry Lee
Saint Augustine Florida
revolving door…
we lock our eyes
through the glass
Milan Rajkumar
Imphal, India
in and out
through the same revolving door
no alternatives
Mirela Brăilean
Romania
in and out the revolving door corporate jungle
Neena Singh
Chandigarh, India
revolving door –
swept away like dust
my angry thoughts
Nicole Pottier
France
moving day
sun on the floorboards
all that’s left
P. H. Fischer
Vancouver, Canada
it’s cancer
I stare
at the revolving door
Padma Rajeswari
Mumbai, India
problem
trapped in the revolving door
each section holds
paul geiger
sebastopol ca
in one door today
out another tomorrow
teenagers
Peggy Hale Bilbro
Huntsville, Alabama
stuck in a revolving door second lockdown
Pere Risteski
North Macedonia
old tree house –
the memory bigger
on the inside
Pippa Phillips
United States
my ex –
he asks to return
between each girlfriend
Pris Campbell
Lake Worth, FL USA
supermarket
T shirts and saris vie
revolving door
Radhamani sarma
Chennai
memories
from sakura to sakura
they travel
Refika Dedić
Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina
child watches
the tiny door all day
fairy house
Rehn Kovacic
Mesa, AZ
on the hinges
of his words
my morn pivots
Richa Sharma
India
returning to pick another daisy
Robert Kingston
UK
revolving door –
my little girl holds
her little girl
Roberta Beary
County Mayo, Ireland
a wink of door
in the tree trunk
wren comes knocking
Ron Scully
Manchester NH
coming and going…
his love words
lost in the wind
Rosa Maria Di Salvatore
Italy
poor Alice
scaling the urge to knock
or run away
Sandra St-Laurent
Yukon, Canada
the Super Balls revolving
around my son’s
science project
Sari Grandstaff
Saugerties, NY
a tiny door
hooked to an old tree
imagine the coming out
Shelley Baker-Gard
Portland, Or
seeing my smile
I am asked to leave
the warmth of the grocer
simonj
UK
cancer clinic
through the revolving door
the footsteps in and out
Stephen A. Peters
Bellingham, Wa. USA
revolving door
at O’hare
excitement–jet lag–excitement–jet lag
Susan Farner
United States
after Easter sale
at Trader Joe’s the lilies
give way to roses
Susan Rogers
Los Angeles, CA United States
in the echo
of a revolving door…
her promotion
Sushama Kapur
Pune, India
spring park –
screams revolving with
a merry-go-round
Teiichi Suzuki
Japan
swinging door –
I learn to
unlearn
Teji Sethi
India
runway
the easy way out
brings me back in
Tim Cremin
Massachusetts
revolving door –
a maple seed lands on
the hotel’s carpet
Tomislav Maretić
Zagreb, Croatia
surprise promotion
once more I’m pushed
in the wrong direction
Tracy Davidson
Warwickshire, UK
a lot of obligations
outside the revolving door
my dreamworld
Tsanka Shishkova
Bulgaria
spring weekend
between our silence
sound of buzzing bees
Uma Anandalwar
India
doors slow down to growls snow blossoms
Victor Ortiz
Bellingham, WA, USA
in my heart
there are those who enter
there are those who go out
Vincenzo Adamo
Sicily Italy
drawing ensō…
the invisible door
between two breaths
Vladislav Hristov
Bulgaria
old spice sweeping
through revolving doors
homeless man
Wendy C. Bialek
az, usa
integration cruise
at the swaying table
forks and chopsticks
Wiesław Karliński
Namysłów, Poland
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 32 Comments
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Congratulations to all the poets in this week’s thought-provoking and eclectic column. Many thanks to KJ for your insightful commentary and to Lori for all the administration. I am delighted to have a poem included! There were so many imaginative takes on this week’s theme, it is difficult to select a favourite. One of the many I enjoyed was…
moving day
sun on the floorboards
all that’s left
P. H. Fischer
Vancouver, Canada
I thought this was a lovely take on the ‘revolving doors’ theme and captured something of both the excitement and sadness of house moving. I loved the image of ‘sun on the floorboards’ – it beautifully captures the happy memories that can be associated with a home.
I look forward to reading next week’s selection.
Very kind of you, Dorothy. You made my day with your comment!
Thank you so much KJ and Lori. Congratulations to all the authors.
Thank you, kjmunro, for selecting my poem to be in this week’s Dialogue. It is always an honor to be included among so many wonderful writers. I’ll try to contribute a little to the discussion here.
.
seeking a way out
I find a way in
enso
Cristina Povero
Italy
.
Povero’s poem plays with the theme of “revolving doors” by ending the first two lines with “out” and “in” and grounding the idea in the zen image of the enso. But instead of going in circles and trapping her, the enso draws her inward to some realization beyond the desire to escape.
.
going in the out door
finding myself
on the other side
Helen Ogden
Pacific Grove, CA
.
Ogden’s haiku takes a humorous approach to a similar idea, that of finding herself in an unexpected way, by poking fun at the labeling of doors as either “in” or “out” when every door’s function is to allow access both ways. Despite going through the wrong door, the “out door,” she still ends up on the other side, not mysteriously back outside again, despite the door’s warning. The poem suggests that some things are not what they seem and that we should realize things as they are, not as they are labeled to be. There is also the subversive element of breaking societal norms in order to discover deeper truths about the world.
.
town clock
the mechanical dolls’
languid walk
Keiko Izawa
Japan
.
The use of sound in this poem supports the theme of being caught in a routine of tiresome repetition. The “town clock” of the first line is two stressed syllables, forcing the mouth to open wide and slowly enunciate each word. The rhythm speeds up slightly in the second line, but the consonance connecting “clock” to “mechanical” and the assonance connecting “clock” to “dolls'” mimics the musicality of a town clock exceptionally well, and this lyrical quality continues into the slant rhyme in line three, “walk.” The choice of “mechanical dolls’,” mere toys without wills of their own, prepares us, too, for the weary tone brought to light in their “languid walk.” Like the repetition of the C and L sounds throughout the poem, there is music to be found in our day-to-day lives, but sometimes it can feel like we’re just pawns to the numbers on the clock, moved about without any say in the matter.
Great analysis, thank you.
Thank you very much KJ and Lori, congratulations to all.
I’m wondering how some of these submissions made it in as a traditional Haiku should follow the syllable count of 5-7-5. The majority, if not all, of these submissions, don’t follow that. I don’t mean to sound insensitive. I’m just curious as 5-7-5 is what I’ve always been taught and what I teach my students.
Christopher, many ask that very question. But let’s say that haiku poets writing in English (as well as haiku poets in Japan) have long recognized that syllables in English are not the equivalent of the sound units counted in Japanese. A simple example would be the English word “strengths” which is a monosyllable in English, but six (6) sound units if counted as do the Japanese. As to “evidence” that even in Japan 5-7-5 is English is not required (fewer is preferable) .. you might wish to look at the winners of the international section of the haiku contest run every year by the Mainichi newspaper ..
https://cdn.mainichi.jp/vol1/2021/04/14/20210414p2a00m0et001000q/0.pdf
btw, the word “hike” in English is a single syllable. This is more or less the actual pronunciation in Japanese of the word “haiku,” which in Japanese is three (3) sound units.
Other aspects of haiku are more focused on than are syllables .. the essence of haiku, and the juxtaposition.
I’m not sure this explanation helps as I am responding to a “why” question and not a “what” or “how, then” question.
As for mine, yes, 5-7-5, it was simply to *limit* how long I might have been tempted to make it 😉
Be well and be safely,
Maxianne
Maxianne
thanks so much for your comment, Christopher, & Maxianne for your response as well… I am no expert, but I recommend this essay by Michael Dylan Welch:
https://sites.google.com/site/nahaiwrimo/home/why-no-5-7-5
& along with Maxianne’s suggestion, I would encourage reading the many journals of English-language haiku available to see examples of the work that is currently being published in this amazing poetry genre! cheers, kj
The revolving door of Haiku Dialogue… each week sharing and caring. Thank you all…..
revolving door —
all those pages
in my diary
Ana Drobet
Romania
Really relate to this one….. well done Ana and everyone.
Kathy, I am very honored to have my haiku among these wonderful selections. Thank you.
Thanks so much for including mine, KJ and Lori and congratulations to all for a great bunch of ku. I’m with Peggy re Roberta Beary’s – I love everything about it – the shape brings to mind the image of a revolving door, and the apparent simplicity and singsong use of repetition belie its many layers. Another veritable Tardis of a poem from Dr. Ku.
Dear kj & Lori,
So happy to feature in Haiku Dialogue with such talented haijin.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading the poems & the commentary. So many memorable ku.
Grateful to THF team for giving us this joy of connecting through the common thread of haiku prompts.
Warm regards,
Neena
Thank you, Pris for your comment on my poem! There are several including yours and Kath Abela Wilson’s that caught my eye. I’ll comment further in a bit.
What a great selection of poems responding to an interesting prompt! Kudos to all the writers. I am proud to be included with everyone else. These three are stand-outs for me.
the sky folds
and unfolds the moon…
the fortnights
Lakshmi Iyer
India
Perfect word picture of flitting clouds.
….
one turtle falls
from a rolling log…
another climbs on
Al Gallia
Lafayette, Louisiana
This one brought a chuckle. I’ve seen this and sometimes I feel like I’m on that rolling log!
….
revolving door –
my little girl holds
her little girl
Roberta Beary
County Mayo, Ireland
Beautiful image of how life rolls on.
Thank you, kj and team, for the work you put into this each week, and for including one of mine. It’s always an honour…and thank you, Laurie, for noticing it.
Your haiku was indeed timely and inspired, as kj comments…
revolving door…
pushed around
by strangers
Laurie Greer
Washington DC
We seem to be passing through a period lacking in courtesy, tolerance and understanding, especially worrying now when we all need to be kind and supportive.
Thank you Katherine for including my poem in this collection. Enjoyed reading them.
Thank you, Kathy and the Haiku team for these weekly challenge so that I can continue having a lot of fun to write haiku and reading haiku… A great selection as always with wonderful inspirations. Thanks. I will try to come here every week!
I loved the selection this week on what I thought was a difficult theme. I would mention Maxianne Berger’s amazing and innovative ‘HA HA my grandson’, Padme Rajeswari’s stunning ‘it’s cancer’, and Kathleen Vasek Trocnet’s ‘open french doors’ which I just love.
What a great collection of haiku. Congratulations to all the poets.
Kathy, thanks for the comment ☺ .. well, thanks for *all* the comments ☺…
and thank you, poets, for the pleasure of reading ..
Thanks to kj for the wonderful comments–and to the whole amazing THF crew who keep this going. So many great poems this week I don’t know where to start –the variety alone was dizzying! Especially loved Maxianne’s audio, Cristina Povero’s enso, Dorothy Burrows’ magic, Ingrid Baluchi’s donkey, and Mark Gilbert’s wormhole. But really loved them all.
Many thanks, Laurie, for mentioning my poem. I am delighted that you enjoyed it! I really liked yours too and KJ’s commentary. For me, it reminded me how much I miss visiting museums. One of my favourite museums has a wonderful revolving door and in normal times it would be invariably packed with visitors. In this context, being pushed around by strangers used to be a very positive experience! Thank you also for giving KJ the idea for this theme. It’s a fascinating topic!
Dear Kjmunro and Lori Zajkowski,
To be among my fellow colleagues and poets through the medium of the foundation is a meditative journey for me in these trying times. We do not have wings but we flock together with these series of dialogues.
Thank you again.
Warm regards,
Milan Rajkumar
Imphal, India
Thank you Kathy. Another wonderful selection.
THF is a wonderful place to be. Thank you Lori, for managing all our Haiku Dialogue posts. Thank you Katherine, for the humongous job of reading through all the posts and filtering it for acknowledgement. I am humbled and honored to have mine on the list. Thank you THF for the opportunity!
Welcome back to editing the column, Kathy. Thank-you so very much for selecting mine for commentary. Thank-you also to Lori. Congrats to all the poets.
Dear Lori Zajkowski and Katherine Munro, greetings, thanks for featuring mine. Congratulations to all the poets in this selection and also for the great commentaries. In these poems, there are so many beautiful and memorable images and the column was a joy to read. I particularly enjoyed reading Agus Maulana Sunjaya ’s and Kath Abela Wilson’s poems:
.
revolving door…
she finally decides
to stay the same
Agus Maulana Sunjaya
Tangerang, Indonesi
.
dad’s exit
the lost carousel
of my childhood
Kath Abela Wilson
United States
So many ones I enjoyed.
These caught my eye especially….
revolving door
one more time around
for the fly
Bryan Rickert
unfinished story
another turn
at the brass ring
Margaret Walker
dad’s exit
the lost carousel
of my childhood
Kath Abela Wilson
my reflection –
trembling
in a mountain stream
Dan Campbell
Thank you so much Kathy for including my haiku this week! Thank you to Marietta for her awesome work on this feature the previous few weeks also. Thank you Lori for managing the posts on Haiku Dialogue. I have always appreciated this Haiku Dialogue and the connection with haiku poets around the world. Even more so during this global pandemic. I love this one that you commented on by Laurie Greer.
revolving door…
pushed around
by strangers
Laurie Greer
Washington DC
And these two haiku by Tracy and Peggy. These three haiku and others this week really say a lot to me yet use everyday simple language. This is one of the aspects of haiku that I marvel at.
surprise promotion
once more I’m pushed
in the wrong direction
Tracy Davidson
Warwickshire, UK
in one door today
out another tomorrow
teenagers
Peggy Hale Bilbro
Huntsville, Alabama
Thanks for your comment on my haiku, Sari!
Thank you, Kathy, for commenting on my poem!