HAIKU DIALOGUE – Haiku Prism – Purple

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1. Many thanks to Tia for including my haiku and also to Alan for his thoughts on it. I am thrilled to have my work included in such an inspiring and wide-ranging selection. I have enjoyed reading all of the poems and many of the images created will linger in my mind. Two haiku that I immediately loved were Nancy’s

   pulling weeds
   she sees a constellation
   of violets

   This creates a beautiful image and really captures the gardener’s joy when discovering flowers hidden within a clump of weeds. What a great collective noun for violets!

   I was also really drawn to Hifsa’s

   summer twilight…
   the fading whistle
   of a shoe polisher
   .
   This is so cinematic, providing location, sound and character. There’s an entire story captured in these 3 lines. Wonderful!

   Thanks to all the poets for sharing your work and thoughts and many thanks to Tia, Lori and Katherine for presenting such a thoughtful and inspiring haiku dialogue.

   1. Thanks Dorothy for your observations on my haiku. I am glad you saw something in my words. Pulling weeds is one thing, but I don’t mind the violets in the yard.

2. The haiku I have just posted in commentary doesn´t go there. I made a mistake. They belong to
   this week new colour in HAIKU DIALOGUE.PRISM.BROWN.
   Sorry!.

   1. no worries – glad to see that you re-posted on the Contact Form! (that is the solution!)
      cheers, kj

3. Golden weddings anniversary-
   grandfather brushes
   his brown hat

   Absence-
   brown pears
   on the kitchen table

4. This is another excellent selection of haiku, Tia. Thank you for including me with so many wonderful poets. Here are just a few of the ones that stood out for me:
   .
   in the middle
   of all this
   lilacs
   ——Ann K. Schwader, Westminster, CO
   .
   Indeed there are lilacs in the middle of this springtime lockdown. They give me hope and take me back to the sweet lilacs of my childhood.
   .

   crumbling adobe
   full of light
   and purple sage
   ——Steve Tabb
   .
   What a beautiful image from our southwest, or perhaps from any semi-arid region of the world where sunlight seems to fill all the corners.
   .

   garden walks
   replaced by videocam
   hanging wisteria
   —-Deborah P Kolodji, Temple City
   .
   This is the reality of these days. It will pass and we will get back to the real wisteria.
   .
   It was sad to see so many haiku reflecting domestic abuse however, poetry deals with life, and that is the secret life for too many. Here is the poem on that topic that affected me deeply because it can be read as two possible reactions to the issue. It expresses either a sense of empathy for the sufferer or a systemic desire to ignore the problem of violence in the home. I wish I knew what Peter had in mind, but that might take away some of its draw.
   .
   feigning nonchalance
   the doctor asks her
   did you fall
   —-Christopher Seep
   .
   These are only a few of this selection of purple poetry that caught my eye.

5. I agree with previous comments about this wonderful bouquet of purples.
   Especially drawn to:
   *
   crumbling adobe
   full of light
   and purple sage

   Steve Tabb

   *
   Hard not to think of all the knowledge this “sage” has. Love the juxtaposition of something fading and something else replenishing the space.
   autistic
   *
   a purple sun rises
   on my son’s window

   Vandana Parashar

   *
   a beautiful verse about seeing things differently.
   *
   wild asters
   the shades beyond purple
   only a bee sees

   Kristen Lindquist
   *
   and this one, also about perceptions we don’t all share
   *
   upcountry summer
   a whiff of lavender
   takes me back to her

   Bona M. Santos, Los Angeles, CA
   *
   love that “upcountry” ! That alone just makes this verse sing
   *
   wine review
   the purple prose
   of pinot noir

   Clifford Rames, Freehold, NJ
   *
   clever and visual and intoxicating!
   *

   *
   pulling weeds
   she sees a constellation
   of violets

   Nancy Brady, Huron, Ohio
   *
   love the connection of the small and humble to the ancient and overwhelming
   *
   Thanks Tia and all contributors. Pleased to be part of the amethyst contingent–a beautiful stone. It was my grandmother’s birthstone as well as the stone in her engagement ring. Backstory to the haiku: one summer when I was about 12, I overheard my two grandmothers discussing how little they knew about the physical aspects of marriage. Both were married in the 1920s. That conversation stuck with me.
   Stay well everyone

   1. oops–
      sorry to cut up this poem
      *
      autistic
      a purple sun rises
      on my son’s window

      Vandana Parashar

      *
      a beautiful verse about seeing things differently.

   2. Thank you, Laurie Greer. What a kind compliment on my haiku.

      I loved your haiku and also the backstory on your haiku. I remember my mom telling me that my grandma once asked questions of her and my aunt about some sexual matters. Although I was an adult (and married), the conversation was still a surprise to me as was the conversation that grandma had with my aunt and mom. Yes, obviously, my grandparents and parents had sex, but still…
      I wear an amethyst engagement ring (and other amethyst jewelry), and it is always presumed that I was born in February.But no, it is because purple is my favorite color.

6. Another excellent column, Tia. Purple is and always has been my favorite color. Whether it is the purple of crocuses, irises, or the sky at sunset, these haiku show purple in its many iterations and shades of lilac, lavender, and more. Bruises may be the exception especially if caused by abusive behavior as seen throughout many of these haiku. While some bruises can be a badge of honor, the ones here are not. Thanks for including one of mine in this collection, too.

7. To list my favorites would be to list them all!!! 🙂
   .
   .
   jacaranda sky
   with each blink of my eye
   another star
   .
   Wendy Toth-Notarnicola
   .
   .
   Looking up the tree I realise it’s not just an Australian tree! 🙂 I lived in Queensland for five years, and also travelled to Western Australia and Northern Territory.
   .
   I love that action in that middle line, and the magic of the night sky retold.
   .
   .
   eggplant
   he slips it into
   my DMs
   .
   Lori A Minor, Raleigh, NC
   .
   .
   I don’t know if this is one of those lockdown practical jokes, made famous in the UK by pop star Olly Murs, via TikTok. I hope it was a fun joke reciprocated by the author at another time, and both people enjoyed being caught out. I hope so, at least. Also, I’m wondering if Lori has a fab pair of Doc Martens in purple! I can imagine that too. 🙂
   .
   .

   a case of misgendering Gladiator Alliums
   .
   Robin Anna Smith
   .
   .
   A deeply intriguing ‘monoku’ by Robin. I see UK site Avon Bulbs say:
   “proved to be reliable in appropriate conditions and a good performing plant.”
   https://www.avonbulbs.co.uk/autumn-planted-bulbs/alliums/allium-gladiator
   .
   WIKIPEDIA:
   “The genus includes many economically important species. These include onions (A. cepa), French shallots (A. oschaninii), leeks (A. ampeloprasum), scallions (various Allium species), and herbs such as garlic (A. sativum) and chives (A. schoenoprasum).”
   .
   LINNAEUS’ SEXUAL SYSTEM site says:
   Classis 6. Hexandria » flowers with six stamens.
   .
   This is a fascinating haiku that melds natural history (flora) with the male dominance of a superior race (women).
   .
   .

   deepening dusk
   through the haze
   mountains yet to climb
   .
   Margaret Walker
   .
   .
   Beautiful, and so many of us remember the past privilege of walking openly in fields, hills, mountains, so many feel out of reach forever now.
   .
   .

   summer twilight…
   the fading whistle
   of a shoe polisher
   .
   Hifsa Ashraf, Pakistan
   .
   .
   Twilight and the use of sound is highly evocative.
   .
   .
   garden walks
   replaced by videocam
   hanging wisteria
   .
   Deborah P Kolodji, Temple City, California
   .
   .
   The videocam and similar devices are now how we travel to seek out beauty. For those who have gardens, even tiny pocket ones, it’s wonderful to be able to enjoy. For those with no greenery nearby and out of reach, it must feel horrific not to be able to just use a park. We have a meadow but due to narrow lanes and being easily hemmed in by certain people, it’s closed off to us, despite being only two to three minutes strolling on foot distance. Ah, to be able to walk around that small to medium meadow now.
   .
   .
   I am horrified that in abusive households around the world, it is the people who sustain and attempt to survive violent abuse that are literally kicked out of their homes, rather than the abuser.
   .
   Both wives, girlfriends, partners, husbands, boyfriends, and children are now in lockdown with mentally, emotionally, and physically abusive time bombs. I wish the abusers could be placed in a secure facility and let the innocents survive the pandemic without that daily and nightly threat.
   .
   There were many fine haiku dealing with bruises. Here’s one that suggests the same:
   .
   .
   sunset –
   all those purple streaks
   around her wrist
   .
   Dorothy Burrows
   .
   .
   Incredibly powerful. I keep wanting the streaks to be just the actual effect of a beautiful sunset lending its color palette!
   .
   All very fine work, everyone, another powerhouse color themed collection.
   .
   Alan

   1. Thank you, Alan.

      Praise from you means a LOT, indeed!

      Purple is my favorite color, and jacaranda is stunning. Equally stunning are all of the haiku above. It’s so hard to pick a favorite, but one resonates with me as hopeful and optimistic. Some days, lately, I feel like I am a “glass-is-half-full-and-it’s-probably-poison-anyway” type of person, so when something makes me feel optimistic in all of this, that’s an achievement!

      in the middle
      of all this
      lilacs

      Ann K. Schwader, Westminster, CO

      Wonderful.

      A great job by all!

   2. Thank you for commenting on my “deepening dusk”. As always, I very much appreciate your comments!
      The backstory is the view from my grandparents’ front porch. As a child and teen I spent hours in the old porch swing wondering what was beyond each mountain peak and valley. I think I have spent my life wanton to discover what is beyond each mountain or curve in the road.

8. Lovely haiku on the theme of purple! 🙂
   .
   I’ve discovered I’ve used purple directly and indirectly a few times.
   .
   Here’s one in honor of Jane Reichhold:
   .
   .
   purple loosestrife
   the drift of candle wax
   on a breeze
   .
   Alan Summers
   .
   i.m. Jane Reichhold 1937-2016
   cattails UHTS journal (September 2016)
   Jane Reichold Tribute Page 177
   https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/omeka/files/original/d430be1fb3a5d058aeda28eadbdcbdbd.pdf
   .
   .
   Note:
   .
   Jane’s daughter Bambi told me she that Jane used to grow purple loosestrife on her flower farm.
   .

   1. Purple loosestrife:
      https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/wildflowers/purple-loosestrife

9. Thank you for including my poem, we’ve been especially savoring the sweetness of purple carrots, purple asparagus, and red basil from the garden.

   I’m grateful of everyone’s contribution. It’s wonderful to wake up to, and enjoy with my morning coffee. Uplifting and thought provoking.

   Vandana’s rising sun, and Kristen’s bee’s perspective made me pause and appreciate, Dan’s DNA verse is simply delightful. I thought Clifford’s take on wine review rather clever and Ingrid’s awareness of ‘pandemic’ pollution very poignant.

   Last but not least, the image of Peggy’s purple and gold lingers in my mind 🙂

10. Tia, Lori, and kj – Thanks so much for this column and for including my “purple poem” in the mix. I loved Stephen A. Peters’ ku – “spring laughter” – the commentary with it and the style of it – “in the crocus in me” Wow! I also loved Teiichi Suzuki’s poem about “cold rain” and how the rain intensifies color, even magnifying it at times. I noted the number of poems that referenced “bruising”, a sad reality that lockdowns and quarantines bring out the worst in those who are abusers. I was happy to see that others chose to write about amethyst. I tried to write one about my amethyst geode, but couldn’t, so I wrote about my amethyst crystal instead. Peter Jastermsky’s “purple phase” poem reminded me of a grandson who went through a purple phase – thanks for the memory!

    1. Thank you, Pat, for imaginative comment to my ku of “purple rain”.

11. It would be nice to think that, due to our circumstances in this isolation, we have become much more aware of nature and
    the beauty around us we now have the time to enjoy, even just looking out of a window. From my ‘bunker’, I revel in our skies here in Macedonia, nearly every morning, and particularly at sunset… Peggy’s first line a lovely way to introduce those regal colours, gold and purple:
    .
    on the last edge of day
    after the gold
    purple
    .
    Peggy Hale Bilbro, Alabama, USA
    .
    I keep looking
    the lost violets
    in flowery meadows
    .
    Vincenzo Adamo
    .
    Yes! Where have all the wild violets gone? And if you find them, there’s seldom any of that scent I remember crawling after around the secret damp patches in my grandmother’s garden.
    .
    Tia, thanks for including my poem among these mostly upbeat offerings, and thank you all the team for the work involved, and poets for these colourful weekly reads.

    1. Thank you for your comments Ingrid!

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