HAIKU DIALOGUE – Surrealism II – “Without Hope” – commentary

Surrealism II with Guest Editor Lafcadio

For the next few weeks I would like to be your docent again in The Haiku Foundation Art museum. We will continue our tour of the Surrealist gallery. I know we were there last year, but now I’d like to show you a few of the works of the female Surrealist painters. First, let’s have a quick review about surrealism to make sure we are all on the same page, or in the same room. Surrealism is an artistic movement that began in the early 20th century. Surrealistic painters created dreamlike and often inexplicable images. One of the major characteristics of this kind of painting is the comparison of unrelated entities and components. This creates a surprise for the viewer and hopefully carries them into a world of fantasy and symbolism. This technique of painting not only challenged traditional painting, but was also a representation of the social and political upheavals of society after the trauma and disillusionment of World War I. Still, surrealistic paintings are used today to transcend the boundaries of the ordinary and deliver us in the realm of the extraordinary.

In 1924 Andre Breton, known as the father of Surrealism, wrote his first Surrealist Manifesto. He stated that 19 painters had created art that was absolute Surrealism. None of these painters were female. These painters felt women were useful to them as muses and inspiration but not as artists in their own right. However, by 1985 it was determined that no other art movement had such a large number of women participants. As Surrealist art grew into a larger and more diverse group of men, women became interested in expressing themselves through this art movement. Most of the first women who entered the Surrealistic movement were lovers of male Surrealists.

As with the previous male painters we have viewed, there is so much abstraction and symbolism in the drawings and paintings that you will be able to create surrealistic haiku and senryu that reflect the emotions in these works of art. Let’s begin…

Below is Lafcadio’s commentary for “Without Hope”:

This is the final commentary in the series. I want to thank everyone who submitted poems. It was humbling to be able to read and understand your poems. Of course, my interpretation could be completely opposite of the intention of the poets when creating their poem. Either way it was a wonderful experience. My favorite story about Frida Kahlo’s suffering is near the end of her life. Her leg and foot developed gangrene due to complications from her polio. She had one of her legs amputated. Her doctor ordered complete bed rest, warning her of the dangers to her health if she tried to go out. This happened at the time that she was having her first solo show in her own country. Her husband, Diego Rivera, went to speak for her at the gallery. As he was talking a commotion on the other side of the room interrupted his speech. It was Frida, in her bed, being rolled into the gallery. I love her indefatigable spirit!

legs that once biked
beneath mammoth moons
jellyfish transplants

Pris Campbell
U.S.

This poem is a well-constructed echo of Kahlo’s “Without Hope” painting. It expresses a loss and a transformation from movement fading into a more tentative place. Kahlo after the bus accident moved from a life full of strength and action into a fragile displacement. ‘legs that once biked’ suggest movement that had freedom and independence. Because this line is in the past tense it gives us a sense of nostalgia. The loss is located ‘beneath mammoth moons.’ This is a wide-open surreal backdrop. It appears that moons are witnesses to both the past and the present. They also bring a feeling of isolation. In L3 we move into the surrealistic image of ‘jellyfish transplants.’ It reminds us of Kahlo depicting her bodily pain and medical interventions in the painting. Her doctor had ordered soft food every two hours when Kahlo was becoming too weak. Even though she was not fed through a funnel, I would think it felt like that when she was not interested in food, but her family was forcing it on her so often. In Pris’ poem the once strong legs are replaced with a frail substitute. Like Kahlo receiving food she didn’t want, the person in the poem probably did not choose jellyfish for legs. It seems they would feel soft and vulnerable. Kahlo had resistance and disappointment about being imprisoned in her bed. The ‘jellyfish transplants’ also give a feeling of uncertainty and maybe even resentment.

a funnel
swallows the shadows
a thousand suns on my sheets

Marie Derley
Belgium

This poem begins with the image of ‘a funnel’ as in the painting. There were many poems submitted that referred to the funnel. It is definitely a symbol of force and constriction. The funnel suggests something that happens beyond one’s control. Suffering can consume a person, both physically and emotionally. But as in Kahlo’s case, though she was no longer in control, the funnel can also represent a way to survive. The second line of Marie’s poem was the line that intrigued me the most. Instead of food the funnel ‘swallows the shadows.’ Shadows can sometimes represent pain, fear, or trauma. Swallowing those feelings can suggest depression or internalizing the darkness. By swallowing those emotions they can attach and become part of us. The final line of this poem creates a different connotation for bed sheets. Usually sheets are considered restful or comforting. The poem states there are ‘a thousand suns on my sheets.’ This gives a feeling of being overwhelmed by heat, maybe being feverish. And probably unbearable light or pressure. Even though the bed is a place of safety it has turned hostile. This could be from physical illness, emotional upset, or sensory overload. The line ties in with Kahlo’s theme in the painting of being trapped in a place (and a body) that is betraying her. We can feel the physical and emotional helplessness and struggle in the poem and painting. Suffering becomes inescapable.

stranded between
the sun and its moon
a desperate planet

Eavonka Ettinger
Long Beach, CA

Of course, many of the poems about this painting are about suffering. I guess I could have created one commentary for all of them. But it is interesting to see all the different viewpoints that present Kahlo’s theme. In Eavonka’s poem she has used celestial bodies. In the first two lines we see the tension of being stranded. Two celestial forces may represent opposite aspects of the self. The sun often symbolizes life or intensity. The moon may stand for the subconscious and cyclical change. Being ‘stranded between/the sun and its moon’ feels like a position of lost grounding, torn between two extremes. This resembles Kahlo’s condition of being trapped between pain and longing. In the final line we see it is ‘a desperate planet’ that is deserted between hope and desolation. A planet is vast and in this poem is alone, like Kahlo, but still present and aware in suspended animation. This planet (or metaphor for a person) depends on the sun and moon for balance but is probably uncomfortable between their opposing pulls. Eavonka has written a surreal poem that displays the torment juxtaposed with cosmic imagery and energy.

psychotherapy —
the clown she drew
now alive and kicking

Mona Bedi
Delhi, India

Mona begins her poem in a clinical type setting she has created with the word ‘psychotherapy.’ Based on one’s experience we can gather many different implications for this word: healing, trauma, confrontation. It can include self-examination and crisis or breakthrough. L2 leads us to more information with ‘the clown she drew.’  Is this the patient’s hidden feelings or emotional pain behind a painted face?  Some have a phobia of clowns which is called coulrophobia. The psychotherapist would have to interview the patient in order to determine what it means for that person. In the final line we find out the clown is ‘now alive and kicking.’ The clown is no longer on the page but animated and in the room. Could this clown be a repressed or hidden trauma becoming unmanageable and disruptive? We know Kahlo in the painting has been fed with grotesque foods and shows sadness on her face. These feelings of despair have broken through to be displayed by tears. Both the clown and the forced foods can be representative of hidden emotions breaking through. And the realization that healing may come but things may also get worse before they get better.

relearning use
through therapy
– – jazz hands

Nancy Brady
Huron Ohio

Nancy has provided us with a poem that sounds hopeful. But also could have a degree of difficulty involved. It speaks of the journey of rehabilitation. In the first line she implies that the person in the poem will be ‘relearning use.’ This speaks of a loss that requires starting over, returning to basics. During such a time one is vulnerable in their struggle. ‘through therapy’ gives us the concept that the relearning will not be magical or sudden. It will probably be a slow process demanding effort.  But after this we have the final line of ‘ – – jazz hands.’ The dash and fragment add a bit of humor. After the struggle of therapy and relearning there is a symbol of expressive joy. The ending of the poem feels triumphant. The person in therapy has been able to reclaim what was lost. Kahlo suffered chronic pain and health problems after her childhood polio and her bus accident. After surgery on her spine and leg she was confined to bed and force fed as depicted in the painting. She never fully recovered but was able to return to her art and be involved in political activism despite her disability. She had a strong and tenacious spirit. Recovery is something to be celebrated – – jazz hands!

air glutton
the hollow thump
of a gourd

Lorraine A Padden
San Diego, California

In Lorraine’s poem the first line is paradoxical and introduces us to an ‘air glutton.’ We know a glutton is someone who eats greedily. This overeater is not consuming food though, but air. Basically the glutton is being filled with nothing, gorging on emptiness.  This resonates with Kahlo’s experience in the painting. She was given food to keep her alive but lacked spiritual or emotional nutrition. Her autonomy and independence were taken away.  Lorraine juxtaposes ‘air glutton’ with ‘the hollow thump/of a gourd.’  A hollow sound when a gourd is thumped means it is mature, dried out and empty.  It will possibly be used for other purposes. The gourd could be a metaphor for a body that is hollowed out, scarred and broken by pain and only used as a vessel. Sometimes in illness and suffering we don’t feel human. Instead we can feel reduced to a container for suffering or survival. Like Kahlo, being force fed she has become a receptacle for food at the cost of her former vitality. In Lorraine’s minimalist poem there is intense meaning that can remind us of consumption, emptiness and a fragile body and mind.

perfect smoke rings
warp into mist
our fickle hearts

Margaret Anderson
Vancouver, BC

We begin our exploration of Margaret’s poem with ‘perfect smoke rings.’ It is a delicate, yet fleeting image. Smoke rings are just a brief illusion before dissipating into chaos. Sometimes our lives are like this. We can have a brief feeling of peace or perfection before emotional or physical turmoil sets in, unexpected and unwanted. Moments or lives can seem intact but suddenly deteriorate into loss. Margaret expresses this loss by the line, ‘warp into mist.’ The word ‘warp’ sounds like a change from external forces, much like Kahlo’s body was warped by trauma and pain. The final line of the poem, ‘our fickle hearts,’ brings us inside human emotions. It reminds us of emotional inconsistency or disorientation that can happen when there is suffering. In the case of Kahlo’s painting and the poem we can see an unraveling or breakdown at a time of a crisis. We can watch smoke rings (stability) vanish due to circumstances beyond our control that leave us powerless. The poem and the painting reveal a connection between control and surrender.

tightly wrapped
in screaming nerves
the flesh made hole

petro c. k.
Seattle, Washington

This poem is an immensely powerful, surreal statement. There is a violent helplessness here as there is in the Kahlo painting. We can definitely feel the closeness of suffering in the words petro chose to use. It’s not just about pain…it is pain. He hints at a body and mind restrained while still conscious of the trauma. In the first line, ‘tightly wrapped,’ we find someone in a confining situation. There doesn’t seem to be any warmth or comfort in this wrapping. It sounds like it is a binding, possibly by bandages, blankets, medical devices, psychological pressure, or emotional trauma. It is like Kahlo’s painting where she is held down by the blanket and the funnel overwhelming her. Before and after this time Frida was also confined. She always had bandages, casts, and corsets. The pain also kept her wrapped in psychological agony.  The second line tells us the wrapping does not silence the pain. In fact it amplifies it. ‘screaming nerves’ seems to refer to neurological pain, not localized but through the whole body. The word ‘screaming’ personifies the nerves, as if they are howling in protest. Pain is not only felt…it is also heard with an unbearable internal noise. The final line is a devastating play on words. ‘the flesh made hole’ indicates the flesh is no longer whole. It suggests a wound and emptiness slipping through the hole. The poem moves from outer wrapping, to screaming inside and finally to the body giving way. The body can’t protect the self any more, it is a portal for pain. In both the painting and the poem there is honesty about the pain and the interior struggle.

a slab of raw grief for the hungry

S. Smithline
Nelson, New Zealand

This monoku is a haunting image. The word ‘slab’ makes us think of a cold, dense and heavy cut of meat. But it is not meat because it has been paired with the phrase ‘raw grief.’ The poet puts together both the physical and the emotional. Grief has been personified into flesh. And it is raw. Raw meat is exposed to air and still bleeding. Grief that is raw is like that as well. Fresh and angry red. This is a time in one’s life when the grief is not hidden but totally public. The final phrase, ‘for the hungry,’ infers that the grief has become something to be taken or fed upon. As in Kahlo’s painting when her suffering becomes part of her art, being an offering to anyone that will look and not turn away from the grotesque. She shares her art for those who hunger for relief from their own trauma. There is a deep resonance between the painting and the poem. The poet speaks of opening their grief to others just as Kahlo exposes her misery to inspire those who respond to her artwork.

Join us next week for our next prompt…

Bios:

Guest (& Assistant) Editor Lafcadio, a former teacher, now works from home writing, editing and proofreading study guides for nursing textbooks. She lives in Tennessee. She has written poetry for a long time but a couple of years ago fell in love with Japanese micropoetry and hasn’t looked back. Lafcadio has been published in a number of journals and anthologies. She writes under the nom de plume of Lafcadio because nom de plume is so fun to say. You can read her poems on Twitter (X) @lafcadiopoetry or BlueSky @lafcadiobsky.

Assistant Editor Vandana Parashar is an associate editor of haikuKATHA and one of the editors of Poetry Pea and #FemkuMag. Her debut e-chapbook, I Am, was published by Title IX Press (now Moth Orchid Press) in 2019 and her second chapbook Alone, I Am Not, was published by Velvet Dusk Publishing in April 2022.

Lori Zajkowski is the Post Manager for Haiku Dialogue. She lives in New York City and enjoys reading and writing haiku.

Managing Editor Katherine Munro lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and publishes under the name kjmunro. She served as Membership Secretary for Haiku Canada for ten years, and her debut poetry collection is contractions (Red Moon Press, 2019). Find her at: kjmunro1560.wordpress.com.

Portrait by Laurel Parry

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Banner photo credit:  Lafcadio

Haiku Dialogue offers a triweekly prompt for practicing your haiku. Posts appear each Wednesday with a prompt or a selection of poems from a previous week.