re:Virals 463

Greetings, peace, goodwill, and good humour to all, and welcome to re:Virals, The Haiku Foundation’s weekly commentary feature on some of your favorites among the best contemporary haiku and senryu written in English. This week’s poem, chosen by Sandip Chauhan, was:

     
end of summer
only a few chips of polish
left on her toenails
—Abigail Friedman
 Street Chatter Fading, 
 Larkspur Press, Monterey, Kentucky 2015

Introducing this poem, Sandip writes:

I chose this haiku for its evocative portrayal of seasonal transition through a simple, relatable image. It captures the bittersweet essence of summer’s end with subtle poignancy.

Opening comment:

A fine open haiku where I think the unspecified “her” works better than “my,” giving some detachment. There is wabi and sabi. It flows nicely.

For those in temperate zones, summer is the time to get away on vacation. On the face of it, the verse transmits the impression of a relaxed holiday season uninhibited by pressures to keep up appearances; time well spent on the beach, or scrambling around rock-pools; dancing in the sand round a driftwood fire….

…but summer has ended, and now perhaps there is a darker tone of seasonal change. Possibly because I very recently commented on two verses dealing with the menopause, I couldn’t help wondering whether there is a hint in this haiku of a woman whose season of fertility is ending, after some adventures, maybe some ups and downs to chip the polish, and for whom the accessories of physical attraction are no longer, maybe, a priority.

An artful haiku that seems artless, as do the best; finding meanings in the observation of the ordinary and in the fleeting moment. As recommended by Marcus Aurelius (see footnote).

Richa Sharma:

As someone who uses only one coat of nail polish without much concern for finesse or durability, Abigail’s realistic sketch instantly resonated with me. The story begins with a woman gazing at her dry toenails, which gradually creates a similar feeling of oneness in the reader’s mind. Sabi and makoto are evoked through the linkage of kure no natsu or “end of summer” “left on my toenails” interspersed with “only a few chips of polish.” The first word of each line brings forth the poet’s poignant truth “end” “only” “left.” By uttering each word inside myself, the haiku creates a state of wordlessness in my mind. To me, this is a beautiful haiku of awareness that presents itself as an aesthetic experience.

Melissa Dennison:

This is a fun senryu/haiku. Reading these words makes me smile. It resonates with me today, as it is now August and before we know it summer will be coming to a close. Already fruits are ripening on the trees and the foliage is changing. It goes so fast, almost like the blink of an eye.

Whoever the woman in the poem is, I think she has made the most of the season. Perhaps there is a hint of melancholy though, as summer is ending, the fun is over for another year. There isn’t much remaining, just a few chips of nail polish. Few reminders.

However there is hope, it is a time of transition. A new season is emerging full of its own potential, and another summer will arrive. Another chance to dance and sing, whilst wearing a different shade of polish.

John Daleiden:

Abigail Friedman’s “end of summer” is an engaging composition. The poem, “end of summer”, is written on 3 lines of 4-8-5 syllables instead of the expected English haiku count of 5-7-5 or fewer syllables. Line one is a fragment followed by lines 2-3, a phrase. The fragment in line one, “end of summer”, tells readers when the event takes place, while the subsequent lines tell what happened. Line one does not contain a traditional kigo, but it does tell us in what portion of a season—summer—the event takes place.

Although the poem contains 17 syllables, the distribution of the syllables would probably lead a purist to conclude, “but it isn’t arranged, 5-7-5.” Yet, this poem is very haiku-like in many ways.

The content matter of the poem is especially interesting. After identifying the summer season, the third person narrative voice observes there are “only a few chips of polish / left on her toenails”. So: the poem gives readers a specific time of year and an event. Immediately, reasons to explain the neglected state of the toenail polish flood readers minds. While interesting, all ideas advanced are speculation. The poem does not include such data because it is open-ended—it has breathing room. While deciding not to include the reason for the event, this open-ended quality of the verse invites the reader to speculate. Such is one beauty of haiku.

In 2018, Abigail Friedman was one of the judges of the Golden Haiku competition for the triangle neighborhood of Washington D.C. In an interview with NPR, reporter McCammon reminded the diplomat/writer that the second place winner, Garry Eaton’s haiku “a basketball spins on the edge of the hoop, spring equinox”, was not 5-7-5 syllables, but was written with a total of 15 syllables. Friedman responded: “ I will never say to someone that’s not a haiku because if people are so wrapped up in pinning down definitions, they’re not wrapped up in the desire to write poetry.”

Haiku or haiku-like poem . . . . Does it really matter?

Dan Campbell:

Title: Chipped Polish, A 30 Second Play

((Setting: A quiet park at sunset. Daniel and Zoila sit on a bench, watching the last rays of sun dip below the horizon.))

Daniel: Look at that poem—”end of summer, only a few chips of polish, left on her toenails.” It’s a celebration of life’s fleeting moments. Every chip is a memory, a sign of adventures lived.

Zoila: (sighs) Or a reminder of beauty fading. It’s sad, really. Each chip is a piece of perfection lost, a mark of time slipping away.

Daniel: But isn’t that the beauty of it? Nothing stays perfect. Those imperfections, the wear and tear—they tell stories. They’re signs of growth, of change.

Zoila: (gazes down at her own chipped toenails) I suppose. Yet, I can’t help but mourn the loss. The polish was once whole, vibrant. Now, it’s just fading away.

Daniel: And in its imperfection, it’s still beautiful. Maybe even more so, because it’s a testament to a life lived fully.

Zoila: Perhaps. But sometimes, I just wish I could hold onto that vibrancy a little longer, without it slipping away so quickly.

Daniel: (takes her hand) The trick is to appreciate each chip, each moment, as part of the whole. The passage of time adds depth, not loss.

((They sit in silence, reflecting, as the sun finally sets.))

Lakshman Bulusu:

In this haiku, the season summer comes into play with the character e.d., a kid enjoying in activities like parties, ,camps and the like. Having played all summer long, the kid or for that matter any girl has only a “few chips” of nail polish left. Metaphorically it can mean the end of enjoyment in one season and possibly beginning of another season like Fall “. The connection of polish left on her toes with the end of the season is one of fun and frolic or joy still reminiscent of the time of it was and though not permanent is a symbol of what is being cherished after the season is fading to unfold into another. To convey the same in another way,

Having played
all summer long
she still finds the joy

moment to moment
few chips of polish
summer’s worth

They too fade
time is nobody’s
all time friend

The nail polish on her toes might be only a little quantity but is immensely present in the happiness she derives. Also it is a representation of impermanence in life and “times in life are permanent only to be remembered”.

This haiku has the cut after L1. I like the way how the author presents taking simple objects in life like polish that give joy and juxtaposes with season that is a season for everyone to bask or bake and enjoy – though it fades with time to recur again.

Nairithi Konduru (age 9) nails it:

This poem mainly implies that there are only a few days of summer left. The phrase “only a few chips of polish left on her toenails” could mean that there are only a few remaining days of summer. This haiku could mean that a girl has applied nail polish at the beginning of the summer, maybe her summer holidays, but now that the summer is over, only the remains of that nail polish are seen on her toenails. This haiku could also say that the girl loves to put nail polish but she isn’t allowed to wear nail polish other than during the summer because of a specific reason.  I like to think the girl’s age could be between 10 and 13 years. What nail colour is the girl using? I think since it is summer she is using a bright colour, like red ❤

I think that the girl has gone everywhere during her summer vacation, for example: to the beach, to lots of parties 🎉🎉🎉 or to a haiku workshop! Maybe the girl has not cared to keep her nail polish in pristine condition because she was very busy. She may have involved in many outdoor activities that resulted in the nail paint gradually wearing off.

I apply nail paint during all the school holidays. I have learnt to apply it for myself and do so the moment I come home from school. It could be for the two-days weekend that we get or sometimes a bonus of more than two days when there’s a holiday declared on Friday or Monday and more (festival holidays and sometimes holidays due to rain from depression at the coast). I feel sad to remove the polish on Sunday night.  During summer holidays, I can wear it for a long time and I can even try different shades of nail paint.

author Abigail Friedman:

I love swimming so it should come as no surprise that summer is my absolute favorite season. I love the heat of summer – the hotter the better – as it is just one more excuse for me to slow down, enjoy life, and throw myself in a swimming pool. As a child, I spent all my summers hanging out at the local pool doing nothing in particular, swimming, playing cards, waiting for the ice cream truck, lying eyes closed on a wet towel, facing the sun, listening to other people’s conversations. Simply being.

So what does all this have to do with my chips of polish haiku? Rather than offering any kind of interpretation of my own haiku, I thought the above might help readers in approaching this week’s haiku.

It’s also interesting, perhaps, to consider my chips of polish haiku along with another of my “end of summer” haiku.

end of summer –
in my son’s room
I try on his shoes

Until now, I hadn’t looked at these two together, side by side, but it does make me realize that in both cases they reveal me as a fixed entity, with change happening around me. In some ways, in both these haiku, I am seeing the world with the observing eye of a child, all seeing and feeling, absent of any grand conclusions. At least until the poem is written down and considered.

Thanks to all who sent commentaries. As the contributor of the commentary reckoned best this week, Nairithi has chosen next week’s poem, which you’ll find below. We invite you to write a commentary to it. It may be as long or short, academic or spontaneous, serious or silly, public or personal as you like. All with respect for the poet. Out-takes from the best of these take their place in the THF Archives. Best of all, the chosen commentary’s author gets to pick the next poem.

Anyone can participate. Simply use the re:Virals commentary form below to enter your commentary on the new week’s poem (“Your text”) by the following Tuesday midnight, Eastern US Time Zone, and then press Submit to send your entry. The Submit button will not be available until Name, Email, and Place of Residence fields are filled in. We look forward to seeing your commentary and finding out about your favourite poems!

Poem for commentary:

     
slowly gathering
the wheatfield
harvest moon
—Gavin Austin
Wales Haiku Journal, Summer 2024

The Haiku Foundation reminds you that participation in our offerings assumes respectful and appropriate behavior from all parties. Please see our Code of Conduct policy.

Footnote:

Dan’s comment too is also beguiling and instructive…

An experienced haikuist of renown, Abigail Friedman’s bio and some of her verses may be read in the THF Haiku Registry.

—————-

I leave you with the words of Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antonius (26 April 121 – 17 March 180) who ruled in Rome during his last two decades, and would surely have been a great haikuist a millennium and a half later in the time of Bashō:

“We should remember that even Nature’s inadvertence has its own charm, its own attractiveness. The way loaves of bread split open on top in the oven; the ridges are just by-products of the baking, and yet pleasing, somehow: they rouse our appetite without our knowing why.

“Or how ripe figs begin to burst.

“And olives on the point of falling: the shadow of decay gives them a peculiar beauty.

“Stalks of wheat bending under their own weight. The furrowed brow of the lion. Flecks of foam on the boar’s mouth.

“And other things. If you look at them in isolation there’s nothing beautiful about them, and yet by supplementing nature they enrich it and draw us in. And anyone with a feeling for nature—a deeper sensitivity—will find it all gives pleasure. Even what seems inadvertent. He’ll find the jaws of live animals as beautiful as painted ones or sculptures. He’ll look calmly at the distinct beauty of old age in men, women, and at the loveliness of children. And other things like that will call out to him constantly—things unnoticed by others. Things seen only by those at home with Nature and its works.”

“Give yourself a gift: the present moment.”

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Book 3 tr. Hays; #3.2 and (the last sentence) Book 8 #8.44
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