Interview
of Robert John Mestre
by Robert Wilson
Q. What was
your reason for starting Simply Haiku?
A. I wanted to share the
beauty of haiku with the world. I have to admit, after writing many other forms
of English poetry, it was refreshing to find a simple poem with such depth and
beauty.
Q. Why the name, Simply
Haiku?
A. In my opinion, haiku
is simple in its beauty and depth. I thought the title should match.
Q. Pretty soon, Simply
Haiku will celebrate its first birthday. How does that make you feel?
A. This makes me happy.
I am thankful to you and the other editors for giving so much of yourselves to
keeping Simply Haiku alive. Many never thought it would make it even
a year.
Q. What is it about haiku that attracts
you to it?
A. Its simplicity and beauty,
mostly. The irony in many of the poems is very attractive to me. To see what someone
was actually thinking when something happened is sometimes so different, it makes
the complete picture amazing.
Q. What to you, constitutes good
haiku versus bad haiku, and why?
A. I do not think I am
at the level where I can adequately answer this yet. Though I have had a few gems,
much (most) of what I write is never shown to anyone.
Q. What haiku poet has had
the greatest influence on you?
A. I must say that since
my cousin Toshiro Takeshita has come to help me, I have learned more than at any
other time in my life. When he first came, I thought I was the big man on campus.
I was soon to find out differently. His work is great and humbling. But as he
says, "You are young. Be patient."
Q. Do you have any advice for those
who want to see their poetry published in off and/or online literary magazines
and journals?
A. Be humble, down to earth,
and be ready for a lot of constructive advice. And never give up.
Robert John Mestre was the
co-founder of Simply Haiku and for its first year served as the Managing
Editor and web designer.
He has been writing poetry
of all forms for over twenty years and has been published in various journals.
He recently won an Honorable Mention Award in the 6th Suruga-Baika Literary Festival.
He is an active member of the World Haiku Club. He is also an award winning Internet
web site designer.
Rob was raised as a Buddhist
and now practices Buddhism under his Buddhist name, Dhammasaavaka. He is the founder
of Grassroots Buddhism. Two related web sites that he maintains are:
Grassroots
Buddhism
Buddhism
On The Net
Rob, his wife and children,
reside in Orlando, Florida.
