|
Al Pizzarelli is considered by many to be the godfather of
American Senryu. He has written articles on senryu published
worldwide, is the Senryu Editor of Simply Haiku, and
is currently in the process of editing the first major English
language Senryu Anthology.
Pizzarelli, however, is also known for writing haiku. In the early
1970s, he studied haiku and related forms under the tutelage of
Professor Harold G. Henderson, author of An Introduction to Haiku
(Doubleday) and Haiku in English (Charles Tuttle). Pizzarelli was also
a consultant for Jack Kerouac's Book of Haikus (Penguin Poets, 2003)
edited by Regina Weinreich.
And write haiku Al Pizzarelli does. While too many haiku poets in
English language haiku circles have fallen into a cookie cutter formula
style of writing haiku lacking soul and originality, Pizzarelli
writes urban based haiku that are fresh, distinctive, and in touch with
his surroundings.
below the dripping eaves
puddle ringlets widen
in a radio flyer
at the produce stand
a kid with a baseball
plays catch with the awning
far down the railroad tracks
the brakeman's lantern
gets lost among the fireflies
Pizzarelli captures the flavor, the mood, the surroundings of the
American East Coast, giving us ephemeral glimpses of New Jersey and New
York, in a way I have seen no other poet do with haiku. None of us in
America will forget the infamous morning of September 11, 2001, when
New York City's Twin Towers were struck by terrorist thugs using
hijacked commercial airliners, bringing the towers to ruins, killing
thousands of innocent people. A symbol of American prosperity, the
towers in a few short moments became a smoky tomb.
Al Pizzarelli loved the towers, and like many who herald from his neck
of the woods, they still exist in spirit.
a billowing cloud
resumes its shadow
across the twin towers
Says long time friend, Anita Virgil, herself a leading American haiku
poet, "The mark of Pizzarelli's genius is the frequency and accuracy of each
of his attempts to draw poetry from everyday life, be it haiku or
senryu. He has an unfailing instinct for locating the eternal beauty,
tenderness and humor in things most of us pass by without ever even
noticing."
Read Pizzarelli's small book, The Windswept Corner and you will never
see and experience haiku in the same light again.
|
