Simply Haiku: Quarterly Journal of Japanese Short Form Poetry ~ Feature

Simply Haiku: A Quarterly Journal of Japanese Short Form Poetry
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Winter 2005, vol 3 no 4

Rose Haiku
edited by Angela Leuck
A Review by Robert D. Wilson

Rose Haiku is an anthology of haiku about roses. Not daisies. Not camillias. Not tulips. Just roses. Consisting of over 100 haiku, with a couple of tanka thrown in, Rose Haiku is a delightful book, a pleasant read, an opportunity to view this special flower from a haiku perspective. Haiku is not a "tell all" verse form. It is not the rose but the smell of the rose . . . a verse form that, due to it brevity, gets to the essence of a subject. The focus of haiku is nature. And what better genre to celebrate the magic and beauty of the rose.

. . . a sampling:

rose garden
one deep breath
after another

Anne. L.B. Davidson

black rose . . .
even before
the dusk

Ron Moss

after rain
the ladybug on a rose
spreads its wings

Allen McGill

harvest moon
but the white rose
calls me back

Roberta Beary

damask rose
deeper and deeper
into evening

Jim Kacian

Angela Leuck did a good job of putting together the poetry in this small, perfect bound anthology. The haiku and tanka are, for the most part, consistently good and well formed, as can be seen from the above samples. Unless carefully thought out and edited, a book about one subject could easily become redundant. Many of the poets are gardeners who take pride in the cultivation of roses. They have a personal interest in the anthology's focus. They share a common love for the flower, allowing readers to see it from a fresh perspective.

Rose Haiku is a book one would want to read sitting next to a stream or out in the yard. It would also make a good introduction for those with no or little knowledge of the haiku genre.

to dream of
the gypsum flower
in full bloom forever

Janick Belleau

Rose Haiku
For Flower Lovers and Gardeners
Edited by Angela Leuck
Redlader Publishing
ISBN 1-896881-52-1