Haiku Reflections

Haiku poetry has sometimes been called “the art of the unsaid.” Which is a good thing, since it is impossible to say everything in 17 syllables. Takahama Kyoshi’s granddaughter Inabata Teiko describes it this way: “Picture an iceberg floating on a cold ocean. It shows only a small part above the sea, while the majority is hidden beneath the water. Like an iceberg, a haiku shows a very small part in the 5-7-5 syllables while it leaves the poet’s sentiment and unspoken messages hidden under the water…. It is better, like an iceberg, to reveal a part only and omit or leave hidden as much as possible under the water for the reader’s imagination.” Following this guideline, the poet has offered a simple and unassuming bit of holiday culinary advice: The key to a successful Thanksgiving cranberry relish is allowing enough time to turn the bitter berries into sweet relish. But, of course, the poem isn’t only about that. There are other forms of bitterness that might make their way into a Thanksgiving Day meal. With tongue-in-cheek humor, the poem expresses the anxiety we feel approaching certain extended family gatherings—and the skill required to “sweeten” them ahead of time so that everyone has a good time.
—Clark Strand