“Four Senryū” by Jeff Haas

Jeff Haas

FOUR SENRYŪ

We seek new haiku,
Vehicles of destruction
That can crush flowers.

 

 

 

A pitiless God
Watches us from a distance,
Laughing His ass off.

 

 

 

Preparing for sex,
Having sex in fits and starts,
Remembering sex.

 

 

 

Facing certain death,
I chose to waste precious time
Writing this haiku.

from Rattle #47, Spring 2015
Tribute to Japanese Forms

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Jeff Haas: “I enjoy writing poetry as a way of taking a break from writing fiction. I prefer haiku because I can hold an entire poem in my head and finish it wherever I am, including in the shower. I didn’t realize that I was writing senryū instead of haiku until another poet told me. My senryū often take the form of ontological jokes, complete with setup, development, and punchline.” (website)

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