triveni spotlight : 29 june
- tejisethi13
- Jun 29, 2022
- 1 min read
triveni spotlight A FEATURE EVERY ALTERNATE DAY! hosts: Teji Sethi and Kala Ramesh guest editor: Geethanjali Rajan
theme: listening
wind-shaped gorse
the rise and fall
of a lammergeier’s call
Sonam Chhoki, Bhutan
(Frogpond 38.3 Autumn 2015)
Note by the editor: The theme for June 2022 is ‘listening’. I hope you enjoy the music, sounds, and silences of nature in these showcased poems of close observation.
This month has come to an end and triveni spotlight thanks Geethanjali for giving us a month of myriad sounds to rejoice and revel. _k
Such a stunning image from a master poet! One thing that strikes me about this poem is the posssible double meaning of "wind-shaped". The gorse itself may have taken on a particular shape due to the wind's unrelenting influence, but this might also refer to the way a hillside of gorse undulates in the wind much like ocean waves. Feathers are also "wind-shaped" when a bird is in flight, and this subtle reinforcement of the image is striking and beautiful. Thank you for sharing Sonam's gifts, and for your lovely selections throughout the month of June. I hope to be able to comment further when my reading assistant is available.
Thanks to everyone for your insights on this lyrically pleasant, beautifully constructed haiku. Since I am unfamiliar with both the gorse plant and this impressive-looking bird, I've refrained from critique for this round. I did a little online research to get an overall picture, but I generally only write about subjects I have direct experience with.
Thank you, Geethanjali, for your thoughtful and obviously well-researched selection. It's been a rich month of haiku for me. I've enjoyed reading and commenting on these poems in the company of all you who joined this group conversation!
-----Billie
Sonam Chhoki brings together the visual, the auditory, myth and nature - all in this beautiful poem of links and shifts. The gorse is a beautiful image and one that is shaped by the wind is even more so. The way the 'wind' links to a lammergeier and the 'rise and fall' drew me to its wings (though it's not mentioned in the poem.) And just when that image settled in, the rise and fall was a surprise - it was the call of the bird! That the gorse itself brings in many images of the wings of birds and flying (to me) makes this haiku one which is rich in the sensory and suggestion. Thank you, Sonam, for this…
I am still confused with L1
'why wind-shaped gorse'?
I understood to some extent but if Sonam could explain the whole process, won't it be delightful! And I loved the lammergeier's call.
Thank you Geetanjali!
Lovely poem. I love the pivot line and the resonance throughout the poem is satisfying.