triveni spotlight: 5th July 2023
- Kala Ramesh
- Jul 5, 2023
- 2 min read
triveni spotlight A FEATURE EVERY ALTERNATE DAY! hosts: Teji Sethi and Kala Ramesh GUEST EDITOR: Nandita Jain Mahajan, July 2023
my energy
can only defeat a butterfly
this spring morning
Chiyo-ni
autumn night
again the clamor of geese
flying away
soon I will be
nobody’s child
Ruth Holzer
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to present my selection. Though the task of selecting haiku for Triveni Spotlight was very difficult, I found it very rewarding. I spent several hours going through poems available in the public domain and those from books in my personal collection. I read and re-read, shortlisted again and again paring down the list till I could do no more. It was a sheer joy to read such fantastic works - my heart is full ... so happy.
I tried to keep the poems different from what other guest editors had selected earlier. However, there is bound to be some repetition. I found myself leaning towards old Japanese masters like Basho, Issa, Shiki, and Ryokan but equally drawn to women poets like Chiyo-ni and Rengetsu. The simplicity, charm, and timeless quality is what pull me to their haiku. What a picture they paint! And, the space between what is said and what is unsaid. So many different interpretations which helped me connect to these poems.
Amongst the contemporary poets, I found myself opting for those that tugged at my heart. The poems span longing, sadness, hopelessness, hope, love, and gentleness. These are those that I could read over and over again, especially at dusk, when my mind is quiet and at peace. And then, something interesting happened. I realised that I could pair the masters with the contemporary - similar thoughts and subjects but different treatment. I hope you enjoy this selection. Nandita Jain Mahajan
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What a unique and refreshing way of handling this month's triveni spotlight selections! Watch out for this space, every alternate day, dear readers, you are in for a real treat! Thank you, Nandita. We are waiting to see the month unfold. _()_
Both brilliant ones!
Pairing the infectious energy and enthusiasm in one poem with the feeling of loneliness!
I don't know in what context Ruth Holzer wrote the tanka but this verse reminded of someone extremely dear to me (an adult) say they felt like an orphan when both their parents departed just sixteen days apart after a traumatic month.
Some of you may have heard the old country song, ‘Nobody’s Child‘. If not, here are the lyrics. It made me appreciate the tanka much more.
As I was slowly passing
An orphans' home one day
And stopped for just a moment
To watch the children play
Alone a boy was standing
And when I asked him why
He turned with eyes that could not see
And he began to cry
I'm nobody's child
I'm nobody's child
Just like the flowers
I'm growing wild
No mummy's kisses
And no daddy's smile
Nobody wants me
I'm nobody's child
People come for children
And take them for their own
But they all seem to pass me by
And I am left alone
Nice poems, like it!
Really loved the combination of these two images;
one defining a moment of trying to defeat a butterfly, but can we? No!
Then to that philosophical mind to realise that 'we have come alone and alone we will depart'.
Also to the fact about the upbringing of children and their mental agony that sometimes traumatize them. The behavioral pattern of parents constantly fighting and arguing does affect the children's mind and it makes them think that they are 'nobody's child'. They look forward to moments of joy that never happens.
How beautifully Nandita has brought the two images together...
trying to find happiness - spring morning
a sad moment - autumn night
.
Thank you!
Ruth’s tanka talks of extreme loneliness. What does ‘nobody’s child’ signify? Do share your thoughts.