The
haiku of H.F. Noyes have a distinctive ethereal quality,
beautifully exhibited by this rich collection. Several characteristics
of his haiku contribute to this quality.
He is aware of unexpected spaces delineated by his senses.
reaching
for berries
the tip of my nose
in thrush song
Noyes
often reverses the dependency of one object on another.
adobe
church
old belltower leans against
a broken ladder
bright
fall day
the brook wanders off
its shimmer lingers
He
particularly sees shadows as more substantial and active
than the objects that cast them.
morning
sun
the cat stretches into
her just-wakened
moonlight
stillness
beside its shadow
shadow each stone
frozen
marshland
the moonshiners rowboat
moored to its shadow
Contributing
to the ethereal quality is his tendency to write about experiences
just barely perceived.
evening
walk
the creak of my boots
invades the stars
old
picnic table
smoothing the oilcloth
my hand remembers
Christmas fir
walking it home in the breeze
its little whisper
In
the following haiku he even perceives his loss of awareness
as he lets himself be burdened with the heavy load of winning
an argument.
arguing
a point
the tug with its haul of logs
gone out of sight
Noyess
haiku also exude strength. While he is a master at contrasting
images, his haiku that I enjoy most contrast these images
in fresh ways.
shooting
the rapids
even the back of his head
looks surprised
the
Milky Way streams
a farmer bends to his work
widening a ditch
I
highly recommend this collection of ethereal yet powerful
haiku.
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