drifting in from the neighbors --
I relearn Chinese
Second Place in The North Carolina Poetry Society Lyman Haiku Award (2011); forthcoming in Pinesong
Comment by Judge Roberta Beary: This haiku contrasts two images: hazy holiday relaxation and the study of a difficult language. Perhaps relearning Chinese is a resolution for the New Year or perhaps not. A good haiku leaves something to the reader's imagination. Reading aloud the poem reveals the subtle link between its first two words and its last. The mixture of auditory and visual images makes this a prize-winning haiku.
