Poetry | Writing

Haikua

Contextual Statement My home is a two-story Queenslander. Every space has a purpose, and each unique room has a distinct atmosphere. I reflected on how haiku could capture moments or emotions tied to each space: relaxing, reading with my pets on the back steps in the sun, unwinding in my reading room after long nights, and the cool quietness of the garage where I run on my treadmill each morning. My geocoding word map produced terms requiring a dictionary. As I reflected on the list, I noticed words mirroring the playful scene of my cats fighting, influencing my haiku theme. The final haikus were crafted by immersing myself in each room, journaling my memories and emotions, and creating word lists evoked by each space. I drafted haikus from the most dominant sensations, reworking each poem, and experimenting with word sequences and synonyms until each haiku expressed my authentic sensory experience in the moment or from a deep memory. Inspiration for depicting intimate, authentic domestic moments came from works by April Dawn Allison (n.d.) and George Segal (1984) whose authentic depictions of everyday scenes informed my work. Additionally, haiku masters Basho and Issa, who use straightforward language to capture fleeting moments and seasons, informed my choice of language and understanding of haiku form and structure (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2024). Retrospectively, I found the 17-syllable haiku structure easy to work with; however, simplifying my language was difficult. Resisting the temptation to use more flowery adjectives and adverbs was a frustrating and complicated process particularly when using the geocoded words, as they were not my own and did not express my feelings about my space. The simplicity of language allowed me to capture each moment authentically and through resisting complexity, my creativity flourished with restraint and minimalism. Reference Alison, A. D. (n.d.). Untitled [Photograph]. Oakland. United States of America. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/the-hidden-identity-in-april-dawn-alisons-self-portraits Bonnard, P. (1939). La Grande Baignoire [Painting]. https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/the-art-of-domesticity-art-inspired-by-home/ Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2024). haiku. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/haiku Hanson, D. (1970). Housewife [Sculpture]. Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, Monaco. https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/28387/duane-hanson-at-nouveau-muse-national-de-monaco/ Segal, G. (1984). Woman on Orange Bed [Sculpture]. The George and Helen Segal Foundation, New York, United States of America. https://segalfoundation.org/sculptures/