I
shall begin with a quote from an older attempt
where I found that, more rarely, indeed, in haiku sometimes a
text is used that does not evoke a frame clipped from reality
and offered directly
to the reception by the senses.
A text that does not contain (at least) a noun or
a verb, whose referent is an object or a manifestation of it. A text that, therefore,
does not put forth before our eyes (or
our senses) an actual image.
The poem below is
about solidarity between dogs and hunters. A beginner would have been tempted to
write as the first line the word solidarity, revealing the emotional relationship
between two beings and thus losing the possible concreteness and discretion of
the poem. Always side by side is a
phrase that captures the concrete, the core of the relationship, calling it by metonymy.
Modeled on bringing together a pair of boots and a dog which dries up in front
of the fireplace, the phrase suggests in fact the warmth that exists between two
beings - man and dog.
always side by side –
next to the
fireplace the boots
and the wet dog
Radu Ignătescu
Always side by side chooses words (two adverbs and
no noun or verb)
that say less, but
suggest more. It confesses
reticently only a
detail of the relationship, which
is, nonetheless, a symbolic and
essential detail. The construction of
the poem leaves the first image in the
vague - who, what? – and in need of completion
from the second image. And the phrase side by side continues however along the line of a minimalism of flat display, leaving up
to the reader perception of the aura of an image presented
too roughly. We
are only given a still life,
but it soaks
of unrevealed meanings. The ellipse,
well-built and perfectly harnessed, contributes greatly to the challenge, cooperation and, finally, to the
satisfaction of the reader. The
poem is simultaneously attraction, difficulty, and, above all, playful.
What I wish to
make everyone notice is that this time always side by side is very close to the language of
advertising. Its
characteristics are: preferred short, expressive, easy to remember
formulations, having a greater impact on those to whom it is addressed. Always side by side reminds of the name of a humanitarian
organization. The
expression could not have been more suggestive: to have someone close to you
means that you are always ready to help when they need it, and always means anytime, it means being constant
and faithful. Something that also
helps us having this perception is the turning into a noun of the word: from
side by side, we can say our neighbour, in a religious, Christian sense, that
is, the word for understanding man. True,
such a short phrase is ambiguous and versatile, which is why it can be easily
abused. Who remembers the figure
of Sorin Ovidiu Bălan
and (his) mobile Brigade (will not easily forget the order with which he
concluded, holding his fingers in the shape of a gun, his show: Stay tuned!
Returning
to the original wording, always side by side has a touch of solidarity
which is warmer, although in the context of the poem it is a subordinate togetherness.
The dog is somewhere at the level of
the boots. The affection
is one between master
and animal, based on care and obedience.
It so
happens that, once the results of the Romanian
Monthly Kukai are posted, someone says: "Haiku
# 25 looks as if it has been inspired by
or it looks a bit like an imitation of this label: The taste
of childhood in a jam jar (and of this phrase: It is all about the taste of childhood in a jam
jar) used by my sister for
her culinary blog.” The poem in question is this one:
rosehip jam –
the taste of
childhood
caught inside a
jar
It is not very clearly
where the notification leads. It
could blame the lack of originality of the poem, if not something worse. It is clear, however, that there is an affinity between the
formulas of the advertising language and that of writing haiku.
Both formulations appeal to the colloquial
language. Both are
characterized by brevity and expressivity,
by their impact on
the reader. And through the
fact that they remain etched in the mind of
the reader.
The poem does not seem special
to me. I'm not sure that the culinary
blog was the source of its inspiration. And I’m not sure
either if that phrase is extremely
original. And even more so that
it could be the literary or intellectual property of someone. Most times, having
to do with the casual style of
everyday language, it is hard to believe that one can claim ownership over it.
Even if the author of
the poem faithfully took over
that phrase, he deserves to be
congratulated for the risk he
assumed. But especially for the proven sense
trying to transfer it in a haiku, where it can work just as well as
in advertising. Haiku is a humble poem
that can appeal to the less demanding languages
and speeches. It only needs to be able to underline their value.
(Corneliu Traian Atanasiu)
