for her mother
bluets
roots and all
This haiku – with its echoes of 'oo' in bluets and roots and suggestion of bluesy longing – is among my favorites from this collection of Peggy Lyles' haiku. Lyles has long been recognized for her prize-winning haiku and currently serves as one of four associate editors for The Heron's Nest.
At its best, her haiku serve up surprises from the natural world and are evocative of the complexities of human interaction and emotion. Other favorites in this collection:
reaching for green pears —
the pull
of an old scar
The hint of inexperience and immaturity suggested in 'green' gives deeper resonance to the pull of the old scar. And the immediacy of:
piano lesson
her braids outdo
the metronome
I am captivated by the image of those braids beating time, and the play of outdo with its suggestion of hairdo gone wild.
