The
Ohio Poetry Association is excited to have Joe McKeon as a Sun & Moon Poetry Festival workshop leader! To learn more about Joe and his workshop, "Can everything that schoolchildren are taught about haiku poetry be wrong?" please click here.
In
the following interview with Sayuri Ayers, the OPA Treasurer, Joe shares his
thoughts on haiku and shares some of his selected works.
SA:
Is your poetry influenced by the natural world? If so, please tell us how.
JM:
Man’s interaction with, and being a part of, nature is at the core of haiku. It
is a common misconception, however, that haiku is about nature. A major element
of traditional haiku is a seasonal reference called a kigo. We will discuss
this at length in the workshop. Suffice it to say that seasonal references
include many nature images. They appear throughout my poetry. For example:
moonless
sky
one
firefly lights
the
path
headwinds
shift
the
lead goose moves
to
the rear
SA:
If you could introduce yourself to others through a poem, which poem (yours or
one by another poet) would you choose?
JM:
This is an incredibly difficult question for a haiku poet. Haiku are egoless
poems. By that I mean that they do not call attention to the poet’s opinions,
judgments, language or “poetic” skills, or cleverness. The goal is for the
poet avoid leaving his “thumbprint” on a poem. That is not to say, however,
that haiku cannot be personal. By way of introduction here are two of my poems
that are very personal to me:
memorial
wall
dew
drips through the space
where
my name should be
empty
nest
snow
deepens
the
silence
SA:
What element(s) of craft do you focus on in your poetry?
JM:
Interesting question! [A part] of this workshop is “Haiku – The Poetry of
Focus." Writing haiku is all about focus and capturing a specific moment. We
will discuss the key elements of haiku, including brevity, openness,
objectivity, simplicity, humility, engagement of the senses, and emotional
impact. The real craft and challenge of writing haiku involves bringing as many
as possible of these elements into a one breath-long poem. For example, here
are two of my poems:
frozen
pond
tiny
cracks grow
between
us
dining
alfresco
the
touch of a toe
under
the table
SA:
How would you encourage poets who are navigating the current political/cultural
climate? Is there a poem that has helped you?
JM:
Haiku have addressed political and social issues for centuries. Much of what I
write falls into this category and I find it very therapeutic. The challenge is
to do so while honoring the most basic of haiku principles – “show, don’t
tell.” Once again, this means blunt objectivity - no opinions, commentaries, or
judgments. Here are some of my poems that are of this ilk:
oil
swirls
in
a sand castle moat
screeching
gulls
outdoor
exhibit
the
darkness of winter
in
the gorilla's eyes
breeched
levee
a
white stork shifts
to
the other leg
dark
alley
an
ash can fire warms
the
shadows
To
find out more information about the Sun & Moon Poetry Festival, please click here.
Festival
registration is now open and will end on August 31.
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