HCSHR 1:5 Frozen Earth, haiku by Anne Burgevin

Anne Burgevin, frozen earth: haiku. Winchester VA: Red Moon Press, 2018. 978-1-947271-16-6. 68 pages, soft cover, 4.25" x 6.5", 15$US. redmoonpress.com

Anne Burgevin’s frozen earth is a haiku collection rooted in nature. Following an introductory haibun, the haiku in Burgevin’s book are divided into two sections: earth and air. While Burgevin presents poems loosely associated with the earth or the air, she also invites comparisons between them through haiku which, in subject and wording, are written to echo each other.

earth contains many haiku about gardening, blossoms, flowers, and fruit. Indeed, the Earth is commonly associated with growth and fertility. While Burgevin’s poems recognize that association, she broadens their scope to create a deeper human sensibility:

buckwheat flowers
her fertile days
feel numbered

This haiku juxtaposes flowers, as a symbol of fertility, with a woman’s worry over losing her ability to conceive. The contrast works to accentuate her concern, rendering the emotion of the moment powerfully in the reader’s mind.

Burgevin’s connection of humanity to nature is a prevalent concept throughout earth:

apple blossoms
the ballerina
holds her pose

As the apple blossoms time on the tree is short, so too is the ballerina’s pose. Both are beautiful, however, for as long as they do last.

The connection to nature in frozen earth continues through air. Here, Burgevin’s focus shifts to haiku about the wind, birds, butterflies and other objects of the sky:

turning a deaf ear
to the autumn wind
pink dahlias

On one hand, this poem can be interpreted as a simple image. While the dahlias bend with the wind, they appear to be turning away from it. On the other hand, it can be read metaphorically. Both a deaf ear and autumn are symbols of aging. As such, the personification of the haiku’s flowers implies that they are turning away from growing old.

Likewise, a contemplation of mortality appears in the following poem:

her last day
flutters of
mourning cloaks

Here, a woman’s last day is compared to the flutters of butterfly wings. Burgevin’s selection of mourning cloaks for this poem is astute. The pun on “mourning” works in naming the butterfly and in setting an appropriate tone for a life that is about to pass.

While the haiku in earth and air are organized as independent sections, there are many haiku between them which echo each other. The commonalities of these poems help bridge the separate sections of frozen earth. A good example comes from the two haiku that begin earth and air respectively:

nightfall
an orchid’s
soft landing

an orchid blossom drops his voice softens

The one-line haiku, coming later in the book, is reminiscent of its predecessor. Both poems include orchids falling and a sense of softness. The echo of the first poem in the second helps bridge the two sections of the book, entwining the themes of earth and air. Here is another example of this approach by Burgevin:

fallen fruit
his stump speech
on the sidewalk

ripe fruit
falling into
your lap

frozen earth by Anne Burgevin is a strong collection of haiku. The poems in earth and air read well in their respective sections but also echo each other to create a greater unity across the book. Burgevin is a talented haiku poet, and that talent shines clearly throughout frozen earth.

Review by Dave Read
davereadpoetry.blogspot.ca