HCSHR 4:11 — jar of rain:The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2020
HCSHR 4:11 — jar of rain:The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2020, Jim Kacian and eds. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 2021. ISBN: 978-1-947271-71-5. 186 pagesp, 5 ½’’ x 8 ¼”, $17 U.S. www.redmoonpress.com
review by Joanne Morcom
jar of rain is the twenty-fifth edition in the series of Red Moon anthologies and contains 163 poems (haiku and senryu), twenty linked forms (haibun, renku, rengay and sequences), and six essays about the haiku genre. According to the RMA Process page at the end of the book, between December 2019 and December 2020, more than 3000 published haiku and related works by over 2000 different authors were nominated by the Red Moon editorial staff for inclusion. Judging then took place, which resulted in the selection of 189 works by authors from around the world, including Canada. In his foreword, Jim Kacian, the Editor-in-Chief, writes that after twenty-five years the annual anthology “still seems to fulfill its original intention: to gather a consensus of the best work published each year in one place, and to satisfy an audience that has multiplied ten times over in that time span.”
The anthology title is taken from Canadian poet Julie Emerson’s haiku, which Kacian describes as “a distillation of the storm that was 2020, but now contained, quiet, suitable for holding flowers.”
daffodils
in a jar of rain
on her grave
Daffodils are colourful spring flowers that grow from bulbs, symbolizing rebirth in the aftermath of death and decay. They also suggest William Wordsworth’s famous poem about his encounter with a crowd of daffodils and recalling them later in the “bliss of solitude.” This is also how we tend to experience haiku moments – in blissful solitude.
Haiku Canada member Chen-ou Liu’s haiku focuses on a different season and set of circumstances.
a white lie
to cover another
early snowfall
Like the falling snow, white lies are pleasing to the senses, but too much of each may do more harm than good. This deceptively simple haiku seems like a cautionary tale, reminding readers to watch their words, even if well intended.
LeRoy Gorman, another Haiku Canada member, uses humour in his haiku.
climate symposium
the guest speaker begins
with an icebreaker
The subject matter is quite serious, so the touch of wordplay at the poem’s end is a pleasant surprise, like the punchline of a clever joke.
The linked forms and essays are all absorbing reads. American poet Margaret Chula’s haibun “Clothes to Go Out In” stands out as a poignant account of how her parents were dressed after death, her father in a dark suit and her mother in a white shroud. The accompanying haiku comments subtly and movingly on the prose piece.
how easily
the snake sheds its skin
then disappears
New Zealander Tim Roberts’s essay “Haiku and Parkinson’s Disease: A Practice” is another outstanding selection. For Roberts, writing haiku is a contemplative practice that helps him cope with his medical condition and in his words, “I try to walk a healing path every day and my prayer is that I can be a healing presence in this world.” Kudos to the author for taking such an inspiring and uplifting approach to haiku composition.
jar of rain is a very worthy addition to the Red Moon anthology series. No doubt readers of haiku and related forms are looking forward to the twenty-sixth edition–and beyond.
Joanne Morcom
March 2021
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