Bruce Ross is a humanities educator. He edited HAIKU MOMENT, An Anthology of Contemporary North American Haiku and Journey to the Interior, American Versions of Haibun. He authored How to Haiku, A Writer's Guide to Haiku and Related Forms and four collections of haiku, most recently summer drizzles . . . haiku and haibun. Bruce is also an editor for the journal Contemporary Haibun Online.
1. Why do you write haiku?
I write haiku because it is an experience of enlightenment. Hui-neng wrote: "Realizing one's own real essence is the ultimate expression of enlightenment." This world of ours is where this happens as we move from birth to death.
2. What other poetic forms do you enjoy?
I have from an early period enjoyed lyrical/philosophical poetry from all periods and cultures, writing original nature lyrics early on. Later in life I began to sort of enjoy the discipline of writing haibun prose.
3. Of the many wonderful haiku you've written, what do you consider to be your top three? (Please provide original publication credits)
My favorite haiku was my first real understanding of deep pathos:
abandoned house —
the lilacs just as bright
this spring
It originally appeared in my HAIKU MOMENT.
One that originally appeared in Persimmon others seems to like, as I do too, is:
singing its heart out
to no one in particular
morning blackbird
A final haiku, which I like, won some attention in the 2008 Mainichi Daily News annual choices:
lightning flash
after lightning flash
and a firefly
Terry Ann Carter will be our Haiku - Three Questions guest next week
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