Victor P. Gendrano - Three Questions

Victor P. Gendrano is our guest this week on Haiku - Three Questions. He writes:

I am a retired librarian from the Los Angeles (CA) County Public Library. Since high school, I have been writing bilingually in English and Tagalog, a major Philippine language. For 13 continuous years, 1987 to 1999, I published and edited Heritage Magazine, an English-language quarterly on Filipino culture, arts, and letters here in southern California. I only stopped publishing it due to the illness of my wife and her subsequent passing away.

My haiku have been published mainly in World Haiku Review, but also in Lynx, Stylus Poetry Journal, The Heron’s Nest, Simply Haiku, Haigaonline, Sketchbook, Notes from the Gean, and others. Some of them were also included in numerous anthologies. My first book of haiku, Rustle of bamboo leaves, was published in 2005. I am presently working on the next one.

Now to the three questions.

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1) Why do you write haiku?

I relish the challenge to write in a few words the relationship between an occurrence in nature and human’s reaction to it at a given time and place which oftentimes resonate with each other.

2) What other poetic forms do you enjoy?

In addition to haiku, I also write tanka, haibun, Korean sijo, American cinquain and free verse.

3) Of the many wonderful haiku you've written, what do you consider to be your top three?

This is tough like you said. Here are three of my favorites.


sunny morning
a dewdrop holds
the universe

3rd place, The Mainichi Daily News Haiku in English, 2005 Annual Selection



sleepless night
I touch gently
her empty space

The Daily Yomiuri, Sept. 30, 2003



still in their box
the flowers start to wilt
Mother's day

World Haiku Review, Vol. I, Issue 1, May 2001
One of Takashi Hoshino’s Ten Winners in his World Haiku Kukai, April 12, 2001.


Sincerely yours,

Victor P. Gendrano
http://haikuharvest.blogspot.com

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If you've been enjoying this weekly series and have not contributed, please consider sharing your response (whether it be for haiku or tanka) to the three little questions that Victor answered. You must be a published poet to participate.