flower show
the stage was already
set for death

© Edwin Lomere (USA)

This haiku, or perhaps senryu, is open to many interpretations. It could be about the ephemeral nature of flowers, or life in general. It could be about a funeral. It could be how metaphorical coincidences happen, like when someone dies while acting on stage, while flowers were attached to the stage, and the flowers were now something used for an entirely different purpose.

But besides searching for meaning, we get a feeling of dissonance while reading this haiku. I think this is central to the haiku. It creates friction by us reevaluating what beauty is and how that beauty might end up being an instrument of something morbid.

On the technical side, the sound of the haiku is engaging. Edwin wrote a succinct haiku that leaves much to ponder and to feel.

– Nicholas Klacsanzky (Ukraine)