Sifting
through cedars
moonlight and campfire smoke
story telling time |
The
essence of senryu can be defined as a type of storytelling
time that occurs around a campfire; haiku, on the other
hand, is the smoke of the fire and the scent of burning
wood. In Vermilion Falling, William Scott Galasso
invites the reader (with his haiku and senryu) to listen
to his stories while taking in the scent of cedar and campfire
smoke; the telling of these stories is laced with humor,
sadness, and a heartfelt appreciation of beauty.
We
are a captive audience appreciating the quiet eloquence
of his poetry:
Watching
the geese
the old woman thinks
a long journey |
The
reader can visualize with immediate attention the portrait
Galasso's haiku paints:
Filling
my footsteps
a million sun-caught grains
sand washed by waves |
Even
if some verbs (such as "embroider" and "untethered")
seem more metaphorical than necessary, the results are evocative:
Finding
their stride
colts embroider the pasture
with unshod hooves |
Untethered
by wind
vermilion leaves pirouette
the cat's whirling eye |
Galasso
shows a fine receptivity to his environment. With an economy
of words and a depth of image-impressions, the talent of
this poet shows through:
First
the horse
then the sound of hooves
swallowed by mist |
Meteor
shower
so many wishes
falling to earth |
My
wish is that I would have found this collection of haiku
and senryu by William Scott Galasso sooner than I did. Why
not share its storytelling wealth with a friend?
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