The Artist
By John Bieberich
Leaves land beside us,
Dark like the sky— and your hands,
still covered in paint.
“The Artist” comes from my recent studies of Japanese haiku. I’ve spent the last few months reading a ton of old haikus, sōmonka, renku, and Japanese death poems in order to try to get a better understanding of what makes their incredibly short-form poetry so deep and beautiful. I tried to create a piece that takes heavy inspiration from the Japanese requirements for a haiku while still trying to make something reminiscent of modern English free verse.
The Trinity Review 