Delicate Dragonflies
The Haiku is a form of poetry that allows the reader to see a frame of time in someone’s life or a small glimpse of something that is common. Yosa Buson stated that haiku “‘use[s] the commonplace to escape the commonplace’” (Chu 217). This is especially fascinating because many times haiku uses the vernacular in order to convey something much greater than the common words themselves. This means that anyone would be able to read haiku, and they would be able to understand a deeper meaning for themselves.
A haiku by Sonia Sanchez starts as follows: “my bones hang to-gether” (Sanchez 222). By splitting up the word together, Sanchez is able to keep the standard form of the haiku. The whole poem is composed of 10 words, with each word packing an impactful punch. The poem continues with “liked pinched dragonflies shake loose my skin” (Sanchez 222). Sanchez is able to use an animal that everyone knows, the dragonfly, to produce an image that is quite profound. When the reader pictures a dragonfly’s wings pinched together, they see something that is trapped in its situation. This is much like the human experience, constantly having restrictions to what is allowed and what is not. The line “shake loose my skin” (Sanchez 222) can be seen as escaping the constraints that society and humanity often has on someone. Additionally, the poem can be interpreted as a poem about aging. As someone becomes older they tend to find themselves and find a new definition of freedom. Overall, Sanchez is able to encompass the human experience using just 10 words and the form of haiku.
Chu, Jean Hyung Yul. “Haiku” An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art, Edited by Anne Finch and Kathrine Varnes, U. of Michigan P, 2002, pp. 217–222.
