Shakespeare variations

12:11 PM Posted by James Owens




A review of Paul Hoover's
Sonnet 56,
in The Pedestal Magazine











Haibun

Late afternoon: half-moon sky whitewashed by weather. She is gone and he misses her. Thinking of her now, he sharpens her distance, wounds himself with her warmth. The taste of her mouth was shocking in its pleasure. Each time dreamt, some of her still disappears. There had been a misunderstanding, damaging words. Spring would come someday, with its rush of white water, nut-like buds, and first flowers. He was knee-deep in sorrow. The taste in his mouth was metal, like the residue of war.

Let this sad interim
fill with kindness, kill dullness.
Love sharpens oceans.


Paul Hoover
Sonnet 56
(a rewrite of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 56” as haibun)

3 comments:

Marion McCready said...

An excellent review, I'll be adding this to my list of desirable books. I really like the idea of the collection, sounds like a lot of fun. The haibun is beautiful and an interesting form(had to google haibun), tempted to try one myself.

James Owens said...

Sorlil: I've never written haibun, but I'm tempted to try, myself. The whole concept of the book is fascinating -- I'm having this fantasy of choosing some text -- Sonnet 87, for example (I chose the number at random, no idea what that sonnet is like) -- and having a go....

S. Etole said...

love sharpens oceans ... interesting contrast