marlene mountain
as is
july 2001

 

7/20/01

whom does one

quote from dt suzuki's two-part essay 'zen and haiku'
in 'zen and japanese culture'

'we can also see that the haiku is a poetic form
possible only for the japanese mind and the japanese
language.'

i may have that book but haven't looked at since just after basho was born. if i'd remembered that quote it would have saved me reams of paper and cyberspace. culture makes a giant difference. their visual sense too.

re japaneasy. merely the pick-and-choose of rules and regs and calling it haiku because--they say--it's based on the japanese haiku [whatever that is]. but really it comes from second-hand ideas/translations in books. and 'so much depends' on who/what is read. nothing wrong with that except these same people have such an exclusionary attitude.

like male-religions/male-translated bible. the pick-and-choose. even if greek hebrew aramaic is read/known -- biased interpretation abounds. and look what's been added/taken out including the deliberate erasure of female-led families/tribes and prevailing shevinities. the bible a patriarchal reversal ie male-birthing. well that's another long and sad story which is a major part of worldfuckup. and the original jewish myth only intended to control that culture--not the world.

what i do is add to haiku. [japanese arts/philosophies only intended to control that culture--not the world.] which is often interpreted as taking away. i call mine haiku as they are short poems/statements - a 'reporting' of stuff that i find/finds me which i put in words. that's what artists do. put their own ideas in some kind of medium - since the throwing off of the academies, religions, philosophies, governments, masters etc. get that crap out of art.

then i had to add one more view since i could not nevermore deny my female sensibility/voice. this is what 'they' don't like. get that female crap out of haiku. we want neutered haiku ie male concepts of all nature in disguise; cleanliness next to if not before whatever 'god' is in vogue. female/nature messy messy messy.

there are quite a few people who understand this. given mail i've received over the years. but can't express it themselves--they say.

anyway i don't call it senryu or sawhorses. but haiku. and after all these years of very painful sorting out it comes down to whom does one trust. i have to say i trust my mm.

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