Early Evening Pieces
by Marianne Bluger
Buschekbooks, 2003
Reviewed by Jennifer Dales
 At
its best, Haiku gives the reader unique insights into everyday
situations. The best Haiku poems in Marianne Bluger's new collection
compress complex observations into a few perfectly chosen words. These
Haiku combine Bluger's lyrical gifts of strong, musical language and
unique, personal insight with a concentrated and disciplined form.
The poems in this collection range over
a broad spectrum of topics; from the poet’s reflections on people and
places to nature.
Her poem "Remembrance Day" is
an example of Bluger’s best work. The poem offers the reader a rich
understanding of the experience of war veterans.
bagpipes wheeze
through the cenotaph mist
a thin line of vets
In this short poem, the evokes the
November mist as a memorial for the dead. The mist represents the
spirits of the dead and evokes a sense of eternity. The also uses the
sound of bagpipes to bring sound to the poem and to reinforce the theme
of loss. She also uses a reference to bagpipes as a historical
connection, and draws the reader in to the time period when Canadian men
were sent off to war to the sound of a marching band. The "thin
line of vets" is like a trickle of water on a rainy November
street—insignificant against wet pavement. The thinness of this line
of old veterans emphasizes their vulnerability in the face of time: they
are few, and fading. The idea of thinness also suggests the frailness of
people who nonetheless survived the overwhelming wars of the past
century.
Besides Haiku that reflect on the human
world, Bluger has many that meditate on nature, of which she is
evidently passionate. Many of these poems tend to capture a picture—a
photograph of words. There are some, however, that go beyond this and
perceive nature as a living entity that is connected to all of creation.
one little breeze
and the sagebrush starts
whispering to the stars
The word "whispering"
transforms this Haiku from a snapshot of a moment in time into a vision
of the prairie as being alive and a part of an interconnected universe.
It suggests a relationship, a conversation, between the earth and the
heavens, opening the door to a spiritual realm.
Bluger's long experience as a poet is
evident in the vivid compelling images she creates, and the quirky,
gentle voice she has developed. Traditionally, Japanese Haiku require
that each poem contain a kigo or "season word" that
tells the reader in which season the Haiku is set. Most of Marianne
Bluger's Haiku contain kigo, perhaps because of her obvious love
for nature. Her vivid, earthy, sensual imagery provide a rich treasure
trove of season words:
dusk
gleam on the last
copper chrysanthemum
tulip buds tight
a robin in the rain
stretches a worm
These two poems are good examples of
how Bluger can open a window onto the natural world and allow the reader
to view it from within the writer's perspective.
Jennifer Dales is a
writer living in Ottawa. |
