Times Review

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=1 BGCOLOR="#006600" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="0558dfc3.jpg"> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=1 BGCOLOR="#006600" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="0558dfc3.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=479 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0da8dfc3.png"> <div> <B><U>shelf</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#006600" FACE="Arial Black" ><B><U>life</U></B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#006600" FACE="Tahoma" ><B><U>                                                                  </U></B></FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#006600" FACE="Arial" ><B><U>SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2002</U></B></FONT></div> <div> <B>Owen Burkhart masters</B></div> <div>  <B>the haiku poetry form</B> </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="6" WIDTH="804" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF HEIGHT= 110 WIDTH="256"><div> <B>By WALTER SKIBA</B></div> <div> Times Correspondent</div> <div>  <DIV ALIGN="JUSTIFY"> <br>    Three years ago, Dyer resident Owen Burkhart's granddaughter Aimee brought him a homework assignment dealing with haiku, a form of poetry that originated in Japan. <br>    Her questions reawakened his poetic interests, and he began to write in this simple, compact form. He discovered "how real the world can be in a tiny glimpse." <br>    Burkhart's writing ultimately led to the publication in January of a book of his poems, "A Single Breath." <br>    The title, Burkhart writes on the book jacket, comes from one definition of haiku, which states that the poem can be spoken in one breath. He cautions, however, "There are far more definitions of the term than there are breaths required for a reading of this collection." br><br>    The book has 113 pages, with one, two or three haiku poems per page. An index of first lines precedes the texts. <br>    Among them are two poems which Burkhart co-authored with his granddaughter, Aimee. <br><br> "a child's tears<br> mix with the snow cone<br> at her feet" (p. 27) <br><br> "day care<br> children learn the alphabet<br> from soup" <br><br>    Burkhart was born in Oregon in 1930 and was placed in an orphanage 10 days later. He ran away at the age of 13 and became, in his words, "an angry young man." He wrote and read poetry aloud in San Francisco in the days of the beat generation. </div  </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="256"><div>  <DIV ALIGN="JUSTIFY">    In the 1960s, he began working in the computer industry and moved to Chicago. He later became a consultant in the design and integration of computer systems in the construction and health care industries. <br>    In 1995 he retired from South Suburban Hospital, in Hazelcrest, Ill. and moved to Dyer. <br><br>    A haiku poem, Burkhart says, "will presents the reader with a snapshot he or she can turn into a portrait or a landscape. <br>    The traditional Japanese form. consists of 17 syllables, divided into three lines with a 5-7-5 syllabic breakdown. <br>    "The breakdown does not work well in the English language," Burkhart said, "where poems typically consist of nine to thirteen syllables." The text usually includes a reference to nature or to a season. <br>    As noted by John J. Polozzolo and Susan Eve Kelly in their Internet review for Raku Teapot (an international association of 150 writers of haiku), most of the poems in "A Single Breath" are upbeat. They make the reader feel good and take a closer look around. <br><br> A few examples: <br><br> "dew drops<br> if you look closer<br> you can see their eyes" (p. 71) <br><br> "lightning<br> a black cat <br> purrs softly" (p. 28) <br><br> "Saturday's moon<br> impaled upon<br> the church steeple" (p.63) </div>  </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="256"><div>  <DIV ALIGN="JUSTIFY">    There are some poignant moments too. <br> For example: <br><br> "a mother's birthday <br> even the nursing home<br> forgot" (p. 63) <br> <br>     While a Western writer may try to capture the reader's attention, not freely given, with a description of a sexy or bloody incident, the haiku poet, in contrast, simply gets the reader's undivided attention, according to Burkhart. A spark of interest will prompt a second reading. If an image occurs and the reader enlarges it, participating in the creative process then the poet has succeeded. <br>     How good is Burkhart's poetry? In a contest sponsored by Charmwoods Arts, an association, in conjunction with World Haiku Review e-journal, his submission took second place. One of the judges wrote that it came close to winning. <br>     "I like the image of the branches sweeping, not just the sky, but the stars as well. Good use of alliteration in barren branches and in sweep/stars." <br> The text reads: <br> <br> "west wind <br> barren branches sweep away the stars"<br><br>    Burkhart is one of 24 poets worldwide who planning to produce a book, which will include six poems by each, and an accompanying CD, on which each poet will read his/her haiku. Publication is expected in July or August. <br>    Burkhart says his favorite poem is the one he is going to write tomorrow. </div>  </div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <I><B> </B></I><I><B> </B></I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#006600" FACE="Tempus Sans ITC" ><A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Owens Book"><U><B>return</B></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>