Deep Water
I. Kōan
I ponder by the ancient pool.
A frog jumps in. I hear a splash.
The sun is hot. The moon is cool.
What could it mean: this vernal jewel—
This scintillating Bashō-flash?
I ponder by the ancient pool.
My school of thought is back at school.
The crane is calm. The crow is brash.
The sun’s a blot. The moon’s a ghoul.
This leap of green is phrenic fuel
That burns the fevered brain to ash.
I panic by the ancient pool.
Do frog legs bend the Laws of Boole?
Do clammy plummets lack panache?
The sun is not. The moon will rule.
Am I a prophet—or a fool
Who’s haiku-high on balderdash?
I’m drowning in an ancient pool.
The sun is dark. The moon is cruel.
II. Satori
A frog plops.
The world stops.
Poet’s Note: A Kōan is a riddle with no solution on the inadequacy of reasoning used to provoke reflection and to lead to Satori—enlightenment.
Susan Jarvis Bryant is a poet originally from the U.K., now living on the Gulf Coast of Texas.
Thank you, Susan. While knowing so little about Buddhism, I think I can still appreciate the elegance, succinctness and skill – and the humour – of your lovely oriental reflections. Your rhymes are amazing! Best wishes, Bruce
Bruce, thank you very much for your kind and encouraging comment. I am thrilled you enjoyed the poem, especially the humour.
This is lovely! Villanele is my favorite form; I love the twists and turns.
Thank you very much for reading and for commenting, Jenna. I just love the villanelle form, and had much fun with this one. I know I’ve veered from the strict rules… I just couldn’t help myself.
The room’s elephant:
Instagrammatic whimsy
is no longer boxfresh.
A chestnut-filled room.
The prosaic pachyderm.
Fresh frog in the box.
Susan, “Koan” is a perfectly crafted piece of work. Choice diction, chiselled structure, unexpected rhyme — all working to produce a delightful riddle. And no attempt to dragoon the reader into something — just excellent language.
Joe, thank you for your encouraging comment. I had such fun writing it and I’m thrilled you enjoyed it.
Your delightful chestnuts are crafted with great eloquence. As if gathered from the east, the images give us a feast.
A prosaic pachyderm the pride of Thailand must confirm. The frogs are jumping to and fro while the hot sun is sinking low. They made my morning glow.
Roy, what a great comment! I just love your lyrical humor – it’s fun, full of joy and (the best bit) has made me grin. Thank you!
Susan, I absolutely adore these poems — especially “Koan”. Your grave, oh-so-serious pronouncements of utter nonsense concerning the frog and the pool and the laws of Boole and the vernal jewel and that moony ghoul… This mocking poem in the form of a serious villanelle is as strangely beautiful as it is hilarious. This is not quite parody as you do not use the haiku form itself. Nonetheless, you have taken Haiku’s nature tropes and self-important pronouncements and made of them an amiable gobbledygook. I will never look at a haiku the same way again. Nor at frogs. Nor at the sun. Not at the moon. However did you keep a straight face in the writing of it? I would pay to see you read this — no winking allowed! — on Youtube.
Brian, what a great comment! “Utter nonsense” gets right to the heart of this piece. Over analysis leading to insane assumptions, to be precise. I’m thrilled you enjoyed the villanelle. I wanted something repetitive, lyrical, and out of place with the exquisite and quiet brevity of a haiku to make my point. I’m glad the “amiable gobbledygook” came across – that descent into madness with the simplistic feel of the haiku getting crazier and heavier as the stanzas progress. A frog leaps because it’s a frog… nothing more… nothing less – and that is its beauty. Brian, thank you for your fine eye, your welcome words of appreciation, and (most of all) your love of humor. Where would we be without it?!
No need to apologize for ‘veering from the strict rules’, Susan, unsurprisingly, you do it extremely well. This fun-to-read villanelle is so ‘SJB’ I’d have had no trouble figuring out who authored it. A+ — again… 🙂
Mark, I just love this comment. Sometimes one has to veer from strict rules. One of my favorite quotes is from Douglas Bader, who said: “Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools.” The wiser I get, the more I love this quote… the trouble is, I still have quite a trek to get to owl status. When I’m as wise as the proverbial owl, how deliciously rebellious I will be! I’m glad you enjoyed the poem. Thank you for your kind words.
This is really funny. Not sure Modern Haiku magazine would print it but you should submit it anyway.
Thank you so much for this, M.D.! I am glad to have made you laugh… laughter is a golden gift on dark days.
A clever and delightful read, Susan!
Margaret, I thank you very much indeed! I’m over the ghoulish moon you enjoyed it.
I loved this so much I shed many many tears 🙂 This is my favorite Haiku by far.
Tears of laughter, I hope. Thank you for reading and for commenting, John. I had fun writing it and I’m glad you liked it.
“A frog plops, the world stops”, a perfect ending to a most deliciously funny poem. Thank you for this very creative and enjoyable read Susan. Loved it.
Norma, thank you very much for your wonderful comment. “Deliciously funny” is a treasured compliment coming from one of the finest composers of humorous poems I know. I’m glowing with glee.
This strange amalgamation of forms, domestic and exotic, is the work of one crazy woman.
When worlds flop
The frogs stop
It’s a privilege to swim in the same pond as you. — Todd Pohl
Todd Pohl, I am grinning – you are a crazy poet after my own heart… in this new-normal world, I’m basking in my battiness – Sillius Frog.
In a milieu of self-important prose playing dress-up as poetry, an unpretentious poem in formal style that only shows its class incidentally stands out like an incandescent Christmas light on a chain of flat LEDs. I had to read it twice for the enjoyment.