Round Three = Stephen Leslie

A haibun is a poem that is "involved more with 'showing' rather than 'telling'." (Haibun: A Defintion...)  A haibun seems to tell a huge story first with emotion, then sums it up or tell a surprise at the end.  An example of this was in Joe when in the start it tells how he knows of a guy named Joe. "The only reason I recognized his name was that his father owned a fleet of school buses which bore his last name."  He mentions how he went into the Vietnam war and he never saw him again.  Then it goes to say how "In the summer of 1968, I heard on the radio about a massive traffic jam caused by a concert in Woodstock, New York" and "When Cambodia was invaded and protests broke out all across America's college campuses, we sat on Route 1 blocking traffic."  Mr. Leslie seems to mention parts in history then goes back to Joe. "Thirty-six years later I found myself at the Vietnam Memorial – a war that shaped me but I never fought in.
"  and then he touched his name in the memorial stone. In Joe I believe he tells how time is changed and little things can relate back to your life. 

In the haibun, Her Voice, "She studies the maps and quickly computes a new route." When the poem is read it is in the sense that it is happening now.  When it reads "[h]er reassuring voice"  you would think the person is actually a women, but in reality it is a GPS.  The fact that the women is a GPS is on the last line of the poem.  I believe this adds a twist on the poem.  I did not really feel connected to this poem because I hate the voice of the GPS but I am glad it reassures him where he is going. 

In the poem, Red-tailed Hawk, I believe it's about a spirit animal of Mr. Leslie's perhaps.  "Perhaps it was my imagination but I felt I heard the ever-so-faint whisper of my Native ancestors as I drove."  I believe everyone has a spirit animal, and I think the red-tailed hawk is his.  "My ancestors agreed … "  If his ancestors seemed to agree with what he was doing it makes me believe my own theory even more.   "As I left, a young female red-tailed hawk glided by low, as if saying goodbye to her mate. Two more young hawks watched from the trees. "  He told the part of a love story of a bird, how their family even noticed he died.  Birds are not stupid, they understand death as seen in this quote.  Mr. Leslie did the right thing when he "played the wooden flute softly, then with [his] bare hands buried this beautiful creature."  It reminds me of an episode of The Office I saw today, when Michael decided to have a bird funeral and the whole office went outside to attend.  Dwight also played a song on his flute. But in The Office they set the bird on fire.  I believe Mr. Leslie had a bird funeral the right way, and I find this poem to be very touching. 

I found the poem Elevator Music to honestly be the sweetest thing ever.  It believe it's called 'elevator music' because it's the last thing the patient hears before she dies. "I pulled out my silver flute and in rhythm with her breathing played melodies and sometimes just tones of sound."  Mr. Leslie seems to have a beautiful ability to play the flute.  "I played for an hour, hospital staff, doctors, nurses and health aides stood at the door watching."  The fact that people stood watching is saying something either about his talent, or the fact that it's just so touching he's playing for a women with "no family present". I can relate this to Scrubs, when JD says "Because I wanted to make sure that you're as comfortable as possible." to a patient.  Even though it's just a TV show the goal is the same thing. Mr. Leslie calms down the old women, and "[a]lthough she was only barely conscious her forehead moved in reaction."

Works Cited

Biegel, Kevin. "My Missed Perception." Scrubs. Dir. Victor Nelli. NBC. 17 Jan. 2006. Television.

"Haibun: A Definition of the Haibun Style of Writing." Ray Rasmussen Photography, Haiku, Haibun, Canyonlands, Willmore. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. <http://raysweb.net/haiku/pages/haibun-definition.html>.

Leslie, Stephen. "Elevator Music." Contemporary Haibun Online: An Edited Journal of Haibun Prose and Haiku Poetry. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. <http://contemporaryhaibunonline.com/pages72/Leslie_ElevatorMusic.html>.

Leslie, Stephen. "Her Voice." Contemporary Haibun Online: An Edited Journal of Haibun Prose and Haiku Poetry. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. <http://contemporaryhaibunonline.com/pages52/Leslie_Her.html>.

Leslie, Stephen. "Joe." Contemporary Haibun Online: An Edited Journal of Haibun Prose and Haiku Poetry. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. <http://contemporaryhaibunonline.com/pages72/Leslie_Joe.html>.

Leslie, Stephen. "Red-tailed Hawk." Contemporary Haibun Online: An Edited Journal of Haibun Prose and Haiku Poetry. Red-tailed Hawk. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. <http://contemporaryhaibunonline.com/pages54/Leslie_Red.html>.

 

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Crash

By Alyssa Varsanyi

Her day started up with a bad headache.  She heard a voice calling to her.  Ignoring them she continued on her day. People complained to her all day, voices were heard again, till at last she was fed up.  She left work early and forgot her glasses.  Not caring she'd let them behind, she continued.  Anger swelled up and perhaps it was fate.  She was going insane. As she reached a stoplight she grabbed fist fulls of her hair and pulled.  She needed the voice to stop.

There was a long time to go before reaching back home. Arrival time is not now. The left light blinks as she makes a move. A scream is heard. Condescending from the right, a bull flies forward.  Skid marks leave their mark upon the grey concrete. Phone calls are made. Screams are heard.  Death lingers in the air.  Sirens are heard as a emergency vehicle pulls up.  Two people rush forward as flames engulf the vehicles.  Cars all around are stopped.  The middle of an intersection blocked off to all by two cars.

"Do not make a move"

The ghost had told her to stop

She didn't catch it

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1/10 Speaker = (I don't know, I was absent (again) because I was sick.  I'll be in  next class.)