Haiku Monday Announcement

It's Wednesday night in Ocala - and I have just had a looooong day driving and thinking about this title that I have to honor one of you with!  Truly, there are so many amazing poems this week, I knew from the start that it was going to be a difficult decision.  Everyone, RIGHT NOW.....take your hand and place it on your back and give yourself a hearty pat pat.  Well done, well done!

Originally I was going to title this post:  Charlie used a Bat to hit the Mouse.  Charlie, Bat, and Mouse.  These are the subjects of the haiku that I have placed in my top three.  I had to narrow the consideration set after all.

Susan, who is a new player, posted a haiku that really got under my skin.  I just kept mulling over it...over and over in my mind.  Here it is:

In-country patrol
Dumbass broke light discipline
Charlie owns the night

I was drawn to this one for a few reasons....it's very dark and scary, and also it conjured up some memories I had of my Dad who served two tours in Vietnam when I was a kid.  I remember him telling a story about one night when he was new in country and had to do a night patrol with one of the local good guys.  The good guy looks over at my Dad, sweeps his arm out in front of him and points into the blackness of the night and says, "Beaucoup V.C."  Beaucoup, or "boo-coo" means MANY in French.   Vietnam was subject to French colonial rule at one point and their language contains some French influence.  V.C. is a shortened reference to the Viet Cong.  To hear Dad tell it gives you beaucoup goosebumps.  Anyway, I had to research Susan's references a little bit to fully get the nuances here, but basically what I think we are to learn is that when you're out at night doing patrol in hostile enemy territory, you don't give yourself away by lighting a ciggy or turning on a flashlight.  Nice job Susan...I hope you play again because you got some talent!

Moving on to the bat.  Moi shows up on Monday with this great one:

Caught out at dusk?  Duck!
Echolocating Pallids
pluck insects to death.

What I really liked about this haiku is that it reveals something that most of us are familiar with or have experienced - kamikaze bats.  Duck!  Moi's poem is one of two (Troll had the first) that contains the juicy word - echolocating.  Moi went visuals up with a phenomenal photo of a bat flying off with a creepy crawler. 

Now we come to the mouse.   Chickory served up this clever haiku:

By moonlight she flies
her silent shadow preys; strike!
frosted field mouse treat

I can see it in my mind.  The word "frosted" makes me think Fall or Winter, and when I read the poem, I literally can see myself standing in the moonlight, I can see my own breath in the cold air, and I am watching this BIG, SCARY, STEALTHY owl flying down in slow motion, grabbing a frightened little field mouse with her talons, snatching it up, and carrying it away with her off into the darkness.  Can't you just see that little mouse trying to wriggle its way free?  WHACK....and then he's gone. 

This week's winner not only wrote us a lovely haiku, but her carefully chosen words gave me, your host and judge, the perfect little movie to watch in my mind.  Chickory wins!