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Trump in Asia
the carp glows in dark
waters, remembering the
time that Trump fed him
.
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White House Advent
Melania walks
in her orchard of glass fruits
her Christmas forest
.
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Monika Cooper is an American family woman.
Two Trump Haiku, by Monika Cooper
The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.
Comments 10
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Nice work, Monika, with appropriate natural and seasonal reference in each, and a statement about each of the Trumps that deserves meditative consideration.
Thank you, Margaret. The haiku form is full of possibilities and you have inspired me to explore them.
Dear Monika —
These haiku have an inspiring and uplifting meaningful construct. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Sally, thank you! Wonderful to hear from you.
These two jewels refract light in ways too subtle for me to grasp fully or begin to explain. This is what you do, and I’m beginning to expect as much. Shine on!
Thank you, C. B. Play of light seems to be one of the fortes of the haiku form, from what I notice. It is hard to get more basic and elemental to nature than light, unless you descend to breath (it’s ruach I mean).
Monika, I’m still thinking, and hoping for an interpretive pointer about the first poem here. I recall one tour President Trump made to Asia, meeting leaders in South Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines. And I believe the trip to India was a full-fledged state visit. I wonder whether the carp means all Asia, or some portion. Darkness of the water contrasted with glowing carp must be meaningful. Carp in cold water specify winter as a haiku kigo, and there are separate words for gold and silver carp, which we would call orange and white. Remembered feeding can only happen with a mature fish. Authorial ideas?
That is just beautiful about the separate words for gold and silver carp. I guess they both glow, but the orange ones more warmly (which is what I pictured here, to heighten the contrast you mention).
By itself, the haiku could be titled “Trump in Japan.” It has the title it does here because it had a companion piece originally that alluded to Trump’s famous visit with Kim Jong-Un in North Korea (maybe that one was more of a senryu). There was a media firestorm about Trump “overfeeding the koi” during his Japan visit, fake news that still circulates. So my poem imagines and tells the fish’s side of the story. It’s eerie that Abe, who stood on the bridge with Trump that day, has since been assassinated.
Both of these poems are intended as sparks of correction, to rebuke the media misrepresentation of beautiful moments in Trump’s first term and commemorate them more fittingly. Trump recalled in a recent interview how the media constantly criticized the First Lady’s White House Christmas displays. But how wonderful they actually were!
You are a true Poet, Monika. C.B. has articulated it best.
Thank you, jd. Our souls aspire!