Ernesto P. Santiago (Greece)

at the fire
I stare, too–
moon moth

Comment: a simple yet evocative haiku with a great juxtaposition which creates a sense of expectation and fulfillment. The author’ stillness (sei 静) in line 2 turns into movement (dō 動) by the flight of the moth (ga 蛾), marking at the same time – and symbolically – the transition from a sense of distance (datsuzoku 脱俗) to an emotional involvement in the events of the world (mono no aware 物の哀れ). It’s also interesting to note the passage from the alliteration of the ‘t’ sound (a hard consonant) in the first ku to a softer one in the last verse (the ‘m’ sound, extended and ‘muffled’ by the ‘o’ vowel).