Pamela A. Babusci (U.S.A.)

stinging sleet
her words sharper
than scissors

Comment: in this haiku, the stinging sleet in line 1 nicely juxtaposes with the biting words of the woman depicted in the closing lines. However, while the first ku substantiates a vertical and uncontrolled movement – given by the random fall of the flakes – the second one seems to indicate an intentional, horizontal action, clearly aimed at hurting (both psychologically and physically) the protagonist. The lack of any cutting mark (kireji 切れ字) is not entirely surprising: after all, there’s no need to add another ‘cut’ to a poem which is already extremely sharp!
In the end, this is a successful ku, immersed in the aesthetics of hosomi 細身 (‘sublety’) and shiori しをり (‘fragility’) thanks to the piercing eye (ugachi うがち) of the poet.