The situation that sparked this haiku was one of a man feeling sick and dying in a small cold room in Paris.
There is a simple structure to this poem, making the imagery easy to relate to. The second line suggests how bad the apartment is. The last line denotes that moonlight comes into the picture, giving the final touch to the imagery of a poor person suffering in a low rent broken down apartment.
Emotional Elements: Wright tries to use the traditional characteristics of the haiku to show human feeling. “Lice in my cold room” give the start to the sadness and misery of the man in the room that is suffering. I can feel the lice on my body when I read this and visualize what is happening. There is no sound in this haiku, which is not necessary, as silence is all that the writer wants us to sense.
Rational Elements: Wright does not use any figures of speech, but lets the imagery in the words “lice, cold room, and moonlight” tell the story.
Reader Reaction: The statement being made in this haiku is one of loneliness, sadness, illness, and a dying individual embedded in poverty. There is a human element in this haiku that is clear to feel. We do not know what the future is for this person, but we do know the suffering and situation that he is presently in.
Evaluate: This haiku definitely follows the traditional rules of the haiku, using simple descriptive words. One sentence is written in the three line format, using of the 5-7-5 syllable format.
General Expectations of a Poem: I expect to find a story in the three short lines of a haiku. The traditional haiku makes use of symbolism and imagery to connect to human nature and emotions. The reader is challenged to expand on the brevity of words used in the haiku, in order to gain a full picture, a true emotion, or insight to an experience. The haiku should leave a feeling with the reader, and a better understanding of a situation that everyone can face. Haiku are very enjoyable to read, and a rhythm is not important to the poem.
