Haiku

IN THE spirit of the new season, it's worth remembering that baseball speaks in three main languages: English, Spanish and Japanese. (Chinese, Korean and French make up the second division.) The major-league season always used to open in Cincinnati, but baseball, the most satisfyingly traditional sport, has cast its moorings loose with 5 a.m. games in Tokyo - in March. That count! Well, that's fine; here's a nod to internationalism, in the venerable - and certifiably steroid-free - Japanese literary form.

Art and poetry support a worthy cause in the group exhibit "Haiku for Hope," which is co-sponsored by the Columbia Art Center and Howard County Promotion and Tourism's Blossoms of Hope and Cherrybration. Proceeds go toward Howard County General Hospital's Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center. Each artwork has an accompanying short poem that reinforces its inspirational themes. That inspiration generally is found in nature and, more specifically, a number of the artists and poets respond to the cherry blossoms that cheerfully light up the landscape in April.

The three-line haikus took only a few seconds to read out loud, but as people read the poems off index cards at the Columbia Art Center Monday evening, they elicited thoughtful nods, a few "ahhh's" and some appreciative laughs. Haiku might seem easy, and it is often one of the first types of poetry taught in elementary school, said the discussion leader, Tim Singleton. But it can be very expressive, he said. "It is very little, but it does big things," he said. The evening, which combined Singleton's talking about the history of the Japanese poetry form with audience comments and questions, was the first of what organizers from Little Patuxent Review magazine and the art center hope will be a series of monthly art-themed salons.

Or if not an ode, how about a haiku? Deep-fried Kool-Aid? No. Burger with donuts for buns? Sales pitch worked. Taste? Meh.

Art and poetry support a worthy cause in the group exhibit "Haiku for Hope," which is co-sponsored by the Columbia Art Center and Howard County Promotion and Tourism's Blossoms of Hope and Cherrybration. Proceeds go toward Howard County General Hospital's Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center. Each artwork has an accompanying short poem that reinforces its inspirational themes. That inspiration generally is found in nature and, more specifically, a number of the artists and poets respond to the cherry blossoms that cheerfully light up the landscape in April.

Or if not an ode, how about a haiku? Deep-fried Kool-Aid? No. Burger with donuts for buns? Sales pitch worked. Taste? Meh.

Amelie ** 1/2 Page 2e Grateful Dawg ***Page 6e Haiku Tunnel *** Page 6e Heist ** 1/2 Page 6e The Man Who Wasn't There * 1/2 Page 3e Shallow Hal * 1/2 Waking Life **** Rating system: Excellent: ****; Good: ***; Fair: ***; Poor: *

Redneck Haiku, by Mary K. Witte. Santa Monica Press, 112 pages, $9.95. Witte was born in Muskogee, Okla., and raised on a farm in that state, so she's not guessing or condescending when she seeks the soul of redneckism. That unique U.S. social institution gets far more respect in this truly funny little book than does another, highly contrasting life form -- the pompously pretentious people who use English to imitate the three-line, 17-syllable poetry form that works only in Japanese. Japanese is a language enormously full of homonyms, and the haiku form depends and plays upon multiple meanings -- puns that are nearly impossible in alphabetically written languages.

haiku for mother's daywhen I was orphaned they told me I had mother'slaughter and her eyeshe acts like my fourth child -- I am more mother thanwife -- we're both lonelyviolencewhat remains is pain a spurt of blood and thirteensummers gone with herpietaand did she wail as he lay cradled in her lapher hand in his side"Who is God?" I asked. You replied "He" "His" and "Him"."She" shone in your eyes.

The world's most dangerous poetry contest is back.The Sixth Annual Roger Simon Greater Eastern Seaboard Poetry Contest is about to begin.As in past years, the contest has a theme. We have a theme to keep the contest current and creative, and mainly to keep you from copying poems out of your high school poetry book and trying to pass them off as your own.This year's theme is: hard times.Saddam Hussein has the world on the brink of war. Gasoline prices are skyrocketing. People can't sell their homes.

The Towson Chamber of Commerce is conducting a contest to find a slogan of eight or fewer words to promote the community. The winning entry in this haiku of civic advertising receives a $250 cash prize. As often happens with writers, that last bit really caught our eye. Alas, accepting a stipend, even from our friends at the chamber, might be perceived as a conflict of interest. But you, dear reader, are welcome to be inspired by our suggestions. Keep in mind, of course, that we avoided the predictable cliché (Best place in Central Baltimore County)

The three-line haikus took only a few seconds to read out loud, but as people read the poems off index cards at the Columbia Art Center Monday evening, they elicited thoughtful nods, a few "ahhh's" and some appreciative laughs. Haiku might seem easy, and it is often one of the first types of poetry taught in elementary school, said the discussion leader, Tim Singleton. But it can be very expressive, he said. "It is very little, but it does big things," he said. The evening, which combined Singleton's talking about the history of the Japanese poetry form with audience comments and questions, was the first of what organizers from Little Patuxent Review magazine and the art center hope will be a series of monthly art-themed salons.

The Kings Contrivance Village Earth Day cleanup of the neighborhood's open space is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 29. Participants can sign in at Amherst House in the Kings Contrivance Village Center. They will receive a free T-shirt and a chance to enter a drawing for gift certificates. The rain date is April 12. Information: Hillary Bierce, 410-381-9617 or Anne Brinker, 410-381-9600. So many book clubs, so little time The east Columbia branch library's "Morning Books With Coffee" book club will discuss Don't Make a Scene, by Valerie Block, at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The Columbia Art Center Galleries and the Little Patuxent Review, a local literary and arts magazine, will present "How to Touch Spring: A Conversation on Reading and Writing Haiku with Tim Singleton," from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at the galleries, 6100 Foreland Garth. Light refreshments will be served. The discussion is the first in a new "salon" series of discussions by artists and writers being sponsored by the galleries and magazine. Everyone is welcome. Admission is free.

Family poetry -- Howard County Poetry and Literature Society will sponsor a multigenerational poetry event with Jane Hirshfield (above) from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Howard County Conservancy, 10520 Frederick Road, Woodstock. Adults can listen to Hirshfield read from her work while children take a supervised nature hike and write haiku. A reception is planned after the reading and hike. Admission is free, but reservations are required. 410-772-4568 or visit www.HoCoPoLitSo.org.

Rather than solicit New Year's resolutions, we've asked Baltimore area poets and others to contribute haiku, the 17-syllable form of verse traditional to Japan, that speak to the year ahead. Each haiku (and near haiku, give or take a syllable or two) represents a dream, a hope, a concern; for home, community, the world. Some are joyful; others reflect guarded optimism or despair. Compact and portable, the haiku below give readers a thought to carry with them on the journey through 2005.

Rather than solicit New Year's resolutions, we've asked Baltimore area poets and others to contribute haiku, the 17-syllable form of verse traditional to Japan, that speak to the year ahead. Each haiku (and near haiku, give or take a syllable or two) represents a dream, a hope, a concern; for home, community, the world. Some are joyful; others reflect guarded optimism or despair. Compact and portable, the haiku below give readers a thought to carry with them on the journey through 2005.

Family poetry -- Howard County Poetry and Literature Society will sponsor a multigenerational poetry event with Jane Hirshfield (above) from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Howard County Conservancy, 10520 Frederick Road, Woodstock. Adults can listen to Hirshfield read from her work while children take a supervised nature hike and write haiku. A reception is planned after the reading and hike. Admission is free, but reservations are required. 410-772-4568 or visit www.HoCoPoLitSo.org.

Anita Sadler Weiss, a retired Jewish Family Services social work department chief, sculptor and poet, died of cancer Sunday in her Mount Washington home. She was 96. Born Anita Lillie Sadler in New York City and raised on Long Island, she earned an undergraduate degree in English from Cornell University and a master's degree from Columbia University's School of Social Work. She moved to Mount Washington in 1949 and began working at the old Jewish Family and Children's Bureau at Centre and Eutaw streets in 1951.

As the cicada season winds down, we bid farewell not just to Brood X but also to our loyal Buzz correspondents. Many thanks for your sometimes weird, occasionally icky but mostly delightful submissions. We'll end the Cicada Chronicles of 2004 poetically -- and since we hate goodbyes, we'll end with not one but two poems. Cicada I'm not looking for a Cicada Neither here nor in Nevada I read what they wrote And thought it really was a joke Got no taste for cader meat Cause my tummy is discreet I'll stay inside my cozy shed Knowing that they'll soon be dead Then I'll take my hide outside Mount my bike and take a ride-- Inella Redmond, Baltimore And finally, from Lillian Zale of Baltimore, who was struck by the symmetry of cicadas and haiku: 17 years, 17 syllables.