Seven for a Day: First East of Eden Reflections

This first set of new haikus is a collection inspired by a myriad of things I have been thinking about in reference to Steinbeck's East of Eden.  I have read over 500 of the 600 or so pages of it thus far.  As usual, when I get near the end of a book I love, I start to slow down.  Yet, I have crawled to the finish line with this book because it truly scares me.  It is an epic tragedy and it feels like everything is preparing to erupt.  There are glimpses of so many life experiences in this novel; many of which are seen to be as great failures.  Yet, within those failures are these glimpses of greatness and love, if only fleeting and filled with brevity.  They are there though.  So, this set of syllabic poetry is self-referential, but also meant to encompass how the book has affected me thus far.  Later, I intend to write some prose and new verse away from haiku upon completing the book.  I will be forever grateful to my friend, Helene for giving this novel to me and telling me to read it at such a delicate time in my life.  Thanks, Queenie!

Far away from west,

this place is no great graden.

Teeming with evil.

So much self-hatred,

from deep within it does stir,

A spitting cobra.

If only there were……

More trees, love and a kindness.

Give authority.

Let me count the ways,

I feel remorse and some loss.

An ape-like regress.

These digits of mine,

that have touched so many things,

Now seem to fade numb.

I have wiped the tears

from both of our red faces

Oh, how they return.

That great temptation.

The strains of what could/n’t be,

will long torment us.