Jon Hare, who modestly describes himself as “a scientist who works in Woods Hole” is releasing his new book of poetry at the Woods Hole Public Library with a festive book talk and signing on Saturday, October 5 at 3 PM.
He first started writing haiku when he was at sea conducting oceanographic research. He used it as a way to stay in touch with his wife Kim because it was “short and easy to transmit through the bandwidth-limited communications available from ship-to-shore” in those days. He has been writing haiku ever since.
His first book “through the magnolia, a haiku diary from March & April 2020” chronicled those difficult pandemic months in our village. It was a stunning and poignant collection of observations, all written in the form of haiku. Since then he has been honing his craft, and at least fourteen of his new poems have been accepted for publication in numerous haiku journals, including Frogpond, Cattails, bottle rockets, Presence, and Modern Haiku.
Lately, he has turned his attention to an even more specialized form of Japanese poetry called Senryu. The Haiku Society of America defines senryu as a poem “structurally similar to haiku, but that highlights the foibles of human nature, usually in a humorous or satirical way…… Both haiku and senryu use contrast and juxtaposition to convey more than the words themselves”……making the reader take an active part in the poem.
Sometimes he even takes expressions that have become commonplace in our day-to-day language back to their origins, gives them a twist, and presents them to us in a fresh way, as in
Coffee-O
filled to the brim
with summer people
Here we have a wonderful, clever, often funny, and always insightful collection of senryu, connected to Woods Hole and Falmouth. All of these poems are closely tied to a specific place in town. In fact, this volume begins with a map, showing the route of the poems as they march through town. Unlike his previous collection, this one has photographs, which are lovely, and always paired with a specific poem and in some cases, further illuminating the poem. One photograph is of a ferry coming into the dock with its big loading door wide open, accompanied by these words:
a behemoth
opens its metal maw
tourists spill out
The very first poem is accompanied by a photograph from a runner’s-eye view of the start of the Falmouth Road Race. The words carry their meaning far beyond the moment:
Falmouth Road Race
many of the best things
start in Woods Hole
Many of the poems recall moments that we also have experienced, but surprised that they are shared with a smile :
getting passed
driving into town
out-of-state plates
Again and again, the author presents us with three-line zingers, causing us to stop short, sit up, read it again, and say, usually with a smile “Aha!” What shines through all these poems is Jon Hare’s affection for Woods Hole. Even in his gentle mocking, it is obvious that he loves this place. That just may be the strong attraction this book has to us, that a neighbor has taken the time to observe our shared community closely, and crafted poems about seemingly normal daily events that in turn, make us look again, and appreciate the place and the event much more than before. In short, he helps us to pay attention.
sunset over the harbor
children looking back
will see a golden time
To meet the author and hear him read some of his poems, and answer your questions, come to the Woods Hole Library at 581 Woods Hole Road on Saturday, October 5. Books will be available for purchase and signing at this event. Afterwards, they will be available Masterson Made in Woods Hole, and at other outlets around Falmouth.