Delta Lenscapes: photoku

"A hobby I have remained passionate about since 2008 is using photographs I have taken of the Mississippi Delta to create photoku. Photoku, shortened from photographic haiku, reflects the genre of haiga, a Japanese visual art composed of drawing and haiku in calligraphy. Like haiga, photoku reveals an aesthetic experience of seeing something new through the working of the two components that complement each other. In other words, photoku is ekphrastic, a continuation of what is conveyed in a photograph or a progress of what is imagined from imagery. Thus, haiku and photograph in a photoku are both interactive and independent. The visual image and the poetic expression grip a moment to respond to life and nature; they also catch a moment that brings an aesthetic experience for creative and mental growth. That’s why I am interested in writing haiku to complement my photographs. However, in writing my haiku, I intend to extend the meaning rather than illustrate the images......In short, photoku is an art form that juxtaposes photographs and haiku to create a moment of aesthetic appreciation for the eye and the mind. It can make an impression with both a visual and figurative effect. So, it offers a concrete moment for the mind to compare and interrelate.These photoku offer a way of seeing the Mississippi Delta and of living a humble life there. It’s killing time for the joy of life. It’s fun doing it."- Jianqing ZhengJianqing Zheng’s poetry books include A Way of Looking, The Dog Years of Reeducation, Enforced Rustication in the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Delta Sun, and The Landscape of Mind. His edited books include African American Haiku: Cultural Visions and The Other World of Richard Wright: Perspectives on His Haiku. He has received three poetry fellowships from the Mississippi Arts Commission and teaches at Mississippi Valley State University, where he edits Valley Voices: A Literary Review. His latest publication is Still Motion, coauthored with Leo Touchet. He has also published more than 20 photographic essays about the river and land of the Mississippi Delta, with topics of African American Hospitals and Clinics, country churches, shacks, cultural flavors of hot tamales, Emmett Till, Mississippi John Hurt, Robert Johnson, The River’s Business, and ghost place, in journals, including Arkansas Review,Intégrité, Maine DigitalCollaborative,Mississippi Folklife, and The Southern Quarterly. A few of his photographs were used on book or magazine covers. Zheng’s photoku have appeared in Akita International Haiku Network, Cantos, Chrysanthemum, Cold Moon Journal, CHO, Dragon Poet Review, Drifting Sands, Failed Haiku, Fireflies’ Light, Haiga in Focus, Haiku Commentary, NHK Haiku Masters, Prune Juice, Star 82 Review, and The Mamba. Read more