Pat Boran’s haiku sequence (or rensaku) explores the flora and fauna of Dublin Bay’s (North) Bull Island, a land mass formed by the changing currents in the bay after the construction of the North Bull Wall (between 1820–25) in an effort to improve access to the port. Boran’s rhyming haiku observe the interplay of bird, human and plant life on the island, and celebrate the delicate balance of a biosphere on the very doorstep of Ireland’s capital city. The book is illustrated by the author’s own photographs of the island, taken over the course of a year of daily visits.
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Waves themselves, their wings
flashing silver when they turn
as one – the starlings.
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Maids from Cabra West,
Painted Lady butterflies
up from Marrakech …
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Old man in a car
staring out to sea, Tosca
singing from the heart.
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“Sharply entertaining and perceptive … Waveforms: Bull Island Haiku” includes “scores of haiku with Boran’s photographs, each a telling monochrome moment of its own … if you’ve ever wondered what this ancient poetic form can offer today, try this little book for €10.” – Michael Viney, The Irish Times
“A homage in haiku to the airy, aqueous spirit of that legendary stretch of land …” RTÉ TEN. Read the full review HERE.
Waveforms: Bull Island Haiku is published by Orange Crate Books and distributed by Dedalus Press.
