Wanderer in the Evening

By Alfred Lichtenstein

Haiku
    Kuno Kohn sings:     Dusty Sunday     Lies burned to pieces.     Charred coolness     Mothers the land.     Dissolute longing     Gapes once again.     Dreams and tears     Stream upward.

Share & Analyze This Poem

Spread the beauty of poetry or dive deeper into analysis

Analyze This Poem

Discover the literary devices, structure, and deeper meaning

Create Image

Transform this poem into a beautiful shareable image

Copy to Clipboard

Save this poem for personal use or sharing offline

Share the Love of Poetry
More Poems
More Haikus
Daily Poem

Poem Details

Language: English
Keywords: Public Domain
Source: Public Domain Collection
Rights/Permissions: Public Domain
Analysis & Notes:
This poem, through its stark imagery and fragmented structure, explores the desolate landscape of grief and loss. The irregular lineation and lack of rhyme scheme mirror the speaker's fractured emotional state, mimicking the jagged edges of pain. The short, choppy lines create a sense of breathlessness and urgency, as if the speaker is struggling to articulate the overwhelming weight of their sorrow. The poem's vocabulary is sparse, relying on simple words like burnt, charred, and gapes to evoke a sense of desolation and decay. The dusty Sunday establishes a somber tone, while the image of mothers land suggests a connection to a lost home or familial bond. The dreams and tears streaming upward represent a futile attempt to escape the pain, a desperate yearning for something beyond the bleak reality. The absence of traditional rhyme and meter further emphasizes the speaker's isolation, their voice echoing in the emptiness of their grief.

Understanding Haiku

A haiku is a brief, image-driven poem that captures a moment of perception—often in nature— using crisp detail and a subtle turn. English haiku often echo the classic 3-line shape.

Core characteristics of haiku:

  • Concise Form: Traditionally three lines; in English, many follow a 5-7-5 syllable pattern, though contemporary practice may loosen counts for natural speech.
  • Seasonal Sense (kigo): A word or image that implies the time of year—blossom, frost, cicadas.
  • Cutting Turn (kireji): A pause or pivot that juxtaposes two images; in English this is often signaled by punctuation or a line break.
  • Concrete Imagery: Show, don’t tell—sensory details over explanation; present-tense immediacy.
  • Light Touch: No titles or rhyme needed; restraint and openness invite the reader’s insight.
  • Subject & Tone: Nature, seasons, small human moments—quiet, clear, and resonant.

Haiku works by juxtaposition and suggestion: two small images meet, and the meaning sparks in the space between them.