by Laurie W. Stoelting

I have the following text as a handwritten appreciation by Laurie of one of my poems, date unknown. It’s printed on a sheet of notepaper from a Hilton hotel with an address in Portland, Oregon, so perhaps it dates from a Haiku Society of America meeting held there at some point, perhaps around 2004. Or perhaps it was in San Francisco, before 2002, and she just happened to have the hotel’s notepad paper. Laurie died of Parkinson’s disease on 9 March 2014, at the age of 70. I’m grateful for her comments.    +

        singles bar
        everyone coupled
        but me

There is humor here but when one finished the poem the reader is left with an instant of loneliness—and I would say self-consciousness—that each one of us has felt at some time. The impact is immediate. This poem punches home its moment, the brevity of the verse serving to heighten the emotion and the image. Everything that is needed is here in ten syllables. Bravo!