Cupcake Papers
The following poem first
appeared in Geppo XLI:4, August–October
2016, page 5, and was selected for commentary in the following issue, XLII:1,
November 2016–January 2017, page 15.
cupcake papers
blow from the kitchen
counter—
summer’s end
I think this is a lovely image for the end of summer. Someone is baking
cupcakes—maybe for a birthday party. A door or window is open to let in the
summer air to cool the kitchen. The empty cupcake holders are lined up on the
counter ready to be filled when a slight breeze whisks them off in one swoop.
Maybe the breeze has a hint of autumn in it, and the author is reminded that
summer will soon be ending.
—Patricia J. Machmiller
The cupcakes suggest a celebration or a party. But all good things come to an
end—including summer and unlimited cupcakes. A haiku of rueful good humor.
—Joan Zimmerman
We say in Japanese culture that autumn can be heard by the way the wind blows.
The autumn section of the Kokinwakashū
(914 AD) begins with this tanka by Fujiwara no Toshiyuki: “to my eyes it is /
not clear that autumn has come / but the chill whisper / of the invisible wind
/ startles me to awareness.” Here in this haiku, the third line gives meaning
to the wind-blown cupcake papers from the kitchen counter. I assume the author
is making cupcakes, but before he/she could pour the batter, the wind has
snatched the cupcake papers away from the counter. The mischievous wind has not
only taken away the cupcake papers but also the vacation time when our
grandchildren can visit us more frequently.
—Emiko Miyashita
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