Sunday, July 28, 2019

On “Why didn’t you stay”


summer leaves 

love falls away

all alone to Wonder

(As the end of summer is upon us here in Alaska I was inspired to write this Honkadori, this haiku upon viewing Spike Lee’s Joint, “She’s gotta have it” on Netflix, the series remake of his landmark film. I was watching Nola Darling, the shows protagonist riding Coney Island’s Wonder Wheel, to Stevie Wonder’s “Why didn’t you stay”, off his “Where I’m at now album”. This scene brought back a stream of memories and emotions to me. I had to replay the scene over, and over, and over again. Sitting in my dry cabin up here in Alaska. See I grew up in Bed-Sty Brooklyn, and rode that Wonder Wheel many a summer, over and over, again and again. It brought back an abstruse time for me of innocence, lost innocence, vulnerability, sheer adolescent joy, and awakening, emotionally, socially, politically, a melancholy period of my life. So this is what inspired me to write this Honkadori Haiku. Thanks Spike, thanks Stevie.)