My soul is the wind
dashing down fields of autumn
o too swift to sing
Despite being mostly known for his poetry, Lewis Grandison Alexander (1900-1945) was also an active actor, director of plays, and costume designer. He was an important member of the Harlem Renaissance: an intellectual, social, and artistic movement that aimed to celebrate African-American arts, which took place in New York in the 1920s.
Lewis Grandison Alexander started writing poetry at 17, specializing in Japanese forms. About haiku poetry, he once wrote: “Its real value is not in its physical directness but in its psychological indirectness—not in what is said but what is suggested—written in the spaces between the lines.”
Haiku by Lewis Grandison Alexander
Picture by Neil Thomas
This haiku poem is part of the Naviar haiku music challenge, where artists are invited to make music in response to a weekly assigned haiku poem. Participation is free and there are no limitations in the songs’ length or genre.
You have seven days from the posting of this haiku to submit your track. For information on how to make a submission, visit the Naviar Haiku Music Challenge page.
Submission deadline: 21st November 2018