A Cuckoo Cries

A Cuckoo Cries - form Summary

Haiku's Compressed Image and Pause

This short haiku uses the form's extreme economy to present a single, suggestive moment. A bird's cry and the moonlight threaded through bamboo are set in tight juxtaposition, so sound and visual detail resonantly imply mood without explicit statement. The haiku's compressed structure and implied cut between images create a lingering pause and invite readers to assemble associations of time, distance, and solitude.