C. Clark Triplett 47 Intégrité: A Faith and Learning Journal Vol. 21, No. 1 (Spring 2022): 47-60
NONFICTION AND PHOTO ARTS
Review Article Three Poetic Journeys: Alternate Paths to Expanded Meaning in Life • •
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Polette, Keith. Pilgrimage: Haibun. Red Moon Press, 2020. ISBN: 978-1-947271-69-2. 94 pages, $20.00. McGee, Margaret D. Haiku—The Sacred Art: A Spiritual Practice in Three Lines. SkyLight Paths, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-59473-269-0. 192 pages. Harnden, Philip. Journeys of Simplicity: Traveling Light with Thomas Merton, Bashō, Edward Abbey, Annie Dillard & Others. SkyLight Paths, 2003. ISBN-10: 1594731810; ISBN-13: 978-1594731815. 144 pages, $15.00.
C. Clark Triplett
All three of these books of poetry and poetic prose are about journeys with some common threads related to the type of poetry and the theme of a search for meaning, but each is also different in terms of what areas of experience are emphasized. All of them convey their journey through spare and unencumbered poetry and prose or poetic prose that explores such possible places and things as nature, exotic locations, fictional worlds, magical experiences, spiritual dimensions, everyday life as well as in-between spaces. Each author seeks to share something unique about life that helps the reader tune in to a deeper understanding of life. Each of these books also raises important questions for the reader such as: Where do our journeys take us? What is most important about our journey? Has anything changed as result of our journey?
Keith Polette, Pilgrimage This review starts with the work of Keith Polette’s little book of haibun, Pilgrimage, which is perhaps the most complex and thought-provoking of the three. It is a journey that starts and ends at a rather strange place, the edge of the