Who would think to write a book entirely in haiku in the first place? And then to make the main character a werewolf who was bitten by a rabid dog? This small book had me both marveling at the haiku, which were well written and felt like poetry, and laughing at the many of the poems. Here are a few: "The woman next door/with that huge mole on her neck/I think I ate it." Or, "When I walk past sticks/I now find myself thinking/'Sure love to chase that!'" And "People who eat fast/and call it 'wolfing down food,'/have no idea." Looking for serious literature; then don't pick this up. But if you're wanting to read strange and funny, I recommend it. Oh, and I recommend reading it aloud. After all, poetry is meant to read aloud. Who doesn’t remember haikus, the fallback of every underpaid teacher as a way of presenting children to verse? You were introduced to them in the second or third grade and, for many of us, that’s where our lessons in poetry stopped (unless you decided to take English Lit[e] in High School). Mr. Mecum clearly remembers those fledgling stabs at shoving culture down the throats of our young’uns in this, his third entry in creature feature poetry. The internal journey of a poor mailman bitten by a vicious wolf during his regular route swings between the hilarious and the horrific as he learns to embrace his inner beast while fighting the gag reflex caused by his tongue hair. Pithy, witty, just a tiny bit sad and accompanied by line drawings and graphic images of blood, body parts, raw meat and unibrows, the series of poems ends on an ambiguous note, one that will certainly split readership as to the outcome of its antihero. Who will win—the Lady or the Wolf? (As an additional bit of zest, read these while listening to the list of stalk—love songs listed on page six.)
What do You think about Werewolf Haiku (2010)?
Pretty stupid compared to the Vampire Haiku. Can't wait to read Zombie Haiku.
—shivika
