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Poet's Choice

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through knotholes in the old fence

evening sunbeams

Michael Fessler, who's published two books on the game along with five of haiku, best captures the game's players. His last line really drags me into the intimacy of those screaming matches:

August heat

umpire and manager

nose to nose

Despite the sometimes curious carnal power of these poems in English, the Japanese poets managed to make the haiku a spiritual instant -- delicate as tissue paper. Imai Sei even creates psychological complexity:

after the error

the player still faces the outfield

towering clouds

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