Review of Sarcastic Haiku by Doug Holder

Lately, I've been trying to delete and/or archive my correspondence over the past three years and bring the number of emails in my inbox down to the low hundreds. While doing so, I came across this 2006 review of my Sarcastic Haiku chapbook. The review is by Ibbetson Street publisher Doug Holder and was only circulated through the Ibbetson Yahoo! group, so I'm posting it here.

Sarcastic Haiku. Chad Parenteau $2

Boston area poet/activist Chad Parenteau has penned a collection of haiku titled: "Sarcastic Haiku." Parenteau writes in the introduction that much of his work is political, and is a sarcastic reaction to our Iraqi fiasco. In this small chap the poet plays poetic hit and run on this tragic/comedy of a war and its players. Here is one haiku about our president and his questionable military service: "Now That We've Won." "Bush flies to Iraq/dressed as young cadet self/ This time, he shows up." And this ironic ditty, with all its sorrow and pity: "Slight of Hand,": "News teams made to pass/piles of buildings we have bombed/to find mass grave sites." Parenteau takes aim and more often than not hits his mark.

Doug Holder/Ibbetson Update