Although originating in Japan, the poetic form haiku has a special place at Loras College. Loras’ most well-known haikuist is Father Raymond Roseliep ’39, who taught from 1946 to 1966. However, the tradition of haiku at Loras was continued by Roseliep’s student and friend, Bill Pauly. Pauly, who died February 2021, was a dedicated teacher and haikuist in his own right, winning numerous awards and recognition for his poetry. Pauly published two early books of haiku – Wind the Clock by Bittersweet (1977) and Time from His Bones (1978) – but his later work appeared primarily in haiku journals. A collection spanning his life’s work, Walking Uneven Ground, came out in 2021.
unapproachably
beautiful
thistle (Cicada 1.4, 1977)
Pauly’s Loras roots were strong. He grew up in Dubuque and attended both Loras Academy and College. Following his graduation in 1964, he entered the Peace Corps and taught for two years in Sierra Leone. He then returned to the States where he earned an MA from University of Notre Dame. His teaching career brought him back to Loras College in 1977 where he taught Poetry Writing, Haiku Writing, and composition courses until 2004. He once wrote, “I have always been and will always be a teacher, however and whenever and wherever possible.”
The teacher was also a poet at heart. He began writing poetry as a teenager and did not stop until the last few years of his life. He was known especially as a poet of haiku and senryu. Traditionally haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 pattern. As it developed, however, haikuist diverted from this strict form but continued to focus on provocative and vivid imagery ending with a sense of enlightenment. Senryu is similar to haiku but instead of focusing on the natural world, they typically address human nature.
the deaf man
at his windowpane
touching thunder (Modern Haiku 10.3, 1979)
For Pauly, "A good haiku will reward repeated readings. Like most poetry, it's a matter of feeling. It's an emotional vehicle. And, it invites the reader to participate in that experience." For those wanting to become writers of haiku he recommended reading a lot of good haiku and writing lots of haiku.
His last published poem is also the source of the title of his collection.
walking uneven ground
to tend her grave…
Remembrance Day (Mayfly 70, 2021)
During this National Poetry Month, take Pauly’s advice and read a lot of good haiku. You can start by checking out what we have in our Library collection. Then, experiment a bit and write a few of your own.