Jeffrey Tao: FIVE HAIKUS

Jeffrey Tao is a shortlist winner nominee of the 2024 Adelaide Literary Award Contest in the category of Poetry, with his work titled Five Haikus.

Jeffrey was born in Shanghai, grew up in Hong Kong, and took a degree in Russian Studies at Sussex University, England. He subsequently had a career as conference interpreter at the United Nations in New York, enjoying its cosmopolitan environment and interacting with professionals from all over the world.. He has written many travelogues chronicling his impressions of international destinations.

In his literary work he has written haikus covering a wide variety of subjects: nature, travel, the seasons, and animals. He favors the traditional Japanese haiku format because it imposes a structure and a discipline, fostering brevity and precision. The economy of words also lends itself to striking and vivid imagery. Another focus of his work is translating classical Chinese poetry from the Tang and Song dynasties, exploring and conveying the subtle differences between languages and enabling this rich cultural heritage to reach a wider audience. He has also translated Chinese prose writing from the 20s, 30s and 40s, a period of great intellectual ferment and socio-political change.

Jeffrey Tao’s work has been published in magazines such as Adelaide, Belle Ombre, and Washington Square Review. He continues to explore avenues for publication.

FIVE HAIKUS

Teacher

Her voice strong and shrill
words like a thousand arrows
impaling my heart

Seagulls

At dusk they circle
or stand on driftwood, reigning
over their kingdom.

Wish

Many wish for peace.
Yet carnage, destruction, rage
on unabated.

Cycling

Red light turns to green
a phalanx of bicycles
hurtle forward

The Bend

The boat rounds the bend,
resplendent in the sun, is
the lake in full view.

Jeffrey Tao