Haiku Dialogue

 a gray blend of pink and blue postpartum depression

Mirela Brailean
Romania

Mirela’s poem is one that made me rethink the way I read the original text. As someone who loves a good pajama day, I read this poem as one describing a leisurely day on summer vacation. In my imagination, I saw those big, puffy white clouds that provide some occasional relief from the direct summer sun. But Mirela takes a different approach. She removes the seasonal referent and instead focuses on color. Baby blue and pale pink blend to gray in the haze of postpartum depression; the gray could also be alluding to heavy, dark storm clouds. The subject living in her pajamas is implied through the depression. While for some people, spending time in pajamas is a way to relax, for others, it’s a symptom of dire mental and emotional turmoil. Mirela Brailean has invoked the subtle elements of M.R.’s original poem while bringing a specific resonance through her own sense of direct language.

https://thehaikufoundation.org/haiku-dialogue-allusion-communing-with-the-contemporary-commentary/