Essays, Art and Plays by Dan

desert cliffs
the shadow of a raven 
carries dad home

— Bruce H. Feingold
To Live Here: A Haiku Anthology, 2023

My essay on the poem above was featured in the Haiku Foundation website: 

Dan Campbell—transient life, transcendental death:

In the barren landscape of desert cliffs, where the sun’s relentless gaze etches the land with its fiery touch, there exists a scene of profound significance. Here, amidst the rugged terrain, a lone raven glides in the wind, casting its shadow upon the ancient rocks below.

Within the silhouette’s embrace lies a story, a story of love, loss, and the unbreakable bond between father and son. The haunting shadow carries with it the weight of memories, of moments shared beneath the endless expanse of the sky.

As the raven’s shadow stretches across the barren landscape, it becomes a conduit for the spirit of a father making his final journey home. In its dark silhouette, there is a sense of closure, of completion. The raven, with its wings spread wide, becomes a vessel for the soul of the departed, guiding him back to the embrace of the earth.

And so, the shadow of a raven becomes a poignant reminder of the transient nature of life, and the enduring power of love and memory to transcend death.