The art of the haiku, evolving out of centuries-old traditions and syllabic conventions, is a form of Japanese lyric poetry which demands sure-footed control and, at the same time, light-winged delicacy from every word breathed into its triad of lines. In SHADWELL HILLS, Rebecca Lilly has faced up to this mission with grace, sensibility, and a philosophical steadfastness which bring out the rich depth of these brief experiences. For though the poet sustains the customary focus of the haiku in most of these poems—the natural beauty of the world we share— we are often exposed to the darker side of nature, including that of the human heart, which lies waiting in the shadows cast by a magnificent sunset.
