The mind loves the unknown. It loves images whose meaning is unknown, since the meaning of the mind itself is unknown.

—  Rene Magritte

Paul Miller, a.k.a. paul m., has long been one of the major figures in English Language Haiku, writing gorgeous award-winning books including his most recent Few Days North Days Few, which won both a Kanterman Award  and Touchstone Award.  And as the editor of Modern Haiku since 2013, his role as a gatekeeper of the genre has been significant.

So you can imagine my surprise when Paul agreed to be one of the first haiku poets to bravely play The Question and Answer Game with me.  I am eternally grateful. Plus it was big fun.

Interestingly, many of the results fall into Magritte’s “unknown images” category, and I think that is why I love them so much.

What is loss of innocence?
          The negative image of a xylophone

What is history?
          The metallic feeling of a paper cut

Questions Michelle Tennison,  Answers Paul Miller (2014)

What is the River Styx made of?
          The symbol for interdimensional travel

What is in crowspeak?
          A 90-degree turn

What is the length of Big Ben’s minute hand?
          A pounding fist

Questions Paul Miller,  Answers Michelle Tennison (2014)