Finally ! Zombies are shambling into the world of poetry ! “Zombie Haiku” by Ryan Mecum was more entertaining than I had first expected it to be. I thought that the book would be a disembodied jumble of different haiku versus dealing with zombies. Apparently I was wrong. The book follows the journey of one man during the apocalypse. The book begins with regular nature-themed haiku (which are written well) and progresses towards the apocalypse and one man’s fall from human to undead. Even as a zombie he dutifully records his experiences. (Another plus is that the poetry changes noticeably as the man slips deeper into becoming a zombie.) The book is interspersed with pictures and blood splotches which add to the creepy mood of the book.
More than once I found myself laughing out loud at the true absurdity of the haiku verses. This book was written to be read aloud ! I love watching the reactions of people who have absolutely no idea what I’m reading. The looks on their faces are hysterical ! “Zombie Haiku” is a welcome change from the usual hard-core gore and sad stories that I’m used to reading and reviewing. If you’re looking for the lighter side of being dead – look no further ! (I’d like to include a verse or two in here, but I don’t want to run the risk of copyright infringement – trust me – it’s worth reading so go out there and buy it !)
