by Kelly

I’m not exactly the intended audience for Hot Flash Haiku. I mean, I’m not even 40 yet.

Nevertheless, I picked up a copy of the book, which is filled with 5-7-5 poems on the topic of “la meno,” as it is called in Mexico.

With such a catchy title and a clever theme, how could I pass it by? Surely whatever was inside would make me smile.

I wasn’t disappointed. I snickered my way through the five chapters titled denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

While many of the poems were certainly geared toward women older than me, there were many that resonated with me. Like this one:

I pluck, tweeze, shave, wax.

Worse than dealing with crabgrass.

Argh — always grows back.

And even though most of the haiku in this book poke fun at middle age and menopause, plenty ruminate on the meaning of life.

Like this one:

There are days when life

seems so beautiful that all

I can do is cry.

A few times, the authors lined up several haiku that all started with the same first line. One of those repeated first lines was “I swore I’d never.”

This seemed a fine writing warm up and I noted it as something I’d like to try the next time I’m facing a severe case of writer’s bloc, which–sadly–comes along more often than I care to admit.

The book is pint sized. It’s not a novel, but a gift book instead. And it was wholly fun to read. It’s just the kind of thing that one girlfriend should give to another.

Or that you should bring to your next girl gathering — you know, one where there will be lots of wine, lots of laughs, and no men.