Zombie Haiku

After Robert Kirkman’s super-powered zombie runs at Marvel Comics, Ryan Mecum shows that no art form is safe with his collection of poetry, Zombie Haiku. Closer to senryu than haiku, the poems form a narrative that follows the degeneration of a poet who continues to write after he dies. The narrative forces exposition into the haiku and turns some mundane, but Mecum’s grasp of what makes zombies appealing takes over to save the collection. Babies viewed as Happy Meals and the dead poet remembering to chew with his mouth shut while eating his mother, highlight the grizzly humor that permeates the book. Fans of the undead will appreciate the respectful nods to past zombie canons, but casual readers may wish that some of the fat had been trimmed to make way for the juicy, blood-filled center.