Fireflies’ Light A Magazine of Short Poems Issue 31 April 2025
Missouri Baptist University
Fireflies’ Light
A Magazine of Short Poems Co-Editors: Mason Arledge, John J. Han Associate Editor: Michael Shoemaker Editorial Assistant: Dylan Chastain Editorial Consultants: Ben Gaa, C. Clark Triplett Front Cover Art: Terrie Jacks Back Cover Art: Donald W. Horstman Webmasters: Jenna Gulick, Lauryn Pyatt Fireflies’ Light is an online magazine showcasing short poems, essays on poetry and poetics, and book reviews. It is published twice a year by the Department of English at Missouri Baptist University, One College Park Dr., St. Louis, MO 63141. Interested poets may submit unpublished manuscripts, not currently under consideration elsewhere, to john.han@mobap.edu. We consider up to ten poems (including collaborative ones), up to two essays on poetry and poetics (150-1,000 words), and up to two book reviews (500-1,000 words) during a reading period. Write “FL - your name” in the subject line (example: “FL - Erin Smith”). Paste your poems, book reviews, and essays into the body of an email. Submit haiga and other artwork as email attachments. Along with your work, we require a 100-word author bio written in the third person and complete sentences. (No sentence fragments or listing, please.) Begin the bio with your name. Below are the reading periods and target publication dates: Reading Period March September
Target Publication Date April 15 October 15
Submissions received outside the reading periods will be neither acknowledged nor considered. Short poetic forms include but are not limited to haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka, sedoka, sijo, somonka, haibun, gembun, lanterne, ABC, cinqku, cinquain, couplet, Etheree, fibonacci (fib), free verse, limerick, lune, octet, quatrain, and triolet. A poem should follow the rules for the chosen form, and the author must identify the form used in the poem parenthetically after the title. Missouri Baptist University reserves the right to publish accepted submissions in Fireflies’ Light; upon publication, copyrights revert to the authors. By submitting, authors certify that the work is their own. All submissions are subject to editing for clarity, grammar, usage, and Christian propriety. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Missouri Baptist University. Issue 31, April 2025 © 2025 Missouri Baptist University
The fireflies’ light. How easily it goes on How easily it goes out again. —Chine-jo (late 17th century) [Trans. Kenneth Rexroth] * though wrapped in tissue paper… a firefly’s light —Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828) [Trans. David G. Lanoue] * what on the other shore tugs at its heart so? in the evening dusk over the Mogami River a lone firefly —Mokichi Saitō (1882–1953) [Trans. Makoto Ueda]
Table of Contents Haiku 9 Randy Brooks 10 Janet Ruth Heller 11 Maurizio Brancaleoni 12 Joshua St. Claire 13 Richard West 14 Jacob Blumner 15 Gareth Nurden 16 M. R. Pelletier 17 Miye Kim 18 Gary Hotham 19 Richard L. Matta 20 Bryan Rickert 21 Melissa Dennison 22 Vishal Prabhu 23 Marilyn Humbert 24 Amber Winter 25 thomas david 26 Heather Lurie 27 Tsanka Shishkova 28 Neena Singh 29 John Pappas 30 Ben Gaa 31 Keith Evetts 32 Chen-ou Liu 33 Mark Gilbert 34 Goran Gatalica 35 Cezar Ciobîcă 36 David Green 37 John Zheng Tan-Renga 38 Paul Callus / Christina Chin 39 Christina Chin / Jerome Berglund Haibun 40 Richard L. Matta 41 Christina Chin / Marjorie Pezzoli Senryu 42 C.X. Turner
43 Bryan Rickert 44 John Hawkhead 45 Roberta Beach Jacobson 46 Michael Shoemaker 47 Melissa Dennison 48 Randy Brooks 49 Richard L. Matta 50 John Pappas 51 Janet Ruth Heller 52 Douglas J. Lanzo 53 Keitha Keyes 54 Jacob Blumner 55 Philip C. Kolin 56 Miye Kim 57 thomas david 58 John H. Dromey 59 Devoshruti Mandal 60 Ben Gaa 61 Chen-ou Liu 62 Susan Burch 63 Mark Gilbert 64 David Oates 65 Wilda Morris Tanka 66 Randy Brooks 67 Neena Singh 68 Joshua St. Claire 69 C.X. Turner 70 Chen-ou Liu 71 Eve Castle 72 Mark Gilbert Tanka Prose 73 Susan Burch Tanka Art 74 Debbie Strange Kyoka 78 Terrie Jacks 79 Mark Gilbert Haiga (including Photoku) 80 Lavana Kray
81 Christina Chin 83 Tsanka Shishkova Ekphrastic Poetry 85 Jane Blanchard Sedoka 87 Pitt Büerken Free Verse 88 Gerry Sloan 91 Todd Sukany 92 Thomas Smith 96 Jim Burns 97 Philip C. Kolin 98 Kaedence Holycross 100 Mark Gilbert 101 Donna Bowen 102 Penny Nolte 103 John Paul Caponigro 105 Terrie Jacks 107 Nathaniel Lachenmeyer Boketto 109 Eve Castle Cherita 110 Jerome Berglund 111 Joanna Ashwell 114 John Zheng Lanterne 117 Isabella Queen Couplets 118 Timothy Daly Cinqku 119 Paul Callus Gembun 120 Jerome Berglund / Shane Coppage 121 Susan Burch Limericks 122 Isabella Queen 123 Addison P. Lee Etherees 124 Addison P. Lee 125 Isabella Queen
126 Rupa Anand Sonnet 127 Addison P. Lee Nonet 128 Terrie Jacks Clogynrach 129 MarthaMaggie Miller Special Feature: Eliana Easter (9), a Poet in the Making 130 Essays on Poetry and Poetics 131
Haiku, Food, and Your Roots By Allyson Whipple
139
Review of Hassane Zemmouri’s Everyday Life: Haiku, Senryu, and Small Poems (Buttonhook Press, 2024) By C. Clark Triplett
145
Frank Thurmond’s Remembrance and Other Poems (Braddock Avenue Books, 2022) By C. Clark Triplett
151
Review of Conversations with Leonard D. Moore, edited by John Zheng (University Press of Mississippi, 2024) By C. Clark Triplett
159
Pravat Kumar Padhy’s I Am a Woman (The Magic Pen Press, 2023) By John Zheng
163
Review of Selected Poems of Choi Rip, translated by Woo-Jeong Kim and Young B. Choi (Independently published, 2024) By John J. Han
169
Review of Philip C. Kolin’s White Terror Black Trauma: Resistance Poems about Black History (Third World Press, 2023) By John J. Han
171
Jianqing Zheng and Leo Touchet’s Still Motion: Poems and Photographs (Photo Circle Press, 2024) By Vikas Kadam
174
Spring Dawn: Poetic Sites in Seoul, Korea (A Photo Essay) By John J. Han
188 Brief Guide to Short Poetic Forms 196 Notes on Contributors
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Haiku_______________________ Randy Brooks new winter wheat just across the road his & her graves
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Janet Ruth Heller falling white flakes in June sunlight— hawthorn petals
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Maurizio Brancaleoni on a yellow note she scribbles her bucket list— small spicebush flowers close to spring— no place to die alone no taste for competition— grass flowers
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Joshua St. Claire Buson’s ink a goat-hair brush hovering over the tohu wa-bohu grocery store cantaloupe none of the softness of an August night
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Richard West the alchemy of turning sand into silver desert moon summer night fireflies reflecting the hovering stars night snow– flakes of moonlight falling from the sky winter weather hard on the old— scarecrow the raven’s call— a note of solace dissolves into silence
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Jacob Blumner fall equinox new barn facing the old circling back for no reason butterfly cracked clay the barren yard births a dandelion a murder of crows an open space on the power line
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Gareth Nurden a bat flies deeper into the night insomnia christmas carols a robin lifts the weight of winter moonshine soaking into the sand silver waves time capsule riding the tide love letter
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M. R. Pelletier short-grass prairie pronghorn in January sun
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Miye Kim 새벽 찬 기운 털 엉킨 길 강아지 똬리를 트네 chilly dawn a shaggy stray dog curls up, tail wrapped tight (Translated from the Korean by John J. Han)
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Gary Hotham keeping us from the sounds of the dying Gettysburg monuments a day shorter spring rain on spring rain
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Richard L. Matta windy summit in three long breaths I become cloud mockingbird… the old Siamese cat makes her stretch dusk the fading red fox
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Bryan Rickert highway crossing the squirrel almost makes it the garden center all to itself first hummingbird working its way down the aspens sunrise frozen for now the red leaf’s journey downstream
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Melissa Dennison tadpoles winter’s last full moon child's play a small bud unfurling
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Vishal Prabhu pressing cities between the sheaves bougainvillea
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Marilyn Humbert late afternoon braiding shadows the cockatiel flock
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Amber Winter snowdrop the sight of my first grey hair announcing His resurrection trumpet lily
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thomas david night sky— fireflies and stars fight for the spotlight
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Heather Lurie cardiac ward a bird fluttering at the window summer storm the hiss of rain through leaves mum’s empty room the wild climb of wisteria
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Tsanka Shishkova holy night over the mountain temple a lunar rainbow desolate house on the sunny porch cat and kittens
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Neena Singh spring river— on the tip of my tongue a forgotten name thin mist... a blue-green flash in the pond
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John Pappas summer thunder the hocket of car alarms fingerpaint handprints the leaves of the sycamore shading her grave pencil down the leaf light speaks for itself outstretched as if in flight— crow bones
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Ben Gaa a chill in the breeze in the night radio tower horizon only one not lit also awake across the lake red-tipped radio towers here again the cat and i this pen
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Keith Evetts moonset the snow once more just snow yellow iris downstream of the bridge police divers not knowing their own children fireflies
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Chen-ou Liu years in exile ... on the world map only inches to my homeland bird by bird my neighbor's feeder empties ... For Sale sign tilted
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Mark Gilbert Japanese garden artificial lilies real dragonflies
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Goran Gatalica morning stillness... the polish-chipped tips of her fingers first cherry blossoms at the confluence of bike lanes
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Cezar Ciobîcă mother’s day the fading scent of wild violets paddy field weeds sprouting among stars
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David Green
first snow the quiet outside inside
firefly night my daughter’s eyes open and close open and close
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John Zheng 18 One-Liners about Ted’s Garden In memory of Ted Haddin (April 7, 1933 – September 1, 2024) long time no see – an aha moment with purple iris a mandevilla clings to the window – sunrise morning sun a bed of daylilies unfurling your call swirls among snapdragons into a kaleidoscope white peony its tender petals brighter in the sun bitter sun – swiss chard leaves sautéed for a side dish white anemone your pure heart open to the sun window view splendid twilight of purple coneflowers red roses – see while ye may – in full bloom first bloomer of althea – alone time garden time joined by the scent of honeysuckles each lamb’s ear catches your laughter mistflower twilight clusters in misty purple each flower of the cypress vine urges to blare cheerful fall each pansy his smiling voice autumn sun fills the garden – a balm to the soul 91 years of life an eternal shine of green fennel eternal life amaryllis in full bloom
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Tan-Renga___________________ Paul Callus / Christina Chin powerfully rising out of choppy waves an osprey struggles under the weight of a big fish
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Christina Chin / Jerome Berglund stoking the fire— Whitsun Christmas tree collapsing by degrees, still bright and colourful
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Haibun______________________ Richard L. Matta Butterfly Effect I’m young, climbing a craggy cliffside beneath a friend, near the end of a friendship. A rogue shark of a boy, even at twelve, his anger erupts like a volcano. He slips, slides and would tell you the mountain owned his name, but for luck and an extended arm. deep dive Thirty years later, through social media, he reappears. Out of curiosity, I do some checking. After intoxication charges, he ran down a young man, dragging him for miles, then screamed to the police the victim deserved it for getting in his path. Ten years in prison, and now he’s out. trying to escape At a school reunion, he shows up, dapper, smiling. “Remember how crazy we were?" he says, adding, “Good you found sports, new friends.” He walks off musing, “Maybe the slimy stones and slick leaves were right all along.” the echoes
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Christina Chin / Marjorie Pezzoli Darwin Award An intense fragrance comes from the flowers of an exotic ornamental giant cannonball tree in the city. As we approach, groups of curious onlookers and photographers gather nearby. There’s a caution sign beneath: Should one fruit fall on the head, it will surely be fatal. flash bulb a negative develops vacation memories
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Senryu______________________ C.X. Turner long night… their joke unravels without me dying light her favourite book spine broken in my hands
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Bryan Rickert below zero the editor’s call for spring poems
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John Hawkhead grandpa’s stories riding a rocking chair into the sunset
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Roberta Beach Jacobson weekend parking handful of quarters
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Michael Shoemaker five-pound perch story— uncle tells again with smiling eyes
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Melissa Dennison shy kid a piece of the puzzle that doesn’t fit
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Randy Brooks Mommy’s pillow Daddy’s pillow monkey in the middle
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Richard L. Matta nursing home we change the water for her plastic lily
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John Pappas empty classroom on the chalkboard a list of ghosts
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Janet Ruth Heller warm spring day— doctors tell me that I have cancer
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Douglas J. Lanzo factory layoffs mother thins out our soup
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Keitha Keyes the definition of a nuclear family you, me and the dog
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Jacob Blumner a new scar next to the old marking time storm shelter huddled in the basement when he comes home
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Philip C. Kolin fiancé’s train arrives with only strangers no hugs
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Miye Kim 사람들 모두 하늘 올려다보네 그냥 구름 everyone looks up at the sky... just clouds (Translated from the Korean by John J. Han)
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thomas david office party showing off my french exit
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John H. Dromey time to hit the books paperbacks and e-pubs are kind to knuckles fossil collection shelf life longer than life of the shelf lack of commitment a moebius strip with an offramp
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Devoshruti Mandal untangling— the final signature on divorce papers
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Ben Gaa coffee shop two ladies reading the same book
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Chen-ou Liu dinner alone the hum, humming of my fridge
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Susan Burch not a mountain anymore Godzilla’s footprint you callin’ me fat tuesday clipped toenails fly away frisbees
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Mark Gilbert white space between stars the sidewalk glistening with neon
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David Oates Georgia billboard “Guns, Ammo, Freedom— this exit, two rights” first coffee chenille-bedspread pattern on his face
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Wilda Morris mission trip— learning the truth of the hot tin roof small grove my grandsons play in their forest
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Tanka______________________ Randy Brooks assisted living mother’s snazzy tennis shoes will never be worn out
my cold becoming her cold the way we make the bed together
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Neena Singh harvest moon shadows dance on the river where we once met... now only this indigo darkness broken by the cry of a cicada
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Joshua St. Claire taking all afternoon to cool me the virga that didn’t hit the blue ridge at last we see the invisible heart of the sky greens bluing on the distant mountain
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C.X. Turner unfinished books stacked by the bedside— I stop reading because every story reminds me of you snow melts in the hollow of my palm winter’s breath holding for a moment the shape of thaw lonely night the rain slips into soil a voice I thought lost echoes softly back
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Chen-ou Liu honk, honk, honk of southbound geese ... a flock of words jostles my mind's window pestles my migrant heart day by day night after night this stranger with strands of white hair in my bedroom mirror
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Eve Castle drenched in the downpour outside the locked gate —i ring the bell from somewhere inside the bark of a warm dry dog a river of ants flows up the old post —harmony Beethoven's Ode to Joy on tiny legs alone at the end where the path turns to gravel a stranger among the wildflowers walks toward me
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Mark Gilbert raindrops turn the landscape into a work-in-progress a painting without end
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Tanka Prose__________________ Susan Burch A Hoarder’s Dilemma (braided tanka prose) I have a migraine today. how a dewdrop Hurts. My head is aching, I feel depressed, and it’s paralyzing me. becomes a deluge I’m not getting a thing done and I should be decluttering. my cute little Gizmo Can’t do it. I literally have no energy. But there’s no room in my closet either. turns into Too much stuff. And I bought a warm sweater for work yesterday, and I have no place to put it. a gremlin
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Tanka Art____________________ Debbie Strange
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Kyoka______________________ Terrie Jacks laundry the continual cycle and recycle of underwear
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Mark Gilbert this sepia morning the frontline is two inches further away and peace an inch closer
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Haiga_______________________ Lavana Kray
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Christina Chin
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Tsanka Shishkova
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Ekphrastic Poetry______________ Jane Blanchard Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer) by Claude Monet, 1890-1891 The tints and textures of this painting please the eye of its beholder even now, the one who stares, then grows amazed at how Monet accentuated shapes with ease. Each pinkish mound in fading sunshine casts a bluish shadow far across the scene, yet distant shrubs or trees look mostly green, befittingly while warmer weather lasts. The exhibition of such landscapes gained Impressionism critical success, and admiration lately is no less since love of mottled beauty has not waned.
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The Path through the Irises by Claude Monet, 1914-1917 The flourishes of color are impressive— the golds, the greens, the violets comprising a garden scene of personal devising with size and scale appealingly excessive. The artist’s eyesight at this point was failing, but he had ample means of compensation since memory could aid imagination to make another painting worth unveiling. This one among the series is exquisite— a walkway narrowed by the lush intrusion of blooming plants arranged with such profusion that viewers want to pay the site a visit.
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Sedoka______________________ Pitt Büerken the night sets thoughts free first and foremost the dark ones without consequences
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Free Verse___________________ Gerry Sloan Elegy in a Hurry Peggy, Peggy. Tony Mountain seems so bare now that you’re no longer there. * Little Song of Complicity Fly, little bird. The developers are taking your forest one tree at a time. Fly, little bird. I too have mortgaged your hill. *
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Headline: Japanese Midget Sub Captured at Pearl Harbor They lean in for a closer look. In town squares all over America people gather around to see this idle curiosity. This first trophy from the worst war in history. * Bigtop Decima Too short for a sonnet and too long for an epigram, you occupy this no-man's-land. A novelist can get away with murder, and often does since prose is more forgiving. But in ten lines of verse there is no safety net, just a tightrope walker working the crowd with nary a small mistake allowed. *
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Why I Don’t Call Myself a Poet Not all verse is poetry, and not all poetry is verse, as passages in Twain and Agee attest; the prose poem begs the question. Likewise, not all instrumentalists are musicians. It's a matter of talent, judgment, and luck. So I prefer to think that being a poet is something conferred. In a word, it's the Muse who gets to choose.
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Todd Sukany Beautification Tiny nippers clip the leaves at the branches’ ends. By sunset, the shadow of a longing skeleton.
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Thomas Smith Forget-Me-Not I saw a fellow on the street I never thought that I would meet In suit of silver mirrors clad His choice might make you think him mad The boldest tie of bright red spots Was tied in special Windsor knot The hat upon his head a pot That grew a blue Forget-Me-Not Doing cartwheels as he strode Was in the middle of the road Sometimes came a flip or two And then he would restart anew He often sang a foreign song That made me want to sing along Infectious happiness was there A message he would like to share A brazen soul within our gang Had courage try to ask a thing Sir, are you mad? What do you do? He quick replied, What’s it to you? I think my life is heaven sent I relish every day I’ve spent Can you proclaim you have the same When naught you dreamed you e’er became? He was not mad, he found delight From morn until he said good-night I oft recall his hat the pot Reminds me to Forget-Him-Not
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Haiku If I Could Haiku, oft misunderstood, I would write you if I could. I can write in seventeens, But then I’m not sure what it means. I look for key word, cut, and season, Not so much insightful reason. They say to capture haiku essence, I need to feel the masters’ presence. Bashō appears and takes my pen. He says, “I tell you as a friend, We know the trauma of haiku, And stronger men have buckled, too. It’s really difficult to do. Haiku just wasn’t meant for you.” I may not be a haiku master, But for me not a disaster. How wonderful to simply share The moment with the poet there.
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Waiting to Leave Waiting to leave for his house, Meeting the team at 7:30, Going over to say goodbye. About dead from colon cancer. Cancer came back. My colleague, my friend For a decade or more. Husband, father. His young daughters don’t understand. Nor do any of us. Waiting to leave, Thinking of what to say. We’ll miss you, and we will. You’re going on a journey. No, not that. I remember him as alive. I don’t think that I want to Remember him in hospice Emaciated pale weak Waiting to leave.
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Funeral I will be invited to my funeral It’s only a matter of time There will be a few relatives there Perhaps a few friends I’d like to ask them, why did you come I’ve decided I am not going to go It would be a waste of my time
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Jim Burns Shooting Stars Shooting stars glimmering embers of vaporized youthful dreams endure and flash through the deep space darkness of our minds and keep us whole.
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Philip C. Kolin Ellis Island Traveling across generations some branded with chalk, sent back home. Others waiting in Liberty lines. Women in babushkas, turbans, hijabs. Men with untrimmed fears carrying yesterdays in hemp-wrapped bundles ready to unpack tomorrows in America.
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Kaedence Holycross Closed Book This is the last tear I swear to drop in your name. This is the last scar I swear will form from your pain. It was the last memory to fade, the last one of your face. I swear on my grave, of the person you betrayed, you won’t ever find me again, won’t hear my name. I swear on everything I once had: the story’s at an end.
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Rule #1 I will not beg anyone to stay in my life. If you want to leave, go for it. The door is open. But I cannot guarantee it will be open If, and when, you decide to come back. * Rule #2 I will not water myself down To make me more digestible for you. You can choke.
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Mark Gilbert Poem Composed in the Bath 𝜋 must be 𝜋 must be 𝜋 whatever it may be
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Donna Bowen The Miniature Rose This miniature rose Grows against all logic In a turmoil of untended leaves Where only slits of light penetrate. A gift to my scrap of garden. Perhaps it was seeded By chance from a bush Replete and tended Which flourished last season In someone else’s garden. I try not to think whose garden, For at least you have come back. I look at the rose and think Perhaps the roses I saw die last year Miraculously held on somehow underground.
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Penny Nolte Afternoon Nap Wrapped in a pleasant dream, upon waking it has popped like a soap bubble while leaving no sticky trace. * Knowing not Knowing The candle holder hovers About an inch above The shelf I know this is a dream And wish I didn’t
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John Paul Caponigro Momentum Well below the Antarctic Circle, our ship turns around and all I want to do is keep going. My ghost continues sailing into the unknown. They say home is where the heart is but where does the heart return to when all it wants to do is wander?
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Home It’s time to go and I don’t want to leave. I search the ship for sites to stow away, but finding too many to choose from, I realize what I’m looking for is what’s hidden in me. Not a physical place, home’s a space that continues opening in the heart. The more I let the world in the bigger I grow inside. There can be no return, if I never leave.
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Terrie Jacks The High Desert of the Northwest A cruise upon a river with scenery rather barren a unique area low hills without touches of green the high desert of the northwest yet buried beneath the soil bodies threatening to rise
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Reflection Wavering in the breeze wind chimes Wavering in the breeze candlelight Wavering in the breeze leaves Wavering over my paper pen Wavering in my head thoughts Thoughts the breeze has stirred yet nothing pours forth Leaving me to reflect upon the wind chime’s serenade the candlelight’s flutter the leaves’ rustle the pen’s hover and why my thoughts still waver
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Nathaniel Lachenmeyer I am your grave I am your grave; there is no gravesite but me. Here is another handful of words. There— I have set them beside the headstone which marks your grave in my mind.
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After Reading Bacon’s Of Masques and Triumphs in my too-bright office blue-hued by computer screens I can’t help wishing for a return to a time when this practical wisdom from a great mind could be applied effectively and without obsolescence: “The colors that show best by candlelight are white, carnation and a kind of sea-water-green.” The next time there is a blackout— there is bound to be another— I will know just what to wear.
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Boketto_____________________ Eve Castle Immersed I gaze into the darkness: that splinter of past regret my shackle of discomfort. I linger there for a mere two breaths my remorse—swiftly scatters the sun rises to disperse the dark clouds.
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Cherita______________________ Jerome Berglund primavera leaving dregs in decanter at table
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Joanna Ashwell holding my breath in pockets of moonshine this night is the last I’ll preserve my dream * and yet the owls knew with one last hoot as you left in darkness carrying the moon * in this valley of silence bluebells sway just the sound of rainfall now welcoming us home *
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count to ten then begin to search within an orchid shadow * ragdoll is that what you thought I’m so much more than skin and shattered bone * there are no words that seem to cover your loss still the tide comes in and out regardless *
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you hide it well your wooden stirring spoon a word, a nod a hidden gesture of treachery
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John Zheng honeymoon their silhouette framed on frosted glass * another day of driving through the desert bored to death my wife silent like a sandstone * moonset staying up to share wife’s birth pangs *
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wife in sickbed each day her man’s phoenix-dance to win her smile * golden sea the old couple sit on a beach bench feeding each other shaved ice * seeing the pond where we first met blooming with lotuses my wife’s eyes sparkle with sunshine *
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wife out shopping husband leans on the couch watching Super Bowl a bowl of super cereal in his laps * mall shopping the hearty nap of a man in the women’s shoe area
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Lanterne____________________ Isabella Queen Cat Mewing All the time Wants attention Now
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Couplets_____________________ Timothy Daly words won’t save you and yet you have to keep writing quoting words of the dead not trusting myself pretty rootless flowers that wither up you’re my guide towards the light and I guess that I’m yours too
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Cinqku______________________ Paul Callus Idle Fancy often daydreaming the ripe figment of imagination ruptures
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Gembun_____________________ Jerome Berglund / Shane Coppage (collaborative gembun) candle light might as well finish the chapter Gutenberg Bible
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Susan Burch Voo-doodoo Because you need more ridiculousness in your day.
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Limericks____________________ Isabella Queen There once was a man who was running From an angry beast that was coming. Grabbed berries on the way, But the bush did him slay. Those thorns had a whole lot of cunning.
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Addison P. Lee My cat was too mean for the vet, I could tell he was well and quite upset. I took him inside the house, He started to chase a mouse, And he turned into a happy pet.
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Etherees____________________ Addison P. Lee Adventure’s Peace I can see the island getting smaller; It is fading away like a dream. The blue water separates us, But I am off to explore. Adventures await me. Think of me fondly While I’m away. I’m at sea, I’m at Peace.
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Isabella Queen Left on Read A man sits in his home. He checks his phone, hoping to find a response to a message that he sent to his best friend three days ago. But there is no response. He hopes his friend is okay and has not been eaten by a zombie.
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Rupa Anand So Be It it’s pretty evident to me & to all the honeysuckle climbs the peepul quickly the holder supports the held my body leans on my spirit unable to extinguish it scaffoldings do not crumble it’s the climbers that fall the peepul’s triumph is up skywards the vine clings down a wall
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Sonnet______________________ Addison P. Lee I look down at your cold face, and I see The emotion frozen in sudden shock. How could you have left? How could you just flee? My bitter heart has sunken like a rock. The dirt in my hand I can’t feel at all; I toss it up at the sky anyway. It arches through the air but does it fall, Fall like my heart, for pain does not delay. Who took you from me? I ask the blue sky, But the answer is not so plainly clear. My tears flow hot, I cannot help but cry. The time for last goodbyes is nearly here. I stand over your grave and weep so deep. Your promise of always you did not keep.
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Nonet_______________________ Terrie Jacks Dream Dancers The night curtain lifts, the lights dim, while the spotlight shines on the dancers that swing to the rhythm from the stars. Swaying to and fro, lulling us to sleep. Perhaps, to dream. Sweet dreams my child, good night.
* Social vs. Earbuds Traipsing along the path in the park passing people upon the trail I greet or nod my head, Hi, a neighborly gesture. Some respond, wave, nod, others don’t hear, don’t notice. Earbuds wail.
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Clogynrach___________________ MarthaMaggie Miller Mother Nature’s Wrath Storms are brewing behind blue skies Wrath flashes lightning in my eyes My love is vengeance. Mankind’s existence, subsistence, in demise.
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Special Feature: Eliana Easter (9), a Poet in the Making Eliana (Ellie) Easter is in fourth grade at Kennerly Elementary School in the Lindbergh School District, St. Louis, MO. She wrote this poem for her class. Ellie enjoys writing and illustrating stories about animals and other things she observes in nature. This is her first published work of poetry.
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Essays on Poetry and Poetics______ Haiku, Food, and Your Roots By Allyson Whipple Author’s note: This essay was originally presented at the Haiku North America Conference in June 2023. In this essay, I focus on three ways that food connects us to heritage and memory. First, in the direct invocation of family and friends. Second, through sensory experience, not just taste and smell, but the way that food connects to all our senses. Finally, I explore how we connect to time within a haiku moment. From a technique standpoint, I focus on how the turn of the haiku at either the second or third line emphasizes that sense of connection. However, in this essay, I’m more concerned with the content of the haiku rather than the nitty-gritty of the technique. Invoking Family Our parents and grandparents cook for us. We collaborate on big family feasts at holidays and one of the best ways to connect as people is to sit down together for a meal. When invoking family alongside food, we create strong associations in the haiku between food and heritage mama’s gifts filled, wrapped, tied with care— tamales Christine Wenk-Harrison1 1
Lifting the Sky: Southwestern Haiku and Haiga, ed. Scott Wiggerman and Constance Campbell. Dos Gatos Press, 2013.
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The opening line in Christine’s haiku invokes her mother. The turn happens at the end of the second line with an em-dash. The punctuation creates a sense of surprise because the third line is a single word identifying the gift. It's not a new sweater, it's not a new iPhone, it’s delicious tamales. A fresh tamale dinner is a labor-intensive meal, usually done in a group setting over several hours. Tamale preparation is often part of autumn and winter holidays, with everyone getting together in the kitchen and helping. If Mama made those by herself, that is an incredible gift not just of food but of time and energy. Often, when invoking food and family in haiku, the poem encapsulates moments of kindness and care. Whether slices of everyday life or memories we invoke, these haiku reinforce the helpful gestures, both large and small, that foster strong kinship connections. the simple way she cut into small pieces the cantaloupe for us Robert Epstein2 Although it’s not explicit in the haiku as printed here, Robert notes in The Helping Hands Anthology that this was composed for his mother. While he is honoring a specific relative in this haiku, the use of “her” means that for the reader, this poem could invoke a grandmother, an aunt, a close family friend, or any other relative who has nurtured children. The indefinite pronoun invites the reader to make their own connections. It's specific to Robert's childhood but becomes accessible and universal. When I read Robert’s haiku, I remember the way my mom sliced apples for me when I was young. Different person, different fruit, same sentiment, same resonance. Robert’s haiku also points to the idea that more than one specific food can connect us to heritage. Sometimes the method of preparation has a stronger resonance than the food itself. Perhaps your spouse always insisted on chopping vegetables by hand instead of using a food processor. Maybe your best friend would only drink French press coffee and find all other methods of preparation disgusting. The particulars of a person and our relationships with them can be illustrated in the colors we choose for
2
The Helping Hands Anthology, ed. Robert Epstein. Middle Island Press, 2020.
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our drinking glasses, the ways we cut our sandwiches, and the folds we use for our cloth napkins. grandma’s cookbook a dried pumpkin seed stuck on the blurb page Lakshmi Iyer3 The opening line presents the image of a used cookbook. I imagine stains, wrinkled pages, dog-eared corners, maybe even a burn on the back cover from when the book was accidentally placed on a hot stove. The turn happens in the second line. We don't see a recipe, but rather a pumpkin seed stuck on the page. In my interpretation, Lakshmi has inherited the cookbook after her grandmother has died. I believe that the image of the stuck pumpkin seed emphasizes that sense of connection to the ancestors. Not only is there a link through the recipes, but also the remains of past cooking projects. Who knows how long that pumpkin seed has been there? It might not even be removable. It might be so stuck that if you tried to remove it, the page would tear. You don’t need food to show a culinary connection to family; the objects we use for cooking are often imbued with the spirits of our ancestors. Incorporating the Senses Taste and smell are straightforward senses that connect to food. Consider also the sight of fresh blackberries on the vine, the sound of a knife on a cutting board, and the sensation of your oven mitt mediating the heat of a cast-iron pan. Think of the way a grapefruit feels in your hand, or the smoothness of canned tomato soup on your tongue. Mouthfeel is a word for a reason. Recall the sound of an onion frying, not just the inviting smell, but the way it sizzles. Imagine the softness of a fresh peach or the visual beauty of a perfect lattice pie crust.
3
Poetry Pea Journal, ed. Patricia McGuire 1.23
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back home— the smell of lemon pickle in each room Mona Bedi4 In the first line of the poem, we are placed at home, though the specifics of that home are initially unclear. The turn happens at the end of the first line; we have a moment to pause before being greeted by a powerful, welcoming smell. In the second and third lines, Mona Bedi conveys the scent of that lemon pickle throughout the house. I interpret her haiku as being about returning to her childhood home and being surrounded by familiar and comforting smells. The aroma becomes a scented hug. As an alternate reading (because I like to provide alternate readings whenever possible), Mona’s haiku could perhaps also be about returning to her adult home after a long travel and feeling comforted by familiar scents and foods. Either way, she is coming back to either where she grew up or where her roots are now. That sensory experience makes you feel settled. It’s culinary aromatherapy. In some cultures, it’s standard for people to eat with their hands, using minimal or no utensils. The direct contact between skin and food has a strong impact on the overall eating experience. In other cultures, utensils are the primary tools for eating. While some foods are still eaten by hand (such as sandwiches or whole pieces of fruit), in some parts of the world, touch is a more indirect experience. homesickness potato and lentil stew warming weary hands Danny Da5 The sense of touch is the main input in Danny's haiku. While the smell of the stew might help with the homesickness, it's that physical warmth that invokes a hug or a warm blanket. Danny’s haiku conveys a desire for the physical comfort of a family member. Taste and smell are important senses, but sometimes it's not the act of eating that creates the connection. The heft of your father’s favorite coffee mug, the worn-down wood of your inherited 4 5
ibid ibid
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kitchen table, and the texture of your cousin’s prize-winning blueberry pie are all examples of tactile inputs that facilitate the sense of connection in our culinary haiku. Though they might be specific to our lives, they also have the potential to create evocative associations in the reader’s mind. home for the holidays— mum’s Irish stew boiling over Lori Kiefer6 I believe that the primary sense in this haiku is sound: the bubbling of the stew, especially as it starts boiling over; maybe the liquids running out and hitting the burner; and the hiss of the gas range. Holidays can be a contentious mixture of emotions; there’s joy and connection, but that can coexist with conflict and tension. The family experience is not necessarily one or the other; often, people experience both ends of the spectrum. Some people are lucky enough to have friction-free holidays with meals that don’t involve nasty political debates or passive-aggressive sniping. Many of us, however, experience the both /and situation, basking in some sense of connection while also biting our tongues. Laurie's haiku embodies both the comforts of the stew and the struggles of being home by using sensory detail: the sound of stew on a pot getting a little too hot. Connecting Through Time The time it takes to cook a meal or to walk around the neighborhood. The time that spans across generations or that passes without seeing your friends in person. Time is an abstraction, yet we experience it concretely. The haiku moment is brief, but infusing time into your haiku can have a tremendous impact. mushroom bourguignon . . . with old friends devouring our years Dorothy Burrows7 6 7
ibid ibid
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The opening line identifies the dish we are eating, a vegetarian version of a French classic. The second line contains the image of dining with friends. I believe that the true turn of the poem is at the end of the second line. We go from the literal experience of eating to metaphorically consuming time. This line takes us from the typical image to something unexpected and a little abstract. But just because it's abstract doesn’t mean it’s inaccessible. Close friends are a form of chosen family. And even if years pass without being able to see each other, when people are reunited, time falls away. hometown visit papa and my walks a bag of peanuts long Vandana Parashar8 In Vandana’s haiku, food is bound to a short period: the duration of a walk with her father. She has written her poem from the perspective of an adult visiting a childhood home. Her haiku is located in the present, yet the image harkens back to a past childhood ritual: the special time when you get the undivided attention of one particular parent. Even if you are an only child, there is something special about getting uninterrupted time with the beloved adults in your life, and sharing a snack enhances the experience. Though the haiku is written from the perspective of an adult, that doesn’t detract from the parent/child relationship. If anything, with the demands of adult life, uninterrupted time with a parent can be all the more precious. Connecting with time can also draw attention to loneliness and the yearning for interpersonal connection. Whether we are separated from beloved people for a few days or a few years, the absence of someone we care about takes a toll. Our foods and beverages can sometimes temporarily fill the void, and they can also underscore our isolation
8
ibid
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waiting for your call the coffee percolator welling up David Gale9 Whether waiting for good news, bad news, or just to hear someone's voice, time stretches out far too long as the speaker waits for an important phone call. The use of the word “your” in the first line suggests a sense of connection. You’d be less likely to use a direct address for an insurance company representative or an auto mechanic. The act of making coffee can seem to take an impossibly long time, especially if you are caffeinedeprived. Having to wait for a percolator to boil connects to the tension of waiting for a call. In the third line, the percolator has started to bubble. The sounds of the coffee complement the anxious energy of the haiku and that longing for connection. Maybe this poet wants to be able to make coffee to share a cup of coffee with the person rather than just talk to them on the phone. The invocation of family, the incorporation of sense, and connection to time are the three most common threads I have found in the intersection between food and heritage. However, just as there is rarely one way to read a poem and no singular way to prepare a casserole, these three concepts are not the only ways to connect haiku, food, and your roots. I encourage you to explore these concepts throughout your haiku practice and develop your own approaches. Suggestions for Practice Invoking Family Review some of your haiku that are related to food and family. • Does your haiku invoke a specific family member? You’re not required to invoke someone specific; that might not be relevant to your particular poem. • Do you tend to focus on one specific family member? Are there ways First Frost #1, ed. Eric Burke, Elizabeth McMunn-Tetangco, Michael Dylan Welch, and Dale Wisely, 2021 9
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you could connect to other family members in haiku? • What are the specific ways you make a direct connection between food and family? Is there a way you might strengthen that connection? Or do you want to make it more ambiguous? Incorporating the Senses Review some of your haiku that incorporate food and at least one of the five senses. • How often do you incorporate the senses into your haiku? Do you feel your work would benefit from more engagement with sensory experiences? • Do you tend to rely heavily on one sense at the expense of others? Which ones do you struggle with, and how might you practice with them more? Connecting Through Time Review some of your haiku that connect food and a sense of time. • In haiku, we primarily write from the present tense. However, pay attention to see if you are engaging with the past or even the future in some subtle way. • How could you play more with time in your work? Changing verb tense is an option but note how the examples in this essay stay in the present while invoking some sort of past connection. • Do you write in present tense because somebody said you had to? Do you think it's worth experimenting with past or even future tense?
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Book Review Zemmouri, Hassane. Everyday Life: Haiku, Senryu, and Small Poems. Buttonhook Press, 2024. 36 pages. https://ojalart.com/buttonhook-press2024-chapbookseriespoetry-all-forms-styleshaiku-senryu-and-smallpoemshassane-zemmourieveryday-life/ Reviewed by C. Clark Triplett
Hassane Zemmouri is a young Algerian writer specializing in children’s stories and haiku poetry. His work has been featured in several haiku anthologies and literary journals in French, English, and Arabic. Many of his poems have received awards in France, Romania, and Croatia.
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From an early age, Hassane has lived with Muscular Dystrophy and, in his early 20s, experienced severe heart failure. Writing from a wheelchair ever since, his poetry reflects his resilience, capturing the beauty and meaning found in everyday life despite adversity. His work embodies the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi—a quiet appreciation of impermanence, where beauty emerges through the passage of time and the simplicity of ordinary moments. Through his poetry, he seeks to preserve fleeting experiences and reveal the profound in the seemingly insignificant. This poetry collection is structured around the four seasons, beginning with Winter. Winter represents the author's aspirations for the New Year and a fresh diary in which memories are transformed into poetry, creating a sense of warmth and reflection (5). The season’s metaphors— “winter blanket… Hunger moon… fever night… and cold night” (8-9)— contrast with images of renewal, such as “the cow and her calf” and “the cat and her babies” (Ibid). These hopeful symbols emerge alongside unwelcome memories: fever night… rolling amongst nightmares (9) These brief yet poignant verses express both a longing for renewal and the lingering melancholy of past pain and suffering. The spring season bursts with color and energy, capturing both the beauty of nature and the simple joys of everyday life: waiting for the taxi— wildflowers in the parking lot ease the boredom (12) These haiku engage the senses, transforming the mundane into something vivid and alive. The vibrant imagery breathes life into overlooked moments: morning light— silkworm cocoon baptized with dew (11) Likewise, calm morning— a bird’s twittering sweetens my sleep (11)
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Here, freshness and clarity emerge from ordinary experiences, elevating fleeting moments to something almost sacred. Even the simplest of scenes are imbued with meaning: the little cow bent to bite off the grass its copper bell rings (12) Here, freshness and clarity emerge from ordinary experiences, elevating fleeting moments to something almost sacred. Even the simplest of scenes are imbued with meaning. Meaning in haiku involves a form of communion that comes from the sensory experience of nature and life. There is a transaction through touch, taste, and smell that connects the writer and reader to something larger even though it begins with something simple. Zemmouri’s haiku establishes a profound connection between nature and daily life, allowing readers to experience the quiet yet powerful rhythm of existence. These poems honor the spirit within the seemingly insignificant, revealing beauty in the overlooked. Summer is a season of labor, a time when working the fields ensures survival. Yet, it also brings moments of family reunions, quiet contemplation, and rare opportunities for relaxation. The harvest is a time of abundance and celebration: the family separated by days, meets on harvest day (15) It is a homecoming, a warm embrace of familiar sights and sounds: homecoming— the rustle of eucalyptus trees welcomes me (15) Yet, even in this season of generosity, vigilance remains essential. The reapers must stay watchful, guarding their bounty from unwelcome intruders:
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wheat field— the sounds of cicadas an alarm for harvesters (15) Amidst the toil, there is still space for reflection, for appreciating life’s simple pleasures: summer solitude— I contemplate the fish dance in my aquarium (16) And, at times, summer solitude— filling my crosswords with boredom (16) In the end, the true richness of the season lies not just in the harvest but in the togetherness it fosters—a time of abundance, completeness, and shared freedom. The autumn poems are imbued with loneliness and wistful imagery— “lonely in front of the computer lights,” evoking a sense of growing boredom, fading hope, and a fragile heart (20-21). There is no one to share in the beauty of the landscape or the fullness of the moon: shooting star— the sky is so vast for just one wish (20) The essence of Wabi-Sabi is deeply woven throughout, where sadness and nostalgia coexist with the beauty of the earth and the vastness of the cosmos: the fleeting shooting star, the gentle autumn sun, the moon’s quiet glow, the delicate flight of a dragonfly, and the crimson autumn leaf (Ibid). Yet even in the depths of melancholy, a moment of solace emerges—a “fresh breeze that caresses my face” in the quiet presence of “morning glory” (19). Life continues, and there is beauty with time: autumn sun— the shoemaker repairs a shoe a cat by his side (21)
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Though impermanence defines all things, there is a wonder in the simplicity of the every day, in the unnoticed moments that shape our lives. The final section of this collection, Everyday Life, is a tapestry of emotions and images drawn from daily experiences. The poet finds meaning in small, often overlooked moments: while reading a moth bothers me— computer lights (25) Cats appear frequently throughout this section, becoming quiet witnesses to solitude, hardship, and fleeting beauty: Solitude— The parking keeper plays with a cat (25) neighbor’s doormat— street cat with kittens shows her teeth (25) my aunt’s stroke— the cat plays with a rubber ball (26) These recurring feline figures highlight how even the most ordinary encounters resonate with the poet, offering a sense of companionship amid doubt and pain: my bucket list and the list of my illnesses chronophobia (29) For the poet, writing haiku is more than an act of creative expression—it is a salve for wounds both seen and unseen: cactus flower— each poem I write a dressing of a wound (27)
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Through haiku, the poet not only confronts personal suffering but also connects to something greater, finding meaning in life’s smallest moments. Zemmouri’s collection emphasizes several themes that are representative of haiku poetry. The poet’s personal experiences with illness shape his work, demonstrating how poetry becomes a means of perseverance and emotional healing. His haiku embraces the aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi, finding beauty in fleeting moments, imperfection, and the natural cycle of life. This collection is structured around the four seasons, with each one reflecting different emotional and thematic elements: renewal and longing in winter, vitality and appreciation of the ordinary in Spring, labor and togetherness in summer, and loneliness and nostalgia in autumn. In the last section, in particular, the poet transforms seemingly mundane moments into meaningful reflections, showing how the smallest details, such as a cat’s presence, a moth’s disturbance, or the rustling of trees, carry profound significance. Through vivid imagery of animals, weather, and landscapes, his poems reveal a deep connection between human emotions and the natural world. Many poems evoke a sense of isolation, whether through direct expressions of solitude or imagery such as a lone figure at a computer or a single wish upon a shooting star. It seems evident that for Zemmouri writing poetry serves as both a personal catharsis and a means of making sense of suffering, as seen in the metaphor of poetry being the “dressing of a wound” (Ibid.). These themes interweave throughout this collection, demonstrating that Zemmouri’s work is deeply personal, contemplative, and emotionally resonant.
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Book Review Thurmond, Frank. Remembrance and Other Poems: A Poetry Chapbook. Illustrated by Layet Johnson. Braddock Avenue Books, 2022. ISBN: 979-8-9857256-36. 25 pages, $11.00. Reviewed by C. Clark Triplett
Frank Thurmond is a faculty member at the University of Arkansas— Little Rock, where he teaches literature, composition, and screenwriting. He is the author of several books, including Ring of Five: A Novella and Four Stories, a collection of short fiction, and Before I Sleep: A Memoir of Travel and Reconciliation. His most recent work, Lottie Deno: A Novel of the Civil War and the American Southwest, tells the story of a young girl in pre-Civil War Kentucky who grows into a woman and becomes a notorious gambler. In addition to his literary career, Thurmond is also a musician and filmmaker. He wrote The Dealer’s Tale, an award-winning screenplay.
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Remembrance and Other Poems is a poignant collection exploring themes of death, loss, and the often unbearable sorrow and emptiness that accompany the end of life. Thurmond’s depiction of grief is deeply emotional, and though language sometimes falters in capturing its full weight, he skillfully conveys its elusiveness through vivid metaphors, mythology, and poetic allusions, such as the “Baudelairean flowers of death” (1). Throughout the collection, Thurmond demonstrates a mastery of various poetic forms, including haiku, sonnet, free verse, cinquain, and pantoum. His use of these structures feels organic, seamlessly complementing the mood and setting of each poem. The images and emotions in these poems are both authentic and poignant. The poet reaches into the reader’s heart, viewing with almost clairvoyant eyes the profound grief suffered by those left behind. It is evident that Thurmond is no stranger to death and loss, as he poignantly captures the cruel intrusion of mortality into his own life in the poem “Threnody: To a Little Brother Lost.” The weight of grief is first hinted at in a moment of absence—when there is no response to the victory of his brother’s favorite sports team: “We knew something was wrong" (4). A small celebration gift had been purchased—“a pandemic mask of your team’s mascot” (5)—but the intended gesture of love is tragically interrupted: It was in my pocket when I heard the news, ready to give you that night at your favorite bar for the game. Instead, it would drape your urn beneath six feet of earth, masking a lifetime’s regret for the heedless squandering of a big brother’s love. (5) This stark and heartrending moment lays bare the inescapable pain of loss and the regret of love unspoken. Thurmond’s poem becomes more than an elegy—it is a threnody, a sorrowful song of grief, resonating with the weight of missed opportunities and the permanence of farewell. In the poem “Heart-shaped Urn,” the repeated phrases—“gone with no return,” “heart-shaped urn,” and “[j]ust ashes left” (7)—create a rhythmic, almost throbbing effect, as if the poet is struggling to grasp the
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reality of loss. This repetition mirrors the mind’s tendency to replay painful truths, reinforcing the finality of absence. The last quatrain encapsulates this struggle: Like pages in the books you loved to turn The story’s end is sometimes fraught with sorrow. They said that you’re now gone with no return; Some ashes now to fill this heart-shaped urn. (7) Here, the act of repetition seems to serve as a way of processing grief, turning disbelief into acceptance. Similarly, “Marsh Light” explores loss through the lens of nature, where the changing seasons echo the inevitability of endings while also making space for renewal. The poem evokes a haunting, almost spectral presence of memory: Autumn comes late here. The air feels haunted with memory, while summer lingers as an echo on humid afternoons beneath moss-drooping oaks. In the lilting smell of wisteria and honeysuckle is an anguished song of bereavement; in the sparkling sunlight on water the cloying vision of a beloved face, forever lost. (8) Nature itself reflects both sorrow and continuity. While grief lingers in the “anguished / song of bereavement,” the poem suggests that loss is not the end but part of a greater cycle: “[E]ach cycle ends as it began” (8). Just as life rises “Phoenix-like from decay” (8), nature offers a quiet promise of renewal, carrying a whisper of hope amid sorrow. Thurmond’s haiku are rich with fresh scents, vivid colors, and dynamic energy that ignite the imagination. This blending of sensory experiences evokes a kind of poetic synesthesia: Fir-scented forest: Waterfall cascading down In liquid birdsong. (11)
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The reader simultaneously experiences multiple senses, expanding and reshaping perceptions of nature and reality. These haiku create fleeting yet powerful bursts of emotion, capturing the sacred essence of life: Winter cardinals. Sunlight upon crimson wings; Red flash over snow. (13) Like all good haiku, Thurmond’s words serve as a gateway to something deeper—an emotional connection that transcends language. Through poetic imagery, a bridge is formed between the external world and the innermost self. The poet demonstrates versatility across multiple poetic styles. In “Cinquain: Whitmanesque,” Thurmond skillfully employs the five-line form with a two, four, six, eight, and two-syllable structure. This structure resembles the Japanese tanka, another five-line poem. The poem is deemed “Whitmanesque” because, despite its brevity, it reflects Whitman’s characteristic themes of beauty and transcendence in nature. Whitman often gazed at the sky, stars, and moon, interpreting them as symbols of vastness and unity: Icy Starshine sparkles Upon the pallid earth; I see winter midnight moonlight Shroud-like. (l7) The imagery of “[s]tarshine sparkles” and “winter midnight moonlight” evokes Whitman’s fascination with the cosmos, creating an immersive sensory connection to nature. The “[i]cy” air and the eerie moonlight casting a “[s]hroud-like” glow over the earth align with Whitman’s emotional depth and meditative tone. The final word, “[s]hroud-like,” introduces a subtle reflection on mortality—a central theme in this poetry collection, as well as in Leaves of Grass. This allusion to the cycle of life and death reinforces the spiritual relationship between the soul and the universe. Like Thurmond’s haiku, this short poem captures a grand, universal moment that resonates deeply with Whitman’s poetic spirit. Thurmond experiments with the Malaysian short poetic form, the pantoum, which is characterized by repeating lines and a specific rhyme
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scheme. This form consists of quatrains in which the second and fourth lines of each stanza become the first and third lines of the next: On a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam everyone you love, everyone you know— on it every human being who ever was lived out their lives. Everyone you love and know, everyone you will ever know living out their lives on this speck of dirt in space— everyone you’ll ever know here, enlightened by a sunbeam on a speck of dirt in space— each moment a miracle on the melting clock of time (28) Drawing inspiration from Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot,” in which the astronomer reflects on Earth as a tiny, fragile home to all of humanity, Thurmond expands on this theme, offering his meditation on existence. The poem beautifully conveys the vastness and transience of life, using repetition to emphasize interconnectedness, impermanence, and the aweinspiring smallness of our planet. The imagery of the “melting clock of time”—perhaps a nod to Salvidore Dali’s “Melting Clocks”—adds a surreal, almost dreamlike quality, further underscoring life’s fleeting nature. This pantoum serves as a poignant backdrop to Thurmond’s earlier poems on mortality and loss, as he seeks to place personal grief within the boundless context of the cosmos—“enlightened with a sunbeam, / bounded in a nutshell of infinite space” (28). Overall, Remembrance and Other Poems is a deeply moving and technically sophisticated work that navigates grief, memory, and the fragility of existence through both personal and cosmic lenses. The collection deeply explores the emotions surrounding death, sorrow, and the void left by those who have passed. Poems such as “Threnody: To a Little Brother Lost” and “Heart-shaped Urn” illustrate personal and universal experiences of mourning, regret, and the struggle to accept loss. The title itself suggests a focus on remembrance, and the poems focus on the way memory shapes grief and how individuals process loss through recalling the
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past. The use of repetition in “Heart-shaped Urn” mirrors the way the mind revisits painful truths, reinforcing the theme of memory’s persistence. Several of the poems, including “Marsh Light,” use nature as a metaphor for life’s transience and renewal. The imagery of changing seasons, spectral landscapes, and elements like light and water reinforce the inevitability of endings while also hinting at continuity and rebirth. This collection of poems is addressed to serious readers who seek to delve deep, contemplate humanity’s place in the universe, and reflect on the urgency of living fully within life’s fleeting nature. Though human existence may be a “mote of dust,” love remains a profound force that gives life its deepest meaning. Thurmond’s verse is challenging and deeply emotional, exploring themes of loss with sincerity while offering hope through nature’s ever-changing seasons. He captures the beauty of cascading waterfalls, the glow of “sunlight on crimson wings,” and the quiet majesty of a snowcovered landscape—reminders that renewal and wonder are woven into the fabric of everyday life.
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Book Review Zheng, John, editor. Conversations with Leonard D. Moore. University Press of Mississippi, 2024. ISBN: 9781496853950 (paperback). 196 pages, $25.00. Reviewed by C. Clark Triplett
Conversations with Lenard D. Moore is a chronologically arranged series of interviews that “focus on his work in the Japanese genre, which has been an inseparable part of his creative life” (xiii). Compiled and edited by John Zheng, a professor of English at Mississippi Valley State University, the book features sixteen interviews conducted by poets and scholars. Zheng, who has edited works on African American and Asian American poets, also serves as the editor of the Journal of Ethnic American Literature and Valley Voices: A Literary Review. This volume is part of the Literary Conversation Series published by the University of Mississippi Press. Lenard D. Moore is a prolific poet with eight published collections. While he writes in various styles, he is best known for his mastery of Japanese poetic forms, including haiku, tanka, haibun, and renga. He made
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history as the first African American poet elected president of the Haiku Society of America and currently serves as Executive Chairman of the North Carolina Haiku Society and Director of the African American Writers Group. Moore’s haiku stands out for its fusion of traditional Japanese structure with themes from African American heritage. His innovative approaches have led to the creation of new haiku-inspired forms, such as jazzku, bluesku, and gospelku. Several recurring themes in Moore’s poetry emerge across various interviews: the development of new haiku forms and the use of haiku’s concise language in other poetic forms, the musicality of his work, and the use of various poetic forms, including Japanese, to articulate his African American experience. These are interrelated themes that express his cultural background, life experiences, and inner life: “Writing is like a beating heart, a vital organ that keeps history and heritage alive...In addition, I write to learn, to stay in touch with my inner self, to make sense of the past, present and future, to inform and entertain, and to celebrate our existence” (9). Moore’s engagement with haiku and other forms of Japanese poetry is deeply personal; for him, it is more than just adopting a particular poetic form—it is “a way of life which is a part of me just as I have become a part of it” (5). Acknowledging that he cannot write traditional “Japanese-style” haiku with complete authenticity, Moore instead infuses his work with his own cultural and literary background, creating something distinct. In the early stages of his writing, he adhered to the conventional five-seven-five syllabic structure, yet even then, his use of language and sound stood out, shaping “an auditory effect” (ix) unique to his poetry. As John Zheng observes, “Although the traditional three-line pattern of seventeen syllables has been helpful in his early haiku practice, Moore also seeks patterns with fewer syllable counts in each line, a trend in contemporary haiku writing to use less to convey more and to reveal true terseness essential to Japanese haiku” (ix). He becomes much more innovative later as he develops his own unique style of haiku. Moore believes that writing haiku has refined his ability to be concise, a skill that extends into his more traditional Western poetic forms, sharpening his language in longer works. Haiku, with its emphasis on vivid imagery and contrast, enables him to distill life experiences into their most concrete and evocative expressions. He emphasizes the importance of capturing the essence of a moment—those fleeting events that define an experience at its core.
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Beyond haiku, Moore also explores tanka, a five-line Japanese form that allows him to “stretch the haiku moment or expand what might have been a haiku for me” (5). He finds tanka to be more lyrical, offering a space to explore relationships in greater depth (ibid). In his collection of tanka, Long Rain, he hopes to preserve certain traditions: “I think my tanka embodies a sense of place and captures my hometown” (163). Additionally, renga, a collaborative linked-verse form, provides him with the opportunity to engage in creative exchange with other poets, embracing the spontaneity and interpretive interplay that arise through collaboration. Ultimately, Moore appreciates the economy of language in Japanese poetic forms, believing that their conciseness invites deeper reader participation in the interpretive process. As a whole, the interviews in Conversation consider Moore’s distinctive poetic style, particularly his vibrant rhythms and unique presentations, which resemble an entertaining musical performance: No, I do not play an instrument, but I consider my voice an instrument. I have performed my poetry with jazz musicians and bands across the U.S. and Canada. I try to capture the feel of the music—how it moves me, how it lifts me. (78) Moore’s dynamic performances stem not only from his deep connection to music but also from the cadence of his maternal grandfather’s storytelling and the rhythmic sermons of preachers at Sunday services (78). His poetry is a rich reflection of his heritage and the Black experience. Several interviews highlight the significance of music in Moore’s poetry. When asked about his connection to gospel music, Moore explains, “The rhythms of the songs and their meanings are important to me. I get recharged from listening to my favorite gospel songs. For me, it is like taking my battery to get recharged so that I can run longer and stronger like my car” (154). Similarly, he acknowledges the influence of jazz on his poetry: “It is the feel of jazz and the improvisation that has led me to write jazz poetry” (142). Jazz’s history and rhythms are deeply embedded in his work, shaping his poetic voice. He elaborates on this connection: I think breaths, rhythm, and feeling enable me to transcribe my voice into lines when I write a jazz poem. The freedom of improvisation also enables me to transcribe my voice into lines when I write jazz poetry. (143)
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Moore has developed innovative approaches to haiku, drawing from musical traditions to create jazzku, bluesku, and gospelku—forms that reflect his African American heritage. His deep knowledge of musicians and their work across these genres is encyclopedic. He integrates literary techniques such as alliteration, assonance, repetition, onomatopoeia, rhythm, enjambment, and variation to infuse his poetry with musicality (144). John Zheng examines Moore’s poem “Swinging Cool” in his Geography of Jazz as a prime example of how he translates jazz’s rhythm and energy into poetry: The bassist hugs The bass, plunks it. Ting boom, ting boom— the drummer beats and booms. Saxophonist weaves notes, oscillates, blows and pianist finger-dances on the keys: "Swinging at the Haven." Musicians spark the sheet music stands and angled microphones. Blue backdrop. Modulating that tempo, they work the tune. Drumsticks knocking time, piano plucking our ears. Bassman still hugging the bass, straight sets— walls thrumming— steady as the spring moon exciting the indigo sky. (144) This poem exemplifies Moore’s signature style, immersing the reader in a live jazz performance. While effective on the page, it seems to demand an oral presentation to fully capture its musicality. Moore views blues, gospel, and jazz as means of weaving the musician or poet’s personal sound into their work:
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I think what excites me about capturing the mood or language of my music in poetry is that such focus enables me to hopefully create my own distinct voice in my poetry, my own distinct rhythm. (84) While his poetry reflects his individual voice, it also carries a strong sense of place and community. His work embodies a collective chorus of the African American experience, often bringing jazz and blues figures to life as storytellers of Black history and musical traditions. Through his poetry, Moore invites the reader to share this deeply rooted cultural expression. A major theme in these interviews is the use of poetry—both Japanese and Western forms—to express the African American experience and culture. As previously mentioned, Moore was the first African American elected President of the American Haiku Society and founded the Carolina African American Writers’ Collective. Reflecting on this, he stated, “I knew that African American writers needed a forum to discuss works in progress and stay abreast of the literary market” (22-23). Although Moore writes in over thirty poetic forms, he asserts that “… haiku is the dominant form for writing” (131). He believes Japanese poetry fosters cross-cultural communication: Yes, I think the Japanese literary tradition opens a window to visualization, empathy, and a connection to the natural world. In other words, I feel that the Japanese literary tradition enables the reader to draw parallels with the past and present, connecting the future to the richness of experience and a sense of place. (165) Like a photograph, haiku captures a moment in history, making it a powerful vehicle for the African American aesthetic. Moore’s unique haiku variations—bluesku and jazzku—are “uniquely Black in their allusions and music” (16). This poetic language conveys more than it states, evoking deep reflection in the reader. Rooted in the African American experience, his work bends the traditional rules of haiku: “I am always bending the rules of haiku poetry to make them my own, to capture the pulse of the African American community” (16). This, he believes, is part of a new Black Renaissance in literature. Moore’s African American experience is deeply infused with spirituality, a dimension that resonates throughout his poetry. This is evident in his incorporation of gospel rhythms, tones, and emotional depth.
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Gospel songs of hope and love have long played a vital role in the African American community, offering healing and strength in the face of adversity. Many of these songs emerge from collective struggles, and for Moore, spirituality is an essential part of his creative process: I feel my poetry embodies spirituality. It intertwines with my creativity. I hope spirituality is part of my being. I also hope gratitude, love, and grace emerge from my poetry. (153) Beyond gospel influences, Moore also finds spiritual depth in jazz and blues, particularly in their capacity for improvisation and freedom of expression: “I feel that the divine certainly streams through all those arts and entities and enables me to express more freely and artistically” (156). Through these forms of expression, Moore articulates the richness of African American history, literature, and culture, blending tradition with personal and artistic spirituality. Conversations with Lenard D. Moore offers an in-depth and illuminating exploration of a poet whose work bridges cultural traditions while forging new creative paths. Through these interviews, Moore’s mastery of haiku and other Japanese poetic forms emerges as a deeply personal and innovative practice, blending African American heritage, musicality, and spirituality. His ability to adapt and transform traditional structures, particularly through jazzku, bluesku, and gospelku, underscores his role as both a literary innovator and cultural historian. John Zheng’s carefully curated collection provides valuable insight into Moore’s artistic evolution, reinforcing his significance within contemporary poetry. This volume is essential reading for those interested in the intersections of poetry, music, and cultural identity, as well as for anyone seeking a deeper appreciation of how tradition and innovation can harmoniously coexist in the hands of a master poet. Several of the interviews focus explicitly on the importance of music in Moore’s poetry. When asked about how often he listened to gospel music, Moore says: The rhythms of the songs and their meanings are important to me. I get recharged from listening to my favorite gospel songs. For me, it is like taking my battery to get recharged so that I can run longer and stronger like my car. (154)
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He has similar views about the influence of Jazz on his poetry: “It is the feel of jazz and the improvisation that has led me to write jazz poetry” (142). The history and rhythms of jazz are incorporated into his poetry so that this musical voice is transcribed into the lines of poetry: I think breaths, rhythm, and feeling enable me to transcribe my voice into lines when I write a jazz poem. The freedom of improvisation also enable me to transcribe my voice into lines when I write jazz poetry. (143) As indicated earlier, Moore has developed new approaches to haiku based on different approaches to haiku: jazzku, bluesku, and gospelku which reflect his African American heritage. His familiarity with musicians and their works in these various forms is encyclopedic. His employment of literary forms in his poetry to heighten the flavor of music using “alliteration, assonance, repetition, onomatopoeia, rhythm, enjambment, end-stopped lines, and variation” (144). John Zheng looks at his poem “Swinging Cool” in The Geography of Jazz as a good example of the use of these techniques to deliver the musical voice and rhythm of jazz: The bassist hugs The bass, plunks it. Ting boom, ting boom— the drummer beats and booms. Saxaphonist weaves notes, oscillates, blows and pianist finger-dances on the keys: “Swinging at the Haven.” Musicians spark the sheet music stands and angled microphones. Blue backdrop. Modulating that tempo, they work the tune. Drumsticks knocking time, piano plucking our ears. Bassman still hugging the base, straight sets— walls thrumming— steady as the spring moon
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exciting the indigo sky. (144) This is a classic example of Moore’s unique style. The reader simply reads it on the page and is transported into the center of a jazz performance. However, this poem, in particular, seems to demand an oral presentation to get a sense of its musicality. Moore believes that musical genres such as blues, gospel, and jazz are a way of weaving the musician or poet’s own sound into their writing experience: “I think what excites me about capturing the mood or language of my music in poetry is that such focus enables me to hopefully create my own distinct voice in my poetry, my own distinct rhythm” (84). Even though his poetry is an expression of his own voice, his individual experience carries with it a sense of place and represents a collection of voices from a particular, a choir or chorus of the south or the AfricanAmerican experience. These voices appear sometimes as jazz or blues characters or figures that tell a deep story of the black experience or the history of music that the reader is able to share or participate in.
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Book Review Padhy, Pravat Kumar. I Am a Woman. The Magic Pen Press, 2023. ISBN: 978-1-8380312-8-2, 58 pages, £3.57. By John Zheng
The title of I Am a Woman sounds emphatic in confirming women’s pride, love, misery, and creation. It echoes Walt Whitman’s proclamation of “I am a man” in “The Song of Myself.” A tribute to all women, Padhy’s collection reflects the idea of Hindu philosophy that the woman represents evolution and creation. She is, as claimed in Padhy’s preface, a symbol of “the earth, and adored as a motherly figure as Venus figurine in the Stone Age, the Virgin Mary, Rhea to the Greeks, Cybele to the Romans and embodiment of supremacy as depicted in the forms of shakti or power (Durga), knowledge and wisdom (Saraswati), fortune and prosperity (Lakshmi) in the Indian culture and tradition.” I Am a Woman is a long sequence of tanka that portrays the life of a female figure from birth to womanhood. Each tanka presents a view of a moment, and when pieced together in a sequence, they look like a family photo album. The first view starts with the birth of a baby girl:
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full moon day fondly they name her Chandani blossoms of blissfulness swing all around raining happiness in their life The first two lines point to the time of a full moon night when the baby is born, that is why her parents name her Chandani, moonlight in Hindi. The next three lines are composed of two clauses. The independent clause presents parental happiness (“blossoms of blissfulness”) swinging around, and the dependent clause heightens happiness brought to them through the birth of the baby girl. The image of the full moon also suggests the perfection of happiness though the word “happiness” seems unnecessary in the last line. Some poems are about the upbringing of the girl loved so dearly by her parents who work hard to make enough money to give her a better life, as read in this one: they toil hard for earning an extra to brighten her life they wish to witness smiles on her face This tanka proves what Padhy says in the preface about women and men working together for the existence of life manifested in Hindu philosophy. Their devotion or sacrifice through hard work is worthy of a smile on the child’s face. The parental love is tangible view after view, and this following tanka realizes the importance of learning in the girl’s coming of age with the mother figure as a guide: she learns to read the twists in the alphabet of body gently mummy guides her to understand the newness and the meanings of life The next view shows that the parents who see the girl boarding the school bus imagine her as a young bird flying away:
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they wait as she boards the school bus eagerly watch murmuring at each other till the bird goes out of their sight This next view presents a happy moment in the parent-child relationship when the mother and girl enjoy playtime: they enjoy playing snakes and ladder mummy narrates stories of Rani of Jhansi sleeping on the floor on a summer night Reading the stories titled Rani of Jhansi is more than spending nighttime with the child. It is an early education for the girl’s spiritual and cultural development because Rani of Jhansi was the heroic queen and a symbol of courage and patriotism in nineteenth-century India. I Am a Woman records each moment of the girl’s coming of age and the parental love, as shown in these lines: “at every step / they encourage her / until she grows up.” When the girl becomes a woman, she remembers the thick tears of her parents she steps out with blessings with her umbilical cord still intact for an extended home with someone else and she recalls jumping with joy hand in hand with her mummy clasping to catch the sky
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but as a woman who establishes a new family with a man, she seems to lose the love received from her parents and instead faces an agonizing situation of torture from her man, as witnessed in the next two tanka: dark patches of scars over her body she screams aloud as if the moon lost its shine hiding behind the dense cloud he compels her to breathe in silence with all limitations like a prisoner of war bowing head to surrender In the first tanka, the moon image appears again, but the irony is that the woman, named Chandani (moonlight), has lost her shine. Images of dark scars and loud screaming show her life in a house “like a prisoner of war.” The second tanka presents her misery as a wife and a suffering woman who is tolerant through silent breathing and obedient to maltreatment. But, in other views, the woman “holds hope of her breath” while walking “in the winter breeze / recalling mummy’s storytelling.” She struggles hard as a mother and desires to revise the life’s journey of her daughter because “she reckons with a crescent smile / ‘I am a Woman’ to prove again.” Padhy dedicates I Am a Woman to “all women who symbolize beauty, love, kindness, compassion, well-being, harmony, and creation” and undergo physical and psychological sufferings. His passion for writing this long tanka sequence to tell the folklore of a female figure from birth to womanhood shows his reverence for all women, for which he is laudable.
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Book Review Choi, Rip. Selected Poems of Choi Rip. Translated by Woo-Jeong Kim and Young B. Choi. Independently published, 2024. ASIN: B0DM69773S. ISBN-13: 9798345529577. 188 pages. Paperback: $19.99, Kindle: $9.99. By John J. Han
Selected Poems of Choi Rip is a collection of lyrical Chinese poems by Choi Rip (최립 in Korean, 崔岦 in Chinese, 1539–1612), a poet from the middle period of the Joseon Dynasty. Though not a household name in Korea, as his poems are not included in textbooks, Choi was a prominent courtier-scholar and diplomat, particularly during the reign of King Seonjo (r. 1567–1608), when Korea faced Japanese invasions and sought to strengthen ties with China. Recognized as one of the eight finest writers of King Seonjo’s era, he was also friends with Heo Joon (1539-1615), the pioneering physician who authored Donguibogam (“The Treasury of Korean Medicine”), and the legendary calligrapher Han Seok-bong (15431605).
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As a writer, Choi found the prevailing literary style—still influenced by China’s Tang and Song dynasties—stale and uninspired. He sought “uniqueness, complexity, and beauty” (4) in his work, a stylistic departure that led some contemporaries to criticize his writing as overly difficult. Nevertheless, his literary reputation extended beyond the Korean court to China, where his diplomatic documents were admired for their elegance and sophistication. In addition to his prose, he was highly regarded for his expertly crafted poetry. Heo Gyun (1569–1618), a prominent novelist and poet of Choi’s time, even remarked that Choi’s poetry surpassed his prose in ingenuity. Selected Poems of Choi Rip came to light through the collaborative efforts of two scholars—one in Korea and the other in the United States. Dr. Woo-Jeong Kim, a professor of Classical Chinese Education at Dankook University, specializes in Chinese prose from both China and Korea. Dr. Young B. Choi, a professor of Engineering and Computer Science at Regent University, is also a creative writer and translator. In his preface, Professor Kim states, “In the days of light and shallow sentences, I wish the readers of America can feel the breath of [a] truthful artist who wrote each character and phrase with his deep and fine heart by reading these trilingual selected poems collection of one of [the] finest poets of Korea, Choi Rip” (9). Professor Choi, for his part, sees it as his duty to make his erudite ancestor’s work accessible to modern readers: “Now, as we approach the 500th anniversary of Choi Rip’s birth in the year 2039, I feel it is worthwhile for me as his descendant to translate his unknown works into English and share them with people all over the world. It is both a duty and a source of pride for me to do so” (11). Together, the two scholars present a fascinating portrait of a poetic mind shaped by one of the most turbulent periods of the Joseon Dynasty. The volume includes poems on familiar themes found in Chineselanguage poetry from Korea, one of the most common being the beauty and solace of the natural world. Scholar-courtiers, often entangled in political power struggles, frequently faced banishment to remote areas. While lamenting the slander and baseless accusations of their rivals, they came to recognize the futility of worldly fame and found nature to be their most steadfast companion. Some of Choi Rip’s poems reflect this sentiment. The following lines come from one of his final nature poems: (Chinese) 驢在長松陰 坐憐楓樹林
(Korean) 낙락장송 그늘 아래 나귀 한마리 앉아서 빠져드는 단풍나무 숲경치
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秋風儘歸興 誰占壑雲深
갈바람에 모두들 돌아가기 바쁜터에 구름 깊은 이 골을 누가 거들떠나 보리. (166)
Beneath the old pine tree, a lone donkey grazes I sit and admire the beauty of the maple forest’s autumn blaze While everyone hurries back amid the fall wind’s chill Who else can see this deep, cloudy valley’s stillness and thrill? (168) In this wuyan jueju (五言絕句, five-character jueju), the poet captures the serene beauty of a mountain in autumn, contrasting it with the hurried restlessness of those oblivious to the season’s changes. Having witnessed both the glory and fleeting nature of high positions in society, he may have developed a keener perception of beauty, appreciating the quiet splendor that others overlook. As someone who experienced the rise and fall of a nation, Choi often wrote poems about the comfort of death. Observing mountain tombs inspired him to pen the following lines: (Chinese) 古城東北塚纍纍 臥閱當年國祚移 多疊如今應暫定 客心猶羨子無知
(Korean) 옛날 성곽 동북쪽에 늘어선 무덤들 나라가 망해가는 걸 누워서들 보았겠지 다사다난한 인생 접고 이제 잠시 쉬는 몸들 이 나그네는 지각없는 그대들이 외려 부럽구나. (118)
In the northeastern part of the old castle lies a row of tombs, Perhaps those who rest there watched the country’s collapse from their rooms. Their bodies now at peace after turbulent lives, As a traveler, I envy them for not recognizing any strife. (118) This qiyan jueju (七言絕句, seven-character jueju) expresses the traditional Eastern idea that life is a sea of suffering and death brings untroubled rest. By comparing himself, a weary traveler, to the deceased, the poet underscores the weight of human struggles and the quiet finality of the grave. Some of the poems in Selected Poems of Choi Rip reflect his deep love for family and friends. In one poignant poem, he mourns his infant daughter, whose life was cut tragically short and buried in a foreign town. A girl of “adorable figure,” she would murmur while flipping through book
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pages without his guidance (96). He writes that he “weeps for her every night,” and in his dreams, she often returns, “looking the same as before, never to frown” (96). These lines capture the unending sorrow of a grieving parent and the bittersweet comfort of memory. In another poem, Choi cherishes the memory of his mother, who passed away thirty years earlier. Titled “On My Late Mother’s Birthday,” the poem expresses his deep regret that his filial devotion falls short, even compared with that of an animal: (Chinese) 雖是慈親初度日 卽今羈旅未伸恩 那堪心愧獺魚報 更耐耳聞烏鳥喧 線出手中三尺幼 麻宣身後卅年尊 母儀婦德徒能記 方奈治碑世故翻 (105-06)
(Korean) 오늘이 바로 어머님이 태어나신 날이건만 나그네 신세라서 제대로 모시지도 못 하누나 수달도 제사 지내는데 이 부끄러움 어떡할까 까마귀 우짖는 소리 차마 듣기 어려워라 삼척동자 시절에는 당신이 손수 지은 옷입었는데 돌아가신 지 삼십년이 지나서야 선마의 신분일세 현모양처의 그 덕성을 머릿속에만 기억할 뿐 세상난리 만난 탓에 빗돌도 세우지 못하다니.
Even though today is my late mother’s birthday, I cannot hold a memorial service since I am a wanderer. It is shameful to think that even an otter observes memorials, While I cannot even hear the sound of a crow’s cries. I wear a garment my mother sewed for me when I was a child, And now, thirty years after her passing, I am a high-ranking official. Only memories remain of her as a wise mother and devoted wife, But I regret not being able to set up a proper tombstone due to war. (107) Here, the memory of his mother’s love for him is vividly contrasted with his own feelings of inadequacy as a filial son. Though external circumstances— the war that has ravaged the country—prevent him from properly honoring her with a tombstone, he still holds himself accountable for what he sees as a personal failing. Many premodern Chinese poems in Korea capture the joy of meeting a literary friend and the sorrow of parting ways. Choi’s poem written upon bidding farewell to Han Seok-bong exemplifies this theme.
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(Chinese) 匹馬凌兢雪上行 相隨落月背荒城 猶勝老子送君後 剪盡孤燈窓未明 (119)
(Korean) 한필의 말로 눈내린 길 조심조심 밟고 가며 지는 달빛 벗 삼아 황성을 등지려 하는 그대 그래도 그대 보낸 뒤의 이 노인보단 낫군 그래 동창이 밝아올 때까지 등불 심지만 돋울 테니.
Riding a horse and stepping forward on the snow cautiously Oh, you are leaving a desolate castle under fading moon. At least you are better than this old man sending you off Because this old man will only raise a wick of lantern until the dawn comes. (119-20) Here, the poet conveys both his sorrow and his quiet envy for his friend, who is moving on while he remains behind. The image in line 2 enhances the feeling of loneliness, while the final line suggests the poet’s sleepless grief, keeping his solitary lamp burning through the night. This farewell poem reflects the deep emotional bond between scholars and the melancholy that comes with parting, a theme common in traditional East Asian poetry. Some poems in Selected Poems of Choi Rip highlight Choi’s unwavering loyalty to the king, a fundamental virtue in Confucian philosophy. In several poems referring to the king who punished him for various reasons, the poet does not openly challenge royal authority—an act that, in a society where the king held absolute power, could have led to execution. Instead, he mourns his misfortune and expresses hope that time will bring vindication. His poem “Travelling toward West” is a poignant example. (Chinese) 君恩初出獄 世難正無家 忽忽將何適 悠悠亦已賖 懸鞍疎店雨 岸幘亂溪花 未必無佳句
(Korean) 임금의 은혜로 감옥을 막 벗어나긴 하였다만 세상이 어지러운지라 돌아갈 집도 정말 없어 무턱대고 떠나온 길 장차 어디로 가야 할지 아득하여라 걸어온 길 또한 벌써 멀고 머네 안장을 벗기니 객점 위에 빗방울이 듬성듬성 두건을 치키니 시냇물에 어지러운 꽃이파리 이쯤 되면 좋은 시구 떠오를 법도 하건마는
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吟成恨卽和 (133-34)
한 수를 읊조리니 한숨이 곧바로 화답하네.
Although I was just released from prison by the king’s grace, I have no home to return to, as the country is in turmoil. I don’t know where to go from here on, The road I traversed is already far away. Taking off my saddle, raindrops fall intermittently on a pub. Pulling up my hood, flower petals flow across the stream. It’s the perfect time for a great poem to come to mind, But as soon as I try to recite one, I sigh in response. In this work, the poet never blames the king, instead appreciating the “grace” bestowed on him. His grief is conveyed through quiet, melancholic imagery, suggesting a deep sense of displacement and uncertainty. Even as he longs for poetic inspiration, his emotions overpower him, and his sighs replace his verses. As expected, the collection also features numerous drinking poems. In these verses, Choi Rip embraces the rich Asian literary tradition of finding solace and joy in rice wine, as exemplified by Chinese poets such as Li Bai (701–762), Du Fu (712–770), Tao Yuanming (365–427), and Bai Juyi (772–846). Whether drinking alone or sharing cups with friends, Choi’s poems capture the emotional depth and philosophical reflections often associated with classical drinking verses. Indeed, drinking has always been equated with poetry writing in Eastern culture. Even in Korea today, many poetry gatherings are followed by communal drinking, often leaving teetotalers feeling out of place. Overall, Selected Poems of Choi Rip is well worth reading. Englishspeaking readers will find it both culturally illuminating and personally relatable, as its themes—nature, life and death, family, friendship, and the search for meaning—transcend cultural and historical boundaries. The poems also offer insight into the prevailing attitudes toward China during that era, reflecting an unqualified admiration for China as the cultural and intellectual center of Northeast Asia for millennia. Choi’s frequent allusions to Chinese poets and historical figures underscore Joseon-dynasty Korea’s status as a political and cultural satellite of China, highlighting the deep influence of Chinese literary traditions on Korean scholarship and poetry.
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Book Review Kolin, Philip C. White Terror Black Trauma: Resistance Poems about Black History. Third World Press, 2023. ISBN: 9780883784273. 74 pages, $19.95. Reviewed by John J. Han
White Terror Black Trauma is a powerful exploration of U.S. Black history conveyed through verse. Authored by a distinguished professor emeritus of English and editor emeritus of The Southern Quarterly in Mississippi, this collection chronicles various forms of “white terror” inflicted upon Black Americans from colonial times to the twenty-first century. The poems present moving pictures or tableaux about the horrors of racial violence while also underscoring the resilience of Black Americans in the face of oppression. Featuring over sixty short narrative poems, the book highlights pivotal moments in U.S. history, beginning with “1619,” which addresses the first arrival of African slaves in Jamestown, Virginia, and concluding with “What Did I Do,” which tells the story of Tyre Nichols, a Memphis man who died at the hands of police in 2023.
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The collection covers a wide range of racial injustices, including slavery, the transportation of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic, the Black Codes, lynchings, massacres, bombings, arson, Jim Crow laws, the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, school segregation, and the Ferguson unrest. Kolin also pays tribute to notable Black victims, as well as those who fought against it or supported their fellow Blacks in times of crisis, including Denmark Vesey, Harriet Tubman, Henriette DeLille, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, James Meredith, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Fred Hampton, and Trayvon Martin. Readers will find themselves informed, challenged, and even shocked by these exquisitely crafted poems. Because they recount historical events and figures, the verses remain accessible and engaging, avoiding the abstract or esoteric qualities of some modern or postmodern poetry. This collection will also motivate readers to explore the subjects of each poem more deeply. Though resistance poetry differs from activist poetry, which calls for direct action, this book conveys an urgent message: the need to address and rectify persistent racial injustices in America. The poems are written from a sympathetic perspective toward the struggles and suffering of Black people. Some may find the title uncomfortable, as it could be seen as generalizing whites as oppressors and Blacks as victims. This may not have been the author’s intention; he surely would acknowledge that many whites, such as John Brown, William Lloyd Garrison, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Stanley David Levison, actively fought for Black civil rights. In summary, White Terror Black Trauma offers an excellent overview of Black history in the United States, capturing various forms of racial injustice through the powerful medium of verse.
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Book Review Zheng, Jianqing (poet), and Leo Touchet (photographer). Still Motion: Poems and Photographs. Photo Circle Press, 2024. ISBN: 978-1-7324433-9-6.,64 pages. By Vikas Kadam
Still Motion: Poems and Photographs is a duet collection of Leo Touchet’s dune photography paired with Jianqing Zheng’s ekphrastic, vivid, and synesthetic poetry that illustrates, reinterprets, and reimagines the artistic vision of Touchet’s photography. This duo presents the viewers and readers with an artistic treat that transcends sensory limitations and enables them to immerse into the visual universe of tranquil dune landscapes of California and vibrant shades of Jazz Fest in New Orleans, Louisiana. Zheng primarily selects two kinds of photographs from Touchet’s vast collection: dune landscapes from California and Texas and snapshots of Jazz Fest in New Orleans, Louisiana. The first eight poems in this duet accompany the scenic and agile landscape shots of the dunes in Death Valley National Park, California. These dunes symbolize vastness and solitude that is untouched by human influence. Touchet captures the artistic patterns of sand structures with delicate detailing, which appear to be carefully pained. His dune photographs masterfully capture the majesty of the deserts through smooth-rolling forms of sand sculptures formed by
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natural forces over time. His photographs play elegantly with light and shadow, creating a natural geometry resembling abstract paintings. Zheng employs diverse poetic forms, including haiku (a three-line Japanese poem), haibun (a prose poem accompanied by a haiku), tanka (a five-line Japanese poem), tanka prose (a prose poem accompanied by a tanka), free-verse lyric poetry, and shape poetry (poems visually shaped to reflect their essence). Zheng uses nature images set in motion to take his readers into the artistic views of nature that Touchet wishes to show through his photography. And then, he brings them back to reality, juxtaposing the serenity and wildness of nature against the deeper truths about human lives. In the poem “Ripple Effect,” which accompanies a 1996 photograph of Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, California (20), Zheng takes readers through the gentle, spontaneous movements of “blowing sand” merging into “lake ripples” that stretch endlessly into the vast lake. Wind blows sand to bounce into a natural painting of lake ripples pushing on and on into more ripples stretching out of sight. seeing two swans’ lake ballet we start to pace arm in arm (21) The first half of the poem, written in the free-verse lyric form, gracefully meditates on the tension between the aesthetic beauty of nature and people's lived experiences. The opening prose section presents the aesthetic, beautified, and organic painting of nature not made by humans but by the elemental forces of wind, sun, water, and gravity. The following stanza romanticizes nature imagery through a tenderly romantic moment when a couple starts feeling intimate towards each other, inspired by the sight of two swans performing a “lake ballet.” This view charming the eye may not charm the mind in real life. When inflation causes low employment and high prices of food and services, its ripple effect casts a collective shadow out of sight.
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pillow talk about delayed retirement delays sleep (21) However, Zheng brings us back to reality in the second half of the poem, which contains prose and haiku, where we come face to face with the real world that is full of uncertainty and ripples of many problems such as inflation, unemployment, high prices of food and services, delayed retirement and lack of sleep. Here, the poet juxtaposes the serene and aesthetic ripples of sandy lake water against the uncertain ripples of economic worry in human lives. This duet collection also gives the readers a taste of Zheng’s profound artistic sense of photography as an art. In his ekphrastic poetry, he preserves the visual properties of the marvelous dune sights through his striking imagery and the visual shapes of the poems, which are arranged and printed on the page, resembling the essence of the accompanying photographs. Zheng calls them shape poems that use the visual form that is symbolic of the accompanying photograph’s artistic spirit. For example, the poem “Sandscape” is shaped as waves of breathtaking dune patterns formed by the amalgamation of agile shapes of sand, light, and shadows. Another two poems that imbibe the visual shape of Touchet’s photographs are “Celebration,” which reflects the shape of umbrellas people hold as they dance in the second line of a Jazz Funeral, and “Jazz Pop,” an appealing shape poem arranged in the form of a Coke bottle that is a mark of people’s celebration during the Jazz Fest in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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Photo Essay Spring Dawn: Poetic Sites in Seoul, Korea John J. Han Korea has a long history of literary art, beginning with Yeo-ok’s Chinese poem “The Wife’s Lament.” This undated four-line verse, from the earliest Gojoseon Dynasty (“Ancient Joseon,” 2333 BC-108 BC), portrays a female poet mourning the drowning of her husband, who disregards her warning about the dangers of the river: (Chinese) 公無渡河歌
(Korean) 공무도하가
公無渡河 公竟渡河 墮河而死 當奈公何
공무도하 공경도하 타하이사 당내공하
(English) The Wife’s Lament Dear, don’t cross the river No, you’re crossing it now Alas, he has drowned What should I do? (John J. Han, translator. The Wind-Soaked Bamboo: Chinese Poems from Premodern Korea. Cyberwit, 2022, p. 19) The next oldest known Korean poet was King Yuri (?-18 AD), the second ruler of Goguryeo (37 BC-668 AD). In 17 BC, he composed “The Song of Golden Orioles,” a poem still widely studied in Korean schools alongside “The Wife’s Lament.” After the death of his wife, Lady Song, the king acquired two concubines: Hwa-hee, a Korean, and Chi-hee, a Han Chinese. Tensions between the two women escalated into a fight, and after being insulted by Hwa-hee, Chi-hee left for China. King Yuri pursued her but eventually allowed her to return to her homeland. While reflecting on
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the situation beneath a tree, he composed the following poem after observing a pair of golden orioles, whose love he envied: (Chinese) 黃鳥歌
(Korean) 황조가
翩翩黃鳥 雌雄相依 念我之獨 誰其與歸
편편황조 자웅상의 염아지독 수기여귀
(English) The Song of Golden Orioles Fluttering orioles— male and female, frolicking, deepening my loneliness. Alas, with whom should I return home?
“The Song of Golden Orioles” in Chinese calligraphy, by John J. Han, April 4, 2022 (John J. Han, translator. The Wind-Soaked Bamboo: Chinese Poems from Premodern Korea. Cyberwit, 2022, pp. 21-22) Although these poems may seem simple, traditional East Asian poetry— particularly from ancient and medieval periods—tends to embrace brevity, lucidity, and deep emotional resonance. Since ancient times, many Koreans have composed poetry, with much of premodern poetry written in classical Chinese. However, during the
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Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), Korean became increasingly common, and today, Korean is exclusively used for poetry. Like their Chinese and Japanese counterparts, Koreans also cherish and preserve their literary heritage, often setting up monuments to well-known writers in places connected to their lives. Local governments support these efforts to showcase their rich cultural heritage and to attract literary tourists. As a native of Korea, I visit my home country at least once a year, typically in the summer. During each visit, I spend one or two days touring various literary sites. This photo essay aims to share some monuments connected with premodern Korean poets with Fireflies’ Lights readers. Some photos were taken during intentional tours, while others were captured serendipitously, as I often stumble upon literary landmarks by chance, which brings me great delight. In this issue, we will explore some of these landmarks in central Seoul. The Korean and English translations of Chinese poems, as well as the English translations of Korean poems, are by the author.
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The site where Kang Hee-maeng’s house stood
Kang Hee-maeng (1424-83) was a scholar, courtier, writer, poet, painter, and agricultural expert during the early part of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty. On December 26, 2024, I strolled around Seoul Station, heading toward Yeomcheon Bridge. After crossing the bridge, I discovered a marker located about a 7–10-minute walk from the station. The marker reads: “This is the site where the house of Kang Hee-maeng, an esteemed writer and painter of the early Joseon period, once stood.” Kang compiled two collections of his writings, Miscellaneous Records of Geumyang (Chinese: 衿陽雜錄, Korean: 금양잡록) and Chondam’s Casual Conversations (Chinese: 村談解燎, Korean: 촌담해이). He also produced Jinsan Family Collection (Chinese: 晋山世稿, Korean: 진산세고), which compiles the poems of my grandfather, father, and older brother Heean. Kang is known for several famous Chinese poems, including “Composed After Illness,” which praises the comfort and tranquility found in nature:
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(Chinese) 病餘吟成 南窓終日坐忘機 庭院無人鳥學飛 細草暗香難覓處 淡煙殘照雨霏霏 (Korean) 앓고 나서 읊음 남쪽 창 앞에 종일 앉아 세상 일 잊었노라. 정원에는 사람 없고 새는 날기 배우네. 부드러운 풀의 그윽한 향기를 찾기 어려운 곳인데 맑은 안개와 지는 해에 보슬비가 내리네. (English) Composed After Illness Sitting by the southern window all day, I forget the worries of the world. No one lingers in the garden as young birds learn to fly. In a place where even the subtle fragrance of soft grass is hard to find, Light rain falls in the clear mist and fading sunlight.
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The birthplace of Kim Jang-saeng and Kim Jip
After viewing Kang Hee-maeng’s marker, I continued toward Deoksu Palace, one of the royal palaces of Seoul. After walking for ten minutes, I stumbled upon a stone marker commemorating the birthplace of Kim Jangsaeng (1548-1631) and his son, Kim Jip (1574-1656). Kim Jang-saeing was a neo-Confucian scholar, politician, writer, and civil official of the Joseon Dynasty deemed a pioneer in Confucian ritual studies. He authored eight books, including Collection of Family Rituals (Chinese: 家禮輯覽, Korean: 가례집람) and Essentials of Funeral Rites (Chinese: 喪禮備要, Korean: 상례비요). Kim Jip, whose pen name was Sindokjae, was a Confucian scholar, writer, and civil official who held various government titles during the mid-Joseon period. He is known for compiling two books: The Collected Writings of Sindokjae (Chinese: 愼獨齋文集, Korean: 신독재문집) and Continued Explanations of Doubts Regarding Rituals (Chinese: 疑禮問解續, and Korean: 의례문해속).
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Below are two well-known Chinese poems, one by Kim Jang-saeng and the other by his son. In the first poem, Kim Jang-saeng recalls the fond memory of meeting his friend, Yun Jeong-gyeong, amidst the natural beauty of Gaya Mountain. In the second, Kim Jip expresses his nostalgia for his home as he awakens to a serene early spring morning. Kim Jang-saeng:
A portrait of Kim Jang-saeng (Chinese) 伽倻山逢 尹正卿 邂逅伽倻寺 行裝帶雨痕 相逢方一笑 相對卻 忘言 (Korean) 가야산봉 윤정경 —가야산에서 윤정경을 만나다 가야산 절에서 우연히 만난 그대 행장이 비에 흠뻑 젖어 있었지.
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서로 만나 그렇게 한바탕 웃고서 말없이 서로를 마주 보았네. (English) Meeting Yun Jeong-gyeong at Gaya Mountain —At Gaya Mountain, I meet Yun Jeong-gyeong. We meet by chance at Gaya Temple, Our travel clothes were soaked with rain. We greet each other with a hearty laugh, Then sit in silence, facing one another. *
Kim Jip: (Chinese) 春曉 虛室人初覺 春天夜已闌 孤雲依水宿 殘月映松閒 心靜都忘世 夢恬不出山 緬思故園竹 長得幾何竿 (Korean) 봄날 새벽 빈 방에서 잠을 깨어 보니 봄날의 밤은 이미 흘러 갔네 외로운 구름 물 위에 머물고 남은 달은 소나무 사이를 비추네 마음 고요해 세상사 다 잊고
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꿈은 평온해 산을 떠나지 않네 다만 한 가지 생각, 먼 고향 뜰 대나무 얼마나 자라났을까 (English) Spring Dawn I wake from sleep in an empty room, The spring night has already passed. A lonely cloud hovers over the water, The waning moon shines through the pine trees. My heart is calm, I forget the world, Peaceful dreams hold me in the mountains. One thought lingers: the bamboo in my home village. How much has it grown since I left?
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The site where Yi Deok-hyeong’s house stood On June 1, 2024, I strolled around Seoul Station on my way to Namsan Mountain, where I planned to visit some cultural landmarks. Across the street from the station, I noticed a plaque attached to the base of the Daewoo building. It commemorated the famous courtier and writer Yi Deok-hyeong (1561-1613), whose Korean sijo “The Red Persimmon” is a must-read poem for middle and high school students. The poem expresses filial piety as the poet laments the absence of his parents. Upon seeing a ripe red persimmon, he reflects on how much he would love to present it to them if they were still alive. (Korean) 반중(盤中) 조홍(早紅)감이 고와도 보이나다 유자(柚子) 아니라도 품은 즉 하다마는 품어가 반길 이 없을 새 글로 설워하나이다 (English) The early red persimmon in the tray looks lovely. Though not a yuzu, once held, it brings delight. Yet, with no one to give, I grieve as I write a new verse.
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(Top) A plaque commemorating the courtier-writer Yi Deok-hyeong is located at the base of the Daewoo building. (Bottom) Seoul Station at dusk.
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The site where Jeong Gwang-pil’s house stood
The plaque reads, Site of Jeong Gwangpil’s House Jeong Gwangpil (1462-1538) was Chief State Councilor under Jungjong, the 11th king of the Joseon Dynasty.
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On June 2, 2024, I left my hotel in Hoehyeon-dong, central Seoul, to visit Myeong-dong, a historic district tied to Korea’s modernization. On the sidewalk, I encountered a familiar name from premodern Korean politics and literature: Jeong Gwang-pil. As was common among courtiers, he was skilled in composing poems, one of which is translated below. Written during his journey to banishment, this Chinese poem expresses Jeong’s gratitude to the king and the desolation of his surroundings. (Chinese) 自懷德向金海途中吟 積謗如山竟見原 此生無計答天恩 十登峻嶺雙垂淚 三渡長江獨斷魂 漠漠孤峯雲潑墨 茫茫大野雨翻盆 暮投臨海東城宿 草屋蕭蕭竹作門 (Korean) 회덕에서 김해로 가는 도중에 읊다 비방이 산처럼 쌓여도 마침내 용서를 받았으니 이 생에서는 임금님의 은혜를 갚을 수가 없네. 높은 고개 열 개를 넘으며 두 눈에 눈물 흘렸고 긴 강을 세 번 건너며 혼자 애통해 하였네. 아득한 봉우리는 구름이 먹물을 뿌리는 듯하고 드넓은 들판은 비가 물동이를 엎은 듯하네. 저물어 바닷가 동쪽 마을에서 자게 되었는데 초가집 바람소리 쓸쓸히 대사립문에 불고 있네. (English) Composed on the Journey from Hoedeok to Gimhae Though slander piled up as high as mountains, I found pardon at last. In this life, I have no way to repay the king’s immense kindness.
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As I crossed ten steep ridges, tears streamed from both eyes, Crossing the long river thrice, I grieved alone in sorrow. The lone peak stands vast, clouds spilling ink across the sky, Endless plains stretch wide, rain toppling basins of water. At dusk, I lodge in an eastern village by the sea, Wind sighs through a thatched hut, its gate made of bamboo.
After walking a mile north from Seoul Station, I arrived at Deoksu Palace, located west of Seoul City Hall, on December 26, 2024. The palace served as the main royal court of the Daehan (Great Korean) Empire from 1897 to 1910. Ironically, there was little “great” about the so-called empire, as Korea was on the verge of annexation by Japan, which ruled the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. Many Koreans believe that the Joseon Dynasty (1392– 1897) contributed to the country’s downfall by over-relying on China, prioritizing literary scholarship and Confucianism over military and technological advancement, and failing to embrace Western culture early enough. By contrast, Japan became a world power just half a century after opening its doors to the West—strong enough to defeat Russia in the RussoJapanese War (1904–1905).
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Brief Guide to Short Poetic Forms Acrostic: A poem in which the first letter of each line forms a word or phrase when read vertically. A fine example is Edgar Allan Poe’s “Elizabeth” (c. 1829), a 16-line poem written for his cousin Elizabeth Rebecca Herring. The first letters of the respective lines are E, L, I, Z, A, B, E, T, H, R, E, B, E C, C, and A. Boketto: A Japanese-style poem consisting of two stanzas. The first stanza contains five lines with a syllabic pattern of 7-7-7-4-5 (30 syllables in total). The second stanza is three lines with a syllabic pattern of 7-7-3 (17 syllables altogether). Variations of this form exist. Cento: An original poem comprising lines borrowed from the works of other authors. After arranging the lines coherently, the poet identifies the source of each line. The cento is somewhat different from found poetry, which also uses outside texts. Cheriga: A cherita combined with a simple visual art. Cherita: A six-line narrative poem that usually consists of a single line, a couplet, and a tercet (3 lines). A cherita terbalik (inverted cherita) takes the form of 3–2–1, 2–1–3, 1–3–2, 2–3–1, or 3–1–2 lines. The cherita is an unrhymed, freestyle form and, similar to the tanka, is not titled. Cinqku: A 17-syllable poem that has five lines of 2-3-4-6-2 syllables, respectively. Cinquain: An unrhymed, five-line poetic poem that has a 2-4-6-8-2 syllable count. Some poets use iambic feet (an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one) in a cinquain. A related form is the didactic cinquain, which aims mainly to teach schoolchildren parts of speech. Below is the structure: Line 1: a one-word noun (the subject of the poem) Line 2: two adjectives that describe Line 1 Line 3: a three-word verbal phrase that further describes Line 1 Line 4: a four-word phrase that shows a feeling toward Line 1 Line 5: a one-word noun synonymous with or relate to Line 1.
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The word cinquain is pronounced sing-kayne. Clogynrach: A six-line Welsh poetic form with a syllable pattern of 8-8-55-3-3 and a rhyme scheme of aabbba. Couplet: A two-line poem that has an end rhyme scheme and usually has the same meter for both lines. Didactic cinquain: See Cinquain. Ekphrastic poetry: Poetry inspired by visual art. Ekphrastic poems began in classical times as a tool for describing artwork. Ekphrastic poetry as written today is not merely a verbal representation of a visual art. Rather, it is a critical, subjective response to it. Regardless of the artist’s supposed intention, poets may come up with their own understanding of a work of visual art based on their life experiences, perspectives on life, and preoccupations. As in reader response literary criticism, ekphrastic poetry approaches the same work from different but equally valid angles. Epitaph: An epigrammatic poem commemorating or epitomizing a dead person and short enough to fit a headstone. Epitaphs can be either serious or humorous. Humorous epitaphs, which are available as Google images, include “I Told You I Was Sick” and “Here Lies Clyde / His Life Was Full / Until He Tried to Milk a Bull.” Some poets and writers compose their epitaphs before their deaths. The word epitaph comes from the Greek word epitaphios (ἐπιτάφιος, “funeral oration”). Etheree: The Etheree consists of ten unrhymed lines of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-910 syllables. Etheree can also be reversed and written 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. It is attributed to an American poet, Etheree Taylor Armstrong of Arkansas. The Etheree is a highly flexible poetry form and lends itself to the writer's creativity. An Etheree should focus on one idea or subject. Double Etheree is two Etherees that make up one poem; the syllable count is 1-23-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Fibonacci (or Fib): A math-based poem that follows the Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, etc.); most fib poems today are written in six lines of 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 syllables each. It can also be written in reverse order: 8, 5, 3, 2, 1, and 1.
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Found poetry: A type of poetry that creates something new and meaningful out of borrowed texts. Unlike the cento, it does not list the sources used. Free verse: A poem written without meter or an external rhyme. Many free verse poems, however, use internal rhymes and other rhythmic devices. Gembun: A poetic form created by ai li in 1997. The gembun (pronounced gem boon) consists of either a one-word first link or anything up to one sentence, to be capped by a haiku of up to four lines. A gembun poem must include an element of suggestion in the opening sentence, in the haiku, or both. Haiku: A Japanese poetic form from the 17th century, the haiku portrays the beauty and wonders of nature and human emotions as reflected in nature. It used to be written in a 5-7-5 syllable structure, but nowadays, it generally consists of three short lines in which the poet uses up to 17 syllables altogether. The plural of haiku is haiku, not haikus. Haiga: A haiku combined with simple visual art (traditionally brush painting but currently any type of painting, drawing, or photography). A photo haiga is sometimes called a photoku. Haibun (“haiku writings”): A form that combines prose and haiku. Instead of being a mere summary of the prose, the haiku must be fresh and insightful enough to stand alone as a poem. Among the best-known haibun writers is Matsuo Bashō (1644-94), who wrote the travelogue Oku no Hosomichi (Narrow Road to the Interior). Imayo: A Japanese poetic form consisting of four lines, each with 12 syllables. A caesura (pause) separates the first seven syllables from the final five syllables in each line. Joseph’s Star: An eight-line poem consists of 1-3-5-7-7-5-3-1 syllables each and is generally center-aligned. It can have either a single stanza or a set of stanzas. Jueju (Chinese quatrain): A Chinese poetic type that flourished in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it was used by the literati not only in China but
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also those in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam for thousands of years. A jueju poem consists of couplets, each of which has either five characters (wujue) or seven characters (qijue). Kyoka (“mad poem”) is to tanka what senryu is to haiku. Kyoka is identical to tanka in form but is comic and parodic in tone. Contemporary tanka and kyoka are written in free style, without exceeding 31 syllables altogether. Lanterne (also spelled lanturne): A five-line poem that uses 1-2-3-4-1 syllables in five respective lines. Rhyming is optional, and a title may or may not be used in a lanterne. Limerick: A nonsense poem based on wordplay. It usually consists of five lines and has the end rhyme scheme of a-a-b-b-a. The first line typically includes a person and a place name. Some limericks have the syllabic pattern of 8-8-5-5-8. Other patterns include 8-8-6-6-8 and 9-9-6-6-9. An 8-8-6-6-8 limerick follows the stress pattern of da DUM da da DUM da da DUM da DUM da da DUM da da DUM da DUM da da DUM da DUM da da DUM da DUM da da DUM da da DUM. The first line usually serves as the title of a limerick. Loop poem: A four-line, titled poem in which the last word of the first line becomes the first word of line two, the last word of line 2 becomes the first word of line 3, and the last word of line 3 becomes the first word of line 4. The rhyme scheme is a-b-c-b. A loop poem can have either a single stanza or a set of stanzas, and there are no restrictions on the number of syllables for each line. Lune: An American-style haiku that has three lines of 5-3-5 syllables, respectively. Nonet: A titled poem consisting of nine lines of 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 syllables, respectively. Rhyming is optional.
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Photoku: See Haiga. Pirouette: A 10-line poem without meter or rhyme. In addition to having six syllables in each line, lines 5 and 6 have the same words and, combined, constitute a turnaround. Quatrain: A four-line stanza or complete poem that rhymes. There are more than a dozen possible rhyme schemes, including a-b-a-c and a-b-c-b. A quatrain usually has a regular rhythm to the lines. Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a well-known ballad quatrain. The second stanza of the poem reads, The Bridegroom’s doors are opened wide, And I am next of kin; The guests are met, the feast is set: May’st hear the merry din.” Here, the rhyme scheme is a-b-c-b, and iambic tetrameter (an 8-syllable line) alternates with iambic trimer (a six-syllable line). Rengay: A six-verse sequence of collaborative poems in which three-line and two-line haiku alternate. Composed by two or more poets, a rengay has a controlling theme. Rondeau: A medieval French poetic form that consists of a rhyming quintet (a five-line stanza), quatrain (a four-line stanza), and sestet (a sixline stanza). Altogether, a rondeau poem has 15 lines, each of which contains 8-10 syllables. The rhyme scheme is AABBA AABR AABBAR. (“R” represents the refrain.) The plural form of rondeau is rondeaux. Sedoka: An ancient Japanese poetic form that consists of two three-line katauta (5-7-7, 5-7-7 syllables, respectively). The two sets of the 5-7-7 katauta constitute a conversation in Japanese sedoka. (The 5-7-5 katauta constitutes the first three lines of a traditional tanka.) The Manyoshu (“Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves”), an anthology compiled around 759, includes 62 sedoka poems. Senryu: A three-line unrhymed Japanese poetic form structurally similar to the haiku but dealing satirically and humorously with human foibles. It arose as part of Edo (Tokyo) culture in the eighteenth century.
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Septolet: A seven-line, 14-word poem that consists of three lines, a line break, and four lines. Shape poem: A poem in which the lines are arranged in a way that represents the subject of the poem. It is also called a visual poem or concrete poem. Sijo: A vernacular Korean poetic form whose basic structure requires approximately forty-five Korean characters (syllabic blocks) arranged in three unrhymed lines. Similar to contemporary haiku and other Japanesestyle short-form poems, Korean sijo are now written in freestyle. Somonka: An ancient Japanese poetic form consisting of two love tanka, each representing one of the two respective lovers. A somonka can be written by two poets or by a single poet who adopts two voices. Below is John J. Han’s somonka that appeared in Elder Mountain: A Journal of Ozarks Studies, 9 (2019), p. 85: Ghost Hollow, Fayetteville, AR how much I desired an embrace in your strong arms that cold wedding night the fire that caught my dress, alas, reduced me to char how much I miss you! at night people run away when they hear you scream come and scream at me, my love, for not saving you in time Note: This poem is based on the legend of a young bride who was burned to death on her wedding night. The story can be found in Ozark Tales and Superstitions (by Phillip W. Steele, Pelican, 2003), “Arkansas History’s Mysteries—Ghost Hollow” (http://arkansasstatearchives.blogspot.com/2015/10/arkansashistorys-mysteries-ghost-hollow.html), and other sources.
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Sonnet: A 14-line poem with a variable rhyme scheme originating in Italy and brought to England by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, earl of Surrey, in the 16th century. Traditionally, the sonnet (a “little song”) reflects upon a single sentiment, with a clarification or “turn” of thought (volta) in its concluding lines. The Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet, perfected by the Italian poet Petrarch, divides the 14 lines into two sections: an eight-line stanza (octave) rhyming ABBAABBA, and a six-line stanza (sestet) rhyming CDCDCD or CDEEDE. John Milton’s “When I Consider How my Light Is Spent” and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “How Do I Love Thee” employ this form. The Shakespearean (English) Sonnet: A sonnet with 14 lines consisting of three quatrains and a couplet, with a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. George Herbert’s “Love (II),” Claude McKay’s “America,” and Molly Peacock’s “Altruism” are Shakespearean sonnets. Most sonnets are about love and romance, and the tone of a sonnet can be either serious or humorous. The Split Sequence: A twelve-line linked haiku form, plus title, written solo or collaboratively. A sequence is started by the poet splitting the 3-line haiku into 3 separate lines. Next, the poet writes a haiku for each line – first, second, and third, making it a 1-3-1-3-1-3 format. If it is a collaborative sequence, each poet alternates in writing the haiku. This form was invented by Peter Jastermsky in 2017. (Definition by Christine L. Villa, 5 March 2022) Strombotto Tuscano: An eight-line Italian poetic form characterized by an ABABABCC rhyme scheme, where the first six lines alternate rhymes followed by a rhymed couplet. Each line contains 10 syllables, adhering to iambic pentameter, which comprises five metrical feet with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Tan-Renga (“short linked verse”): A collaborative tanka written by two poets. Typically, one poet composes three lines, and the other poet adds two lines. A solo tan-renga, written by a single poet, leaves a blank
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line space between the first three lines and the two capping lines to distinguish the poem from a tanka. Tanka: An aristocratic poetic form from ancient Japan, it is popular in both Japan and the English-speaking world. The traditional tanka consists of five lines of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables, respectively; the most common themes of traditional tanka are love (especially unrequited love) and nature. Most contemporary English-language tanka poets tend to use five short lines of various syllable counts without exceeding 31 syllables altogether. Tanka art: Illustrated tanka. It is akin to a haiga except that it generally has five short lines. Tanka prose: A form that combines prose and tanka. Instead of being a mere summary of the prose, the tanka must be fresh and insightful enough to stand alone as a poem. Terce: A three-line poem in which the lines can vary in length. A tercet may follow a specific meter and rhyme scheme or be written in free verse. Triptych: A poem of three stanzas, the second of which tends to be longer than stanzas 1 and 3. In visual art, a triptych (“three-fold”) means a threesectioned painting or carving. Similar to the three panels that constitute a thematic whole, the three stanzas in a triptych poem should work together to create a theme. —J.J.H.
Notes on Contributors Rupa Anand is a spiritual seeker turned poet. Her work is regularly featured in national and international journals and anthologies. A cancer survivor (2020), she finds strength in Japanese micro poetry. Her debut book, To the Edgeless Sky and Back, which chronicles her cancer journey, was published in July 2024 and became a runaway success. Anand is a Pushcart Prize and twice Touchstone Award-nominated poet. She lives in New Delhi with her beloved cats, aspiring to garden more, travel light, and tune in to birdsong more often. Joanna Ashwell is a writer from the north-east of England. Her published collections of poetry include a collection of contemporary poetry (Flarestack Publishing), one haiku collection (Hub Editions), one tanka collection (Every Star, available on Amazon), and two cherita collections (River Lanterns and Moonset Song, available on Amazon). She has won second prize in the Haiku Presence Award, received an honorable mention in The Golden Haiku Awards, won The British Haiku Society Award, and garnered various other mentions in international contests such as Autumn Moon and the San Francisco Contest. Ashwell has also been on the Touchstone Award shortlist for individual haiku. Her short-form poetry, including haiku, tanka, haibun, and cherita, appears widely in both print and online journals. She is on the selection team for the Canadian Tanka journal Gusts. Jerome Berglund has worked as everything from dishwasher to paralegal, night watchman to assembler of heart valves. Many haiku, haiga, and haibun he’s written have been exhibited or are forthcoming online and in print, most recently in Bottle Rockets, Frogpond, Kingfisher, and Presence. His first full-length collections of poetry were released by Setu, Meat For Tea, Mōtus Audāx press, and a mixed media chapbook showcasing his fine art photography is available now from Fevers of the Mind. Jane Blanchard lives and writes in Augusta, Georgia. Her latest collection is Furthermore (2025). Jacob Blumner writes haiku and has been published in numerous journals, including Frogpond, Modern Haiku, and Failed Haiku. When not
reading and writing, he prefers to wander in the woods or kayak down a river. To support his hobbies, he teaches English and directs the Marian E. Wright Writing Center at the University of Michigan-Flint. He lives in Flint, Michigan, with his family, a perfect dog, and a chaotic evil cat. Donna Bowen (1923-2006) was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in Education and a master’s degree in English literature. She continued her graduate studies at Iowa State University, where she also taught Modern Literature. Bowen moved to New York City and worked as managing editor for a politicalsocial journal. She has published poems in Poetry, Perspective, Botteghe Oscure, Midland Anthology, and other journals. In 1965, Bowen moved to St. Louis, where she raised two sons and a daughter. Bowen also worked as a book reviewer for the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Bowen is the mother of MBU professor Jason Kaminsky. Maurizio Brancaleoni lives near Rome, Italy, and holds a master’s degree in Language and Translation Studies from Sapienza University. His haiku and senryu have recently appeared in Under the Bashō, Pure Haiku, Five Fleas, Kokako, Pan Haiku Review, Trash Panda, Haikukai, Password, Hedgerow, Modern Haiku, Tsuri-dōrō, Cattails, Chrysanthemum, Autumn Moon, Leaf, Sense & Sensibility, and The Mamba. In 2023, one of his micropoems was nominated for a Touchstone Award, and in 2025, his summer haiku were nominated for the Spillwords Press Award in the category “Publication of the Year (International).” Dr. Randy Brooks is Professor of English Emeritus at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where he teaches courses on haiku, tanka, and Japanese poetics. He and his wife, Shirley Brooks, are publishers of Brooks Books and co-editors of Mayfly haiku magazine. His most recent books include Walking the Fence: Selected Tanka and The Art of Reading and Writing Haiku: A Reader Response Approach. Pitt Büerken is retired and lives with his wife in Münster, the City of the Westphalian Peace (1648). He writes short stories and poems, especially haiku/senryu, tanka/kyoka, haibun, and tanka prose. His recent works also include cherita, dua, and gembun. In addition to numerous publications in international journals, he has published two haiku/senryu books: federleicht – feather light (ISBN 978-3-943292-65-7) and Pättkesfahrt
(ISBN 978-3-89688-716-0). He enjoys biking with his wife in the countryside. Susan Burch is a writer of short Japanese forms. She is the former Vice President of the Tanka Society of America and writes mostly from the comfort of her couch. When not writing, she likes to read, do jigsaw puzzles, watch TV, and listen to music. She loves coca cola ices and birdwatching. If you ask her, she will send you her terrible pictures of the birds that come to her yard. Frequent visitors are crows, bluejays, mockingbirds, robins, finches, sparrows, hummingbirds, and woodpeckers. Occasionally she sees hawks, wrens, bluebirds, nuthatches, chickadees, cardinals, robins, grackles, cowbirds, starlings, and tufted titmice. Jim Burns was born and raised in rural Indiana and received degrees from Indiana State University and Indiana University. He then spent most of his working life as a librarian in Iowa and Florida. After a few years of retirement, he tired of doing crossword puzzles to stay sharp and returned to a long-held interest in writing. Since 2020, he has been fortunate to place between 20 and 30 pieces, largely poems and some prose, in journals, magazines, blogs, and anthologies. He lives with his wife and dog in Jacksonville, Florida. Paul Callus is a retired teacher who lives in Malta, Europe. He has been active in the literary field for around 50 years. He writes poetry, short stories, and lyrics for songs, mostly in English, Maltese, and Italian. His work has been published in various anthologies, journals, and online sites. He is an active member of several international poetry groups. He is also a translator and proofreader. John Paul Caponigro is an internationally collected visual artist and published author. He leads unique adventures in the wildest places on earth to help participants make deeper connections with nature and themselves creatively. View his TEDx and Google talks at https://www.johnpaulcaponigro.art/poetry/. Eve Castle, originally from Texas, now lives in Colorado. She retired from a three-decade career in administrative management in higher education and is now focused on writing poetry and short stories. Her work has appeared in Songbirds Online (the United Haiku & Tanka Society), Bright Stars: An Organic Tanka Anthology, The Poetry Pea Journal, Tanka
Society of America’s print and online journals, the Wales Haiku Journal, and various other journals including Fireflies’ Light. During 2025 she plans to create content on Medium. You can also find her on BlueSky @evecastle.bsky.social. Christina Chin is a painter and haiku poet from Malaysia. She is a fourtime recipient of the top 100 in the mDAC Summit Contests, exhibited at the Palo Alto Art Center, California. 1st prize winner of the 34th Annual Cherry Blossom Sakura Festival 2020 Haiku Contest. 1st prize winner in the 8th Setouchi Matsuyama 2019 Photo-haiku Contest. She has been published in numerous journals, multilingual journals, and anthologies, including Japan’s prestigious monthly Haikukai Magazine. Cezar Ciobîcă works in Botoșani, Romania, as a teacher and writer. His haiku have appeared in several journals and anthologies. He coordinates the “Sakura” Haiku Club in his hometown, proposes themes for the Monthly Romanian Kukai, and is part of the organizing team for the International Haiku Contest “Sharpening the Green Pencil.” Over time, he has won several awards in haiku competitions both in Romania and abroad. Shane Coppage is a poet and artist. His poetry has been published in Prune Juice, Whiptail, Humana Obscura, dadakuku, Trash Panda, The Heron’s Nest, Modern Haiku, Wales Haiku Journal, The Wee Sparrow Press, and Cold Moon Journal, among others. Coppage lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his growing family. Timothy Daly is a travel-sick wanderer born in the British Isles and reborn beyond them. He is a researcher, writer and teacher at the dizzying crossroads of neuroscience, philosophy, and literature. He can usually be found in an airport departure lounge, from whence he edits Cold Moon Journal with co-editor Oana Cercel: https://coldmoonjournal.blogspot.com/. thomas david is from West Sussex in the United Kingdom. His haiku and senryū have been published in Failed Haiku, tsuri-dōrō, The Wales Haiku Journal, and The Heron’s Nest. Melissa Dennison writes haiku and senryu and dabbles in haiga. Her writing is shaped by her lived experience and the creatures she shares her life with.
John H. Dromey was born in northeast Missouri. Years ago, he contributed light verse and brief, humorous items to magazines, newspapers, and trade journals. His flash fiction and short stories have appeared in over 200 venues, including numerous anthologies. Recently, he’s had speculative poetry published in Scifaikuest (print and online), Eye to the Telescope, Star*Line, The Lorelei Signal, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, View from Atlantis, the Dwarf Stars 2022 anthology, and elsewhere. Keith Evetts is a retired diplomat and former biologist living by the Thames. He’s published scientific papers, articles on local history, and long-form poetry. His haiku and related pieces have been published in a variety of journals, several nominated for awards, a couple listed, and a handful anthologized. He hosts The Haiku Foundation’s weekly haiku commentary feature, is an administrator of Facebook’s largest haiku group, and is an editor for the annual Red Moon Anthology of haiku and haibun. Married with five children, a cottage garden, a grey parrot, and a sense of humour. Ben Gaa is your friendly neighborhood haiku poet and host of Haiku Talk on YouTube. He’s the author of two full-length collections of haiku & senryu, One Breath (Spartan Press 2020) and the Touchstone Awardwinning Wishbones (Folded Word 2018), as well as three chapbooks, the Pushcart nominated Wasp Shadows (Folded Word 2014), Blowing on a Hot Soup Spoon (Poor Metaphor Design 2014), and Fiddle in the Floorboards (Yavanika Press 2018). With over 1,000 haiku and senryu published in journals and anthologies around the globe, he enjoys both giving and attending poetry readings, conducting haiku workshops, and being a part of the literary conversation. Learn more about Ben at www.Ben-Gaa.com. Goran Gatalica was born in Virovitica, Croatia, in 1982 and currently resides in Zagreb, Croatia. He finished both physics and chemistry degrees from the University of Zagreb and proceeded directly to a PhD program after graduation. He has published poetry, haiku, and prose in literary journals and anthologies. Gatalica has received many honors for his poetry and haiku, including Award Dragutin Tadijanović, the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts for the poetry book Kozmolom (2017), the honor “Haiku Master of the Month” (Rikugien Gardens and Biei, NHK WORLD
TV, Japan, 2016 and 2017), the Basho-an Award (Japan, 2018, 2019 and 2023). He is a member of the Croatian Writers’ Association. Mark Gilbert is based in the UK and enjoys writing short prose and poetry (including hybrid forms). His work regularly appears in on-line and print journals and anthologies, and his haiku have won the Trailblazer contest, a Touchstone Award for Individual Poem, and the Polish International Haiku Competition. He is the author of Ribbons & Rainbows (Yavanika Press, 2021), Nano Haiku (Origami Poems Project, 2022), and Variations on the Planets, an astronomical poetry chapbook cowritten with Eavonka Ettinger (Nun Prophet Press/Amazon, 2025). David Green has had haiku published in Modern Haiku, Frogpond, The Heron’s Nest, Mayfly, Confluence, and other journals. One of his senryu won third place in the Haiku Society of America Gerald Brady Senryu Awards. A haiku of his has been displayed in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Another poem was selected to be part of the Midwest Haiku Traveling Rock Garden. David is a teacher and poet in Chicago. John J. Han, Ph.D., is Professor of English and Creative Writing and Associate Dean of the School of Humanities and Theology at Missouri Baptist University. He is the author, editor, co-editor, or translator of 35 books. Among his recent books are Certainty and Ambiguity in Global Mystery Fiction: Essays on the Moral Imagination (Bloomsbury Academic, 2024) and Passing Thoughts: Haiku, Senryu, and Other Poems (Cyberwit, 2024). Han has also published more than 2,500 poems in periodicals and anthologies, such as Cave Region Review (featured poet of the year 2012), Failed Haiku, Frogpond, Modern Haiku, Simply Haiku (chosen as the world’s sixth-finest English-language haiku poet for 2011), Valley Voices (Pushcart-nominated), and Wales Haiku Journal (nominated for the Touchstone Award). John Hawkhead, a writer from the southwest of England, has published over 1,600 haiku and senryu worldwide. His book Bone Moon placed third in the 2023 Haiku Society of America Merit Book Awards and follows his 2016 collection, Small Shadows—both published by Alba Publishing. Janet Ruth Heller is the past president of both the Michigan College English Association and the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature. She has published four poetry books: Nature’s Olympics (Wipf and Stock,
2021), Exodus (WordTech Editions, 2014), Folk Concert: Changing Times (Anaphora, 2012), and Traffic Stop (Finishing Line Press, 2011). The University of Missouri Press published her scholarly book, Coleridge, Lamb, Hazlitt, and the Reader of Drama (1990). Fictive Press published Heller’s middle-grade chapter book about sibling rivalry, The Passover Surprise (2015, 2016). Her children’s book about bullying, How the Moon Regained Her Shape (Arbordale, 2006; 7th edition 2022), has won four national awards. She has a Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. Her website is https://www.janetruthheller.com. Kaedence Holycross is an undergraduate psychology major at Missouri Baptist University, where she also serves as president of the Creative Writing Club. She finds comfort and passion in writing poems and songs. She has been writing poems since middle school and started writing songs in high school. At first, she wrote poems as a coping mechanism and kept them quiet. Eventually, she realized that many people could relate to her writings, so she started spreading her words. She loves reading, writing, singing, exercising, and every kind of animal. Kaedence sometimes takes photographs and adds them to her writings or use them as inspiration. Gary Hotham was recently named the 2022-2023 Honorary Curator of the American Haiku Archives at California State University, Sacramento. He started writing and publishing haiku in 1966, and since then, his haiku have appeared in many journals and anthologies. In 1976, his first chapbook collection was published, and over 20 chapbooks and larger collections of haiku have followed. Soft Serve: Haiku Remains is his most recent work and received an honorable mention in the Haiku Canada Marianne Bluger Book Awards for 2024. He is currently serving as the first vice president of the Haiku Society of America. Marilyn Humbert lives on Darug and GuriNgai land in Berowra, NSW, Australia. Her tanka and haiku appear in many international and Australian journals, anthologies, and online. Her free verse poems have been awarded prizes in competitions and published in anthologies, journals, and online. Terrie Jacks is the current president of the Missouri State Poetry Society. She graduated from the University of Missouri with a B.S. in Education. Having lived in several different states and spent several years in England, Jacks has had her poems published in Cantos, Fireflies’ Light, The Oasis
Journal, Spare Mule, Grist, Cattails, Failed Haiku, Tanka Origins, and Galaxy of Verse. Some of her stories have appeared in The Right Words and Flash! For several years, she illustrated Korean folktales retold by John Han, which were published in the Korean-American Journal and later in the book Spousal Competition and Other Tales from Korea (2021) by Han. Jacks continues to write and illustrate poems and has occasionally entered them in local art exhibits. Roberta Beach Jacobson (she/her) is drawn to the magic of words– poetry, song lyrics, flash fiction, puzzles, and stand-up comedy. Her latest book is Demitasse Fiction: One-Minute Reads for Busy People (Alien Buddha Press, 2023). She lives in Iowa, USA. https://linktr.ee/roberta_beach_jacobson Dr. Vikas Kadam is a Visiting English Professor at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, MS, USA. He was a Fulbright Scholar at MVSU during the academic year 2022-23. His research areas include Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), Academic Writing, Second Language Assessment, Task-Based Language Teaching, Translanguaging, and Teacher Education. Kadam holds a doctorate in English Language Education from the English and Foreign Languages University in Hyderabad, India. In addition to his academic work, he writes image poetry in free verse and enjoys reading Japanese haiku. He also writes critical essays on contemporary poetry that focus on the underprivileged strata of society. Keitha Keyes lives in a tiny house in Sydney, filled with her husband’s model ships and her many antique irons and trivets. She enjoys writing haiku, senryu, gembun, tanka, kyoka, cherita, sequences and tanka prose. Her work is published in many print and online journals in Australia and overseas. Dr. Miye Kim is Professor Emeritus in the Department of English Language and Literature at Dongduk Women’s University in Seoul, Korea. Until her retirement in 2020, she held various leadership roles at the university. Currently, she serves as editor and head judge for the haiku section of The Wild, a Korean literary magazine based in Seoul. Dr. Kim earned her Ph.D. in Shakespeare Studies from Korea University. Beyond her academic work, she is passionate about theater and has directed over ten Shakespearean productions.
Philip C. Kolin, Distinguished Professor of English (Emeritus) and Editor Emeritus of the Southern Quarterly, has published more than 40 books, including critical studies and reference works on Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, David Rabe, Edward Albee, and a host of contemporary African American women playwrights, especially Adrienne Kennedy. Also a poet, Kolin has published sixteen collections of his verse, most recently White Terror Black Trauma (2023), Reaching Forever: Poems (Poiema Series of Cascade Books, 2019), Delta Tears (Main Street Rag, 2020), and Americorona: Poems about the Pandemic (Resource Publications, 2021). Kolin has also published the 12th edition of his business writing textbook Successful Writing at Work (Cengage). Kolin was the featured poet in a recent issue of Delta Poetry Review. Lavana Kray lives in Romania. Her work has appeared in many print and online publications, as well as in haiga exhibitions organized by the World Haiku Association in Japan and Italy. In 2015, this Association awarded her the title of Master Haiga Artist. The Laval Literary Society from Canada awarded her the André-Jacob-Entrevous Prize 2023, for a literary text (haiku) combined with an artistic visual. She currently serves as editor of Haiga at Cattails (UHTS). See more of her work at https://photohaikuforyou.blogspot.com. Nathaniel Lachenmeyer is an award-winning author of books for children and adults. His first book, The Outsider, explores his late father’s struggles with schizophrenia and homelessness and was published by Broadway Books. His recent and forthcoming poems, stories, and essays have appeared in X-R-A-Y, Iron Horse, North Dakota Quarterly, The Citron Review, Reed Magazine, Potomac Review, Epiphany, Permafrost, Berkeley Poetry Review, About Place Journal, and DIAGRAM. He lives outside Atlanta with his family. For more information, visit his website: www.NathanielLachenmeyer.com. Douglas J. Lanzo is an award-winning author and poet whose debut novel The Year of the Bear won the 2023 Ames Awards for Young Adult Books and whose second book I Have Lived was named American Book Fest 2024 Novella of the Year. 480 of Doug’s poems have been published in 75 literary journals and 8 anthologies in the U.S., Canada, Caribbean, England, Wales, Austria, Mauritius, India, Japan and Australia. He and his wife, twin sons, cat, pufferfish and hermit crabs reside in Chevy Chase,
Maryland, and all but the pets enjoy nature, snorkeling and basketball. His Author’s website is at www.douglaslanzo.com. Addison Lee is a senior at Missouri Baptist University, pursuing her undergraduate degree in English with a concentration in writing. Addison is an avid bookworm who loves reading, collecting, and discussing books. She would like to thank God for the ability to write and communicate through words, and she hopes to serve His kingdom through this medium as a living. Addison believes in the enchanting power of storytelling and intends to share that magic with others whenever possible. Chen-ou Liu lives in Ajax, Ontario, Canada. He is the author of five books, including Following the Moon to the Maple Land (First Prize, 2011 Haiku Pix Chapbook Contest) and A Life in Transition and Translation (Honorable Mention, 2014 Turtle Light Press Biennial Haiku Chapbook Competition). His tanka and haiku have been honored with many awards. Heather Lurie, born and raised in the US, has spent the past nineteen years living in New Zealand with her husband, cats, sheep, and chickens. Growing up, she enjoyed reading haiku and in 2022 realized that she enjoyed writing them as well! Struggles with health issues led her to express herself through words, and haiku has become a valuable emotional outlet. Heather has poems published in dozens of online and print journals in countries worldwide. In 2023, she won the British Haiku Society David Cobb Haiku Award, and has wins, commendations, and mentions in other competitions. Devoshruti Mandal is an English educator with 14 years of experience and a versatile freelance content writer. Her poetic journey began in late 2019, when she started exploring the realm of haikai. Despite intermittent progress, her passion persists. She reads, writes, and shares her poems, seeking a haven for her art. Join her journey on @trolleytalesofficial, where her words bloom. Richard L. Matta, originally from New York’s Hudson Valley, now resides in San Diego, California. He has a background in forensic science and enjoys spending his retirement sailing or cruising on the ocean, walking botanical parks, and volunteering at Balboa Park theatre. Matta writes in many poetic forms and was a Pushcart nominee (long-form) and Touchstone Award nominee (haiku) in 2023. Over the years, his poems
have been honored in numerous international contests, appeared in anthologies, and been published in journals such as Healing Muse, New Verse News, Hole in the Head Review, Modern Haiku, The Heron’s Nest, and Blithe Spirit. MarthaMaggie Miller resides in Missouri and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree. A veteran working for the Army, she finds poetry to be an outlet for emotions of all kinds, blending words with musical elements to capture shared experiences. She is the author of Heartfelt Snippets with Moments of Magic (2022) and has contributed poems to several anthologies, including Shadow of the Soul; The Endeavor: Maiden Voyage (Vol. I), Smooth Sailing (Vol. II), Stormy Weather (Vol. III), Making Waves (Vol. IV), Helms Alee (Vol. V), and Any Old Port Will Do (Vol. VI); A Poetic Field Filled with Wildwood Flowers; Inscribed Reveries; Wheelsong 5; Carnival of Sins; Shattered Reflections; and Invisible Poets (Vol. 2 and 3). Her work has also appeared in Cantos (Vol. 30 and 31), Fireflies’ Light (#29/30), and Magique Publishing’s Joyfully Wondrous (November 2024) and Darkly Beautiful (January 2025). Wilda Morris, who retired from a career in Christian education, is a past president of both the Illinois State Poetry Society and Poets & Patrons of Chicago. She has published numerous poems in anthologies, webzines, and print publications, including Brass Bell, Haiku Canada, and Modern Haiku. She has won awards for formal and free verse and haiku. Wilda has published three books of poetry, Szechwan Shrimp and Fortune Cookies: Poems from a Chinese Restaurant, Pequod Poems: Gamming with MobyDick, and At Goat Hollow and Other Poems. You can hear her read with the P2 Collective at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWH73qHRhrLprkLPSzQ574w. Penny Nolte is an author and educator creating gentle narratives of family and place. After a decades-long break from storytelling, her new work is beginning to appear in literary magazines including The Avalon Literary Review with others upcoming. Originally from upstate New York, Penny now lives and works in Vermont. Gareth Nurden was born in Newport, Wales, in 1988, has been writing poetry since his teenage years, focusing primarily on haiku and senryu. He has composed over 700 poems, with his work published in more than thirty journals, websites, and e-zines across over twelve countries. His
publications include Modern Haiku, Wales Haiku Journal, Presence, Under the Bashō, The Heron’s Nest, Kokako, and Taj Mahal Review. Gareth currently resides in Cwmbran, South Wales, aiming to spread poetry love across the globe. David Oates is a writer and teacher. He’s the host and producer of Wordland, a radio program of poetry, stories, and comedy, and the former host of Great Apes (comedy), both on WUGA, public radio for Athens, GA. He ran the Athens poetry slam and was the editor and publisher of Monkey Magazine (mostly slam poetry and satire). He’s published four books of haiku: Shifting with My Sandwich Hand, Drunken Robins, The Deer’s Bandanna, and only thunder: a family journey. His poems have appeared in many journals. Oates wrote for the comic strip Shoe in the ’80s. John Pappas is a poet and teacher whose work has appeared in many poetry journals and anthologies. His haiku have garnered a Touchstone Award from The Haiku Foundation, a 2023 Trailblazer award, a silver medal in the 2023 Ito En New Haiku Grand Prix, Best in the United States in the 2023 Vancouver Invitational, a Sakura Award in the 2024 Vancouver Invitational, and honorable mention in the 2024 Heliosparrow Frontier Awards, among others. His first chapbook, dimes of light, was published in 2024 by Yavanika Press. His work is featured in the recently published haiku anthology off the main road: six contemporary haiku poets (Alba Publishing, 2024), and his longer poetry has twice been selected for the Mayor of Boston's Poetry Contest (2016 and 2020). As drummer and lyricist of the punk rock band Heather Hates You, he has recorded two albums and toured extensively. John lives in Boston, MA, with his wife and two daughters, and has taught literature and general semantics in the Boston area for over 25 years. M. R. Pelletier lives in Kansas, but his haiku poetry travels the world. He has published in multiple journals, including Creatrix, Chrysanthemum, Presence, Cold Moon Journal, and Failed Haiku, among others. Marjorie Pezzoli is a writer and silk painter. Her writings cover grief, joy, and wonderment. Since 2019 her poetry has been curated in numerous print anthologies and online journals. Marjorie was part of VAMP storytelling for So Say We All in 2020. Marjorie’s performance “Can You Stay 10 Minutes Longer,” was about her father’s last two weeks. She was the guest editor for Nun Profit Press’s pattern section of The Body Politic,
Linked Forms Anthology 2024. Many of her writings are inspired by her photographic observations taken while walking Beau, the dog with Betty Davis eyes. www.PezzoliArt.com. Vishal Prabhu, educated as a chemical engineer in Bombay, Cleveland, and briefly at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, has long attempted to evade writing a bio. He now lives several fathoms up in the Himalayas, attempting to string together the song of his heart. Isabella Queen, who lives in Missouri, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English at Missouri Baptist University. She has enjoyed creative writing throughout her life, but did not write more than a few poems until she had to write a poem for a college assignment and found she quite enjoyed creating poetry when it was about more than just finding rhyming words. Now Isabella has written multiple poems on various subjects, sometimes silly, sometimes serious. Some of her other hobbies include reading, drawing, playing Minecraft, and watching too many videos about people playing Minecraft. Bryan Rickert, current President of the Haiku Society of America, has been published in many fine journals. He is a former editor of Failed Haiku: A Journal of English Senryu and edits The Living Senryu Anthology. Bryan has two books: Fish Kite (Cyberwit Publishing) and Dust and Stone (Velvet Dusk Publishing), co-written with Peter Jastermsky. His work was selected for inclusion in A New Resonance, Volume 12. He was also the recipient of the Touchstone award for individual poems in 2023. Joshua St. Claire is an accountant from a small town in Pennsylvania who works as a financial director for a non-profit. His haiku and related poetry have been published broadly, including in Frogpond, Modern Haiku, Fireflies’ Light, Cantos, and Mayfly. He has received recognition in the following international contests/awards for his work in these forms: the Gerald Brady Memorial Senryu Award, the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Invitational, the San Francisco International Award for Senryu, the Robert Speiss Memorial Award, the Touchstone Award for Individual Haiku, the British Haiku Society Award for Haiku, and the Trailblazer Award. Tsanka Shishkova holds a PhD in Computer Science. She has published haiku, senryu, and haiga in The Asahi Shimbun, ESUJ-H English Haiku,
NHK - Haiku Master, Stardust Haiku, THF, Cold Moon Journal, The Mainichi, The Mamba Journal, Under the Basho, Urban Fantasist, Wild Lilacs, Wild Plum, World Haiku Association, Haiku in Action, Daily Haiga, Black and White Haiga/Haisha, Failed Haiku, HaikUniverse, et al. She has been selected to the Euro Top 100 Most Creative Haiku Authors for eight years since 2017. Tsanka Shishkova is a member of the Bulgarian Haiku Union. Michael Shoemaker is a poet, photographer, haikuist, and editor from Magna, Utah where he lives with his wife and son and enjoys looking out on the Great Salt Lake every day. His poems have appeared in Seashores Haiku Journal, Blue Lake Review, Under the Bashō, and Haiku Commentary. He is the author of three poetry/photography collections and a nominee for 2025 Haiku Foundation Touchstone Awards, Best of the Net Anthology and the Pushcart Prize. In October, he will be the Woolf Cottage Writer-in-Residence sponsored by the Fairhope Center for the Writing Arts in Fairhope, Alabama. https://michaelshoemaker.crevado.com/ Neena Singh is a banker turned poet whose haiku and other short-form poems are regularly featured in international journals. She was shortlisted for a Touchstone Award for Individual Poems in 2021, and her haiku have received Honorable Mentions in popular contests. In 2023, the Society of Classical Poets selected one of her poems among the 23 Best Haiku of the year. Her collaborative rengay with Billie Dee, Weavings, won second prize from the Haiku Society of America in 2021, and Thirst received third place in 2023. Singh is the author of three poetry collections: Whispers of the Soul: The Journey Within, One Breath Poetry, and the forthcoming A Peacock’s Cry: Seasons of Haiku. She also runs a nonprofit organization for underprivileged children in Chandigarh, India. Gerry Sloan is a retired music professor living in Fayetteville, Arkansas. His books are Paper Lanterns (Half Acre Press, 2011), Crossings: A Memoir in Verse (Rollston Press, 2017), plus the “chapthology” Wild Muse: Ozarks Nature Poetry (Cornerpost Press 2022). In addition, he has six chapbooks, including one in Mandarin. In 1990, he received the WORDS Award in Poetry by the Arkansas Literary Society. Recent work appears in Slant, Arkansas Review, Cold Mountain Review, The Midwest Quarterly, and Mid/South Sonnets.
Thomas Smith has written poetry since high school for various reasons, including encouraging his wife to marry him. He spent 18 years in academia in the life sciences and has over 65 articles and book chapters in scientific literature. COVID changed his creative focus. He has free verse poems, rhymed poems, haiku, tanka, and limericks published in a number of literary journals. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his family. Debbie Strange (Canada) is a chronically ill short-form poet, artist, and photographer whose creative passions connect her more closely to the world, to others, and to herself. Thousands of her poems and artworks have appeared worldwide. Strange’s award-winning collection, Random Blue Sparks, was released by Snapshot Press in late 2024. Debbie recently received 1st Place in the Triveni Haiku Awards. Please follow her on Instagram @debbiemstrange and on X @Debbie_Strange and visit her publication and awards archive for further information: https://debbiemstrange.blogspot.com/. Todd Sukany, a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, lives in Pleasant Hope, Missouri, with his wife of over forty years. His poetry has appeared in Cantos: A Literary and Arts Journal, Cave Region Review, The Christian Century, Intégrité: A Faith and Learning Journal, eMerge Magazine, and The Ekphrastic Review. He is the author of Frisco Trail and Tales and coauthor of Book of Mirrors, a four-volume poetry collection written with Raymond Kirk. A native of Michigan, Sukany stays active running, playing music, and cherishing time with his three children, their spouses, and seven grandchildren. He also cares for two rescued dogs and four rescued cats. He can be reached at tasukany@gmail.com. C. Clark Triplett is Emeritus Dean of Graduate Studies and Professor of Psychology at Missouri Baptist University. He served as co-editor of The Final Crossing: Death and Dying in Literature (Peter Lang, 2015), a coeditor of Worlds Gone Awry: Essays on Dystopian Fiction (McFarland, 2018), and a co-editor of Certainty and Ambiguity in Global Mystery Fiction: Essays on the Moral Imagination (Bloomsbury Academic, 2024). Triplett’s poems have appeared in Cantos, Fireflies’ Light, and the Asahi Haikuist Network. He earned a BA from Southwest Baptist University, an MDiv from Covenant Theological Seminary, an MSEd from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and a PhD from Saint Louis University.
C.X. Turner is a UK poet and the author of evergreen: a haiku, senryu, and tanka poetry collection (Alba Publishing, 2024). Her poems and artwork have been widely published in international journals and anthologies, earning her Pushcart and Touchstone nominations, as well as The Tejasvat Award (haikuKATHA, 2024). Turner is co-editor of Wales Haiku Journal and enjoys experimenting with short-form poetry and collaborating with other poets when she is not working as a registered social work manager. Richard West was Regents’ Professor of Classics in a large public university and has published numerous books, as well as a great many articles and poems, under his own name or various pen names. His poems have appeared most recently in Bamboo Hut, Presence, Haiku Universe, Modern Haiku, Amethyst Review, The Raven's Perch, Gyroscope Review, Sparks of Calliope, The Penwood Review, Fine Lines, and many other literary journals. He now lives in the American Desert Southwest, where he enjoys learning to cook and attempting to add flavor to his poems. Allyson Whipple is the creator of the Culinary Saijiki project, which explores haiku, the seasons, and food. She is the author of the haiku chapbook Postcards from Texas (Cuttlefish Books, 2023), in addition to two free-verse poetry chapbooks. Whipple volunteers with both the Haiku North America Conference and the Haiku Society of America and is a member of the Mississippi Mud Daubers Haiku Group. She currently serves as the editor of Frogpond. Amber Winter is a married mother of three boys. She enjoys passing time at the playground writing poetry while her boys run out their energy. Her poetry has been published in Failed Haiku, cattails, Ribbons, tsuridoro, and Fireflies’ Light. John Zheng is the author of The Dog Years of Reeducation (Madville, 2023) and recipient of the 2024 poetry fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission. He teaches at Mississippi Valley State University where he edits Valley Voices. His poetry is forthcoming in Another Chicago Magazine, Intégrité, and New Verse Review.