Greetings, Poetry Lovers! A fun way to enjoy haiku today....
Over at Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville, Alabama, visitors to the Japanese Garden can now meander down a haiku path consisting of 24 haiku stones. These feature poems mostly by contemporary haiku poets, with a couple of Basho stones and an Issa offering in the collection. The new path was launched at the Autumn Japan celebration at the beginning of this month.
The creative force behind the Haiku Path is Terri L. French, award-winning haiku poet extraordinaire who has also shared her leadership skills in the Haiku Society of America and The Haiku Foundation, as well as editorially in journals and in her own varied publishing endeavors. (Learn more about Terri here.) Also sharing time and talents for this beautiful adventure has been fellow fine poet Peggy Bilbro. (Click here for a lovely haibun of Peggy's and a brief bio.)
"The haiku were chosen to fit the aesthetics of the garden and the area," explains Terri. "They were placed in the ground on a path that goes behind and around the tea house."
Terri and Peggy chose the haiku.
"Redstone Federal Credit Union sponsored us and paid for all of the stones to be made by local artist, Zan Edmonds," Terri says. "If we get more money, we may add more stones later."
You can click the photo above to see the Facebook post Terri shared, with more pictures of the festival and a few more of the stones.
I'm thrilled that one of my poems was accepted for the path.
open gate
the way
my mind wanders
©Robyn Hood Black
First published in Frogpond, Vol. 41:3, Fall 2018
If your mind wants to wander myriad poetry paths today, head on over to see Matt Forrest Essenwine, who always has lots going on and has our Roundup this week! Also, remember to check in on Bridget's "10.10 Poetry Anthology First Anniversary Poet Palooza" at Wee Words for Wee Ones, where you can enjoy daily bite-size introductions to many of the poets! I'm honored to be included next week. [NOTE: My blog will be taking a mini-Fall-break as I soon travel to North Georgia for my annual week of school author visits as part of Cobb County EMC-Gas South's Literacy Week, and as I get artsyletters geared up for the holiday craziness that usually ensues right after October! See you back here in a couple of weeks.)
