Howdy - I'm a bit covered up this week, but please make your way to A(nother) Year of Reading, where Mary Lee has our Poetry Friday Roundup and - shhhh...!- secrets!!
Life on the Deckle Edge
Poetry Friday - Some New Year Poetry Postcard Swap Treasures
January 25, 2024
Greetings, Poetry Lovers! One of the best things about starting a new year is looking forward to mailbox surprises thanks to the New Year Poetry Postcard Swap. This adventure is organized by Jone Rush MacCulloch; you can scroll to the end of her recent post to get a sense of the "rules" (and put it on your to-do list for next year, if interested, if you're not participating this year.)
One reason I love this Swap is that it indulges my put-it-off-til-the-last-minute tendencies, as poets can send cards for the Chinese/Lunar New Year if desired. (Give me an inch, and - well, you know.) ;0) This year, the celebrated animal is the wood dragon.
I found a website called TheChineseZodiac.org which says, The Wood Dragon is the most creative and visionary of the dragons.
Others among us are much more together, and I'm already enjoying receiving cards, though mine aren't yet in the mail. I'm sharing three today. (A fourth just arrived - will round it up soon!)
From Patricia J.Franz, a dragon image on one side, and this imagery-filled poem on the other:
Benevolent One
Bless the desert hare your winged shadow,
the thirsty herd safe river cross.
Replenish the lakes your rippled tears,
toss the seas - ships demure
And bless us wide horizons,
the health and strength to cross them.
©Patricia J. Franz
Janice Scully sent a beautiful photo of the Pacifica, California, coastline with this poem:
The New Year begins
as quiet and inevitable
as a wave
©Janice Scully
As you might know, Mary Lee Hahn has been creating all kinds of wonderful art and items since retiring a couple-few years ago from being a regular classroom teacher, among other endeavors. Her wonderful card features a handmade print in blue ink: YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS. Its delicious carving marks offer the texture I adore in printmaking.
Here is her handwritten poem on the reverse:
Summon up bravery...
dismantle hesitation...
BEGIN!
(you've got this)
©Mary Lee Hahn
Many thanks to these three fine humans and talented poets/artists for these gifts. I'm always inspired by these greetings, and in need of the inspiration and encouragement they bring! I'll appreciate blessings, acknowldege the quiet inevitable, and summon up some bravery here at the beginning of a new year, and a new year around the sun for me starting next week. ;0)
Now head over to Chicken Spaghetti, where the insightful Susan is helping us celebrate the Año Nuevo, with a poem inspired by a prompt from The Writing Sisters. And, she's rounding us all up! Thanks, Susan.
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Poetry Friday - The Roundup is HERE! So is Tea Time....
January 18, 2024
My miniature Fiestaware teapot with a couple of artsyletters bookmarks for tea lovers.
Greetings, Poetry Lovers! The Roundup is HERE - thanks for dropping by! Welcome to seasoned Poetry Friday-ers and any newcomers, too.
It's quite chilly outside; would you care for a cup of tea? It's National Hot Tea Month. (Here is a link with more links.)
Now, right off the bat, I assure you that I realize I'm no Jama Kim Rattigan, with so many steaming posts and accompanying to-die-for art and photos celebrating tea time, HotTEAS, and such.
But I do enjoy a nice cuppa tea.
Growing up, it was mainly iced tea... (Florida!). In middle school, I would come home each afternoon while my mom was working and make tea in the old brown-ish Fiestaware teapot. We drank it with a fair bit of sugar, every day! I'm blaming that memory on the fact that I recently bought three little mini Fiestaware teapots - one for me, above, and one each for our kiddos/couples. (I refrained from buying one for my sweet mom, as she's trying to lighten up, not load up, her collections.) I still have a few tiny tea sets from my childhood. I also have three miniature enamelware teapots sporting Van Gogh art that my husband's mother gave me years ago, and they remind me of her when I see them, and also remind me how swiftly life flows. I also have my mother's mother's Occupied Japan tea set, which I've yet to display in our (newish) home.
And there was our daughter's sixth birthday celebration, a tea party for which we bought mismatched vintage tea cups and sent them home as favors. (That was 26 years ago - Happy Birthday next week, Morgan!!)
And the two-plus hour drive I made to meet my dearest friend Sue at a tea room, as she was undergoing treatments for breast cancer. I still have a (now empty) tin with a "Shakespeare Tea" label she secretly bought for me that day and gave to me later.
In recent years I've turned my morning brew from coffee to tea. I make a nice cup of something British, and a whole little pot of dandelion root tea. Then a smaller pot with two bags of green tea and one hibiscus. I drink on these all day long! Faves include (decaf) Clipper Teas (England); Barry's (Ireland) - a hearty, warm, amber-golden tea; and a light golden Highlands Tea from the Edinburgh Tea & Coffee Company. Sometimes Uncle Lee's (organic) green tea, and Prince of Peace (organic) oolong. Anything from Yogi Teas, Traditional Medicinals, Numi... oh, and most nights, a cup of tummy-settling peppermint tea from Celestial Seasonings.
What are your favorite teas?
Before all of the British/European versions of tea, of course, Camellia sinensis was cultivated in Asia. (And herbal teas have been around for many centuries, across cultures.)
For some Japanese flavor, here's a haiku by Issa (1763-1828), translated by David G. Lanoue:
year unknown
.初空のもやうに立や茶の煙
hatsu-zora no moyô ni tatsu ya cha no keburi
rising into
the year's first sky...
tea smoke
You can visit David's amazing archive of Kobayashi Issa poems he's translated here. In the search box, type in "tea" - or whatever subject strikes your fancy!
Here's a tasty English morsel about tea, from Sydney Smith (1771-1845), who lived many of those same years on this earth as Issa. It's from the memoir compiled by Smith's daughter, Lady Holland:
Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? -- how did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea.
Finally, a contemporary nod. Carol Ann Duffy was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1955 and was appointed Britain's poet laureate in 2009.
Her love poem simply titled "Tea" begins this way:
I like pouring your tea, lifting
the heavy pot, and tipping it up
so the fragrant liquid streams in your china cup....
Enjoy hearing the poet read this poem here. To learn more about Carol Ann Duffy, click here or here.
Now, lift those pinkies and drop your links into the comments! I'll round up old-school. (Getting over some bug, so it might take me a wee bit longer than usual.)
Oh, and please pass the scones....
[Links to the bookmarks in the photo are here.]
Also, my Authors Guild site is not playing nicely with Irene's computer. I'll get her post into the Roundup with the other morning posts - but here's the link in the meantime!
https://irenelatham.blogspot.com/2024/01/heaven-poem-with-mule.html .
******
Laura Purdie Salas kicks us off this week with an original poem (inspired by Susan Thomsen's overheard snippets poetry) that will have you pondering and smiling long after you read it, "Holding My Own Hand." Out of the mouth of babes, methinks....
Speaking of which, thematically at least, Tabatha has a startling and life-humorous original poem, "Shields Up," at The Opposite of Indifference, based on an early childhood experience of one of her wonderful kids.
The ever-creative Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise offers us a contemplation of war and childhood innocence with a profound ekphrastic golden shovel poem inspired by an Edith Breckwold sculpture she encountered on a recent trip to Germany.
Michelle Kogan never fails to be inspired or to inspire, and this week she brings a fresh perspective on these +BRRRRRR+ frigid temps! Leave it to her to find beauty in the harsh Chicago winter with her "Icefish" and related poems, and she shares a hauntingly sad/beautiful song by Patty Griffin and a fetching original haiku to boot!
Janice Scully (who also drinks Barry's tea!) has armfuls of love for octopuses today over at Salt City Verse (and a wonderful Winter Swap postcard from Mary Lee Hahn).
If you've never wandered over to Jan's Bookseed Studio, then you might not know you are ALWAYS in for a delight and surprise and often a deep think. She's taking her (generously bestowed) powers of observation to a fun and whole new level this week - treating us to all kinds of Florida SNOW in pictures and poems. This Florida girl enjoyed the virtual romp, especially with super-low temps here in the Southern Appalachians this weekend.
Over at Poetry Pizzazz, Alan J. Wright reminds us Northern Hemisphere folks that summer is turning into a brand new school year in Australia. His original poem, "We Start Out Fresh and Shiny," will have you sitting up a bit straighter and smiling as you read along.
Karen Eastlund is also all about the snow this week, the real kind. She's had a tease of a dusting but wants MORE. Grab your mittens and sled and go join her for some great photos from years past, and a short original poem, "Waiting for Snow: An Elfchen," packed with the cold stuff. (See what I did there?)
Now, you KNOW our Buffy Silverman knows a thing or two about seasons and poetry. She recently took an online class from our ultra-talented buddy and teacher, April Halprin Wayland, and she's sharing the drifts. I mean, drafts. Which are all about the birds in her back yard this winter - you'll look at your own yard birds with new eyes after reading these!
Speaking of birds, over at Chicken Spaghetti, Susan Thomsen introduces us to a literary journal called Birdfeast with a human-condition poem for the new year called "Anniversary" by Maria Nazos. Make sure to join the Poetry Friday flock at her place next week.
Ruth is chiming in from Uganda, and There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town, and her back porch at sunrise with two glorious poems - "Fifty-Fifty" by Patricia Clark and her own take, "Fifty-Fifty in Kampala."
At Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme, our busy Matt has taken a word-playful poem out of the freezer to share again, "January Shoreline." Brrrr!
There is much to CHERISH at Denise Krebs's Dare to Care digs this week, including her golden shovel based on a line from "Begin Again" by Jeannette Encinias. She also has several links, including one for the Staffford challenge, and some aDORable pictures of adventures with her wee grandson who visited recently.
Carmela Martino checks in from Teaching Authors this week with a poetic bounty of LIGHTER fare for the new year - you're guaranteed to leave her post with a little less baggage and a smile on your face! Also, she shares some fun publication news. (Insert clapping hands emoji here.)
Of course, poetry helps us express and understand the wide berth of emotions. Karin Fisher-Gorton shares a beautifully personal poem today, honoring her father who died in September. She offers wonderful and accessible definitions of ekphrastic and golden shovel poems as well. The images, in a special photograph and in her words, will stay with you.
And yet, the geese in Karin's post - or their cousins - have taken a trip to Linda Baie's TeacherDance for some more pondering. Linda's post and poem remind us to #getoutside while we can, between these frigid periods for those of us here in the States!
At Tangles & Tails, Tracey has a letter of apology to the (former) star of many of our holiday living rooms - the Christmas tree, in January. (Add your thoughts to the thoughtful comments taking root beneath her post!)
Friends - Did you know our own Amy LV at The Poem Farm is offering a wonderful new video series perfect for young (& young-at-heart) poets, perfect for the classroom? This week marks Week 3 in her "Coaxing Poems" videos! If you know a teacher, get them there forthwith! Using three of her own short poems as examples, today she gets out some Legos and leads eager learners in how to "make and break a pattern."
Take a deep breath and enjoy a small but imagery-filled tribute to a task I doubt many of us do... but I might start, after reading Mary Lee's pillowcase poem post at A(nother) Year of Reading.
At Imagine the Possibilities, Rose has a white-on-white treat for us today - two orginal poems featuring their charge for a couple of weeks, a Great Pyranees named Anna, and - snow!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins treats us to a new haiku for the New Year (and gorgeous photo), an educational shout-out to Thank You, Garden by Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrated by Simone Shin, and a little personal writing progress report!
Heidi will remind us, as we chat about the weather, that we can not forget the CLIMATE. She has a thought-provoking poem by Kate Cell (who happens to be on staff at the Union of Concerned Scientists) from an anthology Heidi herself has a poem in. Also, check out some of creative, tech-savvy, innovative folks on the forefront of climate action! All this and more at Heidi's My Juicy Little Universe.
You never know what you'll find at Unexpected Intersections - Elisabeth is rallying from a busy writing year and being under the weather for some of this one to embrace a fun challenge. She's using Story Cubes as poem prompts. Go join the fun!
Irene's ekphrastic adventures seris, Artspeak, is exploring a folk art theme blooming with poetic surprises. I'm only giving you the title of her poem today; you will not be able to resist clicking to learn more! Visit Live Your Poem to read "Mule Ringing the Doorbell in Heaven."
JoAnn Early Macken invites us for an early morning view outside her window in a lovely poem with a clever twist. This is another one for the birds!
Patricia's got us all in a web of connection at Reading, Writing Wondering, with words that stick in a provocative, personal poem. Well done!
No, you have NOT had enough snow - yet. Jane has some amazing photos, chilly travel memories, and perfectly suited words from Robert Louis Stevenson to add to the magic at Rain City Librarian.
Find an elfchen and some adorable grandchildren enjoying the snow over at Beyond Literacy Week, where Carol has emerged from a very demanding week with a sigh and a pause for tea and poetry. You'll leave her post with a smile on your face, and probably a snowflake on the tip of your nose.
At Reflections on the Teche, Margaret serves up another elfchen and a gracious peek into her own writing journal, with another nod to the Stafford Challenge. Also, a can't-miss-it peek into her amazing heart as a creative teacher.
Thank you to Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone for sharing a personal poem of grief with us today, "Sucker Punched." She's living out the name of her blog with this touching poem which will surely strike a chord with many readers.
Poetry Friday - Go See Tracey!
January 11, 2024
A howdy and a wave... it's been a week! Too much of one to get a post conjured up here, but please go enjoy all the poetic goodness rounded up at Tracey's Tangles and Tails. Do come back next week, though - I have the honor of hosting on Jan. 19. See you then!
Poetry Friday - She Said Yes!
January 4, 2024
Greetings, Poetry Lovers - and Happy New Year! I've missed you. We've been happily covered up hosting family for the past couple of weeks (everyone from the wee 18-month-old baby grand to my folks from Florida, who hadn't been on a plane in decades. They survived!) Keeping the six-month-old pup in check was an extra adventure, with additional people around. He loved the attention. We also had a small overnight trip in the middle.
Said trip was to be in on the surprise for our future daughter-in-law, Ginnie, when our son Seth asked her to marry him. He cooked up a warm event with friends and family on a very chilly night in Asheville, in the same little city park where they had their first meeting/date.
He told her,
•I promise to love you a forever full of tomorrows•
(Pretty poetic if you ask me. He's quite the able wordsmith, crafting regular sermons and a witty family text here and there.)
I didn't have to look far to find a poem to share in their honor this week. You've likely seen it, or at least parts of it. It's from Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet, published in 1923, 100 years before these two got engaged.
On Marriage
by Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931)
Then Almitra spoke again and said, And what of Marriage, master?
And he answered saying:
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of the lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.
(Here's the link from poets.org.)
My hubby Jeff and I will celebrate our 40th anniversary in June, and I'd say that from my perspective anyway, these poetic words above contain sound advice!
Jeff's parents are no longer with us, but I would imagine they would share with Seth and Ginnie the same sentiment they gave to many other grandchildren about to marry: love is not a feeling, but a commitment.
When my folks got married in 1980, it was a second marriage for both of them. They'll celebrate 44 years next month. I asked them for a gem to share, and they offered a couple of shiny nuggets. From my mom, Nita, "Of course, have Jesus in there somewhere leading the way." And from Jack, "Each one putting the other one first. Respect, trust, and putting the other first."
We've seen these traits alive and well with our oldest, Morgan, and her hubby, Matt (world's best son-in-law).
Every couple finds their own way, and we'll be cheering on our young 'uns with love and support, from a respectable distance. ;0)
Congrats, Kids!
Any pearls (or diamonds, or sapphires) you'd like to add? Please do, and then be sure to visit Marcie Flinchum Atkins for the first Poetry Friday Roundup of 2024! Thanks, Marcie.
Poetry Friday - Poem Swap Gifts from Denise Krebs
December 21, 2023
Greetings, Poetry Lovers! Here we are at the doorstep of Christmas, and this week I received the most wonderful group of poems and gifts from the multitalented and generous Denise Krebs. We both participated in the magic that is the Winter Poem Swap, spearheaded by the also ever-generous and talented Tabatha Yeatts .
When I opened my box, my eyes were not dry for long. Denise had taken the time to peruse my blog and celebrate some of the highlights of my fall, including a 7-mile round-trip hike with my hubby to the top of Table Rock here, where he proposed exactly 40 years ago in September. She also captured the spirit of life with our new puppy, Rookie, a Keeshond who is growing by leaps and bounds, emphasis on the leaps and the bounds. These surprises took the shape of items in a handmade "Make it Merry" Christmas journal, full of pockets, hidden bookmarks, a tatted ornament, and such, and lots of blank pages among the decorated ones. In addition to these oh-so-personal touches, Denise gifted me more beautiful pieces of her handiwork - gorgeous dish towels with crocheted tops, and matching pot holders/mats with a couple of different kinds of stitching. In our mostly darker kitchen, I have just a few hints of teal peeking out and these are perfect. Also, it was time for a refresh over here, so these are more than welcome!
The Poetry Friday community has helped sustain me for years, inspiring me and dazzling me with people I'd love to have long chats over tea with, if we lived closer. Like many of you, I've had the good fortune to share real space with some folks from time to time. But what I love about PF is that distance doesn't matter. Denise and I are across the country from each other. And, new folks are always welcome to pull up a chair and bring more poetry love to the gracious Poetry Friday table!
Thank you, Denise, for flooring me with your attention to detail in these wonderful gifts.
Here are the poems she brightened my day with.
First, a pantoum (a pantoum!) celebrating Rookie, who was very excited to star in a poem:
Rookie
by Denise Krebs
the Rookie of the year is here
at times life is in a puproar
toddler chews and chases tails
he makes hearts merry
at times life is in a puproar
potty training and car trips
he makes hearts merry
doggy academy at PetCo
potty training and car trips
yearns to meet more puppy pals
doggy academy at PetCo
neighborhood scouting strolls
yearns to meet more puppy pals
will we ever sleep again?
neighborhood scouting strolls
love in a four-legged bundle
will we ever sleep again?
toddler chews and chases tails
love in a four-legged bundle
the Rookie of the year is here
And, honoring our celebratory hike, a haiku:
table rock speaks
horizon of peace
life-hope is here
Denise Krebs
What a special way to remember that day!
And this year. Thank you again, Denise, and wishing all of you fond remembrances as you gather for the holidays and inspirations as you look toward 2024. We are feeling very blessed to have family coming and going over the next couple of weeks, so I'll see you on Jan. 5!
Our amazing Jone Rush MacCulloch has the Roundup this week, leading us in a celebration of the Solstice - Thank you, Jone!
Poetry Friday - Go See Patricia!
December 7, 2023
Waving from streams of shipping tape! Happy Poetry Friday. After a manageable flow of Etsy orders last week, I've had a lovely small pile-up this week, so I'm admiring the Roundup from a afar today. I'm also looking forward to making and sending my Winter Poetry Swap goodies before next Poetry Friday. Please take your sleigh on over to see my last year's swap partner (I think it was last year?) - the lovely and oh-so-talented Patricia at Reverie. See you next week!
Poetry Friday - Holiday Puproar
November 30, 2023
Greetings, Poetry Lovers! Can you believe it's December already? I can't, though we were fortunate to have our family together for a wonderful Thanksgiving visit.
My days have been starting way too early and all running together lately with pup-wrangling. We've had our new wee beastie, a Keeshond, for about four weeks now, and he just turned five months old on Thursday. We already love him to pieces, and he loves chewing things into pieces. ;0) He's getting the hang of things (house training, short walks seeing other doggies, etc., car trips...), and I've got him in a puppy class at PetCo. My daughter Morgan, who is home with 17-month-old Sawyer, and I have been comparing days!
Though we're taking this fella out in the back yard for house training, the process reminded me of a silly poem I wrote a gazillion years ago. (Maybe not quite that long, but it's been a while.)
I Paper-trained my Puppy
I paper-trained my puppy -
he reads The New York Times.
He starts at the beginning:
the news, the views, the crimes.
Then he reads the comics,
while rolling on the floor.
He moves on to the book reviews,
the fashion, arts, and more.
After that he grabs a pen
and holds it with his muzzle.
He won't get up until he's done
the daily crossword puzzle.
I paper-trained my puppy.
I made one small mistake.
The puddle in the corner
is looking like a lake.
©Robyn Hood Black. All rights reserved.
Usually at this time of year I'm up to my ears in Etsy orders. This year has been a little different, as with moving several months ago, traveling this fall, the new pup, and my general taking-a-while-to-get-my-act-together-in-a-new-place, I haven't done my customary making of a bunch of new things and marketing! I've had to accept that some years I'm more together than others.
I'm still happily shipping out orders, but I'm expecting to be up and running from my new studio full swing after the holidays instead of before. Lots of new artsyletters items will be coming in the New Year! In the meantime, if you need any "regular" items from my shop, please feel free to use Coupon Code JINGLE10 for 10 percent off this month. :0)
Anastasia Suen is rounding us all up this week at Small Poems - Thank you, Anastasia! Join her on a snowy walk down Memory Lane as she recounts the sale of her first poem years ago.
Poetry Friday - Ella Wheeler Wilcox Thanksgiving Poem
November 16, 2023
Greetings, Poetry Lovers! Happy Almost Thanksgiving.
I struggled with what to share this week, as I look forward to hosting family in our warm, provisioned home, while others in the world endure unspeakable pain, horror, and loss.
I came across a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and I must confess I didn't know much about this American poet, who lived from 1850-1919. Brief searches have me thinking her writing was often critically spurned but welcome by countless readers of her magazine contributions and her books. She became associated with the Spiritualist/New Thought movement in the early 1900s. She also evidently championed animal rights and vegetarianism, causes I've held close for 35 years, so I'm inclined not to judge too harshly.
Her poem "Solitude" opens with these famous lines:
Laugh and the world laughs with you,
Weep, and you weep alone;
The good old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Here is her Thanksgiving poem, published in November of 1918.
Thanksgiving
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
We walk on starry fields of white
And do not see the daisies;
For blessings common in our sight
We rarely offer praises.
We sigh for some supreme delight
To crown our lives with splendor,
And quite ignore our daily store
Of pleasures sweet and tender.
Our cares are bold and push their way
Upon our thought and feeling.
They hand about us all the day,
Our time from pleasure stealing.
So unobtrusive many a joy
We pass by and forget it,
But worry strives to own our lives,
And conquers if we let it.
There's not a day in all the year
But holds some hidden pleasure,
And looking back, joys oft appear
To brim the past's wide measure.
But blessings are like friends, I hold,
Who love and labor near us.
We ought to raise our notes of praise
While living hearts can hear us.
Full many a blessing wears the guise
Of worry or of trouble;
Far-seeing is the soul, and wise,
Who knows the mask is double.
But he who has the faith and strength
To thank his God for sorrow
Has found a joy without alloy
To gladden every morrow.
We ought to make the moments notes
Of happy, glad Thanksgiving;
The hours and days a silent phrase
Of music we are living.
And so the theme should swell and grow
As weeks and months pass o'er us,
And rise sublime at this good time,
A grand Thanksgiving chorus.
What spoke to me more than this poem, though, was her short quote on a plaque in Jack Kerouac Alley in San Francisco, pictured above:
Love lights more fires than hate extinguishes.
-*-Sending love and light to you and yours this Thanksgiving-*-....
(Extra light to those missing someone at the table this year. Today, Nov. 17, is the birthday of my hubby's mother, Marge, who passed away in 2019.)
Many thanks to someone I'm always grateful for, Irene, for rounding up Poetry Friday this week at Live Your Poem.
Poetry Friday - Haiku for the Birds
November 9, 2023
Greetings, Poetry Lovers! This past Saturday, I enjoyed attending the "Almost Winter" Open Mic Zoom Event of the Southeast Region of the Haiku Society of America, organized by our fearless leader & poet extraordinaire, Michael Henry Lee.
Our featured speaker was the generous and gifted Antionette ("Toni") Libro, who shared her experiences with internationally known haiku poet Nick Virgilio (1928-1989), considered "a founder of haiku written in the American idiom." (More here.) Libro invited Virgilio to speak to her classes at Rowan University when she taught there, and she published some of his haiku in Asphodel, the literary journal she founded and edited.
Stanford M. Forrester also shared a short presentation about Jerry Kilbride, including one of his haibun about Virgilio. Forrester founded bottle rockets press 25 years ago and is a former president of the HSA.
Also at the virtual meeting, winners of our kukai were announced. A kukai is a contest in which participants submit a poem on a theme, and then all of them judge the submissions (presented anonymously). For our contest, the three haiku receiving the most votes were the winners, with their authors receiving a copy of Nick Virgilio: A Life in Haiku, edited by Raffael de Gruttola (Turtle Light Press, 2012).
Happy to report that my haiku was one of these three! The other winners were Terri L. French and Cody Huddleston. Fine company. The aforementioned theme was "almost winter," and my contribution was a spare one:
almost winter as the crow flies
©Robyn Hood Black
Thank you, HSA SE!
Speaking of birds (and there will likely be a raven post coming soon, after our seeing them on our Blue Ridge Parkway trip), I'm happy to highlight the latest anthology from bottle rockets press, Bird Whistle - A Contemporary Anthology of Bird Haiku, Senryu, & Short Poems, edited by Stanford M Forrester/sekiro and Johnette Downing. The collection features bird-themed poems by more than 100 poets, including terrific haiku by the two wonderful editors.
The poems in the collection are by turns wistful, profound, surprising and humorous.
One of my favorites was penned by the above-mentioned Michael Henry Lee:
swallow tail kites
making more of the wind
than there is
©Michael Henry Lee
I have some previously published poems included as well:
one blue feather
then another
then the pile
our different truths
the rusty underside
of a bluebird
robin's egg blue
how my father would have loved
my son
©Robyn Hood Black
I have already bought an extra copy of Bird Whistle for someone special on my Christmas list. Maybe you have bird-lovers on your holiday list as well? Here's the link.
If you have a lot of them, I have some bird-y items in my Etsy shop, too! ;0) (Click here to peruse.)
By the way, I wasn't able to stay for the open mic part of our get-together on Saturday, because we had to get back on the road with our new Keeshond puppy we had just picked up in Georgia that morning (pictured above). His name is Rookie, but that's another story… ;0)
Flap your way on over to see Karen Edmisten, who is kindly rounding up Poetry Friday this week. Thanks, Karen!