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Life on the Deckle Edge

Poetry Friday - Haiku for the Birds

 

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!

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Poetry Friday - a blue haiku

 

Greetings, Poetry Lovers!

 

I had something else planned for this week, but, alas - glitches and car issues and such, so it can emerge later.

 

And speaking of plans yet to come to fruition, I had many more Valentine-y items I was going to make for my artsyletters shop this year, but they'll keep, too.  I did get some new things in the shop and posted on Instagram, including the freshly baked necklace above with vintage letter charms I couldn't resist working with. (Listing coming this eve.)

 

On a heavier note, I've tuned in to a fair bit of the impeachment trial this week.  I can't imagine the trauma felt by those who were there, as they relive the events of the insurrection and perhaps learn new things themselves about it.  I generally keep politics out of my blog posts, but I do not agree with one my state's (SC) vocal US Senators, who recently stated he is "ready to move on."  Regardless of the trial's outcome, as a country we need to acknowledge what happened, give voice to lives lost and others forever altered, with gratitude for the amazing courage and bravery shown on Jan. 6 by those who faced the mob. Oh, and make the effort to preserve our democratic republic. 

 

So now that I've changed the tone, I'll share a somber haiku just published in bottle rockets.

 

 

one blue feather

then another

then the pile

 

 

©Robyn Hood Black.  All rights reserved.

bottle rockets Vol. 22, No. 2 (Issue #44)

 

I was hoping to make this the year I jumped back into Cornell's Great Backyard Bird Count, but that might have to wait another year, too.  Or maybe I can participate a little bit?!  Anyone can join in and help keep track of our amazing feathered earthly comanions.  (I did learn to identify a new visitor to my new bird feeder this week, using The Cornell Lab's wonderful phone app- a pine warbler!)

 

Thanks for reading along and making safe spaces for the gamut of human (and bird) experiences.  Be sure to visit the lovely Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone for this week's Roundup. (She happens to include a Mary Oliver poem about one of my favorite birds, the Carolina Wren.)

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Poetry Friday - Haiku and Birdsong

 

Greetings, Poetry Lovers!  I'm still catching up after "losing" a month-plus of work/outside life (see last week's post), but I look forward to catching up on Poetry Friday rounding, and here's a muster of a short post for this week. 

 

You know I'm a big fan of Stanford Forrester and his journal of short verse, bottle rockets. I'm always delighted when a poem of mine appears in its pages.  Here's my haiku in the latest issue, bottle rockets #43:

 

 

 

solitary walk

the rhyming couplets

of a brown thrasher

 

 

©Robyn Hood Black.  All rights reserved.

bottle rockets, Vol. 22, No. 1, August 2020.

 

 

(I just love the cover of this current issue!)

 

I also love birds, and am particularly fond of the glorious music provided by the Brown Thrasher, state bird of our former digs in Georgia.  One game I play on walks is to see how quickly I can determine if the notes I'm hearing are from a Northern Mockingbird or a Brown Thrasher.  The lovely gray Mockingbirds are easier to spot, as they perch out in the open and frequently engage in flashy chases.  Brown Thrashers, with their speckled russet garb and striking yellow eyes, are more likely to be kicking around in the scrub or tucked behind leaves in a treetop.  But ther songs - Oh!  Listen for complex imitations of other birds, but usually with each line repeated once.  So, two lines of this song, two lines of that.... :0)

 

Current affairs can feel overwhelming.  Maybe a walk to listen to birds would be good medicine for us all. 

 

Wishing you birdsong among the din this week! The lovely Ramona is rounding up lots of poetic sounds for us at Pleasures From the Page.  (Thanks, Ramona!)

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POETRY MONTH/Poetry Friday - Short Poetic Diversions Soothing or Silly

Click here for my YouTube Channel, featuring all my Poetry Month mini poem movies! 

 

Greetings, Poetry Lovers! I hope in the midst of these jarring days you are finding comfort through poetry.  I've got two short diversions today, depending on whether you need something calm and soothing, or something downright silly.

 

My National Poetry Month mini-movies project continues with "I Pause for Poems" and "I Pause for Haiku" offerings.  Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in April, I'm posting a video featuring one of my published children's poems, and each Tuesday and Thursday, its a haiku suitable for kids. (18 down... four to go!)

 

First, yesterday's haiku video. It features the poem and picture above.  The haiku is from THIS WORLD, Haiku Society of America 2013 Members' Anthology:

 

 

lingering afternoon

the ebb and flow

of birdsong

 

 

©Robyn Hood Black

 

Now, I had been out in the neighborhood this week, recording bird chatter and also taking pictures of leafy oaks and twisty vines, which I was planning to use as the background for the poem text. Then Morgan sent the amazing photo above in a family text on Wednesday.  (She teaches third grade in Georgia; her teaching from home since March was the biggest inspiration for me to record these short, teacher-friendly videos!)

 

Morgan and hubby Matt have been hosting a bluebird pair in their back yard.  So I borrowed the wonderful image, added my haiku, and shared it with Caraol Varsalona as well, for her beautiful #NatureNurtures2020 gallery this month. (Here's the link to the video again.)

 

If you need something a little wackier, might I serve you up some of today's little movie?  It features this poem from THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY - K-5 Edition (Pomelo Books, 2012) edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong.  [Interrupts to wave madly at Janet and say CONGRATS to you and all the other fine folks on the NCTE Notables List announced this week!!]

 

Here's the poem:

 

SNACK RULES

 

Don't talk with your mouth full - 

full of peanut butter.

Anything you try to say

wll cmmm out as a mmmttrr.

 

©Robyn Hood Black

 

If you click here for this video, you'll see Rita in a cameo role.  She celebrated her eighth birthday this month, by the way. 

 

Be sure to follow along with the Progressive Poem - it happens to park at Wondering and Wondering today, where the generous and talented Christie is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup, too!

Thatsalotta hosting! 

 

(I've got to come up with Monday's line... wish me luck and circle back around after the weekend.) Thanks for coming by!

 

--Children under the age of 13 need demonstrated parental consent to leave a comment - Thanks!--

 

PS - The Authors Guild techno-wizards are trying to fix my comment section, which has been making it seem that comments don't go through.  They advised me to keep comments set to 'moderated' in the meantime, so I'll do that this week. 

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POETRY MONTH - Mini poem Movie: "lingering afternoon" Haiku

Click here to hear Robyn read her haiku, "lingering afternoon," from THIS WORLD - Haiku Society of America 2013 Members' Anthology.

Greetings, Poetry Lovers!  My National Poetry Month project continues with haiku today - a short poem long on lovely sounds from our feathered friends.  (On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I share a mini poem movie with one of my published haiku suitable for kids, and on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, it's one of my published poems for kids.)

 

Today's offering is feather-friendly. ;0)

 

Click here to hear today's haiku (& see the amazing photo my daughter, Morgan, took on Wednesday and let me borrow!), or click  here to peruse my YouTube Channel.  Thanks for coming along!

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POETRY MONTH - I Pause for Haiku today with "June heat"....

Click here to hear Robyn read her "June heat" haiku from Acorn #30.

 

Greetings, Poetry Lovers! I PAUSE FOR HAIKU today with "June heat" from ACORN #30 (Spring 2013).

 

This one is especially for my stepdad, Jack, who called me this week to talk about the catbird in their Florida yard!  (Click the picture to hear the poem.)

 

Do you have a favorite bird?  Maybe you can write a poem about it, even one as short as a haiku.

 

Moongazing is a popular traditional subject for haiku, and tonight will be a good night to do it - it's a Full Pink Supermoon.  Click here for more info, and enjoy the great and small wonders all around. 

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Poetry Friday - Haiku Taking Flight...



Happy New Year!

I'm still getting my sea legs back after travel up in the hills to see family for the holidays, and after the little retail rush of December in my shop. I hope you and yours had a lovely holiday.

For haiku fans, I've just updated information on the Haiku Society of America meeting/workshop Earth Day weekend I'm coordinating in April on the coast of Georgia. Here's a link to that recent post below (or you can find it on the SE Regional page at the HSA website). A registration form is available on my Haiku page, at the top left.

Since we're going on a birdwatching Ginko (a haiku walk) that weekend, here are a few more of my own bird haiku that seem to work for this time of year; both light and dark and in-between, as I am feeling all of the above right about now:


new year
the twitter of a hundred robins
in the oak


Modern Haiku, Volume 45.1, Winter/​Spring 2014


gathering dusk
the unanswered call
of a dove


Frogpond Volume 35:3, Autumn 2012


winter chill
turkey vultures circling
one of their own


The Heron's Nest, June 2012

Poems ©Robyn Hood Black. All rights reserved.


[Pssst.... A little bird has told me a Poetry Friday-er or two might attend the St. Simon's weekend!]

Our beautiful Linda, no stranger to writing haiku, has this week's Roundup at TeacherDance (with a Japanese proverb and intriguing picture of birds at the top of the page, I might add!)

Here's wishing you a 2017 full of poetry, and light....
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