I anticipate the current Covid-19 pandemic will have left many of you feeling both slightly worried and mildly bottled up. I hope these three haiku might give you a moment of joy and space. A star in the mist A calm heart need not test the Truth to perceive it Water in tumult Scattered with … Continue reading Small Pleasures
Poetry
Renku with the Void
I start playing in a Legend of the Five Rings game on Wednesday. As the game is set in fantasy Japan, I was—(un)suprisingly—inspired to haiku. However, rather than a single verse, I challenged myself to create an entire cycle inspired by part of the world; which went well enough it I want to share it … Continue reading Renku with the Void
Cucku
A poetry community to which I belong selected one of my haiku for October Poem of the Month. Which obviously brought me joy, but also highlighted how subjective the experience of poetry can be. A little cuckoo Echoes from beneath my feet A cave in winter The haiku is part of an ongoing series shaped … Continue reading Cucku
One of my weekly haiku has just been selected as the latest featured poem by the Poets Soul community on MeWe. Which seemed like a good reason to share it: Waters warming now Barriers melting away Darkness also freed
Invisible Fish Still Floating
Last week Joy Harjo was appointed US Poet Laureate. In a world of division, I feel joy that a country deeply flawed by overt white supremacy has appointed a member of the Mvskoke/Creek Nation as an avatar of its national soul. I couldn't find a recording of Joy herself reading my favourite of her works, … Continue reading Invisible Fish Still Floating
Free Verse Revolution: The Collection (2010-2017) by Nicholas Gagnier
Driven by a mix of fear his life will have so little impact that his obituary will contain unnoticed spelling errors and a converse irony about the irrelevance of celebrity, Gagnier gathers poems that both showcase the arc of his life and gently mock the project as a naïve attempt to encapsulate something both complex … Continue reading Free Verse Revolution: The Collection (2010-2017) by Nicholas Gagnier
Fleeting Ink by Miriam Joy
Joy weaves together hymns in praise of feeling rather than deconstructing poetry with evidence that words cannot be other than a structure around anything of actual meaning, elegantly capturing both the power of language to show reality and its failure. This collection contains twenty-nine of Joy’s poems inspired by the concept of writing. The eponymous … Continue reading Fleeting Ink by Miriam Joy
A Flurry of Darkness
This image by the rather talented Ink Stitution was the photo prompt in one of the poetry communities to which I belong. Which inspired the haiku that follows. Fog obscures the path Monsters hide in the shadows Trust me to save you This post is dedicated to the myriad Goths who face another 364 days … Continue reading A Flurry of Darkness
Life Outside the Tank
You say we don't understand your experience. So we ask. And you say that it ain't your job to educate us. Which is true, but doesn't help solve the issue. And solving the issue's not your job either, But that don't mean you aren't allowed to try if you want. Which is why there are … Continue reading Life Outside the Tank
Haiku
Someone was kind enough to compliment my latest haiku, so I thought I'd spread the love: Darkness becomes light Forgiveness is only bliss Comparatively
