One-Line Haiku

A one-line haiku I wrote from 2019 from the journal Under The Basho has been selected by two haiku/contemporary/experimental haiku legends, Lee Gurga and Scott Metz from the journal is/let who is also an editor of Modern Haiku Press for Haiku 2020, to be published by this summer. A hundred poets will be featured in this upcoming issue and I can’t believe I’m one of them. Awe, shocked and extremely honored is the very least I can express on how this feels to me. Special thanks to Lee, Scott and Johannes S.H. Bjerg for accepting my work below:



spring mushroom a rabbit hole to sink my teeth into



Publishing Credit: Under The Basho 2019


Direct link:

https://www.underthebasho.com/archives/utb-2019/one-line-haiku/2584-fractled.html

Direct link to Modern Haiku Press (TBA)

One-Line Haiku

I’m always honored & thrilled to be part of a hallowed haiku journal such as Hedgerow. The editor Caroline Skanne is not only a brilliant haiku writer but’s a very kind soul as well with great insight. A great part of why I submit to journals is mainly for the editors feedback and there are a handful of editors who has been very vital to my haiku journey who also have been a great inspiration and a pillar of support during the good or dire times. Hedgerow also has some of the best writers in the haiku/tanka world. 

day by day drifting apart more snow 

Publishing  Credits: Hedgerow issue #130 2020 

Direct Link:

https://hedgerowhaiku.com/

Haiku/Senryu

Cattails has always been a great journal with amazing haiku that I often refer to for inspiration and the editors are very knowledgeable and kind. Many thanks to Geethanjali Rajan not only for her haiku advice but for her compassion during the passing of Rachel Sutcliffe & Martha Magenta. This particular issue is dedicated to the great Martha Magenta who was also a member of “The Haiku Nook” that was disbanded after the fall of Google Plus. R.I.P. Martha and forever thanks for sending me the invite to the Nook.

Haiku:

salmon run—
a bear sinks its teeth
into rainbows

Senryu:

office meeting
only the free food
sounds special

Note* The original Senryu accepted was:

office meeting
only the free food
sounds official

I didn’t get a notice why there was a change nor did I emailed the senryu editor about it. Rather, I let it be because the revision is interesting and adds another layer added to the poem.

Publishing Credits: Cattails April 2020 Issue

Direct Link:
http://www.cattailsjournal.com/issues/cattailsAPRIL2020.pdf

Haiku

With a huge list of amazing haijins always, It’s an honor to be a part of the Journal Akitsu Quarterly. What also attracts me to this journal is their artwork.

first rain –

the spurt of spring

buried in slush

spring bloom

empty clam shells

surround the lake

summer run

schools of tarpon

slap the moon 

Publishing Credits: Akitsu Quarterly Summer 2020 issue 

Direct Link:

http://www.wildgraces.com/Akitsu-Quarterly.html

Gembun

Special thanks again to my haiku dream journal for publishing a gembun on mine which is a very short haibun. It’s always an honor to be amongst very distinguished haijins in this genre of poetry that’s forward moving at Bones.

Publishing Credits: Bones Issue 19 15.3.2020

Direct link:
http://www.bonesjournal.com/no19/bones19.pdf

Sequence Parallel Hypnosis Haiku

I’m very honored once again to be in a dream journal that promotes the evolution of haiku in the 21st century and that publication is Bones. People are probably going to cringe how I titled my haiku but think of it as experimental. So what is a “Sequence Parallel Hypnosis Haiku”? First, I should have explained what a sequence parallel haiku is which I haven’t on my previous posts. 

A sequence parallel haiku is two parallel haiku put together side by side and by doing so it opens what Clayton Beach calls a ‘Matrix’ of possibilities on how it can be read either vertically, horizontally, in a zigzag and diagonally where a monoku can exist in the latter three ways of reading the sequence or the entire sequence can read as single poem itself.

A sequence parallel hypnosis haiku and it’s creation was inspired by the poems of Johannes S.H. Bjerg. (The creator of the parallel haiku as a form that Hansha Teki took to great heights and both poets have been a great inspiration for my work) who wrote what I called ‘hypnosis ku’ example:

.

blue

of sky

blue

of sea

blue

of sky

blue

of sea

blue

of sky

into

the sea

into

the sea

into

onto

the

sea

sea

blue

as

sky

.

Johannes S.H. Bjerg  3.2.2020

The beauty of this style of poetry is the repetition of images where random different images often appear and as Johannes said it’s “where the subconscious becomes conscious. it’s an honest “area” i.e. w/o the censorship of our “intellectual” mind.” To me to reach this state one would have to be in a meditative one or under hypnosis but in this case it’s through reading words. 

After a few attempts on writing this style of poetry, the sequence parallel hypnosis haiku was born. Special thanks to Johannes for the inspiration and publishing this experimental poem but the question to ask, is it a haiku? In a traditional sense most likely not where, kigo, juxtaposed images, brevity and other techniques are standard. Is it a contemporary haiku? I believe it to be so. 

Publishing Credits: Bones Journal 3.15. 2020

Direct Link:
http://www.bonesjournal.com/no19/bones19.pdf

Haiku

My first accepted submission for publishing in 2020. Special thanks to Frogpond for the great honor to have one of my haiku amongst many distinguished poets in the genre.

withered fields . . .
how everything else
is bent out of shape


Publishing Credits: Frogpond Winter Issue 43:1 2020

Tanka

I’m overjoyed and honored to be a part of hedgerow this time with a tanka. 🙏 Many thanks to the editor Caroline Skanne and congratulations to such a talented pool of haijins on issue #129!

holding tight 

to a greater silence

this nothingness 

while the rain pours 

into ocean song

Publishing Credits: hedgerow issue #129 2019

Direct Link:

hedgerowhaiku.com/tag/haiku/

Mini Haibun/ Gembun

It’s always great to push the boundaries when possible. As of now, 18.12.2019  - I believe to have written the shortest haibun published at the moment with six words. (Second Haibun)

lovers quarrel

final note
a bare tree’s
hollow hole

.

fainting star

cold
a stroll
clouds

.

an outbreak of bad news in thin air

sharing thoughts
a conversation
between viruses

Fractled

Publishing Credits, The Other Bunny 2019

Direct Link:

https://theotherbunny.blog/2019/12/09/3-mini-haibun/

Haiku

My second appearance at Black Bough Poetry with the theme “darkness” which was a challenge to write about. I often write haiku to feel comfort and the past few months have been difficult.

sickle moon

the reaper carves

into dawn

ocean fog

the breathlessness 

to disappear 

Publishing Credits: Black Bough Poetry Issue Four “Divine Darkness” November 2019

Direct Link:

https://www.blackboughpoetry.com/

Sequence Parallel Haiku

A second appearance in my dream journal on page 55 and 56!

Publishing Credits: Bones Issue 18 November 2019

Direct Link:
http://www.bonesjournal.com/no18/bones-18.pdf