For Years Now: A Tanka Sequence

for W. G. Sebald


my hometown
memories hang from the eaves
of a rooming house
they tremble faintly
each time a day passes

loneliness
has her black eyes
through them
I see my past rolling
on the screen of spring nights

in mind space
time moves in my direction
it curls back
when I visit my mother
in daydreams

everyone I meet
speaks with a funny accent...
in dreams
I return to my hometown
an ocean away


Published in Lynx, XXVII:1, February, 2012

Moon Monostich

plunge into the river of the moon where Li Po leaped


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Relationship Monostich

my hand trembles under her blouse a train horning afar


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Dream Monostich

the bird of youth comes in dreams singing my eulogy


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Dream Monostich

the bird of youth comes in dreams singing my eulogy


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

A Monostich

poetry shouts take the garbage out when I do home recycling


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

A Monostich

farmhouses slipping by a CN train zips through the prairie


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Winter Monostich

the shadow of poetry crosses the window filled with icicles


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Love Monostich

love being pissed into a toilet my sex lying flat in bed


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Moon Monostich

drunk on moonbeams poetry melts the ice inside me


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Moon Monostich

drunk on moonbeams poetry melts the ice inside me


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011
reprinted on Salamander Cove (Jan., 31, 2012)

Winter Monostich

the shadow of poetry crosses the window filled with icicles


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

A Tanka

late into the night
unable to sleep again
I wander
the corridors of memory
unable to find EXIT


Published in Simply Haiku, 9:3,4, Autumn/Winter 2011

A Monostich

white night I write into the darkness


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

A Haiku for the Courageous Egyptian Youth

My Dear Fellow Poets/Friends:

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Egyptian revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak from power. But, rather than celebrating this great day, the Egyptian youth are taking to the streets once again to protest the military's abuse of power.

Here is my haiku for these courageous young people:

Tahrir Square at dusk
"Down with military rule!"
a girl raises her arm


Published on World Kigo Database (Egypt)

Spring Tanka

once again
the silence of a blank page
fills me with dread --
a lone star blinking
on the last night of spring


published in Simply Haiku, 9:3,4, Autumn/Winter 2011

Winter Tanka

the voice
inside my head
drags my feet
down the yellow brick road . . .
crows hover in this winter sky


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Loneliness Tanka

eating alone
I scribble a few verse lines
on a napkin...
a long sigh emerges
from the waitress's pale lips


Published in Simply Haiku, 9:3,4, Autumn/Winter 2011

Autumn Tanka

autumn night...
I bait a crescent moon
with my mind
angling
for her flower heart


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Christmas Senryu

no white Christmas…
Global Warming For Dummies
at 50% off


Published in Haiku News, 1:2, January 2012

Butterfly Tanka

a summer butterfly
has flown my muse
into nowhere
I start envying
things that have wings


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Dream Haiku

chasing the wind
on the first day of spring
dragon kite dream


Published in Simply Haiku, 9:3,4, Autumn/Winter 2011

Loneliness Tanka

measuring
the weight and length
of loneliness
I count the stars
sparkling in the spring sky


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Loneliness Haiku

holding
winter moonlight in my hand
length of the night


Published in Simply Haiku, 9:3,4, Autumn/Winter 2011

Relationship Haiku

lamplit snow
pieces of her letter
on the wind


Published in Simply Haiku, 9:3,4, Autumn/Winter 2011

New Year Tanka

a blue moon
on my fortieth New Year's Day
I still fail
to become a phoenix --
a heap of embers


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Autumn Haiku

not a word
since our last moonlit kiss
yet autumn...


Published in Simply Haiku, 9:3,4, Autumn/Winter 2011

Relationship Tanka

the photo of her
wearing a lily-white dress
on that spring day...
it floats on the river
of my winter memories


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Summer Haiku

Tabla class
summer rain against
the window


Published in Simply Haiku, 9:3,4, Autumn/Winter 2011

Nostalgia Tanka

a close-up
of mother and me...
between us
a surging sea
and nine autumns


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Dream Tanka

climbing
a ladder against the wall
can I reach
the window of our childhood
and peek into your dream?


Published in Magnapoets, #9, January, 2012

Mirror Tanka

staring
at myself in the mirror…
I march
into the summer of '89
reflected on the CNN news


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

A Haibu about Martin Luther King Day

Martin Luther King Day...
a butterfly kite goes down
behind the hill


Published on World Kigo Database (Martin Luther King Day)

New Year Senryu

New Year dinner
my spinster aunt asks for
two fortune cookie


Published in Magnapoets, #9, January, 2012

Relationship Tanka

I curl up
in the blanket
she gave me
the spring moonlight gathers
at the empty side of the bed


published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Simply Haiku's "TOP TEN LIST"

My Dear Friends:

I was just notified that I was on the Simply Haiku's "TOP TEN LIST" of the World's Finest Living English language Haiku Poets for the Year 2011 (Simply Haiku, 9:3,4, Autumn/Winter 2011)

Here are the selected haiku:

moonlit pond...
a frog penetrates
itself

(Simply Haiku, Summer 2011)

holding
winter moonlight in my hand
length of the night

(Simply Haiku, Autumn 2011)

winter dawn
a butterfly wakes up
in my dream

(Simply Haiku, Summer 2011)



Note:

We are asked frequently who our favorite English language haiku poets are. We think of an English language haiku poet as someone who writes haiku in the English language, even though it may be their second language…

Saša Važić and I (Robert D. Wilson) read through hundreds of publications searching for the finest living English language haiku poets. The selection process wasn't easy. We didn't compare notes or discuss potential winners during the first few readings. We individually pared down our list until each of us had approximately ten poets. From there we worked together discussing the poets and their poetry. A winner wasn't selected on the basis of a few good haiku. Although three are listed under each poet, we selected poets whose haiku were consistently superior to other haiku poets…

Read the full text here

Eleven Kinds of Winter Loneliness: A Haiku Sequence

For Richard Yates

silence
between the moon and me
November snow

December roses --
looking at the photos
of my youth

the snowman
washed in moonlight
foreclosed home

winter raindrops
dotting my attic window
morning coffee stains

solstice…
the blizzard makes Toronto
the size of my room

Christmas morning
waking, I find myself
with just a pillow

the length
of my poems unpublished
year's end

new year
cobwebs in a corner
of the ceiling

the wind whips
the For Sale sign
New Year's dusk

sleepless…
cherry tree branches laced
with snowdrops

winter dream...
stirring embers, Prometheus
glances at me


published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Nostalgia Kyoka

eating a Big Mac...
alone in the attic
I ponder
the Chinese word for home:
a pig under the roof


Published in Prune Juice, #7, Winter 2012

Loving the Collective, Loving to work: A Haibun

Strolling past Jianguo Road, Beijing, I see row upon row of workers in red uniforms doing their company cheer:

Give me a W! Give me an A! Give me an L! Give me a squiggly!
Give me an M! Give me an A! Give me an R! Give me a T!...

When working in state-run department stores, Chinese workers used to look like stern-faced mandarins, keeping a watchful eye on goods. They now sing company songs together, persuade all the passers-by to go into the store, and most importantly, answer picky customers’ questions with big smiles.

Red Guards, Red Guards…
anything new
under the rising sun

published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

(Note: The title and the opening line of the haiku come from the lyrics of We Are Chairman Mao's Red Guards)

A Story about Life: A Haibun

He holds the baby tightly outside a Starbucks window. Inside the cafe, she leans toward the man in Armani, whispering in his ear. Two cups of coffee untouched.

her silence . . .
the bare maple holding
a hazy moon


published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

The Secret Code: A Haibun

“We all held our breath, waiting for the electronic current to pass from one hemisphere of the cat's brain to the other…" The words explode out of his mouth.

"Please slow down, I can't keep up with you."

"My friend, you have the brain of a poet; it works too slowly. In short, we were successful. We heard the brain pulse loud and clear.”

long way home…
humming Yellow Submarine
to myself

published in Sketchbook, 6:6, November/December 2011

Christmas Haiku

candlelit Christmas tree
in the basement apartment
shadows and I


published in Sketchbook, 6:6, Nov. / Dec. 2011 "candle(s)" Haiku Thread

Christmas Haiku

Advent candles --
a broken wooden cross
in the prayer book


published in Sketchbook, 6:6, Nov. / Dec. 2011 "candle(s)" Haiku Thread

Christmas Haiku

alone with my dog
the scent of Christmas candles
lingering


published in Sketchbook, 6:6, Nov. / Dec. 2011 "candle(s)" Haiku Thread

Christmas Haiku

alone with my dog
the scent of Christmas candles
lingering


published in Sketchbook, 6:6, Nov. / Dec. 2011 "candle(s)" Haiku Thread

Loneliness Haiku

alone at dusk
I add one more candle
to the cake


published in Sketchbook, 6:6, Nov. / Dec. 2011 "candle(s)" Haiku Thread

Shadow Haiku

candlelit study
three shadows chase each other
around the wall


published in Sketchbook, 6:6, Nov. / Dec. 2011 "candle(s)" Haiku Thread (Editor's Choice)


Editor's Comment:

Candles can be a source of entertainment as exemplified by the [haiku above].

Relationship Haiku

alone by candlelight
thinking of that spring we met
and another spring…


published in Sketchbook, 6:6, Nov. / Dec. 2011 "candle(s)" Haiku Thread (Editor's Choice)


Editor's Comment:

Chen-ou makes us linger reading this and trying to come to grasp with a lot of possibilities. Does “Alone” mean one or two? Then the double use of “spring” sends us off into many guesses about that other spring.

A Monostich

I dream of the poem taking refuge at my breasts


Published in Sketchbook, 6:5, September/October 211

Relationship Tanka

last day of spring
a pair of butterflies
fluttering
in and out of the silence
that stretches between us


Published on Romance Under A Waning Moon

Candle Haiku

St. Gertrude website
he clicks to light a candle
for his daughter


published in Sketchbook, 6:6, Nov. / Dec. 2011 "candle(s)" Haiku Thread (Editor's Choice)


Editor's Comment:

I had to google St. Gertrude website to find out what Chen-ou’s haiku was all about. I found that the site features the Historical Museum at St. Gertrude, a museum in Idaho with over 60,000 artifacts, displaying 10,000 of these, and which has been operating for 80 years. What’s remarkable is that each object is accompanied with the story of who possessed and used it. Chen-ou highlights such individuality with “one by one” emphasizing the importance of each member of the family. I encourage you to google the site.

A Monostich

the poem screams at me, The author is dead


Published in Sketchbook, 6:5, September/October 211

Moon Haiku

Moon festival
curling myself into
a ball


Published in Fri Haiku, No 4, 2011

A Monostich

gazing upon the newborn poem I trace its birthmark with my nose


Published in Sketchbook, 6:5, September/October 211

A Monostich

Shenzhen workers lining up ants hurry westwards


Published in Sketchbook, 6:5, September/October 211

Autumn Haiku

a leaf
clings to the maple tree
alone at twilight


Published in Fri Haiku, No 4, 2011

Moon Monostich

winds howling ghostly pasts embrace the empty moon


Published in Sketchbook, 6:5, September/October 211

The First Touch of Love: A Haibun

When they arrived at Wasaga Beach, surprisingly only a few people were there.

They strolled along the white sand shore, soaking in the sight of the emerald-green water. Then, they saw a pair of seabirds glide over the water.

She broke the silence, whispering, “Have you ever been with a girl before?”

“Not … not exactly,” he stammered.

She smiled up at him, "When you watch me through your telescope, do you do it to yourself?”

He felt embarrassed and lowered his voice as he answered, “I used to… a long time ago.”

She leaned against him, murmuring, “You know when a woman wants a man, she gets all wet inside.”

Suddenly, she grabbed his right hand, placed it on her left leg, and slid his hand further and further up. When she began to moan, he shuddered, breathing more and more heavily…

He clutched her thigh and caught his breath; then he released his grip. “Already?” She smiled

a lone star
on the tip of a crescent moon
that summer in our eyes


Published in Contemporary Haibun Online, 7:4, December 2011

A Monostich

gazing upon hairy bamboo sheaths girls giggle


Published in Sketchbook, 6:5, September/October 211

Lost in Translation: A Haibun

O Canada…
remembering her monotone
of "what do you want?"

The day after the Civic Holiday, 2003, I was in the Ajax Go Station to buy a ticket to Toronto. I found quite a few people lining up. I got in line and waited for my turn, as all Canadians do.

"Next in line."

"Tan-ride ticket to Toronto."

"What?"

"Tan-ride tic-ticket to Toronto."

"What did you say?" She raised her voice.

"Tan-lide tic-ticket to To-toronto, please."

"I don't know what you were saying." She answered like a stern faced mandarin.

Her black co-worker, from whom I’d bought tickets several times, avoided eye contact with me.

"What do you want?"

I took out the notebook from my backpack, and wrote down “I want a ten-ride ticket to Toronto” on a blank page. I showed it to her and gave her my Visa card.

one-way platform
an unknown flower bending
to the wind


Published in Contemporary Haibun Online, 7:4, January 2012

Time Monostich

a 7-11 store in Chinatown time is a passing guest of Yukon


Published in Sketchbook, 6:5, September/October 211

Shadow Tanka

a white church
overgrown with ivy…
a raven
darts in and out of
the shadow of the cross


Published in American Tanka, January 2012

A tanka about Religion

the priest claims
all creatures are naked
in God’s eyes . . .
an elusive smile
on his daughter’s crimson lips


Published in Atlas Poetica, Social Realism Special Feature, Jan. 2012

New Year Tanka

a little cock
stands on the granary
greeting the sun
I start the first poem
in the Year of the Dragon


Published in Eucalypt Challenge 11, January 2012

New Year Tanka

in my New Year dream
a golden dragon hovers
above the sea...
I brood over having
a child of my own


Published in Eucalypt Challenge 11, January 2012

Nostalgia Tanka

bare maple tree
standing on the front lawn…
with no one around
I speak to it
in my mother tongue


2011 "Best of the Best" Poetry Award (Tanka Category)
selected by the Founding Editor of Lyrical Passion Poetry E-Zine

New Year Haiku

New Year
a dewdrop holding
the morning sun


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, New Year's Haiku Festival, 2012
and Wednesday Haiku Feature (Issa's Untidy Hut, Jan. 2)

New Near Senryu

fans camp outside
for my poetry reading...
New Year's dream


Published in Sketchbook, 6:6, New Year's Haiku Festival, 2012