Brocade of LeavesMichael Dylan Welch and Yu Chang, editors. Press Here, Sammamish, Washington, 2003, 32 pages, 85 poets (one poem each), ISBN 1-878798-27-8.
The Haiku North America conference took place at the Dalton School in New York City in 2003. From the introduction: “We know from experience—or at least from a dictionary—that a brocade is a rich silk fabric, often Oriental, with gold and silver patterns. In this book, we are presented with a vibrant brocade of voices, haiku and senryu serving as the gold and silver. These poems spring not just from the Orient, where haiku began, but from poetry weavers from across the United States and Canada, as well as other countries. And this brocade . . . is not just a brocade of silk, but a brocade of leaves, reminding us that nature is central to haiku and related genres of poetry.” The following are sixteen sample poems from the book.
circling Ground Zero a ring of sequoias but then I wake up
Brenda J. Gannam Brooklyn, New York
late for work . . . the cat’s muddy paw print on my collar
Brian Tasker Frome, Somerset, England
heavy snowfall the Brooklyn Bridge cancelled
Bruce Kennedy Brooklyn, New York
another autumn the tailor shop I wrote about is gone
Cor van den Heuvel New York, New York
above the park wall the flags of a parade going past
Doris Heitmeyer New York, New York
apple pie what more needs to be said about my childhood
Jerry Kilbride Sacramento, California
late to watch the deciding game the full moon
Marshall Hryciuk Toronto, Ontario
spring thaw— the old scarecrow a little taller
Michael Dylan Welch Sammamish, Washington
brocade of leaves . . . a monk sweeps a path for the guests
Pamela A. Babusci Rochester, New York
the wee hours a quartered apple browns
Pamela Miller Ness New York, New York
old punk song . . . I pump my fist in the gardening glove
Paul Pfleuger, Jr. Brooklyn, New York
The cliff’s dirt edge An eroded sense of self
Regina Weinreich New York, New York
old jazz record— a scratch improvises
Stanford M. Forrester Wethersfield, Connecticut
chrysalis the old-timer’s rapt attention
Tom Painting Rochester, New York
spring rain rereading my own book I fall asleep
William J. Higginson Summit, New Jersey
confluence a marsh reed sways with a blackbird
Yu Chang Schenectady, New York
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