Shades of GreenMichael Dylan Welch, editor. Cherie Hunter Day, illustration. Press Here, Foster City, California, 1997, 24 pages, 63 poets (one poem each), ISBN 1-878798-18-9.
The 1997 Haiku North America conference took place at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. In the introduction, I wrote that “Haiku poets are universally attuned to nature, whether that nature is a glacial moraine, a piece of redwood bark, dolphins in the sun-sparkled ocean, or a humble window planter shadowed by clouds between skyscrapers. We notice the weather, the light, the temperature, the bird songs that ebb and flow with the seasons. Our haiku are also about each other, and about ourselves. We are attuned to human nature, noticing and celebrating the subtleties of our passing emotions, imperfections, and interaction with nature. Knowing nature—and human nature—sustains us.” Here are twelve poems, including two translations, from the book.
rising mist— flood waters reach another slat in the fence
Ce Rosenow Portland, Oregon
a visit with my father . . . beneath an outdoor spigot the tall grass
Cherie Hunter Day Portland, Oregon
window frost our names drip from my finger
Christopher Herold Redwood City, California
“I can’t hear you,” he says, continuing to munch potato chips . . .
Elizabeth Nichols Colorado Springs, Colorado
chiru hana ni motsururu tori no tsubasa kana
Shiki
entangled with the scattering cherry blossoms— the wings of birds!
Janine Beichman, translator Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken, Japan
the morning after— cutting only the orchids flattened by rain
Margaret Chula Portland, Oregon
landing swallow— the ship’s chain dips slightly
Michael Dylan Welch Foster City, California
Misoka tsuki nashi chitose no sugi o daku arashi
Bashō
The month’s last night, moonless— a thousand-year-old cedar embraced by the wind
Sam Hamill, translator Port Townsend, Washington
midori ni mo iro samazama ya ame no niwa
All the same green, yes, but how many different shades there are! Garden in the rain.
Steven Carter Irvine, California
Midnight stillness just a pattering on the young leaves
Tombo (Lorraine Ellis Harr) Portland, Oregon
through blossom light into the gathering dusk the swift bus
William J. Higginson Santa Fe, New Mexico
haiku conference someone clears a frog from his throat
Yvonne Hardenbrook Columbus, Ohio
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