From Jumble Box

Jumble Box: Haiku and Senryu from National Haiku Writing Month, published in 2017 by Press Here and which I edited, features 328 haiku and senryu by 100 poets. Order the book from Amazon. See also the Press Here page for this book. The following are fourteen of my poems from the book, each one inspired by a different daily prompt from February of 2017. Please also read the book’s introduction, “Opening the Jumble Box,” and afterword, “Next Steps with Haiku.” +

his death haiku

tied to the kite string—

wild grasses


snow falling

onto the old fishing dock . . .

her hand in mine


winter drizzle—

the mattress sale sign spinner

takes a break


moonless night—

rusted hinges

on the slaughterhouse door


mountain chalet—

the coolness at my feet

in front of the fridge


summer heat . . .

the table wiped clean

at the morgue


midwinter thaw—

the scarecrow points the way

with a shriveled radish


the last patch of snow

on the mossy lawn . . .

a call from home


a string of buoys

marks the empty swim area . . .

drifting blossoms


lakeshore bonfire—

the youth choir amplified

from the Christmas ship


before I weigh myself

on the bathroom scale

shaving


court

room

just

ice


our blanket

apparently

is just yours


starlight

in the tree rings

mouse droppings