My Neighbor

The following poems appeared in My Neighbor, edited by Paul Miller (San Francisco: Two Autumns Press, 2009). I was one of four poets featured in the book, the others being Garry Gay, David Grayson, and Carolyn Hall, and the four of us read at the 20th anniversary Two Autumns reading that took place at Fort Mason in San Francisco on 13 September 2009. See also commentary by Paul Miller from the book’s introduction. +

spring sun—

at the top of the roller coaster

she says yes

relaxing my arm

butterfly

on the bullseye

record high—

this heat

even in my toothpaste

nude beach—

the crowd around

the dead whale

crackling beach fire—

we hum in place of words

we can’t recall

cold rain—

the inning ends

with nobody on

drapes drawn—

just the edges done

on the daffodil puzzle

accumulating snow—

oven mitts

praying on the counter

scent of wisteria—

she finishes translating

the birth certificate

the dentist’s chair

could hold a hundred

neon buddhas

garbage strike

the neon buddha

eats the rainbow

rapture

the neon buddha

has nothing to declare

These poems previously appeared in the following publications: 2000 San Francisco International Haiku Contest (San Francisco: Haiku Poets of Northern California, 2000), 2001 Snapshots Haiku Calendar (Liverpool, England: Snapshot Press, 2000), 2004 Drevniok Haiku Contest Winners (Toronto: Haiku Canada, 2005), A Haiku Handful (Sammamish, Washington: Press Here broadside, 2009), Anita Sadler Weiss Contest Results, 2005 (Haiku Poets of Central Maryland), Boston Haiku Society News, Bullseye (Sammamish, Washington: Press Here broadside, 2005), First Star (Sammamish, Washington: Press Here broadside, 2004), Frogpond, Heron’s Nest, HPNC Newsletter, HSA Newsletter, Mayfly, Mie Times (Japan), Modern Haiku, Neap Tide (Sammamish, Washington: Press Here broadside, 2006), Open Window (Decatur, Illinois: Brooks Books, 2001, online), Poetry on Buses 2007: Dreams (Seattle: King County Poetry on Buses, 2007), Roadrunner, Sandpiper’s Song (Foster City, California: Press Here broadside, 2000), Shiki Haikusphere (Matsuyama City, Japan: Prinart/Okada Printing Co., 2007), Tagged with Ribbons (Foster City, California: Press Here broadside, 2002), The Red Moon Anthology 1996 (Winchester, Virginia: Red Moon Press, 1997), and Vox Populi: 2007 Seattle Poetry Festival Anthology (Seattle: Seattle Poetry Festival/Eleventh Hour Productions, 2007). The following poems have also won awards: “cold rain” won Second Place in the 2004 Anita Sadler Weiss Contest (Haiku Poets of Central Maryland). “relaxing my arm” won Third Place in the 2004 Drevniok Haiku Contest (Haiku Canada). “scent of wisteria” was the top “Award” Winner in the Basho 360th Anniversary Haiku Contest, 2004; it was also one of 55 winners chosen out of 3,000 submissions for the 2007 King County (Seattle) Poetry on Buses contest. “crackling beach fire” was a Runner-Up Heron’s Nest Award Winner in December 2004. “nude beach” was an Honorable Mention in the 2000 San Francisco International Haiku Contest (Haiku Poets of Northern California). In addition, “the dentist’s chair” and “rapture” are previously unpublished.