Chrysanthemum Dusk

First published in the “Briefly Reviewed” section of Frogpond 40:1, Winter 2017, pages 104–105. +

Chrysanthemum Dusk by Susan B. Auld (2016, Red Moon Press, Winchester, Virginia). 64 pages, 4¼×6½ inches, perfectbound. ISBN 978-1-936848-54-6. $12.00 from Red Moon Press.


A collection of 48 poems, 14 of which are one-liners, and one of which is a visually spaced four-liner. Each poem appears by itself on the page, sometimes with a repeated chrysanthemum illustration, making for a relaxed read. We can depend on Auld to write varied and vivid haiku, as in “still fly / traces a slow circle / first frost” and “snow falling / on tangled trees / alone with my thoughts.”