Into Our Words

The 2009 Haiku North America conference took place at the National Library of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario (equivalent to the Library of Congress in the United States). This was the second time that the conference had been in Canada, and was also the tenth conference in the biennial series (started in 1991). Some words from the introduction: “No one was ever more in his element at Haiku North America conferences than William J. Higginson. Always the quintessential haiku poet, scholar, enthusiast, advocate, translator, and critic, Bill found such a stimulating and inspiring outlet for his passions and talents at this conference that he surely wished Haiku North America happened multiple times every year instead of just once every two years. He was, too, the only person who had been to all nine conferences since it began in 1991. When he passed away in October of 2008, Bill left a gaping void not just in Haiku North America, but in the entire haiku community worldwide. It is therefore fitting that we dedicate this tenth HNA anthology, Into Our Words, to William J. Higginson.” You can also read the entire introduction. See also the Press Here page for this book. Here are thirty-four sample poems from the anthology, including one translation and several bilingual versions. 

        mise en abîme

mes seuls cheveux blancs

   dans tous les miroirs

     my hair white

 reflected infinitely

between the mirrors

                André Duhaime

                Gatineau, Québec

first snowman—

a toddler’s breath

on the windowpane

                Carmen Sterba

                University Place, Washington

Milky Way

his reluctance

to hold my hand

                Carolyn Hall

                San Francisco, California

sunflower field

all the windmills

face the same way

                Charles Trumbull

                Santa Fe, New Mexico

in this gentle rain

aquilegia

pinking the garden

                Claudia Coutu Radmore

                Carleton Place, Ontario

words unspoken—

smoke hovers round the mouth

of the volcano

                David Burleigh

                Tokyo, Japan

matilija poppies

the appliance repairman

comes the wrong day

                Deborah P Kolodji

                Temple City, California

御仏の御鼻の先へつらら哉

mihotoke no mihana no saki e tsurara kana

                Issa

Buddha on the moor,

At the tip of his nose

Hangs an icicle.

                Dennis Maloney, translation

                Lake View, New York

heat wave—

the cow’s udder

hangs in the pond

                DeVar Dahl

                Magrath, Alberta

mid-meeting the pressure released from a soda can

                Eve Luckring

                Los Angeles, California

hillside peas

did I ever wish

to be a man?

                Fay Aoyagi

                San Francisco, California

      trees growing

out of rock

      I give in to him

                Francine Banwarth

                Dubuque, Iowa

The merry-go-round

turns a few more times

as they walk away

                Garry Gay

                Windsor, California

setting sun—

the mountain’s shadow creeps

   into our words

                Gary Hotham

                Scaggsville, Maryland

moonlit pool

from the silence

a waterfall

                Grant D. Savage

                Ottawa, Ontario

                                    fresh asparagus

                  up from the urinal

farmer’s market

                Guy Simser

                Kanata, Ontario

biodôme

devant la toilette des dames

querelle d’oiseaux

biodome

outside the ladies’ washroom

two birds fighting

                Jessica Tremblay

                Burnaby, British Columbia

          those of money

        and those of rags

their sandals in a single pile

                John Brandi

                El Rito, New Mexico

summer solstice

a note beyond

the singer’s range

                John Stevenson

                Nassau, New York

no path goes there

wild orchid

                Karen Sohne

                Toronto, Ontario

on paper

the tree hugger’s

agenda

                LeRoy Gorman

                Napanee, Ontario

the boat

at the very end of the wharf—

and two moons

                Luce Pelletier

                St-Basile-le-Grand, Québec

second honeymoon

taking pictures

of each other

                Marco Fraticelli

                Pointe Claire, Québec

my voice begins

further down in my throat

visiting home

                Marilyn Hazelton

                Allentown, Pennsylvania

Valentine’s Day—

a few clicks

of the swans’ beaks

                Michael Dylan Welch

                Sammamish, Washington

news of Hubble—

slicing a pear

for its stars

                Michele Root-Bernstein

                East Lansing, Michigan

pluie chaude d’été

nous ralentissons le pas

vers la maison

hot summer rain

we slow down our walk

home

                Micheline Beaudry

                Boucherville, Québec

a prism

  in my eyelash

morning snowfall

                Mike Rehling

                Livonia, Michigan

into the darkness

the whisper

of silver grass

                Patricia Donegan

                Evanston, Illinois

one of the road crew

resting his eyes

spring meadow

                paul m.

                Bristol, Rhode Island

last light

the wing-whistle

of mourning doves

                Paul MacNeil

                Ocala, Florida

train whistle—

I remember the warmth

of your hand

                Penny Harter

                Mays Landing, New Jersey

rising mercury

our jogging circuit

                 all uphill

                Scott Mason

                Chappaqua, New York

Canada Day heat wave

the dancer takes off

her earrings

                Terry Ann Carter

                Ottawa, Ontario