Tracing the Fern

For 2005, the Haiku North America conference moved to the northwest corner of the United States, taking place at Fort Worden Conference Center, Port Townsend, Washington. From the introduction: “This book’s title reminds us that the carefully chosen words of a memorable haiku are often like tracings of nature—so real that the reader is compelled to participate in the experience that inspired or informed the poem. In each of the haiku and senryu that follow, we hope you enjoy the participation.” See the Press Here page for this book. The following are fifteen sample poems from the book.

neige qui fond

sous le soleil d’hiver

le bambou’s s’érige

snow melting

in the winter sun

—bamboo springs back

Abigail Friedman

Quebec City, Quebec

late summer

a hermit crab caught

between homes

Carole MacRury

Point Roberts, Washington

with soft lips

she plucks the purple thistle

—shetland pony

Carol O’Dell

Port Townsend, Washington

crossing a stream

the bridge

my shadow makes

Christopher Herold

Port Townsend, Washington

out in the meadow

she uses her

“inside” voice

Connie Hutchison

Kirkland, Washington

summit

meeting

the wind

Dietmar Tauchner

Puchberg, Austria

bright rain puddle

the sun brings mountains

down to earth again

Doris Thurston

Port Townsend, Washington

forest romp

children shout from chanterelle

to matsutake

Francine Porad

Bellevue, Washington

Horizon moon

the snowman headless

no longer

George Swede

Toronto, Ontario

after the storm

the air filled with sweet smell

rice stalks fallen down

Kimiyo Tanaka

Matsuyama, Japan

afternoon hike—

the pussy willows dwindling

from my handful

Michael Dylan Welch

Sammamish, Washington

migratory ducks

I have never

kept a diary

paul m.

Bristol, Rhode Island

after love

she traces the ferns

in the window’s frost

Penny Harter

Summit, New Jersey

barefoot in dew:

across the alpine lake

the sweep of stars

Ruth Yarrow

Seattle, Washington

autumn morning—

the shape of the mountain

in the white cloud

William J. Higginson

Summit, New Jersey