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
