From The Haiku Anthology
These twenty haiku appeared in The Haiku Anthology, edited by Cor van den Heuvel (New York: W. W. Norton, 1999; hardback cover shown). All poems were published previously in various journals. See also On the Art of Writing Haiku, which pairs each of these poems with a quotation on the art of writing.
landing swallow—
the ship’s chain
dips slightly +
spring breeze through the window . . .
stains on an apron
left at the counter
morning bird song—
my paddle slips
mountain spring—
in my cupped hand
pine needles
beach parking lot—
where the car door opened
a small pile of sand
low summer sun—
the shadow of an earring
on your cheek
after the quake
adding I love you
to a letter
fresh snow on the mat—
the shape of welcome
still visible
after-dinner mints
passed around the table
. . . slow-falling snow
toll booth lit for Christmas—
from my hand to hers
spring breeze—
the pull of her hand
as we near the pet store
my face dripping . . .
the floppy-foot clown’s
plastic flower
after the quake
the weathervane
pointing to earth
first day of summer
a postman delivers mail
in a safari hat
grocery shopping—
pushing my cart faster
through feminine protection +
reading in bed
my pulse flickering
the lightly held bookmark
first snow . . .
the children’s hangers
clatter in the closet
taking invisible tickets
at the foot of the basement stairs—
child’s magic show
paper route
knocking a row of icicles
from the eave
home for Christmas:
my childhood desk drawer
Among the many new poets in this anthology, all with exceptional talents, there are a large number who show not just a promise of greatness to come but have already established a record of accomplishment that makes them substantial figures in the haiku world. Most prominent are Lee Gurga, Dee Evetts, Wally Swist, and Michael Dylan Welch.
Welch intertwines memories of childhood with the present, giving his work an immediacy blended with nostalgia. His images are more urban and domestic . . . and he varies the form more so that his haiku create fresh shapes on the page. Welch is also very important to the haiku community as an editor. His Press Here has published many of the best haiku chapbooks to come out in recent years, and he edited the haiku magazine Woodnotes until deciding to discontinue it in order to start a new one, Tundra, due this year.
—Cor van den Heuvel, from his introduction to The Haiku Anthology (Norton, 1999, third edition)
