My Poems
in Haiku Society of America Anthologies
I first proposed, inspired by the tradition in Haiku Canada, that the Haiku Society of America publish an annual membership anthology. Consequently, in 1993, I introduced and did the layout and design for the first HSA anthology. Since then, I’ve been an advisor to many editors of subsequent anthologies, and wrote an extensive HSA Publications Guide that I often shared with each editor. For many years, HSA members were charged extra for the anthology, but later the publication was added as a free benefit for all members. The following are all of my poems from these anthologies, most recent first, including the year and title of each anthology (no anthology was published in 2012), with a cover image when available. At the end are notes about a few of the poems. See also “Lull in the Wind,” a trifold of all of these poems (until 2018), celebrating the Haiku Society of America’s 50th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of these annual membership anthologies. See the Haiku Society of America anthologies page.
2023 — Fractured by Cattails
sleet in the air . . .
my son adds a Hershey bar
to Dad’s coffin
2022 — Dawn Returns
custody hearing—
the whites of her eyes
when she looks away
2021 — Visiting the Wind
a red mark
on her test paper . . .
Indian summer
2020 — Bundled Wildflowers
funeral’s end—
a whisper passed
from ear to ear
2018 — Four Hundred and Two Snails
deepening debt—
snow along the rim
of the clay flower pot
2016 — Full of Moonlight
first flurries . . .
a skateboard
broken in two
2015 — A Splash of Water
tide rip—
the slant of light
through the islands
2014 — Take-out Window
yard sale—
a row of empty jars
tinged slightly red
2013 — This World
on the merry-go-round
with my daughter
a few fallen leaves
2010 — Sharing the Sun
Darwin’s barberry
the place where
the skid marks stop
2009 — A Travel-Worn Satchel
sharp Winnipeg wind . . .
walking backwards
to the bus
2008 — Dandelion Clocks
lazy day . . .
I give her wind chime
a stir
2007 — Flower of Another Country
into the lake,
our skipping stones’
intermingling rings
2006 — Fish in Love
a lull in the wind—
the tips of pines
clearer in the fog
2005 — Loose Change
morning sickness—
the patter of spring rain
on our new roof
2004 — Walking the Same Path
dust storm—
a fence post unweathered
below the soil line
2003 — Haiku Society of America Members’ Anthology 2003
gliding hawk—
the glint of sun
from a fish’s eye
2002 — Bits of Itself
night flight—
a little girl turns her doll
to face me
(after J. D. Salinger)
2001 — Voices and Echoes
commuter train—
that girl again
reading another romance
2000 — Crinkled Sunshine
so taken by the doodle
on your bookmark
I lose your place
1999 — Intersections
muddy lakeshore—
paw print
on the monarch’s wing
1998 — Light and Shadow
together
we take the old dog’s route
summer rain
1997 — From a Kind Neighbor
roar of the missed bus—
the stone I kicked
falls into a storm drain
1996 — A Solitary Leaf
home for Christmas:
my childhood desk drawer
1995 — One Breath
dust settles
after the passing car
. . . the slow windmill
1994 — Dreams Wander
a crying ghost—
halloween loot bag
burst on the sidewalk
Notes
2023: This poem originally appeared with “Hershey’s bar” (technically the brand name) but I think it's better with just “Hershey Bar.”
2017: This poem was published with a typo, without the “l” in the first line. “ate for the bus”? This poem also marks the third “bus” poem I’ve had in HSA anthologies.
2012: The HSA anthology was never published this year, hence the gap.
2009: This was a very old poem of mine (and feels weaker to me), but I submitted it because the anthology theme was place names and specific locations. I wanted to represent Winnipeg, because I used to live there.
1998: I did the layout and design for this anthology.
1997: The first line was incorrectly printed as “roar of a missed bus” (“a” should have been “the”).
1995: Unfortunately, this poem does not actually appear in the anthology. Although formally accepted for publication, the poem was accidentally omitted from the book due to editor error, but was acknowledged with an errata sheet.
1993: I wrote the introduction for this first HSA anthology, and also did the layout and design, as a result of my proposing this new publication series.