The Open Eye

The Open Eye by Lenard D. Moore (1985/2015, Mountains & Rivers Press, Eugene, Oregon). 66 pages, 5½×8½ inches, perfectbound. 978-0-9896021-3-6. $16.00 from Mountains & Rivers Press.

This is a reprint of the original 1985 book, including its original foreword by Lorraine Ellis Harr. A new introduction by Jim Kacian suggests that “Part of the enjoyment of re-reading this book is knowing how far Lenard has come as a poet,” but no other motivation is given for reprinting the book. Jonathan Greene’s beautiful new layout and typography present the book’s 94 poems at their finest in four seasonal sections. Here’s the book’s closing poem: “Which way to go— / the eastward trail, snow / the westward trail, snow.” Lenard Moore has blazed an important path through the snows of haiku poetry, and this book celebrates some of his first steps.