MIRROR ROAD
Sheila Windsor (U.K.)
Ron Moss (Tasmania)
Hortensia Anderson (U.S.A)
winter sun the mirror road
barbed wire fences sheeps wool
this way, that
derelict farmhouse
out there something howls
the whip of
wind
/sw
down charcoal alley
a child spaces her marbles
cupping fragments of light
hunched over
a man rolls a smoke
spitting ash from another /rm
fertile crescent moon
time for one last sketch:
darkness flowing upwards
in silence
leaving for the unknown
an icicle about to drip
/ha
single file her sideways glance
faure's pavane
by heart, a circling wasp
little girls as brides
the photographer a touch
too
close
/sw
blur of cherry-red
beside the track
wildflowers shudder and bloom
the passing train
it's ochre faces
close and then gone /rm
all the hands wave
the waves rushing to meet
then receding...
leaving in lush foam
blue crab claws curving
a welcome
home
/ha
7/1/'05 to 10/1/'05
WINTER TOOTHACHE
Martha Deed
Karen L. Lewis
sleet slams against trees
like a punch to my teeth – wind
stops words in my
throat
I
face the swelling landscape
cursing
unwelcome water
gray coyote slides
underneath the Full Snow Moon
stalking shadowed
snacks
cherry wood burns bright
smoke memory of sunshine
nicotine withdrawl
lozenge melting pink in mouth
I lie earthbound dull as stone
hibernal throbbing
salivary whitewash spits
arctic
misery
DHATU
Martha Deed
Karen L. Lewis
kayak paddles dip
beneath canal black waters
cold wet toes of
Spring
her thoughts drift, drown,
decompose
settling among rocks and
roots
noontime sky's milk moon
husband tethered to the shore
thunder
imminent
she ignores his pleas
grows self together with flow
wooden fingers
float
she'll cook a poem for lunch
similes with
metaphors
digging deeper in
she glides through words, weeds and reeds
poems need to breath
TAN RENGA SERIES
C W Hawes
Kathy Earsman
a bowl of soup...
the blinds shiver
in the old house
a baleen whale
sieves the sea
noon
waiting at the corner
the pale sun and
I
both of us detained
by whisky in a
jar
tree limbs bare and brown...
crows rise on the wind, then
settle as
before
empty sugar sachets fall
to cafe tables underneath
holes in the wall –
a vine comes in
and out again
little fingers fumble
with the shoelaces
sunlight stipples
rush across her face –
a summer hat
eyes scan the crowd
where could he have gone
curlew cry
along the road
once a field
tufts of grass
in the
curb
ABOVE THE BULK OF CRASHING
Denis M. Garrison
Gary Blankenship
early snow whispers pale moonlight trickles window pane
reflections on the river red lights blue lights alarms
divers' small splashes at water's edge a name called hoarsely
across a bonfire lovers look into faces carved in ice ancient rock
climbing the north face in deep silence no lonelier here than
home
ready to descend hot cocoa, blankets, the Sherpa's Life
Illustrated
coming down nothing left on the summit except a need
her desire to warm his to be warmed under midnight's glow
mute torrent all day drifts deepen into timeless white
a cell phone rings tone muffled by the soft fall
duly notified sobs, foot scrapings, cruel wind in the chimney
fluffy pillow, feather beds such comfort only found in dreams
unfurnished now, the cabin sinks in slumbering decay
the warmth at the door disappears under the orb's wan flame
STREET FAIR
Catherine Mair
Patricia Prime
lollipop pink
convertible
two chicks
street fair
the sword-swallower
tilts his head back
mountain of auburn air
her sling-back stilettos . . .
wolf whistles
1965 red Mustang
revs up at the crossing
birds scatter
cafe conversation
the nine year-old
swallows his words
festive holiday –
behind the balloon-man
a cluster of children
picnic table –
tied to a leg
the large black Labrador
fish 'n' chips
on the beach
the surf's up
TIED TOGETHER
Jane Reichhold
Kathy Earman
Zane Parks
tied together
the skein of geese
patch the sky / jr
herring weave
an ever-changing ball / KE
more delicate
than the web's weft
its shadow / ZP
a brightness on the paper
below the faded ribbon /jr
one by one
scattered poppies drop
on his coffin /KE
murder of crows leave
the tree bare /ZP
Composed in the AHApoetry Forum
Graphic by John M. Bennett & Reed Altmus 6/2/2004
- 6/28/2006
NO HAIKU MIND
heather madrone
hortensia anderson
early darkness –
i sit in a rocking chair
with a cup of tea
lights of Monterey
behind a blowing mist –
disappearing
leather-bound sketchbook –
most of the marbled pages
remain empty
blackness crumbles –
as the sumi ink dries,
and turns to dust
no words...
the white lilac
covered in snow
EASINGTON HYAKIUN RENGA (v1-36)
A short excerpt from a renga written on the renga platform built and maintained
by Alec Finley. Passers-by are invited to stop, sit and write renga together.
For most, this is their introduction to renga.
001
first day of the week
lying on the black cushion
nippy but warm
002
aqua coloured bluebells
down in Sunderland
003
oh yes! day off school
play out
on the frame
004
climbing trees
in the hot sun
005
cool!
I just saw a seagull
With it’s baby gull
006
skylarks hover
over bumpy ground,
007
with my fly-fishing rod
and feathers
I catch trout
008
people swim over
the blue river
009
flowing colours
of the dark
sparkly sky
010
lemonade in your glass
bold moon shimmers
011
Egyptian gods
with all the pieces
are the rarest
012
go to school late
forgot to change the time
013
the Easter Bunny
saves chocolate eggs
for next year
014
people round the streets
do jokes
015
zoom in with a camera –
startled deer
run away
016
close to bubbled waterfalls
a pile of muddy straw
017
rain splashes down,
on the ground,
on the soaked puppy
018
decorated clothes lying
in the ancient wardrobe
019
cherry blossom
pink as it can be
on the disguised trees
020
young men drive
buzzy cars
021
the small black ant
crawls up
the long green spiky grass
022
grasshopper jumping in
the sun shines with buttercups
023
on my plate
jersey royals
lettuce sandwiches
024
Viera scores the winner
people hit inflated balls
025
the astronomer
looks at the eclipsed moon
through his telescope
026
airport bursting to the brim
should calm down considerably
027
cheeky Nathan,
artistic Daniel, funny Dominic,
are all brothers
028
spooky cemetery
the gates are closed
029
ruined castle
sheltering from
the cold and rainy day
030
phone vibrates
ring, ring, beep, beep,
031
jog out for a rubber –
dreaded and
unfortunate exams
032
sweaty Romans
built Hadrian's Wall
033
colour in and make cushions
we can go off
for seven weeks
034
blue moon
hardly ever comes
035
Drop Dead Fred
head jammed in freezer
tries to squeeze it out
036
miners carry coal
up the steps of the mine
BUZZ WORDS #3
Francine Porad
Marlene Mountain
see-all hear-all
July Fourth the sundeck chaise offers a see-all hear-all vantage
locked up in lock-down our clean bread & water & air
prison too good for London terrorists whose only plan is murder
women's bodies everyone wants the control
removing her dress that fits like a glove smashing stereotypes
the next far-out tropical storm a politically-correct male
back into their niches the 'g-eights' not a dent in the broken as is
global warming not in Seattle today
a week of rain hydrangea blossoms shift to blues and open sky
scenic safari staying away from large kettles
'fahrenheit 9/11' still the white house occupied by evildoers*
insect trap the sweet taste of nasturtium tips
snapping turtle thru the patches outran me slid into the pond
with a wink lingering handshake
dressed in orange judith miller the horse's mouth lawyered up
click of the camera the same smile repeated
before and after haiku without an iris a touch of paranoia
quite a few acceptances for my poems
if you want a voter's registration card in Chinese please call
saudi-owned something under 10%
tithing to prevent a culture of dread instead of tolerance
daylilies tangled with fitter primroses we play darwin
evolution taught planet with three suns challenges astronomers
one-star uniform will it be honest before mccain
in Iraq hidden cache of weapons found nightly by 'copter pilots
set out for the soil buckets to catch dry weather
latest Harry Potter book banned and burned as anti-Christian
at three he'd sing 'we're off to see the lizard . . . '
animal patterns table centerpiece of bright red gladioli
chucks of mother nature mere shadows of memory
entrenched in a soaked truck a mind with new twine for climbers
many killed by suicide bomber at gas station
'bring 'em on' just loud enough for the world or in prayers too
Israel threatens to invade Gaza Strip
anonymous sources & deep background & non-denial denials
reality TV she wears a barely there bikini
Notes
*2004 documentary by Michael Moore /05
July 7- 17, 2005
BUZZ WORDS #4
Marlene Mountain
Francine Porad
unconfirmed eyewitness
unconfirmed eyewitness morning-glories knotted in blue
daughter close by Convalescent Center
congress lined with ill-gotten gains it goes without saying
astronauts space walk to test repairs
like me cicadas scratch out this afternoon's existence
class reunion I hear of Jim's death
to beat the heat floating on the pond in an inner tube carefree
we install a $98 a/c and get the cool paid for
card playing friends come over winning or losing barely matters
the war on freedom of speech this war
drafting the new Iraqi constitution request for an extension
irises dug what's left from neglect and moss
black lab’s baleful eyes the gate banged shut by rushing wind
a bolton of lightning off to the un
critique: the job described as a fool's errand doomed to failure
a 'kigo' tacked onto the end for looks
Would anyone willfully eat at Fatburgers? What a name!
now that they love money too our pals the commies
adult talk tending to red hot pokers a frog squatted beside
sweat runs down his body fan swivels side to side
two and a half haiku or rather two-thirds of the third created
group offers suggestions I read my writing aloud
'the al franken show' gotta have that fix cheeky to cheeky
kisses for Martha? ankle monitor in place*
of all things first monarch on the earliest milkweed bloom
rattled windows the Blue Angels are back
the smirk vacates to crawford parents cry their empty nests
thoughts turn to family and a life partner
dragonflies mate on the fly a thick sun hovers above the shade
a too-high temperature for the ice cream social
under beach umbrellas plain folk no nail polish no fancy watches
scared off by bits of thunder the rain
another murder on Murder She Wrote of course Jessica solves
a comfort zone slipped farther away
too much traffic to stop roadside blackberries plucking-ready
a season of roughing the soil i reflower in the garden
Notes
* Martha Stewart's home confinement
* Murder She Wrote
July 29-Aug 7, 2005
BUZZ WORDS #5
Francine Porad
Marlene Mountain
cool-cookie
cool-cookie Canadian Theoret bold driver on rough water*
dew mixed with sprinkles dirt remains dust
allergic to mites something new sensitivity doubles since 1970s
if he will their $5000 dog answers to fatty
how can pets resist gaining weight when their owners can't
back to earth the fix-it space fanatics
not in 'the energy bill' for nature to
air on the side of caution
rising costs a hike in short-term interest rates
investment in wrist-weeding for next year if i can't again
deck garden geraniums follow the sun
'intelligent design' and 'creationism' vote-gathering spins
I urge no tax dollars to promote any religious ideology
they try to run me ragged delicate morning-glory runners
Jay & June take the high road to Loch Lomond
a faithful truck breaks down 'grieving mother' protest in texas**
'goodnight Irene' prefer to see you in my dreams***------
a ghoulish day the test comes back 88 parts total coliform
atrocities of Nazis the memory of the Jews of Malsch*****
Auschwitz committee of wise scholarly rabbis place God on trial
i like how i think if/when the chance presents itself
soon my birthday life expectancy expands so how old is old
the tin roof patched a bit of poetry left in
a town downstream where the river opens up to saltwater
bottled up what to do about irises
auction items now mostly wines last year's party of clowns
'pg-13' a few kisses and the violence
can't wait to see the family documentary March of the Penguins
forever it's taken sharon to reverse himself
peace? impossible no matter what concessions made by Israelis
almost bloomed-out we live on colors of green
rainless pond dragon and damsel flyers snap at the wet bugs
sweating inside skimpy clothes Northwest drought
carpenters leave i hug all the hard work stuck to their shirts
six-year old skips along spelling m-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i
news of barbie & ken faces read by other barbie & ken faces
inside and outside the same 85° summer night
Notes
*Seafair's 2005 unlimited hydroplane Chevrolet Cup winner
** Cindy Sheehan
*** hurricane Irene on the move
**** psychotherapist Louis Maier In Lieu of Flowers: In Memory
of the Jews of
Malsch, A Village in Southern Germany (italic)
Aug 7-16, 2005
BUZZ WORDS #6
Marlene Mountain
Francine Porad
the last haiku
the last haiku in the last daylily that got away
wee ones in ballet costumes pirouette
orange and blue israelis clash on a synagogue
coast to coast vigils in US to protest war
lowest 4-wheel gear a dry run down the rainy road
trip to my sister's a gift of fudge for me
full August calendar full but for two blank spaces
room made for the abused irises
fallen blossoms crushed underfoot staining the deck red
men's tennis a bit more leg to show for it
the joker is wild do we really want to know the future?
half a decade my country too right and wrong
fascinated with new billionaires a few dollars would be OK
'btk' victim-impact statements 10 counts of life*
no remorse no regrets for killing regrets at getting caught
uprooted but back poison ivy
business as usual in Aqaba missiles fired at our Navy ship
testosterone on it's way look out iranian kids
indecision storms or humidity the cook-out called off
faux coat of arms features a knife & fork
rakes against a locust limb against the morning mist
family's five branches my pink name tag
for $30 a matching toolbox moves across the blacktop
wanted: a Bikini Martini
the pond thickens a rush of heat interrupts the cicada air
along the bank tall trees offer shade
hidden within the won solitaire games a lost afternoon
sketch on S Africa's special elephant dung paper
swept out on purpose a spider with one too many hairs
ghost story lucky I'm not a believer
orbs in each photo wait 'til she sees Scottish spook book
'will cheney resign in disgrace for any reason'**
yes or no or I don't know message boards spouting venom
i keep company with birds of a feather
a stack of sturdy stretcher frames for a look-alike series
nature's creation of nature
Notes
*serial killer Dennis Rader
**Al Franken
Aug 17-24, 2005
FLOTSAM
Patricia Prime
Catherine Mair
picnic rug
great granddaughter
shares her spring roll
passing the fuchsia
you turn around
red bells ring
freshly painted
guttering
sparrows mate
turkish coffee . . .
in the small china cup
bitter grounds
posh restaurant
under the three year-old's chair
a puddle
ice creams –
day-trip boats queue
beneath the bridge
beach resort
boom boxes
& blondes
Graphic by Scott Macleod & John M. Bennett
ISLANDS OF THE GULF
Patricia Prime
Catherine Mair
dormant volcano
a boat-load of tourists
climb the scoria path
sacred grove
Little Barrier's
pohutukawa
on the grass verge
at Brown's Holm
a shepherd's cottage
Rakino -
a sudden breeze
whips up the sand
wildlife reserve
clicking digital cameras
men, women & children
Ponui Island
the old woman still talks
about donkeys
the hyrdofoil
"Manuwai" passes the point
at Matiatia
return voyage
the "fizz" boat surges
on the wave above
the ferry docks
at the new terminal –
Japanese sushi
UNFINISHED PAINTING
Patricia Prime
Catherine Mair
art exhibition –
caressing great-grandmother's hand
the small girl
exchanges . . .
an artist catches
the poet's eye
shoving the stool
across the polished floor
the writer's toddler
steep staircase
she still attends
the reading
ante-room
an unfinished painting
on the easel
christmas gifts
2 paintings
of strawberries
street festival -
the primary colours
of boy racers' cars
poetry reading -
afterwards
those rumbling exhausts
KILLHOPE HYAKUIN RENGA
Subhadassi
Linda France
Rachel Ogden
Pam
Bill
Sarah
Joy
Janet
Peter
Alex
Ruth
Jackie
Phil
Peter
Ian
Tasha
Rocks don’t care if the frost splits them
it’s water, air,
that must flow to breathe
split logs spit
above orange coals
Ribbons from the hills
copper lines the pool
peat water over the deads
shadows reach nature free
stark line against the night
limestone juts,
green cleft hushes scars,
the mist comes early and low
turning larches peel
around the rim
red spores, mildew,
damp moss mulches
where life can hide
tallow smoulder and caked muck –
a black cough
ice and a slice,
two G&Ts
wait on the bar
each bubble breaks
down your neck
warm under your coat
on the road home
a wee fart
the hourly bus
knits the villages together
threads of headlights
flame glimpsed
out of the corner of your eye
cold quiet trickles
the whim of the jumpers
metal rails lead in
to where we work
breathing dark and silence
sheep trods that disappear
into treacherous softness
England’s last wilderness –
razed heather patches,
pellet-fed grouse and rented guns
buildings don’t steal sky –
it’s always open
a rising silhouette,
folded wings
shaping to stoop
rounded pebbles by the river
a mountain in your hand
the kettle melts the ice
on the windscreen –
half a moon
hairpin bends
lift us to the hills
wood smoke twists,
the chimney’s strapped
with iron bands
rooks croak through
hard sunshine
Flintoff’s duck
over the radio,
I pull the covers up
too late she told him
there was a quicker way
under the bridge
at Watersmeet
the lorries hum
Johnny Cash’s Desperado,
a pin of blue light
emerging from the tunnel
mind elsewhere
I pretend to watch scenery
cold crackles, heavy silence
we share our body heat
a camp-bed and mosquito net
are no protection
from the tiger
colours broken in the canal
voices mix on the air
I thought the redcurrants
were mine,
the blackbirds disagree
the weight of her arm
where the wasp went in
this was Tommy Nichol’s house,
he showed me where
his father dug coal in 1926
his place isn’t set
the gap shows
pinned to the wall
of Auden’s apartment
a map of Alston Moor
shoulder to the door
click the latch
shed coats and bags
time for my rest,
Mam’s still working
welding in the workshop
burned by sparks
ash paths and sandstone slabs
follow the firebreaks
between the spruce
the dog shakes rainbow spray
stick in his soft mouth
sharp blades
make electricity
from perfect circles
walking back from the party
under a fat milk light
I want to pick
at the glitter
in your cheek
when morning comes
we drop through the meniscus
the tup challenges
the telegraph pole
again and again
(verse 001–047)
Allenheads, 21 and 22 November, 2005
FULL FLOWER MOON
Karen L. Lewis
Martha Deed
she drops a moon rock
in terra cotta pot hole
her dirty hands
sigh
May
storm ignites ancient church
memories and gifts aflame
cassocked melodies
roll into burning postscript
up lifting
message
winds wail chords of grief
through vacant stained glass windows
starlit
filigree
waterfall mosaic builds
a
future
sanctuary
a priest brings water
mixed with terra cotta dust
mortar for a wall
YELLOW
Martha Deed
Karen L. Lewis
red fox with striped tail
something yellow in its mouth
lopes past my
window
a
corn cob in the moonlight
earthly
aphrodisiac
even the flicker
flees
lest vulpes has a taste for
wings apres foie gras
honeysuckled
air
fluent in language of tongues
is swallowed in flight
yellow
warbler's songs
protest
West
Nile's stolen water baths
evening still
rewards
sunrise living renewal
eating thievery
BLUE SMOKE
Larry Kimmel (U.S.A.)
Sheila Windsor (U.K.)
newly anointed
a shadowy figure in thin muslin
her braceleted arms raised
of man's first dawn
bison on cave walls
shards & dust
solstice morning
a worm frozen fast
to the sundial
my prints, the bird's
as the last few leaves
take flight
an iron chain
welded into an S
holds the mailbox
in the binoculars
the little rusted flag
still standing
between boxes
on the back seat
the old dog shifts and sighs
on the front door
incongruous . . . a bright blue
horseshoe smile
summer heat
on the porchsteps
9 red toenails, 1 to paint
young though she is
she's already a few
good secrets
pillow book
slips to the floor
a stream of dreams
his ink black body
silken cool by moonlight
in moaning rolling waves
1001 knights +
tortured to the last man
the Templar's "lost" treasure
in a scriptorium
the scratch of pen on parchment
scribbling for the future
330 gods
on the temple wall
a fly washes its feet
fountain spray
the stone goddess appears
to perspire
you're gone
the rain rivulets down
our cafe window
how to say it?
Venus de Milo handcuffed
to a museum mind
third eye . . .
i try, really try
to trace your likeness
skin scorch
through my fingers
times of sand
from a work in progress
15/03/'05
LEAVING GOLD
Virginia Woolf (unchanged text from her book The Waves,
published 1931)
Werner Reichhold
clouds
on the neck of swans
leaving gold
coins in a farmer's palm
during the depression
cold water
over the mackerel
in the bowl
white and yellow winding
the cat weaves its mantra
hand
cherry colored fingernails
by the moonlit waters
she moves her eyelid
how much depends on water
steam pipes
mother earth my
whirlpool
skin in touch
rock the brown basin
my ship may ride the waves
a lady pirate
fingertips go up in smoke
Virginia's cigarette
white stones one picks
up by the seashore
pollen blown how long
away from mating time
I am relieved of hard
contacts and collisions
slash dress
car key case
deep purple
off they fly
fling of seeds
sure a boy
one more part
on the ultrasound
my roots go down
I am all fiber
dancing
beach sand swallows
prints of naked feed
all tremors shake me
pressed to my ribs
sisters
their hair
bamboozeled
the apple tree stark
in the moonlight
two gardeners
one with spray
one with manure
given a greener glow
to green things
up the blade
bursting
a tulip
we come back from a walk
night gowns blown tight
the bread
rises
in a soft dome
under a towel
uncountable fingers
magician's hand on rabbits
I who long
where the swallow dips her wings
for marble columns
lighted stardust
present and parted
rattle of wheels
on the pavement
horses plod home
hanging the shirt out
on a line to sweat
the sun sharpened
a white blind
by the bedroom window
slicing to figure's
single movement
a shadow
falls on the path
elbow bent
up hill
the breath interrupted
she said
the moor is dark
beneath the moon
the wolf's howl
passing it on
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