Just past sunrise . . . 4 small poems

Two of my haiku and two tanka were published in Blithe Spirit, Journal of the British Haiku Society, Volume 27, No. 2, 2017:

 IMG_4490

 

 

autumn morning—

sweeping away all

that drifts inside

 

 

washed up

in the sudden flood –

a baby’s shoe

 

 

just past sunrise

a single scull

glides down the river. . .

a flash of what it was

to be young

 

 

the tight cord slaps

against the flagpole

all night long

I dream of a father

who used few words

 

 

My thanks to Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy, the editor of Blithe Spirit, for selecting these four poems for publication.

A respite … (tanka)

 

tanka in eucalypt

 

Note:  This is the very first time one of my tanka have appeared in the Australian tanka journal, Eucalypt.  My thanks to the new editor, poet Julie Thorndike.

Dark pebbles… (a tanka)

 

 

tanka moonbathing 16

 

Note: Published by poet and artist, Pamela L. Babusci, Moonbathing is a journal of women’s tanka.

Willow branches (collaborative tankart)

FS6 Kendall & French

 

This piece of tankart appeared in Frameless Sky 6 as part of an ongoing competitive challenge. In the last issue, a photograph I submitted was selected by a poet to go with her poem. Since my photo was selected, I was then asked, in turn, to contribute a tanka or haiku for the next issue. I wrote this tanka as a prompt. There were some wonderful pictures submitted, and it was very hard to select just one. In the end, I kept returning to this lovely ink drawing of a willow.. Terri Hale French, a distinguished and accomplished haiku poet was the artist. Our combined effort appeared in the latest issue of Frameless Sky. It’s a real honor to have this collaborative piece of tanka art published. Many thanks to Christine L. Villa, poet and editor of Frameless Sky.

 

Published in Frameless Sky 6, Summer 2017

Some colorful and ‘edible’ haiku

An online haiku journal I love is brass bell: a haiku journal. It is curated by Zee Zehava, herself an excellent haiku poet and teacher. This journal sends out a “theme” for the month’s submissions, and the results are always a delight to read. Recently I had several haiku appear under two different themes.

brass bell: a haiku journal, May 2017
Theme: Colorful Haiku

 

 

children now gone 
no red wagon 
to break the fog

 

flashes of azure wings
two bluebirds wake
the grey morning

 

 

brass bell: a haiku journal, April 2017
Theme: Edible Haiku

 

tasting a word
as I say it aloud —
gnocchi

 
the soft velvet
of apricots
against our lips

   

pierogi day —
pinching loose ends
of dough & memories
   

 

 

 

colored pencils

~ ~ ~

My thanks to Zee Zehava, curator of brass bell: a haiku journal. To read a full issue of this journal, please go to: http://brassbellhaiku.blogspot.com

Jasmine tea . . . (a tanka)

Skylark Summer 2017, Volume 5, Issue 1

 

from slabs
of common clay
delicate cups
that hold the scent
of jasmine tea

 

Mary Kendall  (c) 2017

 

steamy tea