A VARIATION ON BASHO AND ISSA
Come see
real flowers
in a painful world
In a painful world
the blossoming cherries add
another anguish
In an anguished world
mirrored on the lake surface
real cherries blossom
Antje Katcher — poet, publisher, political activist — died in April, 2014. A posthumous collection of her work, Catechism: New and Selected Poems was published by Three Mile Harbor Press.
Matsua Basho: Hibiscus with Haiku, pen & ink
from Bashō in America
(winner of the Eric Hoffer Award, 2015; iUniverse Rising Star, 2014)
how foolish!
to think i am
bashō!
heavy summer rain
punishes the roof
washing away sleep
maracas at night
(cha-cha-cha) (cha-cha-cha-cha)
august katydids
spider on my pants
which way
are you going?
poet in white habit
writes at her desk long ago—
fathomless courage
fireflies at night
advertise love in july—
meteors ascending
on the kitchen wall
daddy longlegs reaching out
to touch my finger
yellow zinnia:
temporary home to
sleeping bumblebee
thrill of instant grace:
first morning glories abloom
on mailbox trellis
beauty this moment
meant to disappear with me
and last forever
lying down one summer
adrift in my canoe
reading brave new world
sunrise lake music
wavelets splash against the rocks
children’s sweet singing
when i realized
i snared fish with their hunger,
i stopped fishing
now all wakes that break
along this rocky shore
are saying “ . . . peace . . . peace . . . ”
Sander Zulauf is editor emeritus of the Journal of New Jersey Poets and an editor of The Poets of New Jersey: From Colonial to Contemporary. In addition to editing the first ten years of the Index of American Periodical Verse, his books of poetry include Succasunna New Jersey, Living Waters, and Where Time Goes. His new work includes the “transfigurations” of haiku by Bashō, and his translation of Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada (Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair) by Pablo Neruda. His newest book, Basho in America, won the Eric Hoffer award.
Evaporation,
the parched man tried to say–
water gone to dream.
Paul Genega is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently All I Can Recall (Salmon Poetry, Ireland, 2013). Over a forty year career, his work has appeared in journals such as Poetry, North American Review, New York Quarterly and Free Inquiry, and has garnered numerous awards, including the “Discovery”/The Nation Award and an individual fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He founded and directed the creative writing program at Bloomfield College, New Jersey, where his legacy continues through the Genega Endowed Scholarships.
Hibiscus flowers
munched up in the horse’s mouth
eaten one by one.–Basho
Kids play in brown grass
with the smell of smoke in air.
The trees don’t grow here.
Shavon Ford studied at Bloomfield College, NYU & graduated from FDU. He organized and took part in a recent spoken word performance at the Schomburg Center in NYC. He is a native of Jersey City.
Melampodium
deeper yellow than paint on
our rickety shed
Oh, poison ivy,
not again! Leaves of three, bah!
Like grief, it sneaks in.
Chicory, a weed
I yank out, toss. Shallow roots,
a map of summer.
Lightning aims for a
tree, our tall pines call. Sidetracked
by a lightning rod.
When my husband laughs,
he sounds like a Popsicle
getting a good slurp.
Belle of Barmera
dahlia, some people can wear
pink. You’re one of them.
A poppy as tall
as me–how embarrassing
that my head won’t bloom!
A lily up close
to the road, sound of engines,
skids, and slammed windows
Someone told me if
I read poetry I’ll die.
I did. Happily.
Kenneth Pobo has a new book forthcoming from Blue Light Press called Bend Of Quiet. He teaches creative writing and English at Widener University. He enjoys 60s music, gardening, and reading.
Surely that spring moon,
So yellow and so fragile,
Will crack on a cloud!
–Richard Wright, #217
Occupant Apartment 2 D
Her days march in place
days like tin soldiers each one
pushing the next aside.
Joan McNerney’s poetry has been included in numerous literary magazines such as Camel Saloon, Seven Circle Press, Dinner with the Muse, Blueline, Spectrum, and included in Bright Hills Press, Kind of A Hurricane and Poppy Road Anthologies. She has been nominated three times for Best of the Net. Poet and Geek recognized her work as their best poem of 2013. Four of her books have been published by fine small literary presses and she has three e-book titles.
On the Sistine ceiling, God
and Adam dream of
mother-less procreation.
In the Circus Maximus
they play soccer now
beautiful boys and their balls.
On the Forum Romanum
contemplate Buddha
suck a slice of blood orange.
Antje Katcher’s work has appeared in various magazines. The haiku are from her chapbook, Bananafish and are used with permission. Her posthumous book of poems, Catechism, is forthcoming from Three Mile Harbor Press. Poet, publisher and activist, she died in 2014.
