![\"nn,](\"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/nn-goldfish-ying-and-yang-Japanese-watercolor-1-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A VARIATION ON BASHO AND ISSA<\/strong><\/p>\n Come see Antje Katcher — poet, publisher, political activist — died in April, 2014. A posthumous collection of her work, Catechism: New and Selected Poems<\/em> was published by Three Mile Harbor Press.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Matsua Basho: Hibiscus with Haiku, pen & ink<\/p>\n <\/p>\n from Bash\u014d in America to think i am<\/p>\n bash\u014d! heavy summer rain<\/p>\n punishes the roof<\/p>\n washing away sleep maracas at night<\/p>\n (cha-cha-cha) (cha-cha-cha-cha)<\/p>\n august katydids<\/p>\n <\/p>\n spider on my pants<\/p>\n which way<\/p>\n are you going? poet in white habit<\/p>\n writes at her desk long ago\u2014<\/p>\n fathomless courage<\/p>\n <\/p>\n fireflies at night<\/p>\n advertise love in july\u2014<\/p>\n meteors ascending<\/p>\n <\/p>\n on the kitchen wall<\/p>\n daddy longlegs reaching out<\/p>\n to touch my finger<\/p>\n <\/p>\n yellow zinnia:<\/p>\n temporary home to<\/p>\n sleeping bumblebee<\/p>\n <\/p>\n thrill of instant grace:<\/p>\n first morning glories abloom<\/p>\n on mailbox trellis<\/p>\n <\/p>\n beauty this moment<\/p>\n meant to disappear with me<\/p>\n and last forever<\/p>\n <\/p>\n lying down one summer<\/p>\n adrift in my canoe<\/p>\n reading brave new world<\/p>\n wavelets splash against the rocks<\/p>\n children\u2019s sweet singing<\/p>\n <\/p>\n when i realized<\/p>\n i snared fish with their hunger,<\/p>\n i stopped fishing<\/p>\n <\/p>\n now all wakes that break<\/p>\n along this rocky shore<\/p>\n are saying \u201c . . . peace . . . peace . . . \u201d 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<\/em>, and Where Time Goes<\/em>. His new work includes the “transfigurations” of haiku by Bash\u014d, and \u00adhis translation of Veinte poemas de amor y una canci\u00f3n desesperada (Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair) by Pablo Neruda. His newest book, Basho in America<\/em>, won the Eric Hoffer award.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Evaporation, Hibiscus flowers Kids play in brown grass 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Melampodium Oh, poison ivy, Chicory, a weed Lightning aims for a A poppy as tall A lily up close Kenneth Pobo has a new book forthcoming from Blue Light Press called Bend Of Quiet<\/em>. He teaches creative writing and English at Widener University. He enjoys 60s music, gardening, and reading. Surely that spring moon, \u2013Richard Wright, #217<\/p>\n Occupant Apartment 2 D<\/p>\n Her days march in place <\/p>\n On the Sistine ceiling, God 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 [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3228","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3228"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4903,"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3228\/revisions\/4903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nreal flowers
\nin a painful world
\n
\nIn a painful world
\nthe blossoming cherries add
\nanother anguish
\n
\nIn an anguished world
\nmirrored on the lake surface
\nreal cherries blossom
\n <\/p>\n
\n![\"art,](\"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/art-Basho-pen-and-ink-6a00d83456217b69e2011168f4d607970c.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n(winner of the Eric Hoffer Award, 2015; iUniverse Rising Star, 2014)
\n
\nhow foolish!<\/p>\n
\n \n<\/p>\n
\n \n<\/p>\n
\n \n<\/p>\n
\nsunrise lake music<\/p>\n
\n \n<\/p>\n
\n
\nthe parched man tried to say–
\nwater gone to dream.
\n
\nPaul Genega is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently All I Can Recall<\/em> (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 \u201cDiscovery\u201d\/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.<\/p>\n
\n
\nmunched up in the horse\u2019s mouth
\neaten one by one.–Basho<\/p>\n
\n
\nwith the smell of smoke in air.
\nThe trees don\u2019t grow here.<\/p>\n
\n
\ndeeper yellow than paint on
\nour rickety shed<\/p>\n
\nnot again! Leaves of three, bah!
\nLike grief, it sneaks in.
\n <\/p>\n
\nI yank out, toss. Shallow roots,
\na map of summer.
\n <\/p>\n
\ntree, our tall pines call. Sidetracked
\nby a lightning rod.
\n
\nWhen my husband laughs,
\nhe sounds like a Popsicle
\ngetting a good slurp.
\n
\nBelle of Barmera
\ndahlia, some people can wear
\npink. You\u2019re one of them.
\n <\/p>\n
\nas me\u2013how embarrassing
\nthat my head won\u2019t bloom!
\n <\/p>\n
\nto the road, sound of engines,
\nskids, and slammed windows<\/p>\n
\nSomeone told me if
\nI read poetry I\u2019ll die.
\nI did. Happily.
\n <\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n
\n
\nSo yellow and so fragile,
\nWill crack on a cloud!<\/p>\n
\n
\ndays like tin soldiers each one
\npushing the next aside.
\n
\nJoan McNerney\u2019s 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 <\/em>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.<\/p>\n
\n
\nand Adam dream of
\nmother-less procreation.
\n
\nIn the Circus Maximus
\nthey play soccer now
\nbeautiful boys and their balls.
\n
\nOn the Forum Romanum
\ncontemplate Buddha
\nsuck a slice of blood orange.
\n
\nAntje Katcher’s work has appeared in various magazines. The haiku are from her chapbook, Bananafish<\/em> and are used with permission. Her posthumous book of poems, Catechism<\/em>, is forthcoming from Three Mile Harbor Press. Poet, publisher and activist, she died in 2014.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"