Linked Forms, Sequences and Contrapuntal Poetry
edited by Clayton Beach
- Details
- Written by: Matt Snyder & Ryland Shengzhi Li
working gently
in the morning cold
the ripening blush
of pink ladies
with the taproot
decades deep
mom digs
a little deeper
dandelion tea
the quiet
after a story
stargazing
Matt Snyder, Hillsborough, NC
Ryland Shengzhi Li, Arlington, VA
- Details
- Written by: Reka Nyitrai, Clayton Beach & Orrin Tyrell
melancholy—on each side of its mouth grasping pedipalps RN
beads of moonlight strung in the autumn air CB
avoiding my wife i drink out alone OT
salt spilled over shoulder evening chill RN
snow drifts down slowly into the mossy silence CB
desecrated grave all of my poems hidden from his view OT
--
a rose stalk in my heart rain in bloom RN
a brief patch of stars swallowed back into the autumn night CB
closed curtains blue mums and unopened wine OT
ghosting your kisses moonlight stuck between my teeth RN
the distance between us now measured by red shift CB
waiting for the night bus unfolding irises in work-rough hands OT
i remember my face a birdcage with a sparrow in it RN
those wiry old-man eyebrows, a bit of shaving cream on my ear CB
running through a child's shadow my secrets in a toybox OT
and one day you will find god trampled by a carousel horse RN
ring-a-ring-a-rosies the falcon’s widening gyre CB
late afternoon train riding into No-thoughts curve of the tracks OT
--
in the garden of death a poppy with the power to make poems RN
a dragon dancing on foil the summer sun red with wildfire CB
we speak of Siddhartha's life another round of espressos OT
king Arthur's heart a place where leaves do not turn yellow RN
candlelight and shadow the hunt of the unicorn against cool stone CB
the food i ordered arrived i still despise the apostle Paul OT
the month i sleep all day long the moon does the same RN
winter solstice, the sun becomes the idea of cherry blossoms CB
egg sandwiches i find you adorable while you eat OT
inventing another word for beauty cranes on a snow covered pine RN
above the timberline the mountain boulders a color out of space CB
even silence has a feeling :: swaying on this nighttime train OT
--
angel's breath the snowflakes that fall from a bedtime story RN
the dead grass sharp with frost the call of a hermit thrush CB
the voice of flowers: a sealed jar of candy corn between us OT
a wolf awakes the mysterious female and the piano gets it RN
all the flowers lost in all the solemn rites of spring CB
dreaming of playing in Duke Bluebeard's beard i wash dishes OT
Reka Nyitrai
Clayton Beach
Orrin Tyrell
- Details
- Written by: Michelle Hyatt & Jacob Salzer
dawnlight
droplets of dew
on pink plum blossoms
garden pond
a frog turns into stone
dusty mirror
another déjà vu
in V formation
lights out in the valley
the elder tells his story
soft lullaby
as she cradles her baby
the scent of honey
summer sunrise
father sips a cup of coffee
warm layers
the first snow
bathed in moonlight
under one blanket
rose oil on her skin
rising incense…
two lovers share
their secrets
morning fog
the forest fills with birdsong
call to prayer
my skirt fringes become one
with seagrass
combing the old stray cat
winter wind
faint whispers
the subway rattles
in the dark
plucking a guitar string
the room fills with tension
wedding day
a butterfly flies between
the groom and the bride
under the silk chuppah
candles glimmer in a breeze
glimpsed behind
drifting storm clouds
harvest moon
pumpkin patch
so many faces in the crowd
orange streetlight
a wrinkled leaf falls
without a sound
melting into a shadow
the doe’s eyes
half-open window
an orb spider rebuilds
her web
a dreamcatcher spins
above his pillow
nascent breath
in Sakura blossoms…
the birth of a star
spring evening
the child scribbles her first poem
Michelle Hyatt, Canada
Jacob Salzer, USA
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Black, Ryland Shengzhi Li, Lee Giesecke & Linda Weir
harvest moon
four deer ambling
across the field
from the homeland
dried persimmons
remembered chestnuts
from the New World
Symphony
grandmother knitting
in the firelight
children chase
salamanders
along the stream
the rush
of our first kiss
giving out
invitations
to the Bacchanalia
an otter steals
a fish from the weir
steel drums
on the beach
in mid-day rain
silent mass
graves at Bucha
is there
a lee side
to a black hole?
political attack ads
now year round
the morning after
our first fight
still together
having sex
to stay warm
ancient glacier
moving moonlight
downhill
the two year old
learns no
rejecting
the special theory
knowing I’m wrong
glass shards sparkle
on the kite strings
a plum blossom
drifts into
my tea
along the towpath
bluebells wave
by Elizabeth Black, Ryland Shengzhi Li, Lee Giesecke, and Linda Weir
members of the Towpath Haiku group of the Washington DC
- Details
- Written by: Hansha Teki
with usura
nothing seen
becomes a flower
nor imagined, the moon
with usura
the angel's message falls
on deaf ears
with usura
the child in the womb
is stillborn
with usura
the holy innocents' sin
against nature
with usura
thirty pieces of silver
puts one's head
in a noose
with usura
a fossil fuels
an ancient debt
with usura
the cry of the poor
drowns the feast
with usura
disinformation ensures
election wins
with usura
the gulf between Dives and Lazarus
yawns wider than a hyphen
with usura
the enslavement of billions
is never abolished
with usura
sublime beauty is a debt
to be repaid
with usura
the public interest
attracts interest
with usura
the future weighs down
on the now
with usura
in a station of the metro
Pound's canto appears
- Details
- Written by: Lorraine Haig
ochre rock
ground to a paste
spirit shadows dance
from the flames
from a rotting log
the quoll
begins its hunt
crescent moon
a black beetle’s
long journey
climbing
the mountain ash
milky way
the light of stars
in the lens
of his camera
those indigo skies
the nights we spend
gazing
into moon-washed hills
- Details
- Written by: Matt Snyder & Ryland Shengzhi Li
|
bats |
|
|
a bazaar of voices |
every pew occupied |
|
word search |
“Reserved for Pastor” |
|
afternoon nap |
snaking around |
|
a bubble dances up |
almost gone |
|
one spring morning |
|
Matt Snyder, Hillsborough, NC
Ryland Shengzhi Li, Arlington, VA
- Details
- Written by: Mariko Kitakubo & Deborah P Kolodji
delicate sounds
of the early spring
taking time
to melt the waterfall
shining in the sun
sound of rain
outside my bedroom
morning lullaby
soft drops
of humidity
in Tokyo
no one notices
my tears
shall I go. . .
shall I stay?
the absence of thunder
pouring
your favorite
blueberry tea
under the stars
scent of firewood
cloudless skies
seedlings after
last year’s ashes
by Mariko Kitakubo and Deborah P Kolodji
- Details
- Written by: Roberta Beach Jacobson
teatime no worries about the clock
flood stage three
she grabs her cat
and her teas
teacups sometimes fairies visit
he invites me
for afternoon tea
I never leave
steeping exactly three minutes
evening tea
chocolate
in the cookie
witches at the cauldron tea
divorce
they split up
their teas
Darjeeling I drink in the steam
stirring
rounds in our
evening tea
sharing tea as the ship sinks
wrap-curled oolong
black dragon
of teas
slicing lemons for our tea
we shop
for Earl Grey
I fall in love
tea skills wisdom from the masters
- Details
- Written by: Jenny Ward Angyal
Ephemera
no leaf stirs. . .
yet mist rising
from the water's surface
. . . . . . . .swirls
in slender vortices of light
a feather
floats from empty air
into my mind
the desire comes
to live as lightly
mayflies
on a sunlit stream . . .
riding
the earth’s soft breath
into a single dusk
grass bows down
before the wind
and grass rises . . .
the valves of my heart
open and close
the wind harp
in my narrow room
sings
on a whispering breeze
harmonics are enough
Quicksilver
in old age
I dream once more
of horses
opalescent as the mist
wheeling around me
dappled
with moonlight
a mare stops
to touch my hand . . .
velvet breath
I twine
my fingers
in the wind’s
wild mane . . .
follow, follow
crossing
a river of starlight . . .
the current
carries us swiftly
toward the sea
a glint
of fools’ gold
as we reach
the farther shore
the scent of thyme
Spindrift
a swirl of birds
across the winter sky . . .
I sing
the shifting shapes
of star and starling
my song
has no words,
or only one—
the syllable that seeds
both emptiness and form
no name
for the no-thing
that flings up foam
and draws it back again—
this froth of stone and oak
I am a leaf
caught in an eddy
singing
my way downriver
to the distant sea
silver fish
dancing on moonlit ripples
don’t die
when the wind dies down. . .
they were always water
- Details
- Written by: Jenny Ward Angyal
- Details
- Written by: Ann K. Schwader & Deborah P Kolodji
warm breath
catches at the door . . .
too much night
flicker of recognition
before the power outage
plenty of time
to tell stars from planets
thick silence
singles night
at the stardust ballroom
his ring
driving till dawn
no other lights
dark galaxy
caught in the cloud
of lies
Ann K. Schwader & Deborah P Kolodji
- Details
- Written by: Michelle Hyatt & Jacob Salzer
primordial hum
in the Buddha garden…
morning rain
lost in plum blossoms
the sound of a bee
tupelo wine
my sudden laughter
as we tango
a pause in our footsteps
on the wooden bridge
dormant evergreens
beneath the weight
of the Cold Moon
deep snow in the city
the homeless man's dream
***
morning traffic
outside the coffee shop
two friends chatting
a balmy breeze, your scent
through an open window
on a park bench
where lovers once kissed
rustling leaves
a spotless fawn listens
in a field of golden wheat
Gilmour's guitar solo
the eagle's long flight
over a sunlit stream
spilling over the edge
the youth of a thousand years
***
bear claw scratches
in the old oak tree…
traces through my past
into the deep cave
echoes of a storm
gilded age
she changes her name
to Moonchild
loud summer wedding
the march of ants
on temple steps
signs point the way
to purification
steep mountain trail…
the monk's silence
***
rock concert
the river ice melts
into a song
from the center of two flames
midnight blue
our first hug
on a long journey
the blur of a train
dissolving in the overstory
all the straight edges
oat stalks sway
around a rusted tractor
Harvest Moon
evanescent shadows
a turn in the labyrinth
***
steady drumbeat…
rumbles
through a canyon
a trumpet solo's fading note
summer sunset
sunken treasure
kept in eternity
the day’s remains
grandma’s ashes…
the first day of spring
in a meadow
of daffodils
will we meet again?
dim lights on the horizon
the endless sea
Michelle Hyatt, Canada
Jacob D. Salzer, USA
- Details
- Written by: Orrin PréJean
[listening]
listening to him talk my mind drifts quickly
Janis Joplin's wail another night
reading through senryu stack of books
on the phone his baritone is rough
turning off my computer bathed in darkness
***
[day continues]
day continues with a heart like a whirlpool
ravens hold court a pine grove
over clipped hedges we trade bits of gossip
i love a man with a viper's demeanor
hate burning at the bottom of my starved eyes
- Details
- Written by: Mariko Kitakubo & Deborah P Kolodji
wiping off
and wiping off
the dark. . .
footsteps
in the cloud
foggy morning
searching for a ray of light
within the gray
I can't see
my fairy shoes
in the weeds
trapped by gravity
within the haze
blurry-eyed
a bee dusts
the pollen
loving
your crossed
fingers...
a bottle of mead
across the ocean
outstretched wings
the scan beep
of a boarding pass
Mariko Kitakubo & Deborah P Kolodji
- Details
- Written by: Vidya S Venkatramani
last train home-
you wait among the stars
for me
raking leaves-
you clear your throat
for a talk
evening star-
the rise of your chants
over cricket chorus
moonlight night-
your hand upon
my fevered brow
frangipani-
your last breath rides
on the morning breeze