Crystal Dragon

The ongoing monologue

2009-09-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

words form
a shallow pool
fallen cloud

* * * * * * *
I thought about putting a "dash" after the word pool, but Scott Metz has tended to enourage me away from dashes. W. S. Merwin uses them almost not at all, or any other punctuation, his idea being the reader can figure out where he or she wants to put them, if he or she needs or wants them at all.

I like the idea of a fallen cloud. Clouds are light, they don't fall, so "fallen cloud" has a kind of heavy awkward quality about it, which fits in with the shallowness of the pool. Also, I like the fact that we form words, and that in objective reality words don't form anything, words forming a shallow pool is surrealistic.

All in all, I'm quite happy with this haiku, and am commenting on it because of having received so few comments on this blog. I feel as if I am out somewhere in a far, remote hinterland without phone service, mail, T.V. or internet. So, until that changes I'll just talk to myself.

Lettuce's Bliss: 5 Haiku

2009-04-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

1

To die
in a hippo's jaws --
the lettuce's bliss

2

Remorseful
for tearing up a violet
so I ate it

3

On T.V. a spider
liquifies a frog --
spring in Kansas City

4

In spring
a stone mason --
servant of the endless wall

5

Skin
smooth and white --
the pyramid's youth

Room in the Mirror: 3 Haiku

2009-03-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

1

On the statues
the moonlight's
soft blue skin

2

My body aching --
wind is chilling
the spring mud

3

At twilight I hide
from a room
in the mirror

Metaphysical Haiku

2009-03-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

When I think of metaphysical writing, I think of the complex essays and expostulations of kabbalistic authors. The best of these are elaborate and clear mental constructs that can be difficult to understand, not because they are obscure, but because they are so carefully precise in their detail. I admire these writings, but I read them infrequently, because they take a lot of effort.

The same is true of many writings on Buddhism. The Tibetans have developed a metaphysical system which is vast, and like kabbalah detailed.

If I am going to read metaphysical writings, I much prefer to go to Rumi, or Hafiz, both Persian poets. Hilmi Yavuz is another one I love, though, unfortunately, I know of only one book of his in English, "Season of the Word."

At some time in the recent past I asked myself the question, "can metaphysical haiku be written?" and the answer, of course, is yes. But due to the nature of the haiku form, metaphysical haiku will be the exact opposite of kabbalistic and buddhistic discourse. A haikuist cannot embroider a thousand details with a tiny needle, or elaborate on the fine points of various types of energies or levels of existence

But what he or she can do is shine a ray of light into the subconscious of the reader -- sound a spiritual chord of resonance, so that the reader feels the metaphysical truth, even though they may not be able to clearly define it in conscious, intellectual terms.

I have come to believe that all poetry is metaphysical truth -- it's just that a philosopher prefers the term "metaphysical truth," and the poet prefers the term "poetry."

Just as the metaphysician says that everything has its source in love, the poet knows that all emotions are expressions of love, and all negative emotions the frustrations of love, and that poetry, to be true poetry, must have emotion, that is, love.

One of the most interesting things for me about writing haiku is that as I do it I feel I am actually two people engaged in the act: one is a person who is consciously and intellectually making word choices and trying to be objective and critical about what he's doing, and the other person is an inner voice that occasionally just blurts something out. Of the two, the blurter is the best poet, though the intellectual/critical one can play a positive role when he comes in to support or polish the blurtings.

Black Hole: 4 Haiku

2009-03-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

1

At the Galaxy's center
a black hole cleanses
the suffering of stars

2

In autumn
falling from the Tree of Life --
thousands of diagrams

3

stretching upwards
a worm craving
a sip of moonlight

4

Floating in Saturn's rings
A diamond
big as a poet's head

Fog's Portrait: 12 Haiku

2009-03-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

1

I'm painting a portrait
of the fog --
please hold still

2

The Queen of the Fairies!
Look! She's come
to bless the shoppers!

3

Carefully the surgeon
removes a ray of sunshine
from the troll

4

Even uncut
the dinosaur finds
the diamond quite beautiful

5

Worms
beneath our feet
a sea of flesh

6

Suddenly
a worm flies away!
(in a robin's belly)

7

Babbling brook
your presence is required
on Mars

8

Maids
landing on Mars
(they forgot trashbags)

9

Earthworms
the earliest memories
of dragons

10

For light
soil is
a vast labyrinth

11

For earthworms
squirming
is the destination

12

Releasing
billows of pink gas
the peonies fade

Spring Wind: 3 Haiku

2009-03-25T20:45:00.001-07:00

1

Deep in the mountain
layers of shadows
becoming stone

2

Falling toward the sea
a celestial fish --
the zodiac's gift

3

In Wales
the alchemist's girlfriend --
a giant cyclops

Wondering Wind: 5 Haiku

2009-03-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

1

library on fire
I read
faster and faster

2

With knife in hand
fearlessly I venture
into the melon

3

"Why
do they need roads?"
the wind wonders

4

They're all barking in the night --
Moonlight, snow,
and a dog

5

Winter night --
she throws more romance novels
onto the fire

Cow's Tongue: 4 Haiku

2009-03-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

1

My birth
sculpted from salt
by a cow's tongue

2

In the alchemist's house
a floor of dirt
and ceiling of blue

3

Wandering the labyrinth
a crow on her shoulder
the old alchemist

4

Guarding Fairyland's border
a dragonfly
and facts

Future Echoes: 1 Haiku

2009-03-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

1

A bird sings --
a faraway cave gathers echoes
for the future

Spring Fish: 2 Haiku

2009-03-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

1

In spring
I'm a fish savoring
an amniotic mist

2

Spring dragon wakes --
a sky full of sap
and chimes

The New "Wrinkled Sea"

2009-03-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

I have just removed 20 haiku from the book "Wrinkled Sea." It was originally 120 haiku, but as I read it over the twenty I removed struck me as inferior, so I deleted them.
"Wrinkled Sea" was written seven years ago, and since then I have written and read a great many haiku, and learned much about them. The Latin poet Horace said that a poet should let poems sit around for a number of years before publishing them. He said that this would help to insure that the poet really did in fact want to publish those poems, and help to prevent him or her from publishing things he might regret later.
Here is an example of a deleted haiku from "Wrinkled Sea":

a snake
practicing yoga
lays in the form of a square

This haiku strikes me now as merely cute and clever. I feel there is nothing wrong with cute clever so long as a haiku is not just cute and clever. This one seems to me to lack anything else.
Here's another:

under cold stars
setting out
to buy water

The problem here is that the haiku is what I call "slight," that is, there's not enough to it. It's an image that's not vivid or striking in any way.
And here's another

silk underwear --
the stars
remain sharp

This haiku is an attempt to be Japanese, but I think it just doesn't make it. Japanese haiku often uses contrasts and comparions which are subtle and indirect. There's nothing wrong, in my estimation, with trying to be Japanese -- I'm trying to be Japanese all the time, aesthetically speaking. I think, though, that in this haiku the contrast between the visual sharpness of the stars and the smoothnness of the silk underwear is a little too direct and obvious. Actually, this is what I would class as a "borderline" haiku -- not bad, but not that good either. To me borderline haiku are more akin to bad haiku than good haiku, so I removed it.
Here's another:

My blood
always falling
and climbing up again

I categorize this one as "unpleasant." An "unpleasant" haiku creates an image that is needlessly awkward, grotesque, or just unfortunate. Sometimes if a haiku is grotesque enough with a purpose, it could be good as in the famous Japanese haiku by Seito Hirahata:

At last
I entered the circle
of dancing lepers

This is a grotesque haiku, but it has about it an extremely mysterious feeling of ritual.
Of course the book "Wrinkled Sea" still has the twenty deleted haiku, but if I ever reprint the book again, they will be taken out. In the mean time, when I go to read my poetry somewhere I will take a printout of the 100 haiku that constitute the new version of the book -- so that I don't read any of those inferior twenty!

2009-03-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

On a polished altar
offerings of shadows,
reflections, and dew

Invisible Castle (X): 15 Haiku

2009-03-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

1

Invisible castle
the sadness of
the invisible peacock

2

Invisible castle
rainbows know
all the secret passages

3

Invisible castle
to see or not to see
that is the question

4

Invisible castle
one smile
to rule them all

5

Invisible castle
your karma's
locked in the dungeon

6

Invisible castle
at the mirror's surface
a border guard stationed

7

Invisible castle
the pot of gold
can't find a rainbow

8

Invisible castle
the garden is fragrant
but non-existent

9

Invisible castle
like a wet dog
shakes off fresh paint

10

Invisible castle
only the pizza delivery man
knows the address

11

Invisible castle
from the ramparts archers
shoot rays of light

12

A herd of editors
tries to revise
the invisible castle

13

Invisible castle
for the nose
a maze of odors

14

Invisible castle
Chopin likes sunlight
obscured by dust

15

Invisible castle
someone is writing down
Rimbaud's hiccups

Persian Miniatures: 4 Haiku

2009-03-20T18:43:00.000-07:00

1

A magnifying glass --
careful! do not
burn the sultan!

2

As you wander
your imagination
waters the flowers

2009-03-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

Blank sky --
are stars
hidden agendas?

2009-03-19T21:42:00.001-07:00

Born
on a Monkey Day
I've a strangely human face

2009-03-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

In winter
ivy eats its fill
of darkness

2009-03-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

The first dandelion
that's what each one
thinks it is

2009-03-19T21:33:00.001-07:00

The Black Desert
a vastness
of morning glory seeds

2009-03-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

2009-03-19T21:26:00.001-07:00

Beneath
the fallen alchemist
a wheelchair appears

2009-03-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

Being hit
at the speed of light
I brighten

2009-03-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

Through storms and snows
and seas of gray we seek
the pale northern rainbow

Shopping Spree: 4 Haiku

2009-03-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

1

Hovering in the sky
over America
clouds of fake money

2

stuffed full of credit cards
and wrapped in red tape
I'm ready for burial

3

Death camps --
that's why the space beings
stay hidden

4

The New Age
of Dinosaurs demands
a New Gigantic Meteor

Invisible Castle (IX): 5 Haiku

2009-03-17T18:22:00.001-07:00

1

In the Invisible Castle's
moat a school
of whales

2

Invisible Castle --
to Sleeping Beauty
the gift of insomnia

3

Invisible castle --
a tidal wave
is asked to wait

4

Invisible castle --
the fairy princess
prefers a condo

5

Invisible castle --
like a spider web
the harp strings are sticky

Stone Dragonfly: 5 Haiku

2009-03-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

1

We need to start
making reality
more believable

2

Birth and death
generate a power source
of multicolored sparks

3

a stone dragonfly
rescued
with a sledgehammer

4

The sky's blankness
enters my eyes
as a vague pain

5

steeping tea
people chatting -- the long
hibernation of dinosaurs

Eating the Labyrinth: 4 Haiku

2009-03-15T19:01:00.000-07:00

1

Having eaten
the labyrinth, I feel
complicated

2

clouds passing --
the fleeting lives
of tree shadows

3

Expending
much time and energy
stars shine on each other

4

Purple
in moonlight
African mermaids

School of Rainbows: 10 Haiku

2009-03-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

1

waking at night --
a bathtub
has turned into moonlight

2

From inside
a crystal's silence I watch
raging winds

3

The fish at the bottom
of darkness is a school
of rainbows

4

On the moon's dark side
a tower
and a secret breeze

5

rough and faceless
hiding in stone
a sculptor found me

6

Collecting in dew
light enters
pine tree darkness

7

reflecting the sky's
architecture
a dew drop is round

8

Lunar caves --
the mystery
of interior light

9

Journeying
to the moon the winds
never arrive

10

"Do flowers have ghosts?"
at the question
colors laugh

Sharp vs. Soft

2009-03-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

Most American haiku poets prefer haiku that has some type of punch to it, a kind of point that sticks out. One might call this an "attention grabber." We here in America are very big into grabbing attention. I call this "sharpness" when it is in haiku. In itself it is just a technique, and can result in good as well as inferior haiku. Here is an example of it in a haikiu I wrote:

With
an expensive coffin
a new life begins

The sharpness here comes from the irony of new life beginning in a coffin. Sharpness often appears in the form of shock, as it does in this haiku. I like this haiku because on the surface it sounds like a platitude, yet it is quite irrational.
Contrasted with the concept of "sharpness" is the opposite idea of "softness." This is when a haiku does not surprise, or shock, and is not pointed. To me, these haiku are much harder to write, because they may be overlooked. Rather than coming at you and grabbing or challenging you, they invite you in. Here is an example:

On a mud cliff
a stream casts
ribbons of light

I saw this happening one day in the woods in Missouri. It was wonderous. I love the contrast between the mud which is heavy, dark, and wet, and the overlay of light that flows effortlessly over the mud.
My ideal is to write "sharp" haiku without resorting to cheap tricks, or shocks whose only purpose is to hook one's attention, and to write "soft" haiku that glow, without being too vague or non-descript.

Spirit Rose: 5 Haiku

2009-03-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

1

The spirit rose
that lives in the sky
how near is it? How far?

2

Stars and flowers
have centers --
do we?

3

A river's
hidden source:
the eternal dewdrop

4

The goddess of spring
imbues the colors of plastics
with new life

5

In the garden
white Mary blessing
the dirt on her robes

Blue Dusk: 5 Haiku

2009-03-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

1

In the blue dusk
clouds
of silent twigs

2

In spring
a woodpecker and I
each with his own persistence

3

High on a wall
a tapestry -- the lands
of far away

4

on a mud cliff
a stream casts
ribbons of light

5

With
an expensive coffin
a new life begins

Invisible Castle (VIII): 10 Haiku

2009-03-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

1

At the invisible castle
it's snowing
prehistoric dust

2

Invisible castle
they didn't even know
they'd found it

3

Invisible castle --
you are
your own dungeon

4

Invisible castle
the dust mites
secretly rejoycing

5

Invisible castle
the tapestries
have faded as much as they can

6

Invisible castle --
is it hiding
in a romance novel?

7

At the invisible castle
the monkeys
are making wrenches

8

Is the invisible castle
haunted? Ghosts
aren't sure

9

Saved from the flood --
Invisible castle
on the back of daddy long legs

10

Invisible castle
to prevent earthquakes
the tongue holds still

Ancient Lemons: 5 Haiku

2009-03-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

1

As yellow as ever
the lemons of ancient Rome
are falling

2

Flying,
a prayer flag thread
finds dust and a rainbow

3

crisp and gentle
the waves surrounding
our mystic voyage

4

Faded tapestry
the sky, too
is clearing

5

Upstairs, the thud
of a secret foot
descending from the sky

6

Embedded
in the sea -- clouds
of the future

7

Twigs at dusk!
the sky is full
of little peninsulas!

Spiral River: 5 Haiku

2009-03-06T18:41:00.000-08:00

1

Spiral river
let's set sail
from the source

2

Spiral river
Upstream further
and further within

3

This realm --
countless layers
of fog

4

Pulling up weeds
uncovering
an inner darkness

5

Assaulted
by noise my ears
turn into smoke

Bubble's Funeral: 4 Haiku

2009-03-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

1

At a bubble's funeral
the wind
is laughing

2

Black columns at dusk
maybe
I'm a momentary breeze

3

white morning glory --
death is
a beautiful illusion

4

In gray winter
a woodpecker taps
at the seam of the universe

Wrinkled Sea: 100 Haiku

2009-03-03T16:08:00.000-08:00

Here is the complete text of my second haiku book "Wrinkled Sea." It contains 120 poems and was published in 2002 by Hikoo Press, Kansas City.

1

awakened by spring light
I put on a blindfold
and go back to sleep

2

autumn dusk
a hippopotamus
perches on a withered branch

3

relieving itself
a gray cloud
turns white

4

a spell to protect
the paper tower
from wind

5

a whole sky
of stars hides
in my blindfold

6

to prevent discovery
a dinosaur dies
beneath a cathedral

7

a dream
of sharks --
the one-armed mermaid

8

staring at the sky
a fish waits
for the next ocean

9

rubbing the skin
from my face, I uncover
a jade mask

10

the moon
purchased and towed away
by aliens

11

for a good luck charm
I wear
a five-ton boulder

12

false eyelashes
barely seen
on the tarantula

13

valentine opened
valve replaced
valentine closed

14

flowing
from the chainsaw
cedar's perfume

15

walking through dead weeds
hand held up
to block the sun

16

the space
between galaxies --
that's where I'm most free

17

cherry blossoms
falling on stones
smash them

18

a stalactite and stalagmite
touch for the first time
in the dark

19

it's too white
to be my heart --
it must be my brain

20

water
come caress me
then go

21

defending houses
against the stars --
the faithful roofs

22

at night the refrigerator
yearns to escape
into the snowstorm

23

starlight
falls
on fallen leaves

24

one day
everyone ignored
a square cloud

25

during a snowstorm
a ruby grows
in a laboratory

26

from a gold frame
a holy man looks out
over a rock collection

27

without flapping its wings --
little silver plane

28

from a cloud
wind pulls
thousands of tentacles

29

sharp knife
at the string --
a kite dreams

30

staring at a blank wall --
it helps to listen
to the sea

31

in the ocean
for thousands of miles --
hidden rivers

32

in this soil
rot
of a billion petals

33

and we continue
slowly to ride
Milky Way's merry-go-round

34

the dragonfly examines
what I suppose
is my face

35

forsythia --
let's give the peacock
a crew cut too

36

pulled inside my lungs
the wind for a moment
is still

37

remembering Jesus
I walk on a sea
of concrete

38

slowly my toenails
wandering out
of my body

39

the stars
ripening -- occasionally
one falling

40

perfectly cut
to fit above everything --
blank sky

41

why do the smallest birds
always fly in the distance?

42

to smooth out the wrinkles
pull on the edge
of the sea

43

a cloud
stands still --
I float by

44

tree
my tend fingers
your ten thousand

45

angel's camouflage --
white dirt
of heaven

46

we who dwell inland
use small machines
to make ocean noises

47

during the rain
a man is repairing a wall
made of words

48

I cannot see
how I look
in my new blindfold

49

beneath the streets
tree roots reach
toward one another

50

moonlight shadows --
they never look
quite right

51

river delta
the mud has eaten
thousands of colors

52

flossing piranhas --
a difficult job
but it pays well

53

stars --
within me
tiny ancient things

54

in some other place
this little yellow sun
is scorching someone

55

beyond the window --
the world more magical
viewed through dust

56

eating raw cabbage
eating cooked cabbage
eating a gray sky

57

parking garage --
in 5000 years
stalactites?

58

even when I rest
my toenails growing
toward my destination

59

when no one is looking
the waterfall stops
for a moment to rest

60

sleepless night --
the trees beneath the street light
yearn for darkness

61

freed from cold
my spirit body
naked on an iceberg

62

stacking my vertebrae
on top of each other
I move on

63

my feet
are whispering to each other --
I play like I'm asleep

64

rather than dusting
I throw a little glitter
in the corners

65

toes --
old and fat
but still together

66

blue chicory flowers --
just before the lawnmower
I saw them

67

blue morning glories
the garden gate entangled
I go away

68

light reflect off
the light trapped in
a photograph

69

to make the photograph
look old, he took it
a long time ago

70

ghosts of dead languages --
black and white photo
of a rainbow

71

rotting off the house
a balcony
from which stars were viewed

72

bugs around a street light --
a little snow
that never falls

73

yes this morning
the fish still bathing
in the pool

74

for thousands of years
the cave patiently waiting
for electric lights

75

some younger, some older
the stalactites all dripping
in darkness

76

pulled between my thumb
and finger, the corn leaf
hisses like a snake

77

falling into the ocean
a tear expands
for thousands of miles

78

singing a hymn
to silence -- choir
of a thousand fish

79

the light has slowed
but eventually
I appear in the mirror

80

except for the sun
the sky today
flawless

81

a blind fish
listens
to falling snow

82

after the storm
a business man struck down
by a rainbow

83

freshly poured concrete sky
a yellow crocus
pops open

84

falling through
the back of the mirror
I reenter the room

85

before walking away
my shoes make sure
I've put them on

86

with hair gel
Rapunzel builds
her own tower

87

massaging the tarantula --
it wasn't as easy
as it sounded

88

a dragonfly wonders
why everyone's
so fat

89

found a meteor
shaped like a tongue
began writing haiku

90

beneath the flamenco dancers
the cockroaches
learn new steps

91

cute clouds
ugly houses
suburb twilight

92

lost myself
at the carnival
so I went home alone

93

a stone goddess
smiles
cracking hear head off

94

needing a vacation
I visit
my feet

95

hidden
in my closet -- capstone
of the Great Pyramid

96

forever salivating
the cave
hungers

97

by the time I returned from peeing
the cloud had died

(Published in "Ginyu," Ginyu Press, Japan)

98

a wet painting
their curiosity
keeps it moist

99

after two million years
face of a cliff
still waiting to be carved

100

moon
big round
bright rock

Self-portrait: 9 Haiku

2009-03-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

1

In the dark
painting my self-portrait
wonder how I look

2

Can't decide
where to breathe --
sky's too big

3

A new battery
to keep the clock
busy waiting

4

Lost my feet --
must have
wandered off

5

After the leak
ironing
Hadrian's memoirs

6

Lake -- the molecules
are taking turns
being the surface

7

Debussy
turned into a cloud
and forgot to evaporate

8

Most of them
too faint to be noticed --
fishes smiles

9

Eiffel Tower
hollow so that perfumes
can get through

Dragon Garage: 16 Haiku

2009-03-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

1

Dragon garage
this space reserved
for virgins

2

The portrait painter
shopping
for a tube of flesh

3

The portrait painter
again he makes me
shut my mouth

4

Invisible cage --
bird's dead
anyway

5

In spring
a woman enjoying tulips
and a hormone patch

6

under a flag
a man in a suit
ignoring the wind

7

As we sleep
our shadows roam the streets
in search of each other

8

On everything
dust --
except the light

9

Growing angry --
holding my tail
to stop the swishing

10

A giant
air-tight window
silences the ocean

11

In the museum
many paintings have gathered
to view the people

12

now approaching
the moon: all tourists
must wear only white

13

On the moon white dust
and the eternal sleep
of winds

14

The sun's tentacles
meet those
of a jellyfish

15

In the sky
a white rock --
you thought it was a cloud!

16

The stars
looking for night
see, they found it!

Looking For the Sun: 8 Haiku

2009-03-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

1

Fallen leaves --
must I choose
between a balloon and a dragonfly?

2

Fallen leaves --
look! an old ballerina
is living in the trees!

3

Time travelled
saw Elvis and a Pharoah
then came home

4

Locust tree
most thorns
dying unused

5

In winter
I hold a candle up
to look for the sun

6

Dragonfly alights!
the angel
of acupuncture!

7

playing the didgeridoo
he looks south
toward the glaciers

8

Before the rock
finished its haiku
I turned to stone

Happy Snow: 10 Haiku

2009-03-03T11:08:00.000-08:00

1

Before dying
the snow is happy
to assist the shadows

2

White peony
cabbage
of the gods

3

Until
the shell was opened
the pearl was black

4

Another shell
do I wait
or peck my way out?

5

A man talks
a cloud
stops to listen

6

In summer
a sky full of dust
and invisible stars

7

In the city
waterfalls everywhere
mostly in pipes

8

Milky Way
we live in the petal
of a sparkling flower

9

The important clouds
have left. Minor residues
predominate

10

Free of blemishes
but the sky
must be very old

Snow Mirror: 4 Haiku

2009-03-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

1

Snow --
the mirror of water
fills with light

2

Broken statues
they are the clouds
that never passed

3

Halfway between
branches and roots
the land of shadows

4

For snow
sun is the god
of death

Dreams of Jade: 7 Haiku

2009-02-28T21:22:00.000-08:00

1

Dust
seeks entry into
a crystal sphere

2

a memory --
moonlight falling
on the sun

3

Head on a pillow
of withered flowers
she dreams of jade

4

hanging from a cloud
the tower practices
non-attachment

5

In the Forbidden City
a jade pepper
no one has tasted

6

In late winter
marigold skeletons
are beige

7

In the river
the women's feet
looking for jade

Invisible Castle (VII): 10 Haiku

2009-02-24T15:22:00.000-08:00

1

Invisible castle
I'm looking everywhere
for my eyeballs

2

Invisible castle
If the mist new where it was
it would hide it

3

Invisible castle
tears waiting patiently
to be cried

4

At the invisible castle
a convention
of mermaids

5

Tarot cards
are square dancing
at the invisible castle

6

At the invisible castle
a performance of
"The Eyebrow Ballet"

7

For the invisible castle
Marcel Proust
writes a lengthy haiku

8

At the invisible castle
foreclosure is
a daily occurrence

9

Stored in the invisible castle
a vast supply
of monogrammed towells

10

At the invisible castle
a crystal dragon
guards irrational numbers

Lightnings and Rainbows: 6 Haiku

2009-02-24T11:01:00.000-08:00

1

Trapped in the flaws
of a crystal tower
lightnings and rainbows

2

John Sandbach's roost is
a bed
with 10,000 curtains

3

Close to my ear
a star whispered
"distance is nothing"

4

Rotting balcony please receive
this gentle pressure
of moonlight

5

She's lost her memory
she's found a rock --
creek at dusk

6

From the hand's
alchemical spring flows
nectar and roses

Dust and Balloons: 17 Haiku

2009-02-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

1

In soft clay
a knife
opens a mouth

2

A yellow tree
startles
like spilled blood

3

After many centuries
photos of the Great Pyramid
appear

4

for the bored
a small sky
of ordinary blue

5

Polish the floor
remove the roof
walk on clouds

6

blue by day
to give us time
to digest our starlight

7

Vast blue
a magnifying glass
won't help you see a plane

8

Where the sea
is one inch deep
that's where I like to voyage

9

Gigantic clouds passing --
the dinosaur's thoughts
are clear and simple

10

Kansas --
the rectangular lands
of long ago

11

To conquer the maze
golden light
rubbed into the feet

12

Everywhere
swirls of glitter -- the universe
is very pretty

13

Plans for tomorrow's clouds
must be submitted
no later than midnight

14

Dust
and balloons
heal the battlefield

15

Fat and juicy
a slug blessed
by the moon

16

Snow, lightning
stars, and clouds --
the diet of white dragons

17

mist, mold, fire, and wind --
the paper tower
dreams of death

Cloud and Boulder: 5 Haiku

2009-02-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

1

With no "excuse me"
a cloud
interrupts the sun

2

Stolen
from the mountain
12 black pillars

3

Morning voices
and particles of dust
freely mingling

4

Long ago
by the gentle sea
there dwelled a labyrinth

5

Child
of cloud and boulder
hippopotamus

Admiring the Dust: 6 Haiku

2009-02-19T20:58:00.000-08:00

1

Is it the moon?
the withered white face
watching the rain

2

in the garden
an old Chinese Poet
oh no, just a possum

3

secretly
a mountain
admiring the dust

4

Into a breeze
stamens of day lily
rearing up

5

For a Buddha
newly emerging
a withered pomegranate

6

Poets of Japan
please accept as a gift
this ancient soap bubble

My haiku from "Ginyu"

2009-02-19T13:28:00.001-08:00

"Ginyu" is an international haiku magazine published in Tokyo and edited by Ban'ya Natsuishi. He was my original inspiration for breaking away from tradition and exploring the vast realm of free haiku. His encouragement has been a major support for me as a writer. You may visit the "Ginyu" website online at http://www.geocities.jp/ginyu_haiku/.

These first four are from "Ginyu" No. 39 (July 20, 2008, Ginyu Press, Japan):

1

In Antarctica
we sail to the island
of poison fumes

2

Each
in their own darkness
worms and stars

3

Iceberg
rising and falling
tsunami passes

4

Mayan Princess
to save the children
she turns into a lawyer

The next four haiku are from "Ginyu" No. 18 (April 20, 2003, Ginyu Press, Japan):

5

Nightmare --
dragonflies sit
in perfect rows

6

between each step
bottoms of the feet
exposed to light

7

on the moon
how peaceful
the absence of waterfalls

8

My birthplace --
on a hill
a gray tower smolders

The next six haiku are from "Ginyu" No. 10 (March 20, 2001, Ginyu Press, Japan)

9

amulet found on X-ray
she sleeps still unwrapped

10

winter so old
there is even dust
on the moon

11

oil slick rainbows
in the street light
of dinosaur blood

12

the clouds no one ever sees
the dinosaurs love them best

(This and the next two haiku also appeared in my book "Step Into Sky."

13

falling asleep
I see them
caves on the moon

14

afternoon moon
dry sponge
thirsting in the Blue Desert

15

Colors
of gardens long dead
travel toward the stars

16

What can
a little bat tell me
at evening by the sea?

17

In the invisible castle
tapestries
woven of starlight

18

With mist and mirrors
trying to locate
the invisible castle

19

Fairies
never speak
of the invisible castle

20

So frail and tattered
thousand year old cloud

21

By the time I returned
from peeing
the cloud had died

(This haiku is from my book, "Wrinkled Sea.")

22

In Utah they watch
a ten-ton rock
poised on a ledge

Foot in Darkness: 9 Haiku

2009-02-18T20:46:00.000-08:00

1

Snuggling
under a blanket
the mountain and I

2

Lawn service
cannot kill
a magic violet

3

Don't learn those --
you have your own names
for stars

4

In the dust
under my bed
a lost blindfold

5

Hard pears
piled in a bowl --
the chilly wind

6

A single hair
keeps the sky
from being bald

7

Nobody notices --
my one foot
always walking in darkness

8

A torso --
stump of the neck
rough and sparkly

9

Two galaxies
colliding, making
a faraway mess.

Iridescent Nerve: 17 Haiku

2009-02-18T15:17:00.000-08:00

1

Through a parallel universe
flashes
an iridescent nerve

2

A nest of pillows --
in darkness
the royal traveller

3

In the road
I'm squatting
observing a plastic lizard

4

Found
a red tail
how do I attach it?

5

Where her head
broke off --
a necklace of glue

6

In the sacred vestibule
the All Fetuses
tombstone

7

Green glitter Mary
looking down --
the well of sacred dirt

8

Shrine of the sacred dirt --
Jesus' head
in a cage of thorns

9

Where we lit her candle
wooden Jesus hanging
with no legs

10

No longer
learning Sanskrit --
he eats dandelions

11

Climbing, climbing
inside the tornado
a black spiral stair

12

No wind
the trees shake their leaves
anyway

13

Alzheimers --
a mind grows
whiter and whiter

14

The hills are burning
In my palm a knot
carved of stone

15

Clouds --
the waters die and die
wandering heaven

16

Most people
look the other way
clouds having sex

17

In bare trees
squirrels' nests --
I wander into the ground

Deflating Moon: 10 Haiku

2009-02-15T19:41:00.000-08:00

1

With my catcher's mitt
all night in the back yard
wating for meteors

2

My brain
missing
I decide to tell no one

3

In the clouds
an orifice
I can't tell which one

4

I build a jellyfish
out of bricks
(clear ones, of course)

5

No more coal
so I shovel diamonds
into the furnace

6

My bones
become transparent
why does no one notice?

7

Taj Mahal asbestos siding on the back

8

For social convenience
my tentacles and feelers
invisible

9

a hissing
above the trees --
the moon deflating

10

washed up on the beach
I'll wait for awhile
then grow arms and legs

Family Star: 9 Haiku

2009-02-15T18:35:00.000-08:00

1

In Arkansas
tomb
of the undiscovered crystal

2

A rose in the sky --
the fragrance
of old words

3

On Grand Mesa
a black lake called
the book of skies

4

That star
has belonged to my family
for 10,000 years

5

in the alley
an old Pharaoh
guardian of the trash

6

for a brief history
of Egypt, press "one"
on your audiophone

7

a midday beggar
waiting
for the sky

8

The Virgin's medal --
sun on the front
sweat on the back

Writing Haiku (1)

2009-02-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

In each haiku I'm seeking a continual balance between the definite and the mysterious. A haiku which is too definite is uninteresting -- too obvious -- and often carries a feeling of being over-explained. But a haiku which is too mysterious -- too inexplicable -- can frustrate the reader, can feel too hidden.

Who is to say, though, when a haiku veers too far either way? I might see a particular haiku one way at one time, and then a day, a week or a year later, another way. And, of course, you might see the same haiku in a much different way. All I can do is publish what I like, and hope you too will enjoy it. Its very much like running a restaurant -- be the best cook you can, and hope that whoever you serve enjoys the fare.

If you don't like subjectivity, then I would suggest that you not write haiku. I have learned to love subjectivity more and more, have learned to relax into it.

One of my favorite poets, Barbara Guest, has said the same thing that the musical composer Rameau said (and I paraphrase): "learn the rules, think about them, use them, but in the end, go with what feels right, even if it flies in the face of all the rules."

I must admit to you, though, that if I'm going to veer one way or the other I most definitely like to steer toward the mysterious. I'd rather be confused than bored.

Today I wrote this haiku:

inviting the wind
an alchemist's
fabled curtain

I am happy with this. It started this way: the photograher Joel Witkin has a photograph in which there is a very large curtain -- about the size of a theater curtain. It's white, and in front of it stands a nude woman, among many other curious and interesting artifacts and details. But the one thing you can't do with a haiku is stuff it full of stuff. I knew I wanted this haiku to be just about me feelings about that curtain.

Is the curtain just a backdrop? Or does it conceal something? I knew I wanted the word "curtain" in the haiku, but what then? A white curtain? Is knowing the color really necessary for feeling the essence of the curtain? In the photograph the curtain doesn't look particularly clean, and white tends to always imply clean.

And how to describe the size. Size words seem difficult to me -- "immense," "great," "gigantic," -- they're not specific and in many contexts can end up sounding an upoetic note.

For awhile I entertained "high curtain." It's vague. Does it mean that the curtain is tall, or high in the air, meaning off the ground? I like that ambiguity. Then I realized I wanted to see what was behind the curtain. I couldn't lift it -- I didn't feel like I wantedc to be in the haiku, but the wind could. Yes, the wind had to be in the haiku. Then it occurred to me that the wind wouldn't come on its own -- it had to be invited.

And what about the fact that the curtain was in an artist's studio? I couldn't just use the word "artist" to describe Joel Witkin. The word "artist" has, unfortunately, become too prosaic. Witkin's work is extremely cosmic, terrifying even, transformative, transmutative. In my mind, Joel Witkin is an alchemist. And that's what I shall call him!

The last thing to fall into place was the word "fabled." We might think that a curtain would be in a theater and would open to enact a fable for us. Witkin's photographs feel to me like fables. What fable would it be? Who knows? The curtain remains closed. The curtain is the fable! The fabled curtain! And there it was, the pieces of the haiku falling into place.

When I read the finished haiku I had qualms at first. Is it too simple, too mysterious? Without even asking him I was sure that the Japanese haiku poet Ban'ya Natsuishi would say "no!" So trusting his imagined judgement, there it hangs, the alchemist's fabled curtain -- waiting for the wind!

Invisible Castle (VI): 5 Haiku

2009-02-14T15:06:00.000-08:00

1

The invisible castle
receives a new coat
of uncertainty

2

Everyone
gazing at the sky
above the invisible castle

3

A formless sky --
the invisible castle
sympathizes

4

The invisible castle
every day
new forgeries appearing

5

Concealed in the opal's
inner sanctum --
invisible castle

Ancient Emerald Lily: 10 Haiku

2009-02-14T14:58:00.001-08:00

1

Like dew falling
the kindness
of starlight

2

A hole in smoke
inhales
the sky's bottomless blue

3

Inviting the wind
an alchemist's
fabled curtain

4

In winter
hemmrhoids are trolls
hiding in a cave

5

The alchemist travels --
in his satchel
soil, light, and blood

6

A woodpecker
sewn into
my mantra's fabric

7

Blank sky --
the possibility of perfection
seems real

8

through arctic sunlight
passes
the country of tiny fish

9

A washing machine and birds
a song of inner and outer
in almost spring

10

In winter
from the ancient emerald lily
steam ascends

Invisible Castle (V): 7 Haiku

2009-02-12T22:04:00.000-08:00

1

A space alien
tries to fly
the invisible castle

2

Invisible castle
all cobwebs
are welcome

3

Invisible castle
ghosts prefer
more substantial haunts

4

Invisible castle
what
do I feed it?

5

Castle invisible
sometimes, though
a vague smile appears

6

Invisible castle
the revellers
are mimes

7

Hidden
in the invisible castle
the invisible castle

Black Scorpion: 8 Haiku

2009-02-12T17:47:00.000-08:00

1

A star goes out
who should I report it to?

2

Vapor
from the hospital power plant
spirits of the dead

3

A funny color
the moon
must be going bad

4

Somewhere
in a landfill
grandma's blue plastic roses

5

Wedding reception
for Barbie and Ken
Temple of the Black Scorpion

6

After the moon has set
sound of footsteps
coming from the ocean

7

I'm bored
the sky makes a special effort
to be interesting

8

Digging tunnels
somewhat slow
but a safe way to travel

Chipped From a Cave: 15 haiku

2009-02-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

1

Leaves, sun, shadows --
outside the window
they are very confusing

2

The water falls
the reflections don't

3

Summer night --
from afar
the coolness of dead stars

4

After the storm
a business man struck down
by a rainbow

5

White styrofoam
even more beautiful
in the mist

6

With one sweep
of a lasar
the pastries destroyed

7

What are those stars
dangling
between Orion's legs?

8

Wearing cloud makeup
the moon
appears a little younger

9

To gaze at the stars
a fish
floats on its side

10

My mouth disappeared
now haiku come out
wherever they can

11

Huge gray cloud maximum security prison for ghosts

12

"I must go," said the water and evaporated

13

Following my own droppings through the jungle

14

Carrying a lotus
between two fingers --
they chipped her from a cave

15

Carefully the alchemist places the elixir in the microwave

Invisible Castle (IV): 12 Haiku

2009-02-12T16:40:00.000-08:00

1

At the invisible castle
Salvador Dali
doing laundry

2

At the invisible castle
Pablo Picasso
conducts a food fight

3

With his ears
Ray Charles
sees the invisible castle

4

At the invisible castle
the Middle Ages
for a moment

5

At the invisible castle
a throne
of smoke

6

Gertrude Stein
can't say "invisible castle"
just once

7

For the invisible castle
Claude Monet
invents shadows

8

Invisible castle --
the magician eats water
and drinks stone

9

No windows
the invisible castle
is a window

10

entombed
in the invisible castle
she was fine the next day

11

Paint
is afraid
of the invisible castle

12

Global warming --
the invisible castle
sighs

Dinosaur Skin: 4 Haiku

2009-02-12T13:37:00.000-08:00

1

Dinosaurs
the freshness
of early salads

2

Polishing stone
I found dinosaur skin
and moonlight

3

I ascend the Sun's
favorite burial mound --
sea of wind

4

Circling
an immense stone hole
the wind and I

White Shadows: 5 Haiku

2009-02-11T21:47:00.000-08:00

1

Sniff them!
the names
of imaginary perfumes!

2

The alchemist's tools:
a lump of coal, a friendly snake,
and Africa

3

Needing to see itself
the Sun
invents eyes

4

My home town --
an attic in the sky
where magic is hidden

5

At the end of the alley
white shadows
piled in the sky

Invisible Castle (III): 12 Haiku

2009-02-11T16:13:00.000-08:00

1

Invisible castle
drenched in a torrent
of explanation

2

surrounding
the invisible castle
a desert of diamonds

3

Invisible castle
the diplomatic laison
is a unicorn

4

Invisible castle
everyone there
hears different music

5

Invisible castle
enjoys a vacation
on the moon

6

Tourists
can't remember
the invisible castle

7

Invisible castle
enemy forces
bombard it with words

8

An earthquake
tickles
the invisible castle

9

Invisible castle
wandering
through history

10

A blank page
explains
the invisible castle

11

Invisible castle
towed to Neptune
for a tune-up

12

Invisible castle
the closer you come
the farther it is

Invisible Castle (II): 20 Haiku

2009-02-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

1

The invisible castle
only invisible
when looked at

2

A turret
of the invisible castle
goes wandering

3

imprisoned
in the invisible castle
she doesn't even know it

4

At the invisible castle
a convention
on Quantum Mechanics

5

From the invisible castle
astronomers observe
parallel universes

6

In the invisible castle
Shelly sleeps
for several eons

7

An army of poets
toiling to build
the invisible castle

8

Invisible castle
over and over
its name is lost

9

Invisible castle
memories reduced
to a fine powder

10

Countless times
gypsies
have sold the invisible castle

11

At the invisible castle
Gaugin discovers
mysterious colors

12

In the invisible castle
candles
burn upside down

13

After every war
the invisible castle
repairs itself

14

Invisible castle
they're still counting
the rooms

15

A jellyfish
mistaken for
the invisible castle

16

In the invisible castle
a feast
of air

17

In the invisible castle
an ancient maiden
made of dust

18

After countless millenia
a rainbow finally finds
the invisible castle

19

Hidden
in the invisible castle
a sercet map of the heart

20

In the invisible castle
each whisper
echoes forever

Review of "Step into Sky"

2009-02-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

If you would like to read a review of my haiku book "Step Into Sky" you can go to http://happano.org/pages/chapbook/StepReview-E.html. The review is from the Magazine Aneta Nepo, and the supportive words of the reviewer were very important to me at a time when I was testing my haiku wings.

"Step Into Sky" was written in 2001 and contains 100 of my earliest published haiku. In the introduction to it the famous Japanese haiku poet Ban'ya Natsuishi writes, "I imagine Sandbach to be a haijin (haiku poet) who lives in a cosmic world of poetry, and who calls the moon to the dry wash scattered with sand in the middle of North America so that he may talk with her."

Banya, you continue to help me to enter ever more deeply into that cosmic world. Thank you for the gift of your spirit.

To read some of Ban'ya Natsuishi's wonderful haiku you may go to a review of his book "A Future Waterfall" at http://www.millikin.edu/haiku/courses/globalSpring2006/RyneInmanOnBanyaNatsuishi.html

You can also go to http://www.modernhaiku.org/bookreviews/Natsuishi2006.html for another review of one of Natsuishi's books and more of his poetry.

Shadow Journeying: 7 Haiku

2009-02-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

1

A cloud and I
gradually
disappearing

2

Strange but true
every cloud
carefully planned

3

rays of stars
straight and as long
as they need to be

4

Inner darkness
also filled
with stars

5

Ancient moon
a shadow journeying
ocean of mist

6

Cobwebs, and lo!
my tiny winds
revealled!

7

A black tree
10,000 thorns
the sky impervious

Sip of Yellow: 5 Haiku

2009-02-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

1

A snail travels
my tongue
stays at home

2

Flowing
through the museum
a river of eyeballs

3

Bring a sack lunch
we'll have a food fight
in the museum

4

Like an ancient curse
a hemorrhoid
is appeased

5

Roaming
under gray clouds -- I'm thirsting
for a sip of yellow!

History of Light: 6 Haiku

2009-02-10T07:56:00.000-08:00

1

At night
bored with the dark
poems walk in dreams

2

colors
of gardens long dead
travelling toward the stars

3

strange
but true -- every cloud
carefully planned

4

rays of starlight
straight and as long
as they need to be

5

stars
the history of light
arriving from everywhere

6

The magician
black from breathing
outer space

Imagined Face: 9 Haiku

2009-02-08T20:36:00.000-08:00

1

Living in the past
that's why I can't
see myself in the mirror

2

morning hair
product of
demonic stylists

3

until the frog jumped
I didn't see
the fishnet hose

4

a man next door coughs
a man upstairs hums
no one lives in the basement

5

Desert twilight
I use the great pyramid
to scratch my back

6

Blowing square bubbles
its all in how
you hold your mouth

7

In a mirror
the vampire admires
an imagined face

8

my dryer broken
I throw laundry
into the tornado

9

A styrofoam replica
of Stonehenge
blows away

Famous Cloud: 9 Haiku

2009-02-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

1

Dandelions
back and ready
for more abuse

2

at the medical center
a woman with gray skin
browsing the doughnuts

3

opening a book
comes a vast darkness

4

my journey home slows
the last three steps
a thousand years

5

A close race
which of my feet
will win?

6

Old spring
gray-haired dandelions
have forgotten something

7

The nuisance
of testicles
a long muggy season

8

Soaring
without letting go
a bird uproots a tree

9

In an office building
people made of smoke
keep busy

10

On infinite blue
floating
I'm a famous cloud of the past!

Secret Chamber: 9 Haiku

2009-02-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

1

In my mouth
the dentist discovers
a secret chamber

2

On the bank
I wait
for the river to pass

3

Earthquake --
which words
go back in which book

4

tendonitis
from reading
the ponderous novel

5

mountain gets all the attention wind too big to care

6

river
never noticed
the city had died

7

at the bottom of the sea
meteors!
more everyday!

8

in the vast sky
above Quiktrip
no buying, no selling

9

my grave robbed
receiving
re-entombment counseling

Turning to Stone: 10 Haiku

2009-02-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

1

For centuries
once a week
massaging the mummies

2

There in the mirror
my forhead rented
for advertising

3

No other way
to keep shadows off the floor
I burn down the house

4

To discover
his song, I journey
into the dragon's ear

5

Caught
in the crystal tower
birdes, rainbows, and snowstorms

6

Practicing body language
a man
with no head

7

the whole flame
is a sex organ

8

I massage
the stones. They seem
tense

9

Lake
how many clouds
has it been

10

Waking at night --
having turned to stone
I go back to sleep

Bird Hospital: 8 Haiku

2009-02-08T14:36:00.001-08:00

1

Wading upstream
I'm searching for
the waters' past

2

A bruise
from my depths
a shadow rises

3

In front of me
endless night, behind me
the museum

4

chasing birds into my mouth I fall down my throat

5

In my tomb
for a thousand years
I think of turning over

6

Turning
into a tree
does he need to fill out forms?

7

Spring night --
on the potter's wheel
a vase collapss

8

Bird hospital --
in the night
a candle fluttering

Room Full of Fireflies: 8 Haiku

2009-02-08T14:17:00.000-08:00

1

In a steaming pool
deep inside the mountain
I sit, laughing

2

for a thousand years
at the burning door
waiting for ashes

3

At noon
on the mountain's summit
a shadow's birth

4

Its work finished
a garden wall
stays where it is

5

Turquoise Trail
people everywhere
buying the sky

6

all day
smoke from the burning forests
giving shade

7

Just before dying
a room full of smoke
a room full of fireflies

8

A shimmering mountain
no more real
than myself

Invisible Castle (I): 14 Haiku

2009-02-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

1

At twilight
I enter
the invisible castle

2

In the invisible castle
tapestries
woven of starlight

3

roads
are still looking for
the invisible castle

4

Invisible castle
I thought I saw it
in a snowstorm

5

Shadows
applying for jobs at
the invisible castle

6

On a map
a blind man feels
the invisible castle

7

Invisible castle
its moat
is the sky

8

Invisible castle
is its mortar
moonlight?

9

Invisible castle
its history
is also invisible

10

With mist and mirrors
trying to locate
the invisible castle

11

Fairies
never speak of
the invisible castle

12

Invisible castle
what licked my hand?
a gargoyle?

13

Secretly
in ruins
the invisible castle

14

Invisible castle
to protect it
they painted it gray

Chest Full of Starlight: 7 Haiku

2009-02-08T13:13:00.000-08:00

1

In a tiny mirror
the Great Pyramid
Quivering

2

My favorite
mechanical device:
a chest full of starlight

3

In the desert
why is that grain of sand
out of place?

4

At the end of the alley
white shadows
piled in the sky

5

What can
a little bat tell me
at evening, by the sea?

6

At night
bored with the dark
poems walk in dreams

7

Colors
of gardens long dead
travelling toward the stars