Poetry Events

I’ll be reading selections from Refuge for Cranes in tandem with guitarist Jos van der Wilk on Saturday, April 20^th from 2 to 3 p.m. at “Books on B,” 1014 B Street, Hayward, CA. Please join us for this impromptu event in celebration of Earth Day and Poetry Month. (You can place an order or sign up for updates at http://www.booksonb.com/)

On Spiritual Verse: A Seminar with Kaveh Akbar. This online Zoom event will take place on two Wednesdays, April 17 and May 1 from 7 to 9pm, Eastern Time. Registration is required. Akbar is an award-winning poet and editor of the anthology, The Penguin Books of Spiritual Verse: 110 Poets on the Divine. https://www.poetrysociety.org

Goddess Art and Poetry, a program dedicated to “poetry lovers who appreciate the goddess archetype, as well as the gifts and stories that women bring,” will take place Saturday, May 18 from 4 to 6pm, Pacific Time. To apply to be a reader or for more information about this online event contact author and organizer Georgia Reash at https://www.georgiareash.wixsite.com

Haiku Notes

A new haiku (first line: “night jasmine,”) will appear in the spring/summer edition of Frogpond, the journal of the Haiku Society of America https://www.hsa-haiku.org.

A haiku on the theme of “transforming paths” was recently selected by the 2024 Golden Haiku annual competition (https://www.goldentriangledc.com). It will be displayed along with others on signage in a 44 block area of the Golden Triangle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. through April and on the website (first line: “lifting a stone,” haiku #73/142).

Books

The Poetry Home Repair Manual

The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets, by Ted Kooser (University of Nebraska)uses examples from the former U.S. Poet Laureate’s own work and that of others to demystify the process of writing and revising. There’s also some helpful life advice here and a dose of good humor. My only quibble is with the title; this book isn’t just for beginners, but seasoned poets and readers, as well.

Writer’s Conferences

The 42^nd annual Napa Valley Writer’s Conference will take place July 21 – 26, featuring poets Jane Hirshfield, Jan Beatty, C. Dale Young, and more. The application deadline is April 22^nd. https://www.napawritersconference.org

The Las Vegas Writer’s Conference, from April 1 – 13, is notable for being all virtual and features writing sessions, Q & A opportunities, agent and editor sessions, and tips from industry experts. For more information visit https://www.vegaswritersconference.com.

February Online Events

This month, Mark S. Burrows continues his exploration of poetry and the wisdom of the heart, Richard Blanco reads selections from his latest collection, and Gloria Heffernan offers a free poetry workshop on the power of place.

Homeland of My Body: New & Selected Poems. Join Richard Blanco and friends of The Poet’s Corner as he reads from his latest book, Sunday, February 11, 2024, 4 – 5:30 pm ET. Visit www.https://thepoetscornermaine@gmail.com to register for this free Zoom event.

Sacred Journeys: An Evening Reading And Writing About Place with poet Gloria Heffernan. February 12, 7 -8:30 pm ET. Visit the Raft at www.https://phylliscoledai.substack.com to register for this free event.

Heartwork: Exploring Rilke’s Poetry. Poet, scholar, and translator Mark S. Burrows facilitates this online workshop that explores “how our own heart-work might guide us into greater resilience and authenticity.” Thursday, February 15, 2024, 2 – 3:30pm ET. Cost: $25. Visit www.https://thepoetcorner.org to register.

Aubades: Morning Online Poetry Discussion, Mulberry Street Library, Thursday, February 22, 2024, 10 – 11am ET. Visit the New York Public Library site at www.https://nypl.org to register for this free online event.

A Different Slant

In her review of Refuge for Cranes (Tupelo Quarterly, December 14, 2023), author and poet Aline Soules has written: “On the surface, it would be easy to read these poems as accessible descriptions of the world of ordinary things, to enjoy the beauty the poet highlights from the garden or the woods or the land and creatures around him. But let each poem linger in the mind and their subtle complexity emerges…” www.tupeloquarterly.com

Seven Poems from Refuge for Cranes

Morning Song

I started writing “Morning Song” early one morning and finished the draft within an hour or so. I’d recently seen a yellow grosbeak, unusual for this part of California, and that entered into the stream of things, as did a reference to a “camel inside a camel,” which I think comes from Rumi. The last line was a surprise. I don’t remember giving much thought to loving the unloving before, and these words felt like an opening to begin to see everyone as equally deserving of love. Another way of looking at the last line is as an invitation to love all parts of oneself, so the poem might serve as a prompt for self-care.

Walking Under Redwoods

This poem was brewing on some level even as I was walking through a redwood grove with a friend one crisp December day. As I remember, it was the day after Christmas. Everything was so still and quiet, I almost felt like an intruder. For some reason, our walk prompted my friend to talk about some of her regrets I guess you could call them, and I began to see my own experience through a similar lens. The redwoods seemed to take it all in. Nature, after all, is the best listener. Writing this poem reminded me of the value of silence in our lives, and that includes the silence between words and sentences, the silence of the trees, and the silence of our footfalls on the soft ground. Even the dim rush of the nearby creek was enhanced by that silence around us. 

Sites of the Shutdown

I suppose we naturally look for something positive to come out of the negative, and that was true for me about the pandemic and subsequent shut-down of so many things I took for granted. This poem came out of that sensibility, and it reminded me that what I seek isn’t outside myself, that whatever satisfaction I may find isn’t strictly in the outcome of things but in my response to it. It’s true that the pandemic did acquaint me more with solitude, and it’s not over yet as of this writing. But it also taught me to value even the smallest interactions — at the checkout counter, on the bus, or ordering a meal, for instance. None of these would be possible without our mutual participation.

Earthbytes

This poem was a conscious attempt to put into words the need for an active involvement in the environmental crisis, without being “preachy.” I really wanted to write a poem that encourages commitment to conservation and mindful living. This isn’t necessarily that poem, but it’s a start. It began with a fragment of a line from several years ago, “like the bulb that from darkness emits the bloom,” and evolved from there. Yes, the current crisis is dire but I believe we can make a difference. It won’t be easy, but what’s the alternative?

Enquiry

As I get older, the list of things and people I’m grateful for continues to grow. Sometimes, spontaneous memories of the kindness of friends come back to me. (I lived rent-free in the attics of two different friends for over a year.) It’s a wonderful feeling to thank those special friends once again and to feel reconnected on a deep level, one that transcends time and place. But there’s also the spontaneous feeling of gratitude that arises in everyday activities — gratitude for the cup for holding the coffee, and for the bowl for containing my cereal in the morning. Occasionally, we come across beauty in nature in the least expected of places, as this poem recounts, and these moments are worthy of celebration.

Eye of the Heart                   

This title came to me long before the poem did and wouldn’t let go. I liked it but wondered if it wasn’t a cliché. But in my initial research, I didn’t find any titles exactly like it. I wonder if the subject might have stemmed from some of my childhood art projects in which I took a black crayon and made curvy lines that crossed and re-crossed each other, creating irregular spaces that I filled in with various colors, finally drawing eyeballs in some of the spaces. It was my version of modern art. The surprise of this poem was the last section. I didn’t see it coming. There’s a tangible joy in the practice of wishing others well that benefits both the sender and the recipient.

It reminds me of the metta meditation from Tibetan Buddhism that begins, “May all beings be well, may all beings be happy, may all beings be free.”  

We, Cranes

What I like to call the “happy we” is introduced as the narrator here. The voice includes both poet and cranes, blurring the distinction between observer and observed, subject and object. Although brief, this poem is probably my favorite in the collection. There’s something magical about these creatures, and they seem to invite us into an almost mythical world in which language feels unnecessary.

Choosing to be Simple

by Red Pine

Copper Canyon Press (2023)

Choosing to be Simple: Collected Poems of Tao Yuanming is an engaging translation of the work of this reclusive poet. Born in Jiujiang, China, Tao Yuanming (365-427 AD) was a civil servant and farmer whose poems reflect a life devoted to the Way. This bilingual edition contains over 160 verses that range in subject from passion and political intrigue to the ups and downs of farming and the joys of wine. Written in a direct and unadorned style, the poems are both wise and heartfelt without being sentimental, as in these passages:    

“I built my hut beside a path/but hear no cart or horse/you ask how can this be/where the mind goes I go too…”

“Fall days are cold and harsh/the plants have all withered/it’s that time of year when we walk on frost/and climb the heights to honor friends going home…” 

They also depict what the late Jack Gilbert referred to as “the immaculate pain of the Chinese poets” — long separations between friends, the rigors of poverty, and the recognition of what some have called an “immemorial wound.” Included here is the twenty-part poem, “Drinking Wine,” that contains some of the poet’s most memorable lines, such as this one from part IX: “meanwhile, let’s share a drink/I can’t turn this horse around now.” Red Pine (aka Bill Porter) contributes his own insights throughout the book to clarify some of the more obscure references and symbolism (chrysanthemums were often used in medicines, purple mushrooms were “one of the favorite foods of Daoist recluses and immortals”). Like his translation and commentary on the Heart Sutra, one of the essential Buddhist texts, Choosing to be Simple offers an invaluable glimpse into early Eastern culture, as well as a look into the heart/mind of one of the period’s finest poets.   

Heart of Zen

“Six Persimmons,” an 800-year old ink and brush painting said to convey the wisdom of Zen Buddhism, will be on display at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum from November 17^th to December 10^th. Painted by the 13^th-century monk Mu Qi Fa Chang, it’s on loan from the Daitokuji Ryoko-in Temple in Kyoto, Japan, and is part of an exhibit, “The Heart of Zen,” that includes a companion piece, “Chestnuts,” on display through December 31^st.” Long associated with tea ceremonies held at the temple, “Six Persimmons” has been described by scholar Arthur Waley as “passion congealed into a stupendous calm” and by others as the “Western Mona Lisa.” Gary Snyder has written a poem that references Mu Qi’s work, also titled “Six Persimmons” (Axe Handles, Counterpoint Press, 1983). Inspired by the painting, a copy of which hangs in his home, the poem ends with Snyder standing over the kitchen sink, biting into a persimmon. 

New Year’s Note

Dear Friends,

This will be my last regular post for a while as I continue to work on new projects in 2024. I hope you’ll stay tuned for announcements about upcoming publications and special events from time to time. I’ll leave off with two quotations from Julian of Norwich, English anchoress from the Middle Ages, from her Revelations of Divine Love: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well,” she wrote in what is believed to be the oldest surviving book written in English by a woman. Her vision was one of all-embracing love and she encouraged others to “Remain in this (love) and you will know more of the same.”

Wishing you happiness and peace now and in the new year!

Cheers, J

Sandhill Cranes Return to Lodi

Each year in the fall, Sandhill Cranes begin their migration from the northern to southern hemisphere in search of warmer temperatures, food supplies, and nesting sites. West of the Rockies, they journey from western Siberia and Alaska to the Central Valley of California and farther south to Mexico. East of the Rockies, they make their way from Canada, pausing in the Great Lakes region, and down to Arizona, the Gulf, and along the Rio Grande.

Here in California, they can now be found near Lodi where they feed in harvested rice and corn fields, roosting in flooded fields. From late September to February, they can be seen at the Consumnes River Preserve, the Rancho Seco Recreational Area, and the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve, which hosts guided tours. Believed to date to 2.5 million years ago, Greater Sandhill Cranes have a wingspan of up to eight feet and stand approximately four feet tall. Known for their impressive courtship rituals and loud, trumpet-like calls, their populations declined dramatically by the 1940s due to hunting and loss of habitat, but since then breeding pairs in California have increased to over four hundred and fifty.

Climate Action Poem Prize

The 2024 Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize, sponsored by the American Academy of Poets, is now accepting submissions through November 15^th for previously unpublished work. Established in 2019, the contest aims to increase awareness of climate change and the vulnerability of the environment. For more information, visit https://www.poets.org. The first place winner will receive $1,000, second place will receive $750, and third place will receive $500. This year’s judges are poet Elizabeth Bradfield and climate scientist Kate Marvel, Ph.D.

Click here to order.

“Refuge for Cranes plunges us wholly into the natural world through a series of poems that are equal parts celebratory, revelatory, and prophetic…” “Like the cranes that give the book its title, birds rumored to be immortal and wise, the poet bravely writes the truth he sees, “scratching our message into this passing world.” – Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, author of Andalusian  Hours and Holy Land

 “These touching poems remind us of the beauty and value of nature now threatened worldwide by our carelessness. Cranes are appropriate carriers of that message as conveyed in Jerome’s work…” – George Archibald, co-founder International Crane Foundation

“The poet’s “Love of Earthly Things” expressed in this rich collection, is a refuge for the reader. If you enter these pages, be prepared to open yourself wider to the world, like a flower to the sun.” – Phyllis Cole-Dai, author and co-editor of Poetry of Presence, I & II

New Poem

A new poem, “Pear Tree with Sparrows,” appears in the fall issue of The Banyan Review (www.thebanyanreview.org).

Reconnecting to Nature with Haiku

“The wisdom of the ancestors is shining

 on the hundred tips of the grasses.”

                           – Ling Shao

Haiku have a way of appearing out of the blue, but you may want to try a “haiku walk” in your neighborhood or in a local park as a kind of experiential writing prompt, or just to refresh your senses to what’s going on around you — to nature as it is, minus the usual preoccupations. In Japan, these walks are known as ginkoo (goo – singing, praising, poem-making; koo – walking). You may want to take a notebook and pen along so that you can jot down a few key words about your experiences. These may serve as the basis of one or more haiku later. If that’s not possible, list some of the memorable sites you’ve visited in nature. What was the outstanding thing, experience, or feeling about your visit to each of them? (Think in terms of sensory experiences, such as sights, sounds, or scents.) Compose a haiku using your notes as a jumping off point. Although the traditional format of haiku calls for a pattern of five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third, you may want to vary that pattern somewhat. Do incorporate a seasonal reference and leave off the pronoun “I” if possible.

Restoring Chinook Salmon

Northern California Chinook salmon, which once numbered in the millions, are threatened with extinction due to the construction of dams and the subsequent loss of spawning grounds. Although the situation is dire, there’s some good news to report. A new agreement between the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, the State Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aims to restore endangered Chinook Salmon to the McCloud River near Redding, just below Shasta Dam. Plans call for developing a “swimway” to allow fish to swim around the dam, and for using eggs from New Zealand Chinook that were introduced to that country in the last century. There are no guarantees, of course, but this could make a big difference in years to come.

Book Launch September 12^th

Refuge for Cranes will be available to order soon and looks wonderful (okay I may be biased). Thanks to Editor Mark S. Burrows for sheparding it through the editorial process, and to everyone at Wildhouse Publishing who helped to make this collection a reality. Thanks, also, to Design and Production Editor Melody Stanford Martin, who designed the beautiful cover with a photo of Sandhill Cranes in flight, and to Publicity Manager Molly Silverstein, who produced an awesome book trailer.

A virtual launch will take place via Zoom on September 12^th at 8pm EST and at 5pm, PST. I’ll be reading a selection of poems from the book and answering questions afterward. I hope you can join me for this live online event but, if not, you can find a recording of it on the Wildhouse website shortly afterwards. Here’s the link to the Zoom launch:

Out of the Fog Podcast

An interview with podcaster Karen Hager will be released on September 12^th (www.https://karenhager.com). I’ll be reading a few selections from Refuge for Cranes and we’ll talk about how the collection came together, how poetry can serve as an X-ray of the psyche, and ways to re-enchant ourselves with nature. Karen lived for many years in San Francisco where she began her popular series “Out of the Fog” while studying at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. She now makes her home in southeastern Michigan where she serves as an intuitive guide and teacher.

Contests

The Philip Levine Prize for Poetry, sponsored by California State University Fresno, is now open for submissions. The winner receives publication of a full-length manuscript (48-80 pages), an award of $1,000, and twenty-five author copies. Until September 30^th. http://fresnostate.edu/levineprize

The New Women’s Voices Chapbook Contest, sponsored by Finishing Line Press, is open for submissions until September 15^th. Winner receives a $1500 prize plus publication. http://finishinglinepress.com

One Page Poetry will award a prize of $2,000 and publication for a single poem. Until September 30^th. http://onepagepoetry.com

Dzanc books will award a prize of $2,500 and publication for short story collection (minimum 40,000 words). By September 30^th. http://dzancbooks.org

Refuge for Cranes due in early September

Refuge for Cranes: Praise Poems from the Anthropocene will be available from Wildhouse Publications early September. The poems range in topic from climate fires and the demise of bees to the “transparency of grace” and the “soul’s deep-down unfathoming.” There’s praise here for beauty “glinting among the detritus,” but there’s also a call to action, to restore a damaged world. Poet and author Angela Alaimo O’Donnell has written of the collection that “Refuge for Cranes plunges us wholly into the natural world through a series of poems that are equal parts celebratory, revelatory, and prophetic…Like the cranes that give the book its title, birds rumored to be immortal and wise, the poet bravely writes the truth he sees, “scratching our message to this passing world.”  

Selections from Refuge for Cranes: “Earthbytes”

This poem was a conscious attempt to express the need for active involvement in the environmental crisis, without being “preachy.” I really wanted to write a poem that encourages commitment to conservation and mindful living. This isn’t necessarily that poem, but it’s a start. It began with a fragment of a line from several years ago, “like the bulb that from darkness emits the bloom,” and evolved from there. Yes, the current crisis is dire but I believe we can make a difference. It won’t be easy, but what’s the alternative?

Earthbytes

Perform your natural magic

like the bulb that emits the bloom.

Be in harmony with the brown bear,

the moon, and the music of reeds.

Restore the oceans and rivers,

the kelp forests, marshes and bays.

Repair the hives of bees

and the resting places of monarchs.

Embrace the other, brother and sister.

See no one and nothing as the enemy.

Notice this place as if for the first time

as if it was your own skin, your own bones —

draw strength here, and return it.

                  –  jg

Dear Friends,

I’m taking a break from the blog this month, returning in August. Meanwhile, here’s a link to Phyllis Cole Dai’s website, where an interview appeared on her newsletter, The Raft, on May 28th. 

The image below features a quote from a poem in my forthcoming collection “Refuge for Cranes.”

Enjoy the summer, and stay safe. See you soon!

Best,

Jerry

To hear a selection of poems from the book read by Lisa De Lay, visit lisadelay.com.

Summer Writers’ Conferences

The Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference in Mendocino, California offers “craft seminars, panels, one-on-one-consultations, and open mics.” Registration is now open for the 2023 conference to be held from August 3 – 5. It features keynote speaker Ariel Gore, founding editor of Hip Mama and author of the memoir, Atlas of the Human Heart. www.https://mcwc.org

The Santa Barbara Writers’ Conference in Southern California will be held this year from June 18 – 23 at the beachside Mar Monte Hotel. Celebrating its 50^th year, the conference features 30-plus speakers, agents, panels, seminars, and workshops. It can accommodate full or partial week attendees. www.https://sbwriters.com

The Jackson Hole Writers’ Conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, will be held from June 22 -24 at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts. Featuring a wide range of speakers and craft classes, including a fiction class by Dave Eggers, it offers both day and evening events, as well as individual manuscript critiques. www.https://jhwriters.org

Books Noted

A Field Guide to Nature Meditation

In A Field Guide to Nature Meditation: 52 Mindfulness Practices for Joy, Wisdom, and Wonder, author Mark Coleman describes how to develop a “nature-based meditation practice (Awake in the Wild, 2022) A psychotherapist and senior teacher of mindfulness meditation at Spirit Rock in Marin County, California, he also conducts wilderness retreats around the world. “Nature teaches us simplicity and contentment,” he says, “because in its presence we realize we need very little to be happy.” For all seasons and landscapes, for sitting still or for moving, these 52 meditations are designed to deepen awareness and support a sense of well-being. https://www.markcoleman.org

Climate Champions

Journalist and author of Girl Warriors, Rachel Sarah showcases the lives and work of influential women “on the frontlines of science” in Climate Champions: 15 Women Fighting for Your Future (Chicago Review Press, 2023, 12 years and up). Aiming to create a sustainable future for planet earth, the subjects profiled here “do not shy away from showing how racial and social injustices lie at the root of so many climate-related issues.”  

Environmental News

Bats at Risk

White nose syndrome has killed millions of bats in North America since it was first discovered in a cave in upstate New York in 2006, according to a recent article by Wilson Ring (www.https://physorg.com). Of the 154 species found across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, 81 of them are “at risk for white nose infection, climate change, and habitat loss,” the North American Bat Alliance reported last month. The fungus is identifiable by white spots on their noses, which can disturb their hibernation and prompt them to leave shelter in search of food in frigid, deadly temperatures. Yet studies suggest that certain bat populations have evolved “an efficient DNA repair mechanism,” according to virologist Dr. Arinjay Banerjee of McMaster University (PBS News Hour, December 2020), and these bats can “provide hints for possible future medical treatment strategies.”

Bats in Poetry

“…And bats with baby faces in the violet light/Whistled and beat their wings/And crawled head downward down a blackened wall…”

– from The Waste Land, by T.S. Eliot

Many poets have written about bats, including D.H. Lawrence, Emily Dickinson, T. S. Eliot, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Anne Sexton. My favorite is by D. H. Lawrence. Known mainly as a novelist (Sons and Lovers, Women in Love), he had a keen eye for observation that served him well as a poet, too. Titled, simply, “Bat” (from Birds, Beasts, and Flowers, 1923), it’s full of unexpected rhyme and images, alarm and, finally, humor. https://www.poetryfoundation.org

Green Zendo Haiku

Recent Haiku

Night Train, a sampling of my haiku, was recently selected by Buttonhook Press (an imprint of OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters) and is set to be released in a free, PDF format. These twenty-five haiku celebrate night and the wonder of the passing moment. I’ll post more information here as the publication date nears.

silver morning: cattails, April, 2023

peeling posters: hedgerow: a journal of small poems, #142

Flowers of Emptiness

Avrom Altman began his Buddhist studies in 1969, sitting zazen at Tassajara Zen Center with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. A Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Hokomi Therapist, he’s also Professor Emeritus at Pacifica Graduate Institute. The haiku in his new book, Flowers of Emptiness, sketch a life lived with “an astonished heart.” Dennis Patrick Slattery, Ph.D, has written, “I loved reading them and delighted further in rereading them…Let them resonate within you.” Flowers of Emptiness: Imaginal Haiku (Sungold Editions, 2023)

Opportunities                                                                

bottle rockets press is now accepting haiku, senryu, and other small poem submissions (up to 10 samples) until May 15^th. Submissions by snail mail only. Please see the site for more details. https://www.bottlerocketspress.com

Presence Haiku Journal, out of Britain, is accepting haiku, tanka, senryu, and related material for both print and online publication from April 15^th to May 31^st. For details, visit https://www.haikupresence.org

The Heron’s Nest, a quarterly online journal, is offering cash prizes for winning entries in the Peggy Willis Lyle Haiku Awards, open now until June 1^st. Judging is blind and there is no entry fee. For details visit https://www.theheronsnest.com

Karumi

The quality of karumi, or lightness, can be found in Basho’s haiku as early as 1667. He was twenty-three years old when he wrote the following:*

cherry blossoms

in the breeze — breaking out

in laughter 

Haruo Shirane, Chair of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University, has described karumi as “a focus on everyday subject matter, on the use of ordinary language, and on a relaxed rhythmical, seemingly artless expression.” Here the traditional topic of cherry blossoms takes on an unusually welcome aspect. Rather than contrasting the beauty of the flowers with sadness at their brevity, for instance, Basho depicts the exuberance of the moment. Is it the blossoms that have broken out in laughter or the poet? Or both? In this case, ambiguity adds to the impact of the lines.

Much haiku is celebratory in nature. An exclamatory haiku such as the one above is a good example of this. Another approach, common to the Basho school of haiku, presents two juxtaposed images, offering up a view that embraces them both. Below, a view of the garden, written near the end of Basho’s life, evokes a minimalist yet wholistic response: 

morning dew —

muddy melons

on the ground

Here there’s no trace of poetic conceit, just the pristine scene as Basho found it. In that sense, karumi may be considered not only in its literal sense as “not heavy or dark” but as possessed of a light artistic touch, allowing the reader to bring to the scene what he or she will. Even on his deathbed, Basho found an unexpected lightness:

flies everywhere —

how lucky they are to meet up

with a sick man

In the 20^th century, Nakagawa Soen was a lifelong practitioner of haiku. As a literature student at Tokyo Imperial University, he wrote his thesis on Basho and later became a Zen monk and teacher. This haiku, written in 1946, presents two images pointing to the connection of ordinary things:

small plums

and dewdrops —

alive together

Although penetrating, there’s nothing heavy about these lines. Instead there’s a clarity and freshness, and a sense of happiness at the simple pleasures. We, too, are alive together with the plums and the dewdrops. How wonderful! These are the primary characteristics of karumi.

*all versions by jg