Nothing is certain ...

Reflecting ...

2009-10-20T23:05:03Z

Last Sunday i was invited to the launch of a new hardcover book that features poetry and artwork from Melbourne. One of my haiku/senryu or 'rooku' (as Australian short verse poetry has been dubbed) was included. You will have seen it before here on LJ as one of the poems that was selected to be shown on the trains around Melbourne as part of the 'Moving Galleries' project.
The launch was held at St Paul's cathedral and was attended by around 500 people! There were some amazing readings accompanied by an eighty year old man on a flute that really added some atmosphere. Some local haiku perrenials were there, Lorin Ford and Myron Lysenko.
It was all very grand and I did feel a bit special but my daughter fell asleep .....
On the way out of the cathedral she perked up when she saw ...

mid October ~
the city Christmas tree
not wearing its top

Funeral

2009-10-09T09:23:43Z

Funeral today ....

cemetery sermon ~

the endless

blue sky

come fly with me

2009-09-27T08:29:54Z

end of the pier

tattooed wings

on the fat man's back

Downtown

2009-08-13T04:44:49Z

Am in L.A, jet lagged and barely awake, looking out of my window and ...

beverly hills

windsock

- full of itself

Resounding

2009-07-26T10:13:52Z

On an earlier post I mentioned that some of my work had been selected for the latest edition of 'A New Resonance' by Red Moon Press. http://www.redmoonpress.com
It arrived from America (via Japan - how apt) and I'm very pleased with the final product.
I have a few spare copies if anybody would like one.,( free to haiku lovers!) Just let me know.
There are 15 of my haiku/senryu and 17 poets in all.
A lot of my work has been posted here, but here's one that hasn't ....

house guests
we argue

quietly

Oh deer

2009-04-03T04:52:13Z

I've just come home from a trip to visit family and friends in my home town of Yeovil which is in the countryside in Somerset, England. Whilst I was there ....

five deer

break from the trees

~ three, then two

You've got mail

2009-02-27T02:46:47Z

Today, in the post .....

My third place prize for the last Calico Cat contest, a beautiful original sumi e by Origa - 'Rolling Thunder'.

I raced out and bought a frame straight away and have it in pride of place in our lounge room.

Thanks Olga!

BTW if you want to own any of Origa's work, go to http://www.yessy.com/origahaiku/

mindfully making

a pot of jasmine green tea

~ overseas mail

Bra strap

2009-02-17T00:48:44Z

Big surprise for me today. One of my haiku was placed second in theShiki Special Kukai, the Toku, in memory of William J. Higginson. I am especially honoured as there were so many established and fine Haijin participating including some of my teachers, role models and friends here on LJ.

Here are my three entries with the first one coming second (if you see what I mean!)

valentine's day -

a glimpse of the shop girl's

red bra strap

another argument

the rose petal's

burgundy edge

midwinter night

my white breath drifts

into the Milky Way

and the deserved winner, who wins a free trip to Japan is ........

Dorota Pyra

Gdansk, Poland

whiteness

the water falls

into its sound

Boxing Day

2008-12-26T00:27:52Z

Boxing day ~

Barbie's shoe rattles

into the vacuum cleaner

dovere

2008-12-10T09:16:31Z

the talk

we had to have

~ early dusk

I was very pleased to hear today that this haiku has been selected for publication in the forthcoming book 'white lies: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2008'.

Bookworm

2008-11-28T04:13:50Z

In the post today ....

My prize for coming in 2nd Place in the Poets' Choice Kigo Awards 2008. My haiku won first prize in the August 2008 Shiki Monthly Kukai and was forwarded to the annual competition for each month's top 3 winners. Quite a surprise to win either of them!

The books are all from Red Moon Press. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into them soon.

The subject for the haiku was 'spiders'...

widow's cottage ~

every spider

has a name

election

2008-11-05T04:26:44Z

I am stuck in a hotel room in Los Angeles watching the election....

Autumn breeze

the election map

changes colour

Big sky mind

2008-10-24T09:41:28Z

into

the great southern sky

a baby sparrow

Spring has sprung

2008-09-11T11:21:44Z

At last, it is starting to warm up down here....

early spring ~

the smell of outside

inside

Well chuffed

2008-08-31T05:11:49Z

Thanks to everyone who congratulated me on my first place in this month's Shiki Kukai. I had no idea that I had won until I read Bette's post!
I have been away and I haven't seen my inbox for about a week.
Hopefully this will give me some imputus to write more as I haven't contributed much this year for various (boring) reasons.
Cheers ;)

I'll start it off with a senryu ...

lingerie sale

I am encouraged to take

fifty per cent off

Haiku movie!!

2008-07-29T04:12:48Z

This looks like an interesting film. The first ever full length movie about English languge haiku. Please follow this link to Youtube to watch the trailer of HAIKU: THE ART OF THE SHORT POEM

http://www.youtube.com/poemstudios

Enjoy!

blowing in the wind

2008-07-11T01:19:03Z

barely moving

this windy night

~ winter moon

Very windy last night ...

Ginko

2008-06-26T04:31:49Z

Last week I attended a ginko at Melbourne cemetery. It was led by local poet and haijin Myron Lysenko. We had a haiku workshop where we had to write as many haiku as possible in 15 minutes (I managed 12), this was to stop ourelves from self editing. We also practiced 5/7/5 technique and the 'three 'w's - When/what/where technique. We had great fun (even in a cemetery) listening to and reading our haiku.
And we were also very lucky to have a perfect Melbourne Winter's day.
Here are a few of mine ...

city cemetery ~

the same sun

on every grave

Winter cemetery ~

a crow flies

across denominations

old graveyard ~

so many ways

to say goodbye

Wisdom

2008-06-11T09:09:08Z

last light ~

the old duck's wake

widening

Wish I had a photo ....

In between days

2008-04-27T00:37:57Z

I have't been able to contribute much to LJ this year. This is because of work commitments and a lot of travel. However, I have just won a promotion to a new job at work which makes it almost worth it. The down side is that I will be away from the 'haiku mind' and LJ for about another month whilst I am in training. Hopefully once this time has passed I shall be able to devote more time to the Haiku way and get back to you all more often. I do miss it ...
Cheers, Paul ;)
Here's an old one of mine

opening my eyes

under Winter stars

~ the earth has turned

Sakura

2008-04-18T04:36:29Z

I have been far too busy lately, working and travelling and missing my girls. I haven't had the right frame of mind to write haiku but when I was in Japan for cherry blossom season (sakura) a few weeks ago ......

Narita airport ~

plastic flowers

announce sakura

far from home

I find a shell

by the Tokko river

without her

Spring comes

anyway

even the poor family

has a cherry tree

to host

after six beers

the talk turns back

to sakura

I REALLY wanted to join this cherry blossom viewing party!

L - eap

2008-02-29T09:24:34Z

Leap year ~

my three year old daughter

asks to marry me

Not sure if this is a worldwide tradition, but on the 29th Feb, a woman is permitted to ask a man to marry him. I am just pleased my daughter asked me and not someone else!

Dust

2008-02-28T05:30:41Z

The latest edition of Red Moon Press's Haiku Anthology has been released www.redmoonpress.com/ I am fortunate to have one of my haiku and one haibun published.
The haibun is a revised version of 'New Life' which has previously been shown here on LJ.
The haiku is slightly different to one I posted here before.

Budding crocus ~

the closed door

of my daughter's bedroom

and here is the very first haiku of 154 haiku and senryu in the book by Hortensia Anderson

alone

with the diagnosis

I hold my own hand

It is a fantastic collection and it would make somebody a great gift (either that or take them to Tiffany's for some jewellery...)

Shiki

2008-02-04T02:45:56Z

I haven't written any haiku for a while but I was very pleased to see that two of my ku were voted second and third respectively in January's Shiki Kukai. The themes were, 'plum' for the kigo contest and 'short days' for the Free Format contest.

into Winter ~

the empty plum tree

and I

the talk

we had to have

~ early dusk

1mph @ 2008-01-05T14:24:00

2008-01-05T03:30:26Z

My apologies for not being around lately. I have had to engage the left side of my brain for the last month, and being a male. I cannot do two things at once, ie - be logical and write haiku at the same time. Anyway, my right brain is temporarily re-engaged ...

back to work ~

last year's

to do list