The Art of Haiku

Seven springs to grow
Requires special soils
Dies when it is picked

I am rereading The Art of Haiku by Stephen Addiss. This book inspired me to combine my Haiku with visual images, and I produced a series of posters, which led to We Are Water, a book of Haiku with photographs on facing pages.

We Aee Water is diminutive, about the size of a postcard and less than 20 pages, but was popular for a while. If I were to do this type of book again, I would use a larger format with the Haiku and the image on the same page, but it would still probably be a zine.

I have also produced posters with photographs and full-length poems. Some are 8.5 x 11, and others are 11 x 17. I once made postcards with Haiku on one side and a color photograph on another. Each poster and postcard was a lovely creation that didn’t sell. I then gave the postcards away as promotional items since they included my webpage locater.

So, I am not disposed to create more posters or postcards, but I may produce another book. My most recent book initially had robust sales and sells steadily, though slowly.

Here are a few more Haiku written over recent years.

Yellowbird blossom
Sunflower in autum n light
Goldfinch pilfers seeds 

They shimmer on glass
Reflected clouds block our view
Of worn-out siding

Moons of Jupiter
May hide behind the planet
Orbit brings them back

Woodland wildflowers
Barely rise above the leaves
Give way to shadows

Speckled leaves appear
Trout lillies grace spring woods
Yellow blossoms fade

Wild geese swim slowly
Ducks look skyward - stretch and flap
Sky a sea of wings.

White wings bearing low
Egret glides from stump to log
Breaks forward motion

Shorter than his kin
Green heron hides among reeds
Flies to perch on branch

Information on the availability of this book follows this image of the front and back cover.

My book, It’s Just a Phase, is available at the following locations.

The publisher, Walnut Street Publishing, sells retail copies online.

Wholesale copies for bookstores, libraries, and online distributors are available from Ingram Content Group.

The Chattanooga Audubon Society offers it in the Audubon Acres gift shop.

A Little Bookish offers it online and in their store.

Reve Coffe and Books offers it in the store.

Winder Binder Mercantile sells it in their store.

In the Atlanta metro area, the Crazy Book Lady offers it online.

In the Nashville metro area, The Bookshop offers it online.