One of the folks it was a great honor meeting this summer in Seattle during the Haiku North America conference was Jerry Ball. Here's a neat little article on him I thought folks might enjoy.
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I'll be doing a reading this Sunday at Nico's Recovery Room to help promote a brand new book of poetry by Robert Isenberg. The book is Wander and is published by Six Gallery Press. Other folks reading and performing are Jason Baldinger, Jerome Crooks, Gab Bonesso, and Vince Eirene on Sunday night at 9:30 pm.
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I ran across this poem in a volume of original poems and translations by Thanasis Makaleris. This is a one of the translations:
Poetry
In vain the poets endeavor
To fill the empty space
With their verses and images.
Empty space returns
Larger than before
Seeking
To be filled again
Nanos Valaoritis
I've a real soft spot for poems about poetry. I know, either you love it or you hate it.
I love it.
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I've been reading a lot of Charles Wright lately, a first for me and quite a fine experience. One of his recent volumes, Sestets, I'll be having something to say about in the near future. For now, I'll just say fab. What follows is a poem from another fine book of his I've been reading, China Trace, a much earlier work. I highly recommend both books for anyone one who enjoys insightful short nature-tuned poems.
Reunion
Already one day has detached itself from all the rest up ahead.
It has my photograph in its soft pocket.
It wants to carry my breath into the past in its bag of wind.
I write poems to untie myself, to do penance and disapppeaar
Through the upper right-hand corner of things, to say grace.
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Finally, since identifying the poem pictured in artwork a couple of weeks back was a bust (offer is still open and here's a big hint: it's by Ferlinghetti), how about identifying the following photo? Free 6 issue subscription to the first right guess posted in the comments section as to this gentleman's identity.
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This week's poem from the archive comes from issue #179, May 2011, and is one of the fine translations of Santoka by Scott Watson. Enjoy.
until my clothes dry
this grassy breeze
Taneda Santoka
translation by Scott Watson
the autumn wind
blows as if it knows
I'm an orphan
Issa
translated by David G. Lanoue
best,
Don
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