Stay Drunk on Writing (Tanka Prose)

write to live
or live to write?
either way
it matters not
if my poems are read

I write poetry in the music of a language not natural to me. I am mostly frustrated by my slow progress, but sometimes feel good about this hard fact: writing is the only thing I can do with my immigrant life here and manipulate it in the way I desire. When I stay drunk on writing, so-called reality cannot destroy me. I realize that I can write about everything in my life if I have the courage and creativity to shape my words into form. More importantly, if I don’t write from the depths of my heart, why would I waste time churning out endless words?

at the gun-mouth
of time’s barrel
I write-
I live for myself
by myself


published in Inscribed: A Magazine For Writers, Vol.4, Issue 7

Snow Gogyohka

a line
of coffee cups
reclines
on the snow wall
between my house and the neighbor's


published in A Handful of Stones (May, 31, 2010)

Moon Haiku

scooping the autumn moon from the still river


published the March / April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Love Haiku

iris in bloom half stiffening half melting away


published the March / April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Loneliness Haiku

barren moors walking in the sound of footsteps


published the March / April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Time Haiku

a cuckoo in the clock…
time winds me up


published the March / April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Nostalgia Tanka

at night
I sleep in Taipei
but wake up in Ajax --
closing and opening
my eyes, two lives


Published in the Presence, #41

Haiku about Geese

a line of geese
flying across the bright moon…
her scarred face


published in the Presence, #41

I Am a Reluctant Polygamist (Sijo)

Loneliness assumes its wifely role at dawn
preparing for me three meals of tenderness

Moon is an unstable mistress after sunset
seducing me with the waxing and waning of its charms

Though polygamous, Dream is my true love
offering comfort no matter what the time of day


Published in the March 2010 issue of Word Catalyst

Tanka on Providence

bang!
sparrows of St. Paul Plaza
flutter
filling the sky
no eye on sparrows?


published in the March/April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Summer Gogyohka

10 km
bumper-to-bumper
under the summer sun --
we’re grilled
on the 401 in Toronto


published in the March/April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Butterfly Tanka

to escape
from the pit of darkness
the butterfly
flaps its wings
so does my mind


published in the March/April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Loneliness Tanka

a thousand
lines of blank verse
get tangled
in the narrative threads
of my angst


published in the March/April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Journey Tanka

eyes wide open
face twisted
beads upon the forehead
from anguish strung --
everyone aboard!


published in the March/April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Loneliness Gogyohka

stains form lines
as my head
weighs upon
this fluffy page...
pillow book


published in the March/April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Relationship Gogyohka

smoke weaves
its way through backyards…
it's easier
for smoke to cross fences
between neighbors


published in the March/April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Relationship Gogyohka

my heart will be torn
by the three thousand miles
between us, I plea
we still gaze upon the same moon
you smile playfully


published in the March/April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Haiku on Music

between cries
of neighbor's baby
symphony no. 9


published in the Spring 2010 Issue of 3lights

Haiku on Nostalgia

sleep in Taipei
but wake in Ajax...
autumn dawn


published in the March/April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Winter Haiku

tangled
in crooked icicles...
moonbeams


published in the March/April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Balloon Haiku

rainbow balloons
darting across azure sky;
frowning faces dragged home


published in the March/April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Cloud Haiku

banked clouds
trailing away in dawn sky...
cries of a stray dog


published in the March/April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Language, I/anguish

slanting sunrays
drift through the window
and settle again
on the worn cover
of my Chinese-English dictionary

tunnelling through my mind
I dig up English words
by lamplight --
Chinese coolie laboring
in a foreign mine

while writing poems
I hear two voices
arguing in their turn:
Conceive in English
Bu! Fan Yi
(Note: No! Translation from Chinese)

Respect English
is whispered into my left ear
Make it new
into my right --
the page remains blank


published in the June 2010 issue of LYNX
anthologized in Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka Vol. 3 (2010)

A Portrait of the Poet as a Middle-Aged Man: A Tanka Sequence

I am forty…something
in the attic waiting
alone
four years gone by
and yet no chapbooks

my life… a void
no great book
bears my name
I hit my head
with books by other poets

hit hard by
The Complete Poems
of Chen-ou Liu
I wake to rain
chattering in the room


published in the June 2010 issue of LYNX

Ein Fremdes Land: A Tanka Sequence

for Georg Trakl

wolf moon
standing high in the sky
I hear it
howl in my blood ...
eyes upon the dripping

head hit
by a train of thoughts
lost
a stranger among
white ruins of words

one deep gaze
into the blue of night
spurs me
at war against flesh
I am he who is apart


published in the June 2010 issue of LYNX

Nostalgia Cherita

as night deepens

what the day has woven
unravels in fleeting dreams

as dawn breaks
my hands loosely hold
fringes from the past


published in the March / April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Loneliness Cherita

no wine left tonight

my Zen mind
filled with moonlight

the chattering
of stars
has aged


published in the March / April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

A Cherita on Immigration

accidentally stepping on

my neighbor's shadow
he yells at me, illegal alien

I see
Canada geese fly over
their route, my roots


published in the March / April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Calliope Left Me Alone with the Moon

You promised you would come.
Through the lonely night,
I waited in the dark
until the pale moon waned.

Having never waited,
a woman like you
could hardly know
how long a night can be.

The moon looks at me
like a careless stranger,
plunging life into sorrow.
Alone, I ponder ...

Time passes
in the sound of snow.
The sun still rises,
but a new day never comes.


published in the March 2010 issue of Word Catalyst

E-Love

I see your face
emerging pixel by pixel:
haunting electrons seeking
the sparks of life


selected as The Poem of the Week (Four and Twenty of the Week, March 9)

White Night

gusting winds lift up
a corner of the night
chilled, I surrender
to the inky sky


published in the February issue of Four & Twenty

Sent to Calliope on a Moonlit Night

As autumn creeps in front yards
the groomed suburban scenery changes

With no thoughts of lingering here
Canada geese fly south to beyond

Sitting by the window when moonlight stirs
I raise my cup to you an ocean away

The hours are fast in flight
the bright moon has dimmed her rays

My heart is bound with sorrow
I hear the night’s passing

When shall we lean against the window
in the brightness, our tears dried up


published in the February 2010 Issue of Word Catalyst

On the Road (Cherita Sequence)

a sudden scream

fading into the day
the loneliness

of a straight road
under the watchful sun
I keep walking

long day's journey

arriving at the fork
I choose the road less traveled

the road disappearing
into the mist
I keep walking


published in the March 2010 issue of Word Catalyst

Beach Haiku

beach bonfire...
nothing left between
the moon and me


published in the May / June 2010 "Beach" Thread of Sketchbook (Editor's Choice)

Beach Haiku

tar balls
on the beach...
silent skies


published in the May / June 2010 "Beach" Thread of Sketchbook (Editor's Choice)

Birth of a Tanka: A Tanka Sequence

a plastic bag
whirled by the wind
struggling in mid-air --
a tanka is conceived
at that sight

writing tanka --
four lines sound perfect
yet I struggle
to write a fifth
to perfect my tanka

my anguish
crumbled into a ball
I continue to write
as the wastebasket waits
for one more throw

days slip by
minute by minute
hour after hour --
a tanka is born
yet my life withers


published the March / April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

That Was the China Earthquake News

That afternoon I was rocked
into a deep sleep.
In my dream I saw
Mother holding me tightly
and tearfully whispering a lullaby
My child! ... Fear not, and sleep well.

A reporter keyed in the headline:
7.9 Earthquake trembled through Sichuan, China.
Official figures (as of June 4):
69,122 are confirmed dead,
4.8 million people homeless,
and 7,000 classrooms flattened...

An operator pushed a button:
numbers and images spread over the front page.
Newsprint slid through color printers.
Somewhere in the back pages,
the China earthquake story waited
with sad news from other developing countries.


published in Inscribed: A Magazine For Writers, Vol. 4, No. 6

S e x, Love, and Something in Between

I

Lust --
he sips on
a bottle of hot milk.

Hurt --
she spits out
black watermelon seeds.


II

Reading The Kamasutra
she is alone --
rain on the blossoms.

Engaging business partners
he is busy --
pants around the ankles.


III

alone in bed --
she hears her cat's
piercing cry.

awkward moment --
he forgets where
his blue pills are.


IV

Career woman,
devoted wife --
short day into lone night.

Struggling writer
staying at home --
day and night are the same.


published in Inscribed: A Magazine For Writers, Vol., I4

Haiku about Mona Lisa's Smile

hydrangea
when thinking of
Mona Lisa's smile


Published on Haiku News (March, 5)
reprinted on World Kigo Database (Museum Art and Haiku)

Moon Haiku

moonlight resting upon my face mother's hand


published in the November/ December issue of Sketchbook

Moon Haiku

the crescent moon drifts across the lake two worlds


published in the November/ December issue of Sketchbook

The L Word

finally, I tell Loneliness
I’m leaving you
she curls up in bed
heaves a groan of despair


published in the May 2010 issue of Four and Twenty

The Solitary Journey

ahead, two roads diverged
in the dim woods
the journey was long

arriving at the fork
once again, I chose the road less traveled
déjà vu

I walk it fearlessly


published in Getting Something Read (May 12, 2010)

Seagull Haiku

seagulls squawk...
my nipples hurting


published in the May / June 2010 "Beach" Thread of Sketchbook

Beach Haiku

nudist beach—
half-hidden behind a veil
a woman's face


published in the May / June 2010 "Beach" Thread of Sketchbook (Editor's Choice)

Haiku about Longing

ninth autumn since:
between mother and me
the Pacific


published in the May / June 2010 "Beach" Thread of Sketchbook

Lamentation: My Mother's Lullaby

In Memory of the 512 China Earthquake Victims


That afternoon I was rocked
into a deep sleep.
I slept for a while;
the dawn had not yet come.
Then in my dream I saw
Mother holding me tightly
and tearfully whispering a lullaby
My child! ... Fear not, and sleep well.


anthologized in Island Treasures

Life on the GO (Tanka Sequence)

walking
towards the opened door
I’m pushed by GO riders
sadness comes
and helps shut me in

a maple leaf
drifts through the window
and lands on me
I, too, have wandered
from my natural path

getting off the train
I drag myself to the place
I live
no one for company
traffic sounds cheer me along


(Note: GO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada)


published the March / April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Loneliness Gogyohka

in Toronto
the meeting place
I've nothing to do --
one, two, three
tourists pass me by


published in A Handful of Stones (May, 10, 2010)

Mother's Apron: A Mother’s Day Haiku Sequence

furrows in the sand
scooped out by crashing waves;
mother's forehead

thinking of
mother, her dishes --
Russian nested dolls

steamed buns…
enclosed in the attic
mother's smell

in the attic
autumn moonlight pools...
mother's mooncake

mother and I
stand on Pacific coasts --
the same bright moon


published in the Mother's Day Poems section of the March / April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Mother's Day Tanka

white beads of rain
are falling
upon my sleeves
as I touch
my mother's rosary


publiished in the Mother's Day Poems section of the March / April, 2010 issue of Sketchbook

Environment Haiku

recycling bins
placed on the curbside...
ash cloud


published in Haiku News (May, 8, 2010)

Spring Haiku

row upon row
white crosses
stretch into spring skies


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

War Haiku

summer days
inked into darkness
Najaf


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

War Haiku

fallen petals --
the black rain
in Baghdad


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

Moon Tanka

we parted
on an autumn night
her face
embedded in the moon—
reminder of flower heart


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

Love Tanka

alone, lying
on the couch, listening
to spring rains
pelting on windows
I ponder love's grammar...


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

Relationship Tanka

when was love
our transitive verb
turned into
your common noun...the garden path
is strewn with fallen twigs


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

Gogyohka on Writing

sweat pours
off my brow onto paper
pooling
into a mass, emerging as
a butterfly


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

A Silent Ocean Away (Tanka Prose)

When I was young, homesickness was a long cable line -- me on one end, Mom on the other. When I grew up, homesickness was a three-sheet letter -- an hour’s labor, sincerely written and carefully folded; me on the outside, Mom on the inside. But later on, homesickness was reduced to $2.69 plus tax -- a seasonal greeting card. Now, homesickness has become a spacious ocean -- me on this continent, Mom on a distant shore.

drifting in a dream
turned into a bird
flying over the Pacific --
I open my eyes
upon darkness again


published in Inscribed: A Magazine For Writers, Vol., No. 8

Poetics of Intercourse

I, committed writer
of your body,
a scroll of eros;
you, casual reader
of my face,
a map of solitude.

We screw each other
less in reading
than in writing.


Published in Breadcrumb Scabs, #17

Loneliness Tanka

I am not
alone because misery loves
company --
I am drawn to the charm
of a depressed face


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

Loneliness Tanka

neon night
in Dundas Square --
alone
I mingle
with faceless crowds


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

Featured Tanka in Atlas Poetica

English Original:


the same moon
Li Po drank to
the same autumn
Tu Fu wrote of—
I alone change


French Translation by Mike Montreuil


la même lune
dont Li Po s’abreuvait
le même automne
que décrivait Tu Fu—
moi seul je change


showcased in New Special Feature: Canadian Tanka Poets in French and English and Salamander Cove



first published in Gusts, # 10

Tanka on Writing

staring at
my naked poems, he sighs
poor poet!
put on your clothes
and take off your masks


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

Tanka on Speaking English

English words
line up in my throat
for a good flight...
they stumble off my tongue
falling onto hard ears


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

Season Poem

bits of green
dot the snow-covered garden...
winter meeting spring


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

Moon Haiku

moonlight resting upon my face mother's hand


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

Moon Haiku

the crescent moon drifts through the lake two worlds


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

Rain Haiku

waking to rain chattering in my attic


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

Moon Haiku

alone no wine silence of the bright moon


published in the November/ December 2009 issue of Sketchbook

Haiku on Climate Change

Copenhagen
walled in on all four sides:
batons and mics


published in Haiku News (Jan., 13, 2010)

Winter Haiku

eyes
upon the dripping
winter solstice


published in the "winter solstice" Haiku Thread of Sketchbook (# 63)