- haiku and a lifetime prison sentence - James Fuson's TWENTY YEARS REFLECTIONS OF AN EMPTY SKY - from Soft Sculpture Press -

adding this (8/6/14) - to purchase a copy of '20 years', 
go to www.softsculpturepress.org, then to 'browse and buy',
you'll quickly find 'buy now' - easily found - and,
thank you for interest expressed in obtaining copies
of James Fuson's poetry. . .


                              still

                               silent

                               the moment lost

sometimes, poetry arrives in bear creek's mailbox that touches so deeply, one weeps. . .  Fuson's background and, especially, his poems from within it all -      

from the introduction -

     'january 24, 1994 was the last day of my life.  Kicked out of high school, a probation violator, sleeping around, and doing so much of nothing, a series of decisions led to the deaths of innocent people and ruined the lives of so many others.  There is no forgiveness in Michigan so, at the age of 17 years old, I was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. . .'
  

                         the once mighty oak
                        dies alone in the yard
                           a sapling weeps

intro, continued -

'Prison is not for the naive, and a kid, regardless of how much he thinks he knows or how wise he thinks he is, is not ready for it.  One of two things will happen to that kid:  he will either break and become part of the machine or get tough and grow into a stronger individual.  Either way, prison will leave a black stain of his soul.  Regardless of what he grows to be, no matter what he learns or becomes, the abuse, alienation, loneliness, and frustration will leave  a scar that remains until he dies.  It then comes down to this:  How does he heal this scar?  This collection of haiku examines the impact prison has had on me, how it has changed me fundamentally, and what the world looks like through my eyes.'

 under the lights
no one casts a shadow
 the forgotten walk
                                            caught staring    
                                               at the sun
                                          with my eyes closed

intro, continued -
     'The haiku presented here reflects twenty years of observing my environment and the cold irrationalities it espouses, interpreting its meanings through the filter of my experiences, and my thoughts and feelings about it all.
    I do not claim to know everything or be all-wise anymore, but these truths are mine and I hold them tight.'

in a wheelchair 
a man sits
with dusty shoes
                                          the visiting room
                                          full of empty chairs
                                          except one
                         

- from Jonathan Rajewski of [sic] Press (now Soft Sculpture Press): 

'Twenty Years, a serpentine narrative of haiku-observations spanning the twenty years of James D Fuson's ongoing prison sentence in the Michigan correctional system.

It is our hope that you may find the time to allow this work to haunt you a bit. . .'
James Fuson's haiku collection is $15, including postage, from
           
Soft Sculpture Press
11627 Klinger Street
Hamtramck  Michigan  48212

Twenty Years is one of the most moving haiku collections I have read, and my prayer is that it does, indeed, help with the healing of scars -
                         www.softsculpture.org
                         rajewski.jonathan@gmail.com


see you in a moment

ayaz daryl nielsen                             darylayaz@me.com


           

Canyon Wren project Cheap Seats

update on the Canyon Wren project: Cheap Seats

from p l wick - 

The Canyon Wren project which you graciously hint at is Cheap Seats: intended as an intimate, contributor driven, moderately edited (draconian “editors” we is not) informal print publication—“informal,” thus the “cheap” part.

Cheap Seats: still in the development and viability stages, but any interested writer/contributors sending an SASE will be provided with our guidelines—and whatever misc. detritus we may not want to curb-recycle at the time. Your curiosity will help us determine our demographic size and interest level. See you at:

Cheap Seats

c/o p.l. wick @ Canyon Wren Press

P.O. Box 249

Empire, CO 80438-0249

and a Litter Bit more. . .

   

originals in creativeness and street/ocean/mountain smarty loverliness, this is gonna be fun, and we can be an important part -
so, you know, you otter contact 'em - (otters are totally Lebowski)


see you in a moment

ayaz daryl nielsen                               darylayaz@me.com