I Wait for the Moon 100 haiku from Momoko Kuroda [translated with commentary by Abigail Friedman]

just discovered Momoko Kuroda, 'a remarkable haiku spirit and a powerfully independent Japanese woman', whose translator, Abigail Friedman, shares insights/an understanding of haiku spirit as perceptive and knowledgeable as is Momoko's poetry 

this collection of haiku has the same heart-touch as did my discovery of Basho decades ago (because of which, bear creek haiku and this blog exist). . . Basho's meditative creativity often consisted of watching the full moon- after my evening shifts at the hospital, would make my way to the top of Flagstaff Mountain, mesmerized by the moon, and create my poetry. . .

thru Momoko and Abigail, I realize the full moon is a metaphor for an enlightened Buddha. . .

                          retracing Basho's
                           Kurobane path
                     fireflies along the stream


 whichever the valley whatever the blossom petals dance in the air


yup, Momoko (b. 1938) has traveled/written on/of the same paths (and then some) as did Basho. . .

    
     spring water gushing the sound of affection from afar

'Momoko associates the sound of water with the love of those who have departed- the poet does not hear the sound of water, she hears the sound of love'

'meow!  this is an                               

exceptional poet!'
states Tama
'and she loves kitties!'
yes, Frosty,
am sure she does. . .



at this temple
by the edge of the lake
I wait for the moon


surely, Momoko speaks from the temple of her heart. . . 'we should always speak from our heart temples' states Tama

please, peruse this collection of haiku, one of the best we've read


I Wait for the Moon
100 Haiku of Momoko Kuroda

translated with commentary by Abigail Friedman

Stone Bridge Press                         www.stonebridge.com                                      

noble ass't. ed's, let us now have our treats 'and we can read more of Momoko's haiku!', from my ass't ed's  and! for our next post, we need

to honor Ajśa Dźemila Zahirović  and her book of poetry 

'haiku iz sarajeva  haiku is sarajevo' 

'certainly do!' states Tama

see you in a moment


ayaz daryl nielsen

             
                             darylayaz@gmail.com
                                    (and/or) darylayaz@me.com

Jason Benjamin Josaphat, age 19, Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32, and, Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32

                 "There is no forgetting, there is no winter

                  that will wipe you name,

                                                shining brothers,

                  from the lips of the people"

                                                                              Pablo Neruda

with Rev. Dana Solomon, in the courtyard of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, we came together for our fifty lost in Orlando. . .  

nearby, a labyrinth, where we also honored our fifty young people and this first day of summer with a Strawberry Moon Labyrinth Walk
                            'Follow the path. . .
                                   Breathe. . .
                                          Be refreshed. . .'

a full moon on the summer solstice happens once every fifty years, known as a 'Strawberry Moon'. . .
  
above us, in Kanemoto Park, the five-story Pagoda of Compassion, built by the Asian Buddhist co-founders of this city. . .

our number varied, but revolved                                

around fifty, including weeping

Presbyterian Rev. David Barker 

and his wife (treasured locals),
also Buddhists, a shaman,  

et al., all of us, together, 
with our diverse faiths, 
beliefs, spiritual practices. . .

how long has it been since I've 
sang "We Shall Overcome?"  

Obviously, too long. . .

My beloved Judith pointed to

a dove sitting on the roof 

above Ms. Dana the entire time, and,

as Judith said in a poem,
'afterwards,
    the dove 

        flew away

            with a prayer 
               on a gust of wind'

these three young men I

randomly chose (all 
were chosen by someones)

to honor and remember, 

lighting a candle for each. . .

and how, I wondered, was I 
to do all I could for them?  
am no dove

carrying a prayer towards

wherever it most 
needs to be. . .

and my heart spoke - 
quote Pablo Neruda!. . .

"We will win.

Although you may not believe it,

                                 we will win"

Jason, Joel and Christopher, honored, I pray, within this post. . . I, perhaps we, will visit them here as we can. . . our fifty 'shining sisters and brothers' shall not be forgotten, and, surely, have not died in vain. 

     
                                                                                                                 

'and we will miss them, won't we'
from ass't. ed's 
Tama and Frosty

that we will, dear ones 








see you in a moment

ayaz daryl nielsen

                                                        darylayaz@gmail.com

  

more homes for our poems! (and, michael escoubas and marti sullan!)

"Let's do more 
to get our 
poets' poems 
published!' 
noble concept, ass't. 
ed's Frosty and
Tama! we'll 
share pub's. we
know of, 

print/online,
that nourish poets!
(treats afterwards)

                           
                    Cat Sleeping
                         poet, michel escoubas
                         collage by marti sullan                                                  
                              
This

golden

ball of sun

(softly purring                                                          

under velvet buds

of willow, near china

teacup, cherry blossoms pink,

blue satin curtains) needs her rest-- 

she turned a cricket up-side-down, thin

legs batting air--content to leave it there.

and, homes for our poems!. . .

haiku/senryu

(and related forms):

online,

United Haiku and Tanka Society

Cattails for submission

timeframes/details -

good folk, the infamous

an'ya, Sonam (just a decent dude), 

Michael Rehling (wrote a lovely 

review of my haiku collection,

'haiku - tumbleweeds

still tumbling')

Acorn Haiku

online, ed. Susan Antolin

(in diverse formats,

has existed for decades)

SCIFAIKUEST

online and print,

ed. Teri Santitoro composes

lovely issues - change just a

word or three in some of your own favorite haiku/tanka/fib's

and you have Sciku/Scifi - one of many sic.fi./fantasy pub's. from

Alban Lake Press, go to site for details (pays for

accepted poems in print editions)

Yellow Mama - Black Petals

ed. Cindy Rosmus is my very favorite (and, has to be

the rowdiest) online poetry ed. - again, fantasy/sciku/some horror, yet her tastes are diverse and broad, fine poetry/poets/

friends of mine are in each (quarterly) issue - love her

site's method of archiving poems, I inadvertently deleted

400 of mine a year ago and was able to recover many from 

Yellow Mama's archives. . .

Dead Snakes

have learned the necessity of appreciating ed. Stephen Williams almost daily online pub., it's just uplifting receiving an email 

stating your poem(s) have been published- from the same vein 

as Yellow Mama and SCIFAIKUEST, he also publishes Ufo Gigolo

yup, Tama and Frosty created above poem/picture- treats for both! 

('soon' states Frosty)

Raw Dog Press
as is Origami Poetry Project, a creative/innovative concept - accepted poem appears on postcard, and, you'll receive several copies - go to site for specific details, I believe they accept just one a month, but, were more than willing to work with a poem of mine. . .  
poet/friend/MD Kelley Jean White introduced us to this pub!


Lalitamba

Lalitamba: An Uplifting Literary Experience  'whatever our 
circumstances, all we need is here, now, within our own open hearts. 

Submission Guidelines: We publish fiction, essays,
poetry and interviews. 

To submit, please send a single work of fiction/nonfiction, 
or up to five poems, with SASE and contact information, including 
email address, to: 

Lalitamba: An Uplifting Literary Experience

P. O. Box 131

Planetarium Station

New York, New York 10024

All net proceeds are donated to charity projects for global harmony.'

two issues with accepted poems are sent to each poet. . .

'they're exquisite', Frosty states - 'loveliest print pub. in existence', says Tama

TROUTSWIRL  The Haiku Foundation Blog  have wondered for years how Jim Kacian sustains his creative ceaseless 'doin'!  have been a subscriber to weekly Troutswirl for quite some time, yet only recently have participated in some of it's plethoric activities (such as, re:Viral, and, am listed in their Haiku Registry thanks to Lilliput Review's Don Wentworth)- their distinguished Red Moon Press is considering my 190+ haiku collection 'almost a pond', and whatever's decided, an honor to be even considered for publication- am delighted with their recent activity archiving buddy Canadian haijin Chris Faier's lifetime of creative endeavors (Chris, of blog 'Riffs and Ripples from Zen River Gardens' fame). . . 

  

deepest thank you, Angelee (Deodhar), for above photo

        'you know' Frosty states 'it's almost midnight, and during the last post, we all fell asleep without our treats'  yes, Frosty, let's see if we can complete this. . .  'soon' he states

Shamrock, Haiku Journal of the Irish Haiku Society, 

ed. Anatoly Kudryavitsky, international online haiku/senryu pub., just ordered/received print 2007-2011 Shamrock Haiku Anthology - all ed. Anatoly's endeavors are just right

Nature Writing   You are Nature, Writing   NatureWriting.com, ed. Ron Harton, 

contact   editor@naturewriting.com      a lovely poetry site

The song is. . .   thesongis.blogspot.com   ed. Marianne Szlyk 

has perhaps the coolest of all possible online sites

and, it's midnight! Tama and Frosty have fallen asleep, so, treats will be with breakfast and we'll finish this post much later today. . .


see you in a moment


ayaz daryl nielsen

                       

                       darylayaz@me.com, and/or, darylayaz@gmail.com