pull of the moon

 I made it into Mayfly!  This was a goal of mine.  Mayfly comes out twice a year and contains only 15 haiku per issue.  Each haiku is on a page by itself with plenty of white space around it.  I think this adds to the haiku experience of reading a haiku slowly and deliberately, letting it unfold line by line.  Also, I met Randy and Shirley Brooks, the editors, at the 2019 Haiku North America Conference in Winston Salem, NC, and they are very kind and authentic people.  

pull of the moon

the ocean deep

inside her

There's so much I could say about this haiku.  I wrote it from a prompt given by my haiku friend Tia Haynes to write about water.  This haiku just sort of popped into my head.  I think about this idea when I practice Qigong and do the push wave movement.  I imagine all of the fluids in my body flowing in sync with the waves on the beach--rushing up onto the sand and receding back into the ocean.  This ebb and flow.  I also think about amniotic fluid, a little microcosm of the ocean where we all get our start.  When my second son, Daniel, was a few days past his due date, I went out and stood under the full moon, hoping that labor would start.  It didn't, but I enjoyed moon bathing with my big round moon of a belly.

There is something so huge and powerful about the ocean at night.  One evening when we were at the beach and I was feeling anxious about something (can't remember what it was), I went out onto the deck and sat in the dark, watching the big silver moon reflected on the inky black waves.  Within seconds, my anxiety was just gone.  Sometimes when I'm feeling anxious now I can go back to that moment in my memory--watching myself watch the moon on the waves--and I feel that same sense of calm.  The power of awe.  

Inaugural Issue of Kingfisher!

I'm very honored to have these three haiku/senryu included in this issue.  A senryu is similar to a haiku but it focuses on human nature.  But there are gray areas between the two.  

tea steeping

as long as it takes

your obituary

winter chill

the blue flickering

of nightly news

crown chakra

the button on top

of his baseball cap

Kingfisher Journal is a brand new haiku journal edited by Tanya McDonald.  The beautiful cover art for this issue is by Jessica Sebok.

"tea steeping" is about trying to write an obituary for my little brother Josh.  Being 12 years younger than me, he was supposed to help write my obituary.  I drank cup after cup of tea, waiting for the words to flow.  They never did flow, but I finally managed to craft an obituary that I hope captured some of his spirit.  Peace to you Josh.   

"winter chill" was written after the inauguration of the 45th president.

"crown chakra" is about my precious sons and husband.  The crown chakra, located just above the top of the head, is the "bridge to the cosmos."  It links us to our innate wisdom, universal consciousness, and a higher power.  Through it we access our highest potential.  The men in my life all wear baseball caps and I imagine that little button on the top activating their crown chakras.  Haha!  It's my way of praying for them and showering them with my good wishes every time they put on their caps and go out into the world.