Poetry Friday--More Places

Last week I explored haiku about my neighborhood. I compared computer-generated haiku to those written by a human being, me.

Today, I'd like to share an anthology with you, the Haiku Society of America Members' Anthology 2009, A Travel-Worn Satchel, artfully edited by Joseph Kirschner, Lidia Rozmus, and Charles Trumbull. The anthology has a theme-- haiku of place. Most years the anthology simply includes a haiku on any topic by each member who submits to that year's editor. In 2009, however, the haiku submitted had to be accompanied by a specific location.

The 293 haiku have been sorted by place and matched to locator maps, one for each page. Ledger lines lead to the point captured by each haiku. The name and residence of the poets and the specific location of each haiku are provided.

The resultant "global haiku map" is engaging. The locations include places on every continent (except Antarctica), and also, Mars! The "journey" begins in Alaska and ends on an atlas of the world.

I submitted five poems for consideration (locations: Kancamagus Highway, NH; Lee, NH; Poland Spring, ME, Fenway Park, Boston, MA, and Edinburgh, Scotland).


My Kancamagus Highway haiku was selected for the anthology:

moose mating season
thirty-two miles of highway
take forever

My friend, Marnie Brooks, lives in North Carolina. Her poem is set in Blowing Rock, NC:

Blue Ridge morning
bird song and
whine of chain saws

Copies of this fine anthology may still be available. You can inquire here.

The Poetry Friday Round-Up is found at Teach Poetry K-12--stop by, even if you're not a teacher!

Photo by Cramit