Poetry Corner: Power of Water

POETRY CORNER

– 8/15/18

Hosted by Kathabela Wilson

Power of Water! You will feel this power in each poem and the cumulative effect of the rapid stream created here. We conclude with a final section of poetic prose comments and notes from the poets.

The first poet, M. Kei premieres the ryuka, a four line variation of tanka he explains below. He’s one of the great poets of Japanese inspired short form poetry in English and has published thousands of poets in his anthologies and journals over many years. His openness, experimentation and genuine encouragement of other poets is a treasure to us all.

~ Kathabela​​​​

M. Kei

if you read my poems,
you will think you know me,
but all you will really know
is the sea

Ο Ο Ο

Carol Raisfeld

we swam
in the lake, pausing
for a kiss
in the warmth of the day
the silent gliding of ducks

in the breeze
I watch your reflection
next to mine
the ripples taking us
toward the sun

Ο Ο Ο​

Pat Geyer

reflecting fall…

amberwing
and aqua fern

refreshing
the heat of summer
floating in cold water

Ο

land with no rain

this drought
afflicted place…

drinking
from prickly pears
i wet my senses

Ο Ο Ο

Margo Williams

thirsting for
a raindrop
wilted garden

Ο Ο Ο​​

Sydell Rosenberg

Following the course
of the raindrop intently —
still, it disappears.

Ο Ο Ο

Amy Losak

soothing patterns
in rain puddles…
therapy session

Ο Ο Ο​

Christina Sng

after an hour
my begonia revived
deep watering

Ο

solo trip
to the hot springs
new beginnings

Ο Ο Ο​​

Janice Garey

just around the bend
a better place
to fish

Ο Ο Ο

Tzetzka Ilieva

a trail alongside
the McKenzie River
how effortless the jump
from practiced
to genuine kindness

Ο Ο Ο

Natalia Kuznetsova

heatwave
the old pond at dusk
offers solace

Ο

M. Kei writes: “Ryuka is a poetry form from Okinawa that is similar to tanka, but written on four lines with three lines of equal length and the last one shorter. I don’t usually write ryuka; it just turned out that way. Let the poem be what it wants to be. As a tall ship sailor, I often write while at sea. Being a sailor and being a tanka poet are alike: you must pay attention to details, do your best, then let go and let it be whatever it will be. You can’t force either the sea or poetry to do as you command.”

Kei is an award-winning poet who lives on Maryland’s Eastern shore. He’s the editor of Atlas Poetica: A Journal of World Tanka, and Stacking Stones, An Anthology of Short Tanka Sequences (Sept 2018). His most recent collection of poetry is January, A Tanka Diary. He’s also the author of the award-winning gay Age of Sail adventure novels, Pirates of the Narrow Seas.

Carol Raisfeld lives in Atlantic Beach, a barrier island to the larger barrier island of Long Island. The barrier islands are filled with tide pools, ponds and lakes, surrounded by the bay and the ocean. The abundance of shore birds is incredible. So many Canada geese, ducks, swans, seagulls…”stop at the bird sanctuaries dotting the island on their way to distant summers. I never grow tired of seeing new nests, hearing the call of baby plovers in the dunes and whispering, ‘welcome to the world’. Living near the water is a life affirming experience. I love it!”

Pat Geyer lives in East Brunswick, NJ, USA. Her home is surrounded by the parks and lakes where she finds her inspiration in Nature. She notes: “At the park, a cacti garden (for some reason) grows under many shade trees. Always tastefully beautiful, even in the heat of Summer. Here I see prickly pears. Everywhere else is dry yet the succulents are plump with juice.” Her two cherita tell her stories.

Margo Williams in Sydon, Oregon tells us: “The past 5 or so years, the mild lovely summer climate which produced rain on the fourth of July celebrations and warmer late Augusts with rain producing Septembers, has become drought ridden. Farm fires start occasionally from farm equipment throwing a spark on their fields and we all worry and look for rain. On a cool morning, such as the one where I write this from my covered deck, I look around at the dry grass fields and wilted trees flanked by green fir trees. I see the bright colored flowers adorning my deck and the weeds that pop up through dry cracked dirt. The power of rain, which is amazing and life filling, we have taken for granted.”

Sydell Rosenberg (1929-1996) was a charter member of the Haiku Society of America in 1968. A New York poet, writer, and teacher who lived most of her years in Queens, she referred to her work — in the 1974 classic book — The Haiku Anthology (edited by Cor van den Heuvel) as “city haiku.”

Amy Losak, daughter of Sydell Rosenberg, is a member of HSA and lives in Teaneck, NJ. This past April, she released her mother’s new collection for children, H IS FOR HAIKU (Penny Candy Books; illustrated by Sawsan Chalabi).

Christina Sng, who lives in Singapore, says: “At 90% humidity and an average of 30 degrees Celsius here in Singapore, I’m accustomed to being parched. Since starting a small garden, I’ve realized the importance of hydrating. Drooped plants I was sure were dead came back to life after sitting in a dish for an hour. I began to wonder how much better I would feel if I drank more water.”

Janice Garey lives in Decatur, Georgia. She finds “peace, joy, and harmony in sharing the beauty in nature through poetry and photography. Streams of water offer hope for refreshment around each bend.”

Tzetzka Ilieva, of Atlanta, Georgia shares the following: “This summer I had the opportunity to visit many gorgeous places and meet some wonderful people, but none of the rivers I crossed had such pristine blue water as the Oregon’s McKenzie River.”

Natalia Kuznetsova lives in Moscow, Russia. Of her recent visit to the Atlantic in Bretagne, she says: “I fell in love with the ocean’s sunsets and tides, you just cannot tire of them – their breathtaking beauty is truly healing and rejuvenating.”

Ο Ο Ο

♣ You can add your contribution to our Poetry Corner in the form of a poem, in our comment box below​.