by Hilary Tann
Our guest poet this time is Gary Hotham. Gary says that he “took up the haiku art as a teenager in the last century and has yet to break the addiction.” Over the years his work has been published in a variety of journals and anthologies. He has also had a number of chapbooks published since his first: Without the Mountains in 1976. And in recent decades some larger collections of his haiku have been published: Breath Marks: Haiku to Read in the Dark (1999); Spilled Milk: Haiku Destinies (2010); and Stone’s Throw: Promises of Mere Words (2016). His work is a product of long practice and deep consideration. We hope you will enjoy this new sample.
Although our group was unable to enjoy our annual renku session in Onawa, Maine this year, we did manage to have an “Onawa West” writing session, part of which took place at Hilary’s home in Schuylerville, New York and part of which took place in Ogunquit, Maine. It wasn’t the same as being in Onawa but it was a strong second. One especially happy memory is a walk we all took on Ogunquit beach—with a pleasant breeze, incoming tide, surfers riding the waves and colorful kites soaring above us all.
Only Hilary is still working. As a consequence, she was unable to attend this year’s Haiku North America conference in Santa Fe. Our 2015 H.N.A. at Union College set a record for attendance and book sales. This year’s conference also set new records in these departments. Haiku is clearly growing!
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Sample Poems
taking place
between the stars
earth
Gary Hotham
somewhere between
a mower’s failure and a
dandelion’s triumph
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father’s day—
my father never knew me
as a father
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blossom viewing
she has found
my bald spot
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January thaw—
spring without leaves
of birdsong
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Upstate Dim Sum 