by David Bullard
Guest Poet: Emiko Miyashita
Emiko Miyashita was born in Japan and also lived in the United States and Ghana while she was a child. At Doshisha University in Kyoto she encountered haiku in English and has since become an important promoter of the genre, a renowned translator, and a leading member (dojin) of both the Ten’’i (Providence) and Shin (Morning Sun) haiku groups, led by Dr. Akito Arima and Dr. Akira Omine, respectively. Her recent work to promote haiku in India and her frequent attendance at international haiku conferences has made her an immediately recognized and much loved poet in many parts of the world. She is one of those builders of bridges between cultures whose positivity gives us hope for the future. We are honored to present a series of her poems in this springtime issue.
On March 21 Yu and I enjoyed an “All Tann” concert in Rochester, New York, sponsored by the Eastman School of Music, where Hilary spent a week as composer-in-residence. The program featured compositions spanning three decades and included the premier performance of “Exultet Terra” for antiphonal choirs and double-reed quintet (to texts by George Herbert). Tom served as a guest editor for the spring issue of haijinx (v.IV issue no. 1) and learned of the challenges and pleasure of being part of an editorial team.
As we go to press with this issue our friends in Japan are still dealing with the consequences of the earthquake, tsunami, and reactor failures of March. Our loving thoughts and prayers are with them always.
js
as the earth quakes
she places the fallen cans
back on the shelf
tc
Sample Poems
lilies—I open my fingers to the pale blue sky
Emiko Miyashita
used book store
the creaking stairway
to poetry
js
towpath
walking where those
have walked before
ht
one generation
pushing another
in a swing
tc
matted grass
yesterday’s laughter
at the picnic
yc
Upstate Dim Sum 