A
MBROSIA
Journal of Fine Haiku
Issue 1 Autumn 2008
ISSN 1943-829X [Print] ISSN 1945-8797 [Digital]
Edited by
Denis M. Garrison
MODERN ENGLISH TANKA PRESS
Post Office Box 43717
Baltimore, Maryland 21236 USA
www.modernenglishtankapress.com www.themetpress.com
publisher@modernenglishtankapress.com
Ambrosia: Journal of Fine Haiku
Issue 1 - Autumn 2008
Copyright © 2008 by Modern English Tanka Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
mechanical means including information storage and
retrieval systems without permission in writing from
the publisher, except by reviewers and scholars who
may quote up to six poems.
Front cover photograph Copyright © 2008
by Denis M. Garrison.
Ambrosia: Journal of Fine Haiku
, a quarterly print and
digital journal, is dedicated to publishing and
promoting the finest of traditional haiku in English.
Send all submissions and editorial correspondence
to: dmg@themetpress.com
Ambrosia: Journal of Fine Haiku
Issue 1 - Autumn 2008
Published by
MODERN ENGLISH TANKA PRESS
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 2008.
Print Edition ISSN 1943-829X
Digital Edition ISSN 1945-8797 [
PDF
&
HTML
versions]
www.ambrosiahaiku.com
E
ditor’s
N
ote
.
In this premiere issue of
Ambrosia:
Journal of Fine Haiku
, we are pleased to present top
drawer haiku from twenty-eight leading poets from
around the world. All these poets, while writing in
English, respect the formal values of traditional
Japanese haiku.
Ambrosia
holds that a haiku in English,
to be fine, must have the traditional shape and duration
of haiku, its metre and music, and exhibit some aspects
of traditional Japanese poetic aesthetics. We prefer
haiku written in a natural, modern, English idiom with
great care for the sound of the verse when spoken.
Ambrosia
does not require the use of kigo, per se, but
we strongly prefer haiku that utilize the tradition of a
context-setting word, like a kigo, which conveys much
information in a tiny space.
Ambrosia
considers the
traditional poetic aesthetics of Japan as necessary, not
in order to pay homage to the tradition, but because
without their understanding and skillful use, writing
haiku worth reading is difficult, if not impossible.
Lastly,
Ambrosia
is looking for powerful haiku. Whether
they are achingly beautiful, painfully poignant, joyfully
lightsome, startling epiphanies, wry, humbling, or
awesome, haiku should touch the reader powerfully.
Our most damning critique is “So what?”
—Denis M. Garrison, editor
long grasses sway
over these prairie graves
a pallid sky
Denis M. Garrison
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
evening rush hour
the moon
just another headlight
Raffael de Gruttola
Natick, Massachusetts, USA
1
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
days of dry wind . . .
pausing under the mulberry
for its sound of rain
Michael McClintock
Fresno, California, USA
2
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
frayed sunlight
between the pilings—
summer’s end
Laryalee Fraser
Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada
3
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
election day
a caddis fly drags
its house of shells
Kirsty Karkow
Waldoboro, Maine, USA
4
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
into the dusk
a crow chasing
its cry
Jo McInerney
Australia
5
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
the dark-eyed mother . . .
thunder and today, also,
a makeshift supper
Jeffrey Woodward
Detroit, Michigan, USA
6
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
desert noon—
a silver lake shimmers
across the road
Francis Masat
Key West, Florida, USA
7
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
island holiday
the plop of tennis balls
on the breeze
Dawn Bruce
St. Leonards, NSW, Australia
8
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
on grass she shone
under the vast sky—
bare and alone
Aju Mukhopadhyay
Pondicherry, Pudhucherry, India
9
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
tea with lemon—
slipping under the door
a cold draft
Adelaide B. Shaw
Millbrook, New York, USA
10
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
noon silence—
the windmill is
resting too
Vasile Moldovan
Bucharest City, Romania
11
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
autumn fog
rising above the tall pine
blood-orange sun
Paul Smith
Worcester, United Kingdom
12
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
the egret
waiting for a reason
to touch its twin
Natalia L. Rudychev
Des Plaines, Illinois, USA
13
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
never again
the colors
of this maple leaf
Michele L. Harvey
Brooklyn, New York, USA
14
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
Bitter cold—
the mother’s mild face
by the icon lamp
Magdalena Dale
Bucharest, Romania
15
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
pond reflection—
the curve of the egret’s neck
ripples
Hortensia Anderson
New York, New York, USA
16
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
morning
looking for a cigarette
raindrops
Deborah Finkelstein
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
17
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
summer morning
the little league outfield
chasing butterflies
Bob Lucky
Hangzhou, China
18
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
a shiver
in the fallen leaves
passing cloud
Bill Kenney
Queens, New York, USA
19
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
This river-pearl pendant—
dimpled like tonight’s
August moon.
Alexis Rotella
Arnold, Maryland, USA
20
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
morning
a young buck parting
common reed
Tish Davis
Dublin, Ohio, USA
21
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
autumn dusk
a cruise ship twinkles
before the stars
Susan Constable
Nanoose Bay, British Columbia, Canada
22
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
stepping outside
for the first time in three days—
night air
Shawn Bowman
Cleveland, Ohio USA
23
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
the great horned owl
stops hooting:
a murder of crows
Raffael de Gruttola
Natick, Massachusetts, USA
24
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
geese at twilight . . .
adding fireflies to the list
of summer memories
Michael McClintock
Fresno, California, USA
25
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
snow on the deck,
the old wooden sailboat waits
by the empty pier
M. Kei
Perryville, Maryland, USA
26
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
longest day—
dust galaxies slide
through the shutters
Lorin Ford
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
27
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
a rainbow
over autumn maples . . .
the laundry forgotten
Laryalee Fraser
Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada
28
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
my daughter’s shadow
dances in the trees, their leaves
singing to the stars
Kiwanda Paul
Eastampton, New Jersey, USA
29
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
so quickly!
the shadow of a cloud
overtakes my own
Kirsty Karkow
Waldoboro, Maine, USA
30
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
country churchyard
under morning glories
sunken earth
Jo McInerney
Australia
31
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
looking through
the winter grove
to a meadow beyond
Jeffrey Woodward
Detroit, Michigan, USA
32
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
grey puddle
ticking steadily
a wing-torn moth
Gina
Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
33
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
night swamp
the boom of an alligator
felt more than heard
Francis Masat
Key West, Florida, USA
34
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
biting wind—
the altar’s votives
faulter
Dennis M. Holmes (chibi)
Silver Creek, Georgia, USA
35
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
two stray cats
huddle together . . .
plum-blue sky
Dawn Bruce
St. Leonards, NSW, Australia
36
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
an eerie afternoon;
suddenly flows the cool breeze—
fragrant through garden
Aju Mukhopadhyay
Pondicherry, Pudhucherry, India
37
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
a fallen pear—
the unblemished side
facing up
Adelaide B. Shaw
Millbrook, New York, USA
38
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
the cat
crowds the doorstep
winter sunshine
Gina
Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
39
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
living in the coat
even as it unravels—
the depth of winter
Jeffrey Woodward
Detroit, Michigan, USA
40
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
sand and salt
in my hair . . .
sea dreaming
Jo McInerney
Australia
41
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
au plein air
a little of the blue lake
wets my lip
Kirsty Karkow
Waldoboro, Maine, USA
42
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
a child’s soft hymn drifts
east towards mecca, africa
rising from her throat
Kiwanda Paul
Eastampton, New Jersey, USA
43
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
lightning storm—
biting into the blackness
of licorice
Laryalee Fraser
Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada
44
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
a tortoiseshell cat
in the last of the sunlight
autumn leaves
Lorin Ford
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
45
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
unexpected catch,
a great blue crab scuttles
across the deck
M. Kei
Perryville, Maryland, USA
46
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
a pair of women,
one tilting her head . . .
the spring buds
Michael McClintock
Fresno, California, USA
47
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
last leaf—
a red-winged blackbird
sways in the wind
Raffael de Gruttola
Natick, Massachusetts, USA
48
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
In the creek bed
tadpoles swimming
after we’ve gone
Shawn Bowman
Cleveland, Ohio USA
49
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
end of summer
the sound of her paddle
dripping
Susan Constable
Nanoose Bay, British Columbia, Canada
50
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
shooting star
coyote running along
fence posts
Tish Davis
Dublin, Ohio, USA
51
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
Rain puddle—
with his paw a cat moves
the clouds along.
Alexis Rotella
Arnold, Maryland, USA
52
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
my son changes
his daughter’s diaper
autumn evening
Bill Kenney
Queens, New York, USA
53
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
in the dark
the sound of the surf
crashing
Bob Lucky
Hangzhou, China
54
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
gust of wind—
the full moon shudders
in a pail of water
Hortensia Anderson
New York, New York, USA
55
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
Fierce blizzard
frozen flowers on the glass . . .
your hot breath
Magdalena Dale
Bucharest, Romania
56
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
broom straws
bent by habit
migrating geese
Michele L. Harvey
Brooklyn, New York, USA
57
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
warming up
the light of fire
through a hand
Natalia L. Rudychev
Des Plaines, Illinois, USA
58
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
at times
along this mountain path
not even a breeze
Paul Smith
Worcester, United Kingdom
59
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
all the fireflies
die out suddenly . . .
New Year’s fireworks
Vasile Moldovan
Bucharest City, Romania
60
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
November rain
falling softly on sodden leaves
slow footsteps
Adelaide B. Shaw
Millbrook, New York, USA
61
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
summer dawn
lemon scented gum trees
lean into the light
Dawn Bruce
St. Leonards, NSW, Australia
62
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
the first page
of my pocket journal—
snow day
Dennis M. Holmes (chibi)
Silver Creek, Georgia, USA
63
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
water hole—
something in the shadows
waits for me to leave
Francis Masat
Key West, Florida, USA
64
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
apricots
rotting under the tree
a step ladder
Gina
Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
65
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
two chairs
with a table in common—
a winter evening
Jeffrey Woodward
Detroit, Michigan, USA
66
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
slipstream
a little black cormorant
snatches a bream
Jo McInerney
Australia
67
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
half-mown field . . .
the tree’s first apple
warm in his hand
Kirsty Karkow
Waldoboro, Maine, USA
68
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
dragonfly—
skirting the edge
of a heron’s stillness
Laryalee Fraser
Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada
69
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
cold mountain
a thin cloud
over her shoulder
Lorin Ford
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
70
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
in the twilight
a nighthawk calls—
a star appears
Francis Masat
Key West, Florida, USA
71
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
the cat returns
with a mouth full of moth
fading moon
Jo McInerney
Australia
72
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
cornflowers—
between the clouds
a handful of sky
Laryalee Fraser
Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada
73
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
hungry,
but the cat is sleeping
in his lap
M. Kei
Perryville, Maryland, USA
74
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
high summer . . .
sands from Mongolia
dust the vineyard
Michael McClintock
Fresno, California, USA
75
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
bumper to bumper
the monarch changes lanes
uncontested
Raffael de Gruttola
Natick, Massachusetts, USA
76
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
cool evening
chardonnay with a hint
of rain
Shawn Bowman
Cleveland, Ohio USA
77
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
last day of summer
a boy’s fishing line
catches the sun
Susan Constable
Nanoose Bay, British Columbia, Canada
78
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
morning bells
cicada skins clinging
to the bark
Tish Davis
Dublin, Ohio, USA
79
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
a rush of starlings
over the highway . . .
the things I don’t know
Bill Kenney
Queens, New York, USA
80
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
small pond—
even after a big splash
the ripples fade
Francis Masat
Key West, Florida, USA
81
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
wattle dust
summer’s afterglow
on my fingers
Jo McInerney
Australia
82
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
drowsy morning . . .
the bird that belongs
to the song
Laryalee Fraser
Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada
83
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
a window opens
somewhere in the house
an evening thrush
Michael McClintock
Fresno, California, USA
84
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
sidewalk chalk
children drawing circles
around mayflies
Tish Davis
Dublin, Ohio, USA
85
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
no letter from you . . .
watching a mockingbird
chase a butterfly
Raffael de Gruttola
Natick, Massachusetts, USA
86
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
bumper crop
the gaping mouths
of Mason jars
Susan Constable
Nanoose Bay, British Columbia, Canada
87
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
from a branch
a clump of snow falls—
sharp-shinned hawk
Raffael de Gruttola
Natick, Massachusetts, USA
88
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
museum garden
the butterfly pauses
before a flower
Bill Kenney
Queens, New York, USA
89
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
summer evening
the moon’s reflection lost
in glowing plankton
Bob Lucky
Hangzhou, China
90
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
fallen apple
a swarm of yellow-jackets
deep in the bruise
Susan Constable
Nanoose Bay, British Columbia, Canada
91
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
winter tree
the children learn
subtraction
Bill Kenney
Queens, New York, USA
92
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
jade hairpin—
another shade of green
in the grass
Hortensia Anderson
New York, New York, USA
93
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
wood smoke
the curl of cats
around each other
Michele L. Harvey
Brooklyn, New York, USA
94
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
a moth enters
the silence between us
leaves
Natalia L. Rudychev
Des Plaines, Illinois, USA
95
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
winter day—
all the rose thorns
wear white caps
Vasile Moldovan
Bucharest City, Romania
96
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
the farmhouse
no longer hidden—
winter trees
Hortensia Anderson
New York, New York, USA
97
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
cold snap
his morning hug
a little longer
Michele L. Harvey
Brooklyn, New York, USA
98
Issue 1, Autumn 2008
cutting
our walk short—
blackberries
Susan Constable
Nanoose Bay, British Columbia, Canada
99
AMBROSIA: Journal of Fine Haiku
the fog settles—
a black fin disappears
in silence
Francis Masat
Key West, Florida, USA
100
Index
Anderson, Hortensia, 16, 55, 93, 97.
Bowman, Shawn, 23, 49, 77.
Bruce, Dawn, 8, 36, 62.
Constable, Susan, 22, 50, 78, 87, 91, 99.
Dale, Magdalena, 15, 56.
Davis, Tish, 21, 51, 79,85.
de Gruttola, Raffael, 1, 24, 48, 76, 86, 88.
Finkelstein, Deborah, 17.
Ford, Lorin, 27, 45, 70.
Fraser, Laryalee, 3, 28, 44, 69, 73, 83.
Gina, 33, 39, 65.
Harvey, Michele L., 14, 57, 94, 98.
Holmes, Dennis M. (chibi), 35, 63.
Karkow, Kirsty, 4, 30, 42, 68.
Kei, M., 26, 46, 74,
Kenney, Bill, 19, 53, 80, 89, 92.
Lucky, Bob, 18, 54, 90.
Masat, Francis, 7, 34, 64, 71, 81, 100.
McClintock, Michael, 2, 25, 47, 75, 84.
McInerney, Jo, 5, 31, 41, 67, 72, 82.
Moldovan, Vasile, 11, 60, 96.
Mukhopadhyay, Aju, 9, 37.
Paul, Kiwanda, 29, 43.
Rotella, Alexis, 20, 52.
Rudychev, Natalia L., 13, 58, 95.
Shaw, Adelaide B., 10, 38, 61.
Smith, Paul, 12, 59.
Woodward, Jeffrey, 6, 32, 40, 66.
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Ambrosia
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Coming in January 2009!
