Two Wings The Butterfly

Gerald Vizenor is an American writer of mixed Swedish and Anishinaabe heritage, author of fiction and poetry, including haiku, which he encountered in Japan as a serviceman after WWII. His haiku are marked by a quiet absorption in commonplace events that stand out because of Vizenor’s talent for capturing the accurate natural detail. His collection of seasonal haiku, Two Wings The Butterfly, from 1962, is our Book of the Week.

The quick winds
With the red-winged blackbirds:
Bending the reeds.

Early morning sounds
A woodpecker:
On a hollow tree.

Large umbrellas
Following the little streams:
Floating paper-boats.

You can read the entire book in the THF Digital Library.

Do you have a chapbook published 2010 or earlier you would like featured as a Book of the Week? Contact us for details.

Haiku featured in the Book of the Week Archive are selected by THF Digital Librarian Garry Eaton, and are used with permission.