A Sense of Place: CITY SIDEWALK – taste
A Sense of Place
In his essay ‘So:ba’, given at the International Haiku Conference (SUNY Plattsburgh, NY, 2008) and published serially in Frogpond, Jim Kacian discusses the concept of ba:
“If you look up ba in any Japanese-English Dictionary you’ll find it means “place” or “site” or “occasion”. And these are all true in the most general sense—ba is a pointer to a kind of awareness that something of importance is happening in time and space.”
So here we are…
In the following weeks we will get back to haiku basics and explore specific locations with an emphasis on the senses, and with the intention of improving our own haiku practice. Ideally, participants will select an actual location that they can visit, or a location from memory that they have visited in the past. Failing that, we always have our imaginations – and you’re invited to join in the fun! Submit an original unpublished poem (or poems) via our Contact Form by Sunday midnight on the theme of the week, including your name as you would like it to appear, and place of residence. I will select from these for the column, and add commentary.
next week’s theme: CITY SIDEWALK – touch
Our final installment of ‘A Sense of Place’ is our final exploration of city sidewalks – if possible, the same sidewalk as in previous weeks – but now we explore the sense of touch… what does it feel like? The deadline for this theme is midnight Pacific Time, Sunday 23 December 2018.
I look forward to reading your submissions.
A Sense of Place: CITY SIDEWALK – taste
Many thanks to all of you who continue to contribute both submissions and comments here on the blog post during this busy holiday season!
The following poets each approach the topic a different way – from a taste of a city to a taste of the past… even a fly takes a bite!
skyscrapers
a taste of the city
from the walking tourBona M. Santos
Los Angeles, CA
high heels click
along the city sidewalk –
a taste of my pastCarole MacRury
Point Roberts, WA
a bitter childhood
sweetened with dimestore candy
sidewalk bullyMarilyn Ashbaugh
Edwardsburg, Michigan
christmas market
i nibble away
my alonenessRoberta Beary
County Mayo, Ireland
roadside café
a fly tastes the food
before meVandana Parashar
Here are the rest of my selections for this week:
late night walk
the kiss of a lover
takes me homeAdjei Agyei-Baah
Kumasi, Ghana
*eat my words*
an old TASTE song sounds
from a cross-town barAdrian Bouter
same pavement…
potato chips
with different tasteAgus Maulana Sunjaya
Tangerang, Indonesia
lamplit pools…
the nooks and crannies
of sequestered candyAlan Summers
Wiltshire, England
Xmas in New York
the taste of roasted chestnuts
in my noseAmy Losak
outdoor bar –
in the chocolate cake
taste of sunAngiola Inglese
walking…
the taste of solitude
in just a wordAnna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo
a taste of rain
on my daughter’s cheek –
sidewalk bencharvinder kaur
Chandigarh, India
a stroll on Fifth Avenue
catching snowflakes
on my tongueBarbara Tate
once the gum
has lost its mint
city gritC.R. Harper
slippery sidewalks –
warming myself
with starbucks teaCarmen Sterba
gardeners blow lawn waste
taste of mountain meadows
on city sidewalksCharles Harmon
Los Angeles, California, USA
midnight
the taste of infinite street
food samplingChristina Chin
Kuching, Sarawak
liquor store window
tongue and pocketbook
argueChristina Pecoraro
a lick for you
and a lick for me
ice cream with puppyChristina Sng
boulevard
munching Madeleines
the taste of ProustChristine Eales
UK
crowded crosswalk
the taste of fruitcake
lingersClaire Vogel Camargo
I walk
people smile
chocolate on my faceDavid Gale
Gloucester, UK
summer sidewalk
the lingering taste
of lemon iceDebbi Antebi
London, UK
busy restaurant
hungry customers
chef carries in cage of ratsErick Harmon (Age 10)
diner sign –
pie don’t you come inErin Castaldi
New York soft pretzel:
our daily bread, smoked dough wrapped
in silky bus fumes.Gail Hammill
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
my soft serve cone
racing against
the afternoon sunGreer Woodward
Waimea, HI
neon city
a child tastes
cotton candyGuliz Mutlu
beneath food stall
a stray cat chews
the leftover bonesHifsa Ashraf
sidewalk café
rounds of raki
warms the cockles of the heart(Ohrid has a Turkish quarter where old friends meet to talk politics and drink raki, an anise-flavored drink that packs a serious punch.)
Ingrid Baluchi
sweat beads
the taste of a busker’s
desperationIsabel Caves
Auckland, New Zealand
whirlwind
taste of flying sand
on my teethJackie Chou
Pico Rivera, CA, USA
in the bridal shop window
I can taste every tier
chocolate fountainJackie Maugh Robinson
Las Vegas, NV, USA
law clerk dash
papers served
at lunch hourjanice munro
Canada
sidewalk food carts
the taste
of dogwood fluffJim Krotzman
a waft of chili
burns my tongue
beer emergencyJoan Barrett
Whitesboro, NY
back alley
a stray dog
feeds her litterJoanne van Helvoort
discarded kebab
the homeless man splits it
with his dogJohn McManus
bargain bonus –
the hot dog vendor’s onion sauce
lasting all dayJudt Shrode
Coming back home –
still the taste of the strawberry ice cream
In my mouthJulia Guzmán
creamsicles fresh
from the ice cream truck
NY childhoodKath Abela Wilson
Pasadena, California
coastal seaport
all the delicious smells
taste of rainKelly Sauvage Angel
Chilly sidewalk
Our goodbye leaves
A bitter tasteKimberly Spring
Lakewood, Ohio
storm preparation
a taste of winter
in the grains of rock saltLaurie Greer
Washington, DC
catching snowflakes
on my tongue
the taste of winterLori Zajkowski
New York, NY
Venetian side street
tasting the sunlight
in a glass of wineLucy Whitehead
Essex, UK
street vendor
the childhood delicacy
I still savourMadhuri Pillai
chili cheese dog
I wear
more than I eatMargaret Walker
city life
getting to taste
a new haikuMargo Williams
Stayton, Oregon
sour taste –
on the edge of sidewalk
orange plantsMaria Teresa Sisti
Piazza Navona
espresso and bickering
equally bitterMarietta McGregor
slush-filled city streets
taste winter’s palate of snow –
let the sun shine inMark
Albany, NY
cops grab
confused man
one arm each
so sweet these churros(A churro is a fried pastry which originated in Spain or Portugal, often sold as street food.)
Mark Gilbert
UK
Seattle sidewalk –
the faint tang of salt
and iodineMark Meyer
Mercer Island, WA USA
cupped hands –
the cool taste
of a sidewalk fountainMartha Magenta
England, UK
Saks’ and Bergdorf’s
5th Ave windows gleam –
Big Apple’s Holiday tasteMaryEllen Gambutti
Sarasota, FL
the half moon
a white fruit in the sky
tastes like pear and appleMegumi Shibuya
Japan
Winter walk –
strong coffee
my friendmichael ceraolo
South Euclid, Ohio
big city sidewalk
the taste of being alone
in the crowdMichael Henry Lee
sidewalk vendor –
the taste of figgy pudding
in a plastic cupMichael H. Lester
Los Angeles CA USA
upscale shop window
all about this season’s
sleeker silhouette(for a different take on ‘taste’)
Michele L. Harvey
street urchin
the taste of chocolate
forgoneMike Gallagher
Kerry, Ireland
Christmas Market –
taking each other
chocolate wafflesMonica Federico
red kettle donations…
sidewalk Santa sucks
on a candy caneNancy Brady
Huron, Ohio
shorter sidewalk…
less tasty hotdog…
back to childhoodNatalia Kuznetsova
Russia
breakfast
the taste my hometown
in a cup of teaNeni Rusliana
Indonesia
busy day
just enough time to stop
at the hot dog cartOlivier Schopfer
Geneva, Switzerland
side alley
someone’s child
and a loaf of breadPat Davis
Pembroke, NH USA
morning after
memory of goon
in his mouth(goon – cheap wine)
Pauline O’Carolan
hot tears a whole scoop pools on the pavement
Philip Whitley
SC, USA
last bus
grilled pretzels with mustard
and I forgetPris Campbell
savouring a break
from Christmas shopping
sidewalk cafeRachel Sutcliffe
five year olds
sipping in the same straw
coconut waterRadhamani sarma
the streets of Istanbul
I hunt in the dictionary
for a synonym of clichéRadostina Dragostinova
ice cream
plops onto the walk
one dip leftRandy Brooks
scavenging urchins –
their eyes full of taste
of cold leftoversRashmi Vesa
baci sul marciapiede:
si scioglie in bocca la cioccolatakisses on the sidewalk:
the chocolate melts in your mouthRavaglia Giuliana
tearing off pieces
of sourdough bread
walking near the bayRehn Kovacic
chimney cake –
the way she sticks out
her tongueRéka Nyitrai
berkeley farmers’ market –
bittersweet nibbles
from a summer strollrobyn brooks
usa
dry Manhattan
three briny olives taste
night’s Old Portron scully
dodging traffic
that cappuccino
I’d die forRonald K. Craig
Batavia, OH USA
street food –
a glass of beer in one hand
a meatball in the otherRosa Maria Di Salvatore
city sidewalk
a little taste
of freedomRuth Powell
bending down to tie my shoe
I taste the exhaust fumes
from the food truckSari Grandstaff
Saugerties, NY, USA
native street
the taste of ice cream
is the same as in childhoodSerhiy Shpychenko
Kyiv, UA
the sidewalk whitens
in a bronze leaf
I wrap my gumsimonj
UK
young couple
under the umbrella –
the taste of kissSlobodan Pupovac
Zagreb, Croatia
city scape
past the sidewalk window
the taste of something moreStephen A. Peters
even the crow
celebrates Christmas
sidewalk cookie crumbsSusan Rogers
Los Angeles, CA, USA
lick sticky fingers
late to work again
breakfast on the runTrilla Pando
sunny day…
white puppy tastes
white snowTsanka Shishkova
caroling
house-to-house…
sugar cookiesValentina Ranaldi-Adams
Fairlawn, Ohio
sidewalk hawker
a fly keen to taste candyfloss
kid’s sugary lipsVishnu Kapoor
sea gulls
the salty avenue
lined with beer mugsWilfredo Bongcaron
Katherine Munro lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and publishes under the name kjmunro. She is Membership Secretary for Haiku Canada and an Associate Member of the League of Canadian Poets. She recently co-edited an anthology of crime-themed haiku called Body of Evidence: a collection of killer ’ku.
This Post Has 46 Comments
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Happy Holidays Everyone!
& sincere thanks for your participation…
Thank you Kathy
I particularly liked reading and going back again to read these verses-
native street
the taste of ice cream
is the same as in childhood
Serhiy Shpychenko
street vendor
the childhood delicacy
I still savour
Madhuri Pillai
Both of them evoke a strong nostalgia for childhood joys,reposed by their unwavering tastes and timelessness of those little indulgences when revisited many years later.
thanks so much for sharing these comments, Rashmi!
An amazing amount of tastes here. A great selection, Kathy. Well done to all poets. I enjoyed reading them all.
.
lamp-lit pools…
the nooks and crannies
of sequestered candy
Alan Summers
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When I first read this my initial thoughts were of the nice things, when children, the surprises put by for a special event. But with more thought, and I maybe going in the wrong direction here, ‘lamp-lit pools’ gives me a vision of distant memories of a childhood, and ‘sequestered candy’ a sweetness taken away. This is so deep, and for me needs a lot more thought.
An intense read.
.
walking…
the taste of solitude
in just one word
Anna Maria Domburg- Sancristoforo
.
There are times when being alone can be sweet, then there’s other times…
.
a lick for you
and a lick for me
ice cream with puppy
Christina Sng
.
Love this, reminds me of a holiday I took on the Pembroke coast with my dogs. A chocolate ice cream treat while sitting above the harbour wall 🙂
.
I walk
people smile
chocolate on my face
Davis gale
.
This made me smile. One of those embarrassing moments when we know nothing 🙂 so funny.
A bit like when a lady has the back of her skirt, accidently, tucked into her underwear.
.
beneath food stall
a stray cat chews
the leftover bones
Hifsa Ashraf
.
So many images of unwanted pets left to go feral. What I ask myself, here, is ‘stray cat’ the only living thing that chews on the left overs of the more affluent members of society.
.
back alley
a stray dog
feeds her litter
Joanne van Helvoort
.
Again the same could be seen as the above.
‘a pet isn’t just a gift, it’s a commitment’
.
discarded kebab
the homeless man splits it
with his dog
John Mc Manus
.
This verse brought back a memory I witnessed when waiting for the coach back to Wales from Victoria station, London. A very, vey thin man started to rummage through a bin near a food outlet. He found some discarded chips and a half eaten roll of some-sort, and unravelled the paper and started to eat it. I’ve seen people on the street in the local towns asking for a few shillings, and sharing food with their dogs, but rummaging through bins for food shocked me, its an image I will never forget.
.
chilli cheese dog
I wear more
than I eat
Margaret Walker
.
Well, I can see this in two ways, either the sauce has dripped down the front of your clothes or a the saying goes ‘another mouthful, another pound’ (on the hips of course)
A nice bit of humour 🙂
.
You’re doing a marvellous job, Kathy. Have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year.
The same to all you poets 🙂
Carol said:
.
.
lamp-lit pools…
the nooks and crannies
of sequestered candy
.
Alan Summers
.
When I first read this my initial thoughts were of the nice things, when children, the surprises put by for a special event. But with more thought, and I maybe going in the wrong direction here, ‘lamp-lit pools’ gives me a vision of distant memories of a childhood, and ‘sequestered candy’ a sweetness taken away. This is so deep, and for me needs a lot more thought.
An intense read.
.
.
Wow! 🙂
.
When I wrote this, I didn’t see what you saw, but I think you are right, I was subconsciously doing this.
.
I do worry sometimes that some of my haiku are ‘intense’ and not easy-reading. 🙂
Thank you Alan 🙂
thanks for this, Carol – so many great ideas here…
City Sidewalk
I’ve noted that for me, the City Sidewalk series has often focused on the plight of the homeless. I’m not sure why that is such a strong association, but some of my own responses to these prompts have gone in that direction, and some of the ones I’ve found most impactful from others as well.
John McManus – discarded kebab/ the homeless man splits it / with his dog
is a perfect example.
Also, as someone who hasn’t lived much of life in the city, I feel the isolation inherent in those crowds, as Michael Henry Lee so well captures
big city sidewalk / the taste of being alone / in the crowd
And I love the glimpses others give me of different moments or perspectives, especially the humorous ones…
Nancy Brady – red kettle donations… / sidewalk Santa sucks / on a candy cane
Dear m. shane pruett,
I feel that because homeless people are increasing in great numbers, and getting younger and younger, and our governments allow them to die, and crowd the streets, it’s the main feature of most shop lined streets alas.
.
John McManus’s haiku highlights the generosity of many homeless people. Some have helped me, or my wife (who had severe M.E. and couldn’t make it to a taxi one day).
.
For the second time this year shamefully British politicians stepped over a dying homeless person by one of the busiest doors at Parliament, in London.
.
I’ve lost many homeless friends to the cold, to sepsis (police dog bites or cuts) and some people are kicking, urinating, or cutting up the homeless.
.
It’s really all we can see, and our governments bicker over insignificant slights and points of view.
.
.
curling up at dusk
the park bench sleeper
turns over a new page
.
Alan Summers
1st Prize, Fellowship of Australian Writers, Queensland, International Haiku Contest (1996)
.
.
sunlit sweat
the young vagrant
sucks a thumb
.
Alan Summers
Does Fish-God Know (YTBN Press 2012)
The Haiku Foundation’s Per Diem: Daily Haiku December 2012 (31 poems): Children
.
I feel the milk of human kindness is evaporating in some quarters. Karen and myself helped a young woman who escaped domestic abuse, and in shock, due to prescribed meds, she didn’t have the money for tampons. My wife went with her to a shop, and bought her various things, and money for food, and she went into shelter and is now rehoused. For that lady, thousands have society turn their back on them, and institutions are going back to Dickensian times. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Your words, and the things we see on the TV make me wonder what is happening in our world. During an appeal advert, which there are so many these days not only for humans but animals, too. At the end of one there was a little child, no more than three years old, sitting hunched in a cardboard box in the middle of a busy street, and no one took any notice, not here in the UK, but non the less, what ever is happening to human compassion around the world.
Thanks Carol.
.
At one time, in my youth, we mostly saw the occasional tramp, someone who was eccentric, sometimes an ex-professor even. We now have people born as citizens who are either economic or abused refugees in their own country: Causes created by successive venal politicians and super-businesses as well as violent spouses. From a rare appearance on the British street, we now have children and adults regularly homeless and the main visual image we register rather than shops and banter in those shops.
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Decent manners, integrity, compassion are seen as weaknesses and wrong in general. Such a shame. I’ll personally continue to be weak, and forcefully remind myself to be someone with at least some empathy.
A depressing read, but true. what a mess the world is in. If only a brake could be put on to allow everything and everyone to slow down and take a good look at the mess we humans have made…maybe one day women will be in the ‘power’ seats around the world, you never know there just could be a lot more compassion, who knows, such a massive issue.
Thanks for that thought provoking reply.
.
Love that last paragraph.
a wonderful exchange of ideas here – thanks to you all… haiku poets can address the things that are ‘under our noses’, naturally, & the discussion that can be evoked by this is significant…
a paw up then down
another paw up then down
below zero
Jim – if this is a submission to be considered for the column, please re-submit using the Contact Form at the top of this page! thanks, kj
Stephen’s: city scape / past the sidewalk window / the taste of something more, intrigues me. I want to read it over and over. I imagine a low level employee of some kind, hurrying on an errand, catching a glimpse of some luxury displayed in a window, and dreaming. A well-crafted hint of meaning.
wonderful – thanks for your comments, Craig!
Thank you Kathy for including one of my haiku this week. And for all you do each week putting this together. Very informative and enjoyable. It is refreshing to see all the different interpretations.
thanks so much for this Sari – it is a pleasure!
Thank you for all your commendable work in putting together this very inspiring series every week, Kathy! For someone new to the genre, it has been a great learning experience for me. Thanks for including my poems and for the times you’ve chosen some of mine for commentary, as well.
I particularly like Michael Henry Lee’s
big city sidewalk
the taste of being alone
in the crowd
Being alone in a city sidewalk crowd, I savor the taste of freedom, adventure and sometimes, the pleasure of my own company!
My hats off to all poets in the series!
thanks so much for sharing this Bona – I appreciate your kind words!
Thanks, Kathy and poets, for this week’s carefully crafted haiku. Ingrid Baluchi starts her perceptive commentary “Not everyone…concentrated on ‘taste’ as in how things are savoured on the tongue…” Among those, I particularly enjoyed
.
Marilyn Ashbaugh’s “a bitter childhood / sweetened…”
.
Roberta Beary’s “i nibble away / my aloneness”
.
Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo’s “taste of solitude”
.
Charles Harmon’s “taste of mountain meadows”
.
Christine Eales’ “ the taste of Proust”
.
Isabel Caves’ “the taste of a busker’s/ desperation”
.
Laurie Greer’s “a taste of winter/ in the grains of rock salt”
.
Lucy Whitehead’s “tasting the sunlight / in a glass of wine”
.
Margo Williams’ “getting to taste/ a new haiku”
.
Marietta McGregor’s “espresso and bickering/equally bitter”
.
Magumi Shibuya’s “the half moon / a white fruit in the sky”
.
Michael Lee’s “the taste of being alone/ in the crowd”
.
Philip Whitley’s “hot tears a whole scoop pools on the pavement”
.
Rashmi Vesa’s “scavenging urchins –/ their eyes full of taste”
.
Stephen A. Peters’ “the taste of something more”
thanks for sharing this Christina!
Thanks for including mine, Kathy!
Reading these, I just got an appetite for new perspectives.
wonderful!
Ah… another Wednesday, which has become my favorite day of the week. Congratulations to all the poets selected. What a great learning experience this has become. Thank you, Kathy!
thanks for this Gary!
Kathy, thank-you for including mine. Congrats to all !!
thanks for submitting, Valentina!
Thanks, Kathy, for including my poem. Every one was fun to read, but I would like to highlight two that skillfully used the element of surprise in Line 3:
sidewalk vendor
the taste of figgy pudding
in a plastic cup (Michael H. Lester)
sidewalk food carts
the taste
of dogwood fluff (Jim Krotzman)
Thanks to all the poets!
thanks for sharing, Pat!
Not everyone this week concentrated on ‘taste’ as in how things are savoured on the tongue — the gustatory perception (ghastly-sounding phrase). I enjoyed especially those that took a different angle: taste as in one’s own judgement, a sort of philosophy of perception. I admire Roberta Beary’s ‘aloneless’ (rather than loneliness), even though it covers both senses of taste. Similarly, Michael Henry Lee’s ‘the taste of being alone in a crowd’. Then there’s Ruth’s ‘a little taste of freedom’ , which could speak volumes, and Michele’s fashion observation, ‘sleeker silhouette’. There were several others in this mix.
.
kj’s forum has taught me several things as a relative newcomer/late starter to the short poem genre, and one of them, through so many examples from all you experts, is how to look at subjects from a lateral point of view. Dig deep, find something new! The choice seems endless.
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Thank you Kathy for including my contribution, even though when I re-read what I had submitted, it is grammatically incorrect …oops!
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And so on to ‘feeling’! Sixth sense, maybe?!
Ingrid–
You’ve highlighted several things I also have found from all these sensory excursions. After thinking I’ve considered the topic from every way possible, I’m always surprised and amazed and delighted by all the angles that never occurred to me. A truly rich form–as is this forum.
As for your fine haiku–
sidewalk café
rounds of raki
warms the cockles of the heart
No worries about the grammar–a stickler could take it as the raki talking, or the “warms” could refer not to the rounds but to the whole experience itself.
best,
Laurie Greer
Thank you, Laurie, for your kind comments, and Christina too.
thanks for sharing this, Ingrid, & for your kind words!
Dear Kathy,
The essence of all mix – put in the jar of this blog, we all taste and drink. Thanks to your meticulous efforts, dear Kathy. Happy to see mine .After all said and done, ” being alone in the crowd” is something with a different relish. I agree with Michael Henry Lee.
big city sidewalk
the taste of being alone
in the crowd
Michael Henry Lee
thanks for this!
I’m so glad to see Pris Campbell’s
.
last bus
grilled pretzels with mustard
and I forget
.
I love this! To me this is a rare example of a postmodern haiku which tests some boundaries but also works excellently as a haiku. Perhaps Radostina Dragostinova’s
.
the streets of Istanbul
I hunt in the dictionary
for a synonym of cliché
.
is also a postmodern haiku.
wonderful!
Thanks for including mine in this excellent selection.
thanks, as always, for submitting Mark!
What a tasty collection this week, from the sweet to the salty to the bitter, and everything in between, KJ. Great job. Thanks for including one of mine, too. Now to taste a few more haiku.
thanks Nancy!
I very much enjoy this Weekly Wednesday Haiku Smorgasbord. I find it interesting to read the selected haiku which focus on one specific image and setting as well as those whose images are more abstract. For me, the former is a borrowed painting I can view again and again, as in Carmen Sterba’s:
slippery sidewalks –
warming myself
with starbucks tea
while the latter is a page torn from a novel, one that is subject to myriad interpretations with each reading, as in Ruth Powell’s:
city sidewalk
a little taste
of freedom
What insightful ways to relish haiku: as “a borrowed painting” to be returned to or “a page torn from a novel,” with multiple interpretations. For me, giving words to experience like that, widens and deepens it. Thanks, Roberta.
thanks for this, Roberta, & Christina – I too am amazed by the variety & quality of responses to these themes over the weeks…