Book of the Week: 22 Ways to Nowhere

Well known around the world for his writings on Zen Buddhism, and especially for his collection of Zen stories, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, American Paul Reps is less well known as an early practitioner of illustrated, haiku-like short poems in English, written in an ecstatic, child-like manner that is virtually free of any poetic form or convention. Today’s Book of the Week, 22 Ways to Nowhere, published, like most of his work, in Japan, where Reps is well known, is typical of his work/play.

a thousand tears
an indescribable joy
wash my thousand faces

 

cucumber
unaccountably
cucumbering

 

the storm
cat purrs
and stretches

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

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