Book of the Week: A Train Hurtles West: A Collection of Haiku by Irish Poet Maeve O’Sullivan.
Maeve is a founding member of the Hibernian Poetry Workshop and Haiku Ireland and there is an interesting article on her haiku journey in Writer’s Block with Maeve O’Sullivan.
Roberta Beary writes that A Train Hurtles West is a “bittersweet work by a master writer and teacher of haiku. A Train Hurtles West touches the soul and offers respite from the hectic pace of the daily grind. Take time to savor each poem.” Additional books in the Digital Library by Maeve include: Double Rainbow and Initial Response.
November sunshine
the dying man
asks me how I’m doing
this corn cooking
in the time it takes
to sing a song
we crocodile our way
from landscaped gardens
to the almost-silent river
this slug
hugging a strawberry—
should I let him be?
You can read the entire book in the THF Digital Library and please share your favorite poem from the book with us.
Do you have a chapbook published in 2015 or earlier that 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 Dan Campbell and are used with permission.
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Mauve:
These haiku are lovely! Liked the we crocodile are way …
A truly enjoyable diverse collection !
Thanks very much for the feedback, Michael. I’ve published two more collections with Alba Publishing since then: ‘Elsewhere’ in 2017 and ‘Wasp on the Prayer Flag’ in 2021. Info on both of those is on my website, http://www.maeveosullivan.com
And I’m delighted to have a signed copy of both these fine collections!
I’m a big fan of Maeve’s work. 🙂
marion
I love so many in this collection, Maeve and each time I read it I find a new favourite. Today it’s this monoku…
spring evening light through an angelhair fern
marion
My favorites were the reminisces of her parents and “Granny.” Really heartfelt and sincere.
Thanks very much for the feedback, Tad. The collection is dedicated to my Mum Mairéad’s memory so lots of the ‘ku feature her.
Thanks Dan! Nice collection! Had the pleasure of sharing a drink with this fine poet in London before Covid struck.
Thanks for the feedback, Robert. I think that was after the BHS Winter Gathering when a few of us went to the pub afterwards. Those were the days, eh?