Book of the Week: in a borrowed tent
Steve Shapiro was a British poet who came to haiku in the 1960s, swept up in the wave of haiku awareness brought on by its discovery by the Beats. in a borrowed tent (The Firfield Pamphlet Press, 1994) dates from much later but is still infused with the Zen awareness to be found in R H Blyth’s writings and the practice of such poets as Snyder and, especially, Kerouac. This chapbook features the poet’s charming and quirky line drawings as a bonus.
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 president THF president Jim Kacian, and are used with permission.
Dusk the arum holds its light a little longerMidnight heat the fly in the lavatory has died of itAn autumn evening the lumber men left one pine standing
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Steve Shapiro is not British. He is a South African of Jewish ancestry and is alive and well, living in Hout Bay, Cape Town. He is a cycling enthusiast and makes Japanese clay-fired pottery according to traditional methods for a living. All his poems are about life in Hout Bay.
The blend of drawing and poetry is splendid. It has been a true pleasure to read it and recommend it to others.
This is an excellent collection of seasonal haiku. One of my favorites is:
a sudden gust
the cows in the field
stop chewing
A great read. Thank you.
thrilling. Thank you very much.
This is a must be add to my library.
Zen,Blyth,Snyder ,Kerouac influencing Steve Shapiro’s haiku……. I will have to add “In a borrowed tent ” to my library.
It really does read like the generation that came after Blyth, Snyder, Kerouac et.al. Fantastic read.