Book of the Week: Lull before dark
Caroline Gourlay is one of the UK’s strongest haiku voices. This attractive book, from Brooks Books in 2005, shows her in her most lyrical and distinctive mode.
Snapshot Press declines to make this book available to The Haiku Foundation Digital Library at this time.
All haiku in the Book of the Week Archive are selected by Tom Clausen, and are used with permission.
all those things I wish now I'd asked you- snow fallingphoto chance... again I capture only your smileout-stared by the child I drop my eyes to my book and pretend to read...early morning mist gathering in the lane cow parsleynot wanting to talk... my shadow detaches from the grouphidden blue tit his song advancing branch by branchchief executive loosening his tie sniffs a dog-rosedawn departure... leaving the flowers behind on the tablestorm buffets the house my hand starts to massage the cat's shoulderevening firelight drawing the dark corners into the roomturning for home in the lull before dark blackberriesfollowing it out of the village- spring sunshinemy mother- after her death her silencetouching it- early spring sunshine on this wet stonezazen-sitting watching through closed eyes the rising sunlog fire- turning in the flames my watched thoughtssinking sun taking the mountain with itcrossing the woodland floor a fly
This Post Has 3 Comments
Comments are closed.
Very glad I just got to read this impressive collection for the first time.
Yes, beautiful haiku and book by Caroline Gourlay. It is interesting to reread poems after some years have gone by. I especially appreciate her haiku about loss and grief for her mother. My mother also found so much consolation in literature. Now it is over nine years since my mother’s passing, and I hear her voice (once again), when I read the authors of her generation and see her handwriting in a book or note.
I want to highlight that Brooks Books is in Illinois, since I lived there for many years. THF, especially Montage and the Video Archive, also helped me better understand the Midwestern haiku history.
Thank you, Ellen
This is a wonderful book, from a wonderful poet – one of my favourite haiku collections.