HAIKU DIALOGUE – Avian Adventures – Favorite Moments in Birding (1)

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1. A rich collection of birding haiku. Many are so sweet, some homely, and all of them, a treat for the senses. Nancy, thank you for your time and patience. Thanks also for including one of mine. The below are two that felt close to my heart as I read them

   every day
   a little brighter…
   migrating bluebirds

   Cynthia Anderson
   Yucca Valley, California

   Something I feel when i see some white herons in the sky. In fact i go up to the terrace in the evenings mainly hoping to see them.

   feeding time…
   I converse
   in chicken

   Pat Davis
   Concord, NH USA

    How sweet is this ku that establishes the man-nature connect so effortlessly, yet so firmly.

   Thank you, all poets and editors.

   1. Hello Anju,
      I am glad you found the haiku rich especially the two you mentioned. Pat’s is cute, but who hasn’t tried to communicate with a familiar (to him/her) animal? Cynthia’s makes us remember that as spring approaches (at least for those in the northern hemisphere), the days get brighter particularly when certain birds appear (whether bluebirds or white herons).
      Thanks to your haiku, I learned about the malabar thrush and its call. I think I have learned so much from this experience and the birds poets have written about. ~nan

2. Keith,
   Maybe someday, I will take the plunge and give re : Virals a try. I am not proficient in using all the ma, wabi-sabi, etc. Terminology. I just know what I like and what I read/interpret and it seems simplistic compared to most of the comments. But, ancaro imparo (I am still learning), and I should give it a go. Thanks for the encouragement.

3. caged canary singing the blues Dan Campbell sings the caged blues.
   And…
   Ruth Hilzer’s flushing pheasant- / both of us / panic-struck been there, done that. Thanks for the memories – AH

   1. Alan,
      Ruth’s started reaction would be mine, too, whether a pheasant or some other creature flushed from its hiding place.
      I wonder if Dan’s haiku is a reference to Maya Angelou’s caged bird.

4. Thank you, Nancy! I have loved birds forever, it seems! I’m new to haiku and so happy to be able to read all these haiku in Avian Adventures and see one of my submissions. Very grateful to find this community!

   1. Rose,
      I am glad your haiku has found a home here, and that you are enjoying all the adventures. Your haiku makes me smile. We get our share of diving sucks and their tails flipped up in a five is a common scene, but never gets old. Welcome, and hopefully there will be more from you in the future.

5. It is a joy to read all these fine haiku. Nancy, Thank you for including mine about the owl and the vole. Please help me to understand the schedule. It seems like it has changed. There used to be a submission deadline every Sat. But recently, sometimes I see a message to look for a prompt next week. Is there a schedule somewhere? 😊

   1. Seretta,
      You are correct. The schedule has changed. Instead of the weekly submissions, it is now biweekly. The second week will have haiku that are highlighted with comments.
      The powers that be (Kathy and Lori) changed it up in January. I think it was to lessen the work load on the guest editors. At least that was my take on it. From my brief experience, it was intense at times, and I tip my hat to those who went before me. They did a fantastic job week after week,as do Lori and Kathy. Many thanks to them both.

6. Thanks a ton Nancy for selecting my haiku. Congrats to the many poets whose haiku got selected. Stellar job.

   1. Lakshman,
      You are welcome. I enjoy reading everyone’s haiku each week,too. I am impressed with the variety from poets from around the globe, and feel fortunate to learn from everyone week after week.

7. Hi Nancy,
   Thank you for including my “pheasant” in this wonderful group of haiku. One that I especially liked is

   feeding time…
   I converse
   in chicken

   Pat Davis
   Concord, NH USA

   It’s light-hearted and yet led me to reflect on how we speak to other species, so often assuming that they understand us. Whether it’s in our human languages or by imitating their sounds, they probably don’t, but I still like to think they do.

   1. Ruth, I know what you mean. I think we all try to communicate with our animals, but Pay lays it out there. The lightness of that haiku is refreshing. Our cat Flash used to speak, saying “now, out”, and even “mom” or so said my husband.

      1. That should be Pat instead of pay. My apologies to Pat, and profound thankfulness to Kathy, Lori, and to all the haiku poets who submitted these past few weeks.

8. Dear Nancy, I wanted to thank you for considering my poem. Your commentary, the poets’ commentary as well as the poems themselves, are a pleasure to read. I enjoyed reading John Zheng’s reflection that ”…each haiku is a bird chirping…”. Two of the many poems which speak to me are Jonathan Epstein’s haiku about a young boy’s collection of canary feathers. I can imagine him striding proudly, carrying his prized envelope of canary feathers. This poem strikes me as quite intriguing, a story in itself and which brings back childhood memories of my older brother’s rock collection, displayed lovingly in an open cardboard box. Rose Marie Harring’s endearing image of mallard ducks, ”…bottom’s up…” makes me smile. It is always such a darling sight to glimpse a mallard duck upside down at a park lake or city pond, searching its depths for delicious tidbits.

   1. Madeleine,
      I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of both of those haiku. The pride of a collection and the mallard ‘s bottom in the air. We have a mallard pair which returns each year to our neighborhood. We have a small water feature in our yard. The female barely can fit in, but her mate watches from outside while she dives upside down. It’s funny to watch, but it has become a yearly event.
      Thanks for the kind words about my selections and work during this month.

9. Thank you, Nancy for this fabulous Avian favorites selection.
   I particularly liked

   uniting generations of trees birdsong

   Roberta Beach Jacobson
   Indianola, Iowa, USA

   Beautiful. The united flora and fauna.
   Just to let everyone know that an anthology by The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press “To Live Here” with the theme “home” in context with mother earth opens for submissions from 1st of March 2023.
   It should be a treat for nature lovers and environmentalists.

   And

   hawk climbs blue sky
   in gentle circles
   tracing the wind

   Ruth Happel
   United States

   What a beautiful imagery! Nothing short of wizardry.

   1. Hi Govind,
      Thanks for the comments. Roberta’s monoku did unite flora and fauna. I imagined trees living many years and watching generation after generation of song birds living and singing. The trees taking in the carbon dioxide of the birds’ songs and giving back oxygen for their continued life.
      Ruth’s hawk haiku riding thermals, tracing the wind…yes, magical.
      Thanks, too, for letting all the poets about the submission period for Wee Sparrow Press. I am sure people appreciate the announcement. ~nan

10. Another fabulous and heart-warming collection of poems put together. Reading 300 poems every week must not be easy. Highly appreciate the efforts and time dedicated by the editorial team in compiling it.

    1. Thanks, Nitu. You are correct. Kathy and Lori do a phenomenal job with proofing, editing, and helping the guest editors. They are awesome and SO helpful. ~nan

       1. 🌞

11. Thank you Nancy for the captivating bird haiku selections, and for including mine.
    Here are a few that caught my eye for their beauty and content. Amazing how so few words can often pack a punch.

    demonstrating:
    united we stand, divided we fall
    ….starling murmuration

    Nitu Yumnam
    India

    petrichor
    the sound of rain
    in a peacock’s dance

    Baisali Chatterjee Dutt
    Kolkata, India

    I love this one and it’s full use of the senses. Beautiful.

    empty sky. . .
    the shadow loses its bird

    Lorraine Pester
    Texas, USA

    1. Thank you, Carole Harrison! Glad you liked my poem. You just made my day. 🙂
       Best wishes.

    2. Hi Carole,
       I’m glad you’re pleased, Your alliteration with weeding, willy, and wagtail made your haiku. You are right about the punch a few words can make, and you illustrated that brilliantly by pointing out several worthy haiku.
       Nitu’s murmuration paired with united we stand…fall, for if anyone has never watched starlings move together, it is amazing. The first time I watched the birds moving as one, well, it’s a wonder, I didn’t wreck my car I was so fascinated. I still am.
       Baisali’s petrichor and peacocks, again, alliteration and so much more. I have to admit that I have read many haiku using the word petrichor, and I had to look it up. I’ve yet, though, to have ever written one with the word. Ah, someday…
       Lorraine’s haiku, I really liked it too. One of my thoughts was that maybe it might have been a good fit for Bloo Outlier, which is looking for duostich; the second thought was how evocative it was.
       ~Nan

12. I will respond to all of your comments individually on Thursday morning, but I have had a day to end all days. It is late, but I appreciate that you have found so many haiku from so many poets to comment upon (sorry, I hate to end a sentence with a preposition). Until tomorrow…keep writing, keep reading, and keep commenting. Thanks so much to you all.

13. Thank you, Nancy, for these bird themed haiku treats!
    These are a few that struck me most (other than a few others which I liked):

    a blackbird
    near the biscuit-jar
    widow’s eyes

    Barbara Anna Gaiardoni
    Verona (Italy)

    picture window
    the migrant warbler
    not just passing through

    Laurie Greer
    Washington, DC

    winter into spring
    saying it with
    swallows

    Lori Kiefer
    London UK

    1. Hi Amoolya,
       Thanks for pointing out these three haiku. They all have much to recommend examining them further as others have done. Laurie’s has some history behind it, I’m sure, and maybe not all good. The house I grew up in had two picture windows, one in the front and one in the back, and we had many a bird, unfortunately, try to fly through. I may be wrong, but I read that into Laurie’s haiku. I hope the bird wasn’t hurt, but..
       Thanks, again, for pointing a few favorites out, Amoolya. ~nan

14. Thank you, Nancy, for serving as guest editor. Here are a couple of poems that stood out to me this week.

    frozen in time…
    a blur of pigeons
    over Trevi Fountain

    Rebecca Drouilhet

    ~ a lovely idea to write about birds captured in a photograph. I can see their fast movement forever paused. For some reason I picture this as a black and white photograph.

    writer’s block. . .
    on the brick porch steps
    a hawk’s quill

    ~. Can’t think of what to write, then the sight of the hawk’s quill becomes an inspiration, almost placing a pen in the writer’s hand. Nicely done.

    Richard Straw
    Cary, North Carolina

    1. Richard, I apologize for inserting my comment before your name.

    2. Hi April,
       I like your choice of haiku to comment upon. I agree with you that I saw similar things in both Rebecca’s and Richard’s haiku. Taking photos of birds in flight often create a blur, but sometimes that blur makes the photo…or at least, reminds the person of a vivid memory of a day never to be repeated. In Richard’s I felt that the writer’s block ended with the discovery of a hawk’s feather. Hawk’s feathers are so magnificent that one can imagine dipping the quill into an ink pot, and putting word to the page.
       Thanks for letting us know the value you found in these two haiku. ~nan

15. I just spent such a lovely time reading all of these outloud. I can’t believe this was the first time I thought to do so. It had such a profound impact on my appreciation for the poems. What a joy to discover many friends and familiar poets but even more exciting was seeing all the new (to me) names. Many of whom I can’t wait to read more from. In particular, Damon Huss who really took me back to my childhood:

    silent Quakers sit
    a black phoebe sings
    near the meetinghouse

    Damon Huss
    Santa Monica, CA

    I was elated you selected my 5/7/5 poem (which I rarely write anymore). Sometimes when I write about something so important in my life I have a much harder time paring it down. I do not envy you the difficulty of selection.

    There were so many excellent poems already here that I can’t imagine what you’ve selected for commentary next week!

    1. Thanks, Eavonka, for your comment. I don’t know that I have ever just read all of them aloud at one time. It does affect the way the haiku is perceived. I know as I read them, when making selections, I often wished I had the time to put certain ones together–that they seemed to work together, or had similar ideas.

       Having read enough of your haiku in the past, I was surprised by the 5/7/5, but I could see that you were telling a story of these birds in your life. It is hard to pare down, but they both worked.

       I really thought Damon’s was excellent. It struck that the phoebe’s plumage was not unlike the Quakers’ plain outfits (or at least in the past), but the difference being that Quaker meetings are generally quiet and contemplative (again, in the past), but the bird can sing. Of course, Damon may have had different ideas about his haiku.

       I only hope that the haiku I have chosen for commentary measure up to the poet’s intentions.

       Thanks for your thoughtful comments. ~nan

       1. Thank you, Eavonka and Nancy for your thoughtful responses to my haiku. I like your take, Nancy, regarding the plain garb of Quakers and the black plumage. Your observation of the juxtaposition of the worshippers’ intentional silence and the phoebe’s natural singing is exactly what I intended the poem to evoke.

          1. Damon,
             You are welcome, and I am glad I read it that way. It just seemed logical to me. Thanks for submitting it.
             ~nan

16. Each haiku is a bird chirping in the bird garden of Haiku Dialogue offering a momentary stay with nature. It’s like a bird study through watching and listening.

    1. Yes, John, I believe you are right; it is a bird study. I know that I have learned so much about our avian friends these past several weeks. I realize how little I knew about these winged creatures as I researched the birds mentioned in the haiku written by all the poets.
       Thanks for chiming in (or should I say, chirping?); it’s appreciated. ~nan

17. opening plum blossoms
    a white−eye leaves behind
    its first notes

    Keiko Izawa

    It is the attractive connections that draw me to this. The temporal coincidence, the visual similarity of a white eye and a plum corolla, and the ‘first notes’ also becomes a metaphor for the plum’s ‘opening’. Everything says spring.

    1. What a lovely interpretation!

       1. Indeed, Ingrid!

    2. Thanks Simonj for commenting on Keiko’s haiku. I thought it had a lovely flow to it (attractive connections), and it does say spring. It may be that we, who live in the northern hemisphere, are all ready for spring, or it just may be me. ~Nan

18. Dear Nancy,
    Just a quick note to thank you very much for selecting my haiku.
    I did enjoy reading all the haiku you have chosen. I picked out:

    skylarks singing
    behind a wire fence…
    I thought I was free
    — Tony Williams
    I think the poet is very sensitive and can relate to poor skylarks and feels he isn’t free anymore since they aren’t free. This is my humble interpretation…

    I was rather pleasantly impressed by Lori Kiefer’s haiku:
    winter into spring
    saying it with
    swallows
    They are my favourite birds and a symbol of spring. I always love watching them on my porch. I love dreaming of them in deep winter!

    1. I took Tony Williams’ poem slightly differently, Mariangela, maybe because the way larks rise up and up into the sky, seemingly to disappear, speaks to me of freedom. (They’re actually attempting to draw you away from their ground nesting sites.) One of my favourite pieces of music is Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, reminding me of a summer’s day in pristine English countryside (dry and warm, of course!) It’s we humans, as your comment suggests, who put up physical barriers, fencing us off from so many aspects of nature.

       1. Thanks, Ingrid, for taking the time to comment. Whilst I like Mariangela’s take, yours is actually what I had in mind, and you state it well. It is a joy to read both interpretations though!

          1. Thank you for your reply, Tony. I did like your haiku. I wrote it down in my notebook and added it to my favourites.

             1. Thank you so much, Mariangela! That means a lot to me.

       2. Thanks ever so much for your reply, Ingrid. I must say your interpretation is fascinating.
          The Lark Ascending is a great piece of music indeed and it certainly speaks of freedom.
          Free as a Bird by The Beatles also came to my mind yesterday…

       3. Ingrid,
          I hadn’t considered this interpretation. I haven’t listened to my Ralph Vaughn Williams’ CD in some time and I believe it has that piece of music on it. Thanks for reminding me of his music.
          Thanks for commenting; it’s appreciated.
          ~Nan

    2. Dear Mariangela,
       You are welcome; I really liked the visuals of the eagle and the wildflowers of your haiku. Delicate wildflowers coexisting with the strength of the eagle, and your experiencing both. Perfect!
       Your interpretation of Tony’s haiku was similar to mine. That he no longer felt free since he saw them behind the fence. After reading his haiku, then I no longer feel free, either.
       I am glad you pointed out Lori’s haiku about spring and swallows. I think many of us have some magical symbol of spring that lightens the pall that winter can cast upon us. For me, it is the crocus, but I am glad that for both you and Lori, it is the swallow.
       ~Nan

       1. Dear Nan,
          Thank you so much for your kind words about my haiku. They mean a lot to me!
          I too like the crocus very much. It is always a joy to see them growing in the gardens and parks. Daisies, primroses, violets… Spring is coming!
          All the best,
          Mari

          1. Mari,
             Don’t forget tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. Soon…spring!! 🙂

             1. ☺️

             2. 😊

       2. Thank you Nancy, yes there are some great markers of Spring. The crocus is a lovely one and the daffodil! Thank you for a wonderful few weeks of birding! Lori

    3. Hi Mariangela,
       So glad you like my haiku and share a love for swallows! Best wishes, Lori

       1. My pleasure!
          Swallows should come back soon. They usually come to Italy by the end of March.
          Enjoy spring!
          Mari

19. Grazie mille Nancy,

    per avermi inserita in questa vivace raccolta di haiku.

    Forse l’haiku che ho più apprezzato è quello di Sudan Burch con
    “luna maculata l’uccello che avrebbe potuto essere”. Così fantasioso, quasi un elogio alla diversità.

    1. Dear Silvia,
       Siete i benvenuti. Sono contento che il tuo haiku sia stato incluso perché mi ha dato la possibilità di chiedermi del passero e delle sue piume e dove era stato e dove stava andando dopo. Abbiamo passeri e sfrecciano dentro e fuori dai nostri cespugli tutto il giorno. Anch’io ho trovato l’haiku di Susan Burch interessante e un po’ triste per l’uovo che non è mai andato a buon fine. Grazie ancora
       ~Nan

       PS. Sì, anche il suo haiku ha affrontato un po’ la diversità.

       Silvia, I hope this makes sense.

20. Thank you Nancy for this avian adventure.
    I feel like I’ve acquired two pairs of wings!
    Thank you again…

    1. Thanks, Barbara. I feel like you and all the poets are taught me so much more about birds of the world through your haiku than I previously knew. I spent hours learning about birds that this was an avian adventure for me as well. May we take flight with all our writing haiku endeavors! ~Nan

21. Thanks again, Nancy!

    Leaving aside the several in which the first or third lines simply ‘explain’ the poem rather than presenting images with an unspoken invitation to the reader to create their own moment of understanding, this was another enjoyable session with plenty of sustenance.

    I picked out:

    a blackbird
    near the biscuit-jar
    widow’s eyes
    —Barbara Anna Gaiardoni
    (the need for someone/something to care for in loneliness)

    in the silence
    of distant lightning
    a screech owl
    —Ravi Kiran
    (neatly expresses the alarming suddenness of lightning at night when no forewarning cloud is noticed overhead)

    caged canary singing the blues
    —Dan Campbell
    (Dan’s wry humour. Canaries are kept in cages for their sweet song…)

    speckled moon the bird that might have been
    —Susan Burch
    (Aww… I have often thought about the pockmarks on the moon and our own imperfections. This puts it nicely in the context of birds with their speckled eggs (this one might not have hatched..) and feathers; and, as the moon is beautiful, helps us accept our freckles).

    fresh turned earth
    one day the robin
    feeding from my hand
    — Harrison Lightwater
    (Prompting reflection on how we make a start in sharing, becoming friends with the wary — even the boldest of little birds)

    unblinking
    a buzzard lands
    in the garden
    — the beady eye of the predator; a slightly chilling ‘haiku moment’)
    C.X.Turner

    And some with charm:

    winter into spring
    saying it with
    swallows
    —Lori Kiefer

    —

    But the one I marked to my file of favourites for discussion:

    eternal life
    even the cuckoo wants it
    summer night
    —Deborah A. Bennett

    At face value it makes a statement, but I love its originality, boldness and depth. It’s a verse that is more than simply ephemeral, and arouses thoughts about the attachment of all living things to life, from survival and breeding to what we like to think are uniquely human concerns about eventual death. The second line turns out to be more of a question, or a challenge, than a statement. Excellent.

    1. A heartfelt thanks to you, Nancy!

       1. A heartfelt thanks to you, Keith!

       2. Dear Barbara Anna,
          Thank you! For the haiku itself and reminding me of my grandma, who had a special cookie jar in which she stored her homemade sugar cookies. She always gave us one whenever we visited, and to me, those cookies and that jar represented her love for us, her grandchildren.
          Thanks for the memories. ~Nan

    2. Thanks amigo, I’m glad you enjoyed the caged canary confession!

       1. Dan,
          I am glad Keith brought it to everyone’s attention. I found it rather ironic the canaries singing the blues (okay, Keith called it ‘wry’), knowing many pet birds (read: caged birds) are canaries, and they sing beautifully.

          On the other hand, when I was a child, my next-door neighbors had a canary, and my younger sister and I were often over there visiting as we had “adopted Grandpa Saunders” (their grandfather), who sat on the swing on the back porch in the summer. Sometimes, we even “babysat” if Mary had to go out for an hour, spending a bit of time with him. It was his bird if I recall, and when it died, we held a funeral for the canary to celebrate its life, burying it in our garden. As I read your haiku, I also found myself missing the man who became our grandpa. Thanks for the memories. ~Nan

    3. Regarding the second line:

       eternal life
       even the cuckoo wants it
       summer night
       —Deborah A. Bennett

       May we discuss this?
       It seems odd that a cuckoo, a welcome visitor heralding the arrival of Spring, should be so eagerly anticipated, yet we know the bird has no ‘qualms’ about passing on its parental duties to hard-working other avian species to their own species certain demise.
       I keep thinking is there a political statement here?

       1. Oops,
          I seem to have sent this off twice (too much Quick Draw McGraw), and it had been intended as a reply to Keith Evetts’ comment further up.

          Apologies for leaning on the Send button.

    4. Ingrid Baluchi
       February 22, 2023 at 1:16 pm
       Regarding the second line:

       eternal life
       even the cuckoo wants it
       summer night
       —Deborah A. Bennett

       May we discuss this?
       It seems odd that a cuckoo, a welcome visitor heralding the arrival of Spring, should be so eagerly anticipated, yet we know the bird has no ‘qualms’ about passing on its parental duties to hard-working other avian species to their own species certain demise.
       I keep thinking is there a political statement here?

       1. Well, if Nancy doesn’t mind. But why not produce the best commentary for next week’s re:Virals and then put this one forward for readers’ commentaries?…. There’s a lot that could be discussed, from content to craft.

          On Deborah’s poem, I didn’t think of a political interpretation, but more a biological one – a need, the overpowering wish to survive, even at the expense of others. The cuckoo’s way is brutal, yet it has a beguiling song… the verse has many layers, I think. The Japanese ‘little cuckoo’ — hototogisu — has a sweeter song than the cuckoo I know of Europe (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajZIfY8nLU0). Here in Britain, mention of the cuckoo brings to mind Wordsworth: To The Cuckoo The wandering voice….

          May is usually the time for elections in the UK, and for the arrival of cuckoos, and with politics in mind I did write: “May elections/the first call/of the cuckoo” : Haiku In Action, Nick Virgilio Association May 4 – 10 2022. But not, I think, in this verse of Deborah’s which is much deeper, I think. However, one reader’s interpretation is no less valid than another’s:
              “O Cuckoo! shall I call thee Bird,
               Or but a wandering Voice?”
          — State the alternative preferred. Give reasons for your choice.
          (as A. E. Housman amusingly wrote of academic approaches to poetry…)

       2. Dear Ingrid,
          I can’t wait to see (read) the discussion on this haiku. I do hope that it gets picked up by re: Virals, or even here.
          ~nan

    5. Hi Keith,
       Thanks for bringing attention to some excellent haiku (Ravi’s, Lori’s, Harrison’s, C.X’s, Dan’s, Susan’s, and Barabara’s) and your pithy, spot-on remarks on each, especially the underlying question of Deborah Bennett’s haiku. It would be an excellent haiku for Re: Virals.
       I really appreciate your candor and knowledge in this.
       I have to agree that some haiku chosen tend toward explaining, rather than letting the reader come to his/her own understanding. But then I tend to think that for some English might not be a first language, and the guest editor is a novice and, thus, has erred on the side of generosity in the selection process.
       Thanks again, and do you have the “power” to get someone to suggest (elect) Deborah’s haiku for the Virals section here?
       All my best,
       Nan

       1. Nan – I have no ‘power’ in re:Virals, LOL. Perish the thought. But sometimes I try the nudge theory… There are only twenty-four hours between the decision on the ‘winner’ and scheduling the post with the next verse. And if a winning commentator does not have a favourite, quality haiku ready to propose and would like some suggestions from which to choose, I have a little list handy. When I was a contributor, before I took on the hosting, I often found that was the hardest thing, as there are loads of verses published that are ‘sorta okay’ but not so many that are really good or really interesting/challenging. Deborah’s haiku is on the list!

          1. Hi Keith,
             I don’t have a problem with the discussion here or at re:Virals. I always find that column fascinating because I learn so much, but I have never braved responding to any of the haiku even though I have an opinion on some of them. Why? I don’t feel particularly qualified, nor do I have a list of haiku that I would feel comfortable to suggest. It is nice to know that you have compiled a list that a “winner” might look over and consider. ~nan

             1. Ah, Nancy, take the plunge! Clearly you can! Every reader’s commentary is valid and valuable, especially to the poet who wants to communicate, also to anyone who is interested in how words work on readers and whether they get through. It has been a delight that several of the most thoughtful commentaries have come from newcomers to the column. Although it’s considerable work (as you know), I learn such a lot from the different perspectives people bring, and from the discussion after.

    6. Thank you Keith. I’m glad you liked mine and agree that the cuckoo haiku is wonderful! Lori

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