Per Diem News

July Per Diem: The Kindness of Strangers

The Per Diem: Daily Haiku poems for July have been up a few days now, and I have been remiss about getting the news to you. My apologies to you all, and especially to Peter Newton, editor for this month.

Peter writes of his selections:

“Haiku is the poetry of inclusion. The poetry of happenstance. A celebration of the ordinary, everyday observances we all make. Strangers among them. I suppose what interests me about strangers is the possibility that they are indeed friends we have not met yet. I like to believe that we are more alike than we are different. I think these poems reveal this to be true.

“Nearly all the people I have asked permission to reprint their poems here are strangers to me. Each of them couldn’t have been friendlier. And so, we collaborate like thousands of haiku-readers and thousands of haiku-writers do every day. Meeting somewhere inside the poem.”

We hope the new collection brings you much resonance and recognition.

If you are new to the Per Diem feature, each day a new haiku is posted to the Per Diem area at lower right on our home page. You can go to that area directly from this link:

https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/#per_diem

Jim Kacian

This Post Has 7 Comments

  1. Peter, yes, it would be great to be able to see the archived monthly collections! I’d love to be able to do this! However, at present it is not possible, as the database for the monthly Per Diem collections is linked to other content in the foundation’s database. I hope one day we will be able to disentangle them, but I don’t know if this will be possible/when. Meanwhile, I am enjoying your wonderful July collection!

  2. So, is there a Per Diem archive where we can read each month’s selections in one place? Maybe I’ve overlooked it.

  4. @ Merrill:

    Don’t forget the Haiku North America event is coming soon (summer 2013). Folks from all over the globe will be there. It truly is one of the most precious haiku events to occur. Mark your calendar!

    There are no strangers there!!! (not for more than three seconds!) 🙂

  6. Reading those words of Peter’s… become vital and alive… in that we were strangers except through our haiku… and the moment of meeting was an electric experience because of that haiku friendship… Finally meeting old friends in the flesh adds such a dynamic dimention to the words…

    So if anyone gets a chance to go to any of the haiku gatherings, please do. You will find it a…. well, would “life changing” be too strong a phrase???? I don’t think so…it will certainly add something to the way we relate. I’m so very glad I made the effort to go last June… to finally hear the readings, to meet the people, to drink up the atmosphere each poet brings….

  7. Hi Jim,

    While I have not submitted to the Per Diem, I relate to what you’re saying perfectly. There are no strangers in haiku – “meeting somewhere inside the poem”, summarizes it perfectly. Thanks for posting.

    Don

Comments are closed.

Back To Top