Poet Profile

Raquel D. Bailey

Originally from St. Andrew Parish near Kingston, Jamaica, Raquel D. Bailey is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Lyrical Passion Poetry E-Zine, a webzine of Japanese short-form poetry and short fiction. She enjoys writing short shorts, Japanese short-form poetry, creative nonfiction, and song lyrics. Ms. Bailey holds a B.A. degree in Creative Writing from Florida State University. Her writing and artwork appear in more than 40 publications worldwide.

Awards and Other Honors:

First Place, Harold G Henderson Memorial Award for Haiku (2019); Second Place, International Kusamakura Haiku Competition (2019); Second Place, Penumbra Haiku Contest (2009); Honorable Mention, Satoyama Haiku Contest (Japan, 2009); Third Place, International Kusamakura Haiku Competition (2009); Honorable Mention, Mainichi Daily News Haiku Contest (2007); Honorable Mention, 7th Annual Chistell Writing Contest for Fiction (2007); and Honorable Mention, the Big Pond Rumour Contest for Fiction (2007).

lightning
we measure the lengths
of our scars 

utrasound
the thump of a bee
against the window

road kill―
a patch of snow
         bleeds 

sudden downpour
my blouse
becomes skin

the dead of winter
         a nameless odor
...slips away 

one-way street
the dragonfly
makes a quick u-turn

Credits:

"lightning" - Simply Haiku 6:4 (2008); "road kill" - Simply Haiku 7:3 (2009); "the dead of winter" - Winner, 3rd Kusamakura Haiku Competition (2009); "ultrasound" - Winner, 1st Harold G Henderson Memorial Award for Haiku (2019); "sudden downpour" - Winner, 2nd Kusamakura Haiku Competition (2019); "one-way street", Winner, 2nd Penumbra Haiku Contest, TWA (2009).