Poet Profile

Tom Clausen

Tom Clausen is a lifelong Ithacan and a member of the Rt. 9 Haiku Group. He developed an interest in haiku and other brief poetic forms after realizing he needed more discipline in his writing attempts. He is married to Berta Gutierrez and they have two children, Casey and Emma.

Awards and Other Honors: Includes: First Place, The Mildred Kanterman Memorial Book Award (Haiku Society of America, 2014) [for Laughing to Myself].

Books Published: Autumn Wind in the Cracks (self-published, 1994); Unraked Leaves (self-published, 1995); A Work of Love [tanka] (Tiny Poems Press, 1997); Standing Here (self-published, 1998); Homework (Snapshot Press, 2000); being there (Swamp Press, 2005); Growing Late [tanka] (Snapshot Press, 2006); Laughing to Myself (Free Food Press, 2013).

spring planting
petals scattered over
turned earth

roaring wind-
my little thoughts
for tomorrow

moment of silence-
bubbles surface
on his beer

getting the newspaper…
just enough snow
for footprints

another day
a few birds fly
across the sunset

looking up-
as far as we got
the moon

Credits: All selections: Rt. 9 Haiku Group Dim Sum (2009/1 & 2009/2).