Poet Profile

Susan Diridoni

Susan Diridoni, long-time resident of Kensington, California, and a practicing psychotherapist, died on July 30, 2022 of abdominal cancer. Her introduction to haiku came as a teenager through the writings of R.H. Blyth. She was most well known for her affinity for avant-garde haiku, which she wrote about in an essay, “My Accidental Slip into Gendai Haiku” which appeared in Modern Haiku vol. 43.1 Winter Spring, 2012. Her poetic interest extended to free verse poetry as well. She studied with and was greatly influenced by the poet Diane di Prima, former poet laureate of San Francisco. She was a member of the Haiku Poets of Northern California and served as their newsletter editor in 2010-11. Her unique voice will be greatly missed.

coyote chorus—
elevator to the roof
of forgotten woods

just east of our troubles the rainbow’s face

[Roadrunner X:1 Spring 2010].

magnetizing his shy heart peony wave

the bamboo greening a goldfinch’s sheen

wisteria infusing twilight’s warm breath

walking the ocean’s breath block by block

the Yukon in her dry high air streaming

a gale at the bridge swallowing every voice

poppies
can’t hide our joy
or the blue sky

Epiphany
the unsaid between us
extinguished

patches of night
fill the western sky―
my jig-saw memories

the meteor’s elbow
swings out in blue
catch of cedar

Credits:

“magnetizing” - Bones No. 2 Single ku, June 15, 2013; “the bamboo” - Multiverses journal issue 1, 2012; “wisteria” - Frogpond vol. 35.1, Winter 2012; “walking“ - Modern Haiku vol. 43.2, Summer 2012; “the Yukon”; “a gale”; “poppies” - A New Resonance 8: Emerging Voices in English-Language by Jim Kacian (Author), Dee Evetts (Editor), Red Moon Press; 8th edition, June 28, 2021; “Epiphany” - Modern Haiku vol. 40.2, Summer 2009; “patches of night” - bottle rockets #19 Vol. 10 No. 1, 2008; “the meteor’s elbow” - inkscrawl issue #4, August 2012.

Additional Reading:

Susan Diridoni, Simply Haiku June 24, 2010 ; Susan Diridoni - Three Questions