marlene mountain
tennessee
one-line haiku in magazines 1
1970s-1980s

[in progress incl spacing/dates/credits]

one-line haiku

he leans on the gate going staying
takes longer to drink winter night
smoke from a neighbor's chimney loneliness
one fly everywhere the heat
green greens sweet onion leaves with the river
summer morning leaves almost coming through the window
nothing he said cheered me pale moon
satori for two enemies autumn sky
the village asleep i too turn off the light
first day of the year twelve new sheets of paper
a worker returns home evening dew
a few mums in bloom empty vase
pig and i spring spring rain
my body no longer firm mountain haze
new year's day not even the calendar new
snow slides the old tin roof
first day of the year kana studies
new bridge the same friends come to visit
x's in the old address book cloudy day
with each snowflake spring
without this night no poem

#s 4, 10, 11, 14 3-line Cicada 2:1 1978; #13 Frogpond 2:3-4 1979 & 3:1 1980;
#18 High/Coo [[ ]]

Matsuo Allard, editor Amoskeag #1 1980

 

one day into another our night between
autumn ends unable to explain what i've lost
leaves fall you touch me
she's anti woman
everyone gets married and has kids the heat

Alexis Rotella, editor Brussels Sprout 4:2 198? ; 4:3 198?

 

summer   beneath my breasts
again behind the vacant cabin garlic shoots
dog days beans drying on a car hood
hitchhiker cars that passed on his face
old towel  folding it again  autumn evening
spring evening wet shirted nipples of the young man
flowers  in a vase  dry with autumn
editor  1001 haiku  cicadas
one fly everywhere the heat
rusted out bucket the heat
my hair to autumn wind
a worker returns home evening dew
son's dead hamster . . .
in her old voice the mountains
winter shopping choose the green toilet paper
first day of the year twelve new sheets of paper
a hold in the fly swatter autumn night
setting the clock back an hour the cold
alone in a cotton gown
winter moon from the one-room church singing
tractor-trailer   jackknifed   winter dawn
blister   spring evening
wind chime in the autumn breeze paperless
into dusk old cat balls bouncing
first day new handle on the sharpened axe
dark day i pull nails from old boards
calendar starts the first day's fire
first bleeding of the year
my life  mist   mountain
the day enough for two lifetimes in rain i pass a hitchhiker
two mountains the one here green the one there blue

Cicada l:3 l977; l:4 l977; 2:1 1978; 3:1 1979; 5:1 l981; # 5, 9, 14 THA 1986;
# 9 Amoskeag 1 1980

Eric Amann, editor Cicada

winter morning a neighbor carries fresh milk to his father (c)
pipes thaw red spot on the egg yolk (c)
green appearing under cow hooves (c)


winter morning a neighbor carries fresh milk to his father W-3
pipes thaw red spot on the egg yolk W-2
green appearing under cow hooves W-2


peach buds even my hair growing (c)
only nibbles colored rocks spring afternoon (c)
after the storm puddles of bonnard (c)


peach buds even my hair growing W-4
after the storm puddles of bonnard W-3
only nibbles colored rocks spring afternoon W-1


school boy throws a boomerang swallows (c)
mountainhanging sky (c)
firewood in the icy rain onion soup (c)
another winter my blond hair hides the white (c)


firewood in the icy rain onion soup W-5
another winter my blond hair hides the white W-6
mountainhanging sky W-4


smoke from a neighbor's chimney loneliness (c)
pig and i spring rain (c)
outhouse beside the creek the heat (c)

morning-glory folds into herself into her folds *


smoke from a neighbor's chimney loneliness W-3
pig and i spring rain W-3
outhouse beside the creek the heat W-2


autumn evening the epileptic finds his own cure (c)
seed catalog in the mailbox cold drizzle (c)

Lilli Tanzer, editor Frogpond [c: crook-submission; w: watersounds-yes votes] 1:3 1978;
1:4 1978; 2:1 1979; 2:2 1979; 2:2 1979; 3:1
*1980 HGH contest, hon. ment,


i do not cry yet the ish-ish of our moon
ovulation fold of the mountain scattered with mist
first bleeding of the year
i've never touched another woman's real painting
i'm committed to your maleness even more to the moon's femaleness
leaving him she whispered in the grocery store
women have no past but our moon
women have plenty to paint
i'm glad your voice isn't calm


Geoffrey O'Brien, editor Frogpond 4:3 1981 Innerview part 1; 4:4 1981
Innerview part 2: some in Cicada Amoskeag and THA

 

at dusk hot water from the hose
summer night clothes whirling in the dryer
english language one-line haiku: spring morning

article by Cor van den Heuvel,
influence of 'the old tin roof'; THA; Uguisu #2 1977

Bruce Kennedy, editor
Frogpond 5:1 1982

 

country road cat dropped off bellyfull
first day of spring socks beside the bed
at dusk hot water from the hose
new bridge the same friends come to visit
hawk circles the blacktop the heat
dividing iris not knowing where i will be
the long night i cut my short nails shorter
one last time she empties the old cat's box

Randy & Shirley Brooks, editors High/Coo 2:8 1978; 3:9 1978; 4:13 1979


mayfly
               gone tomorrow *

back home i unwrap into myself

Randy and Shirley Brooks, editors Mayfly #1 1986, title competition winner*; #3 1987


potter wasp in and out of its nest the heat
tenant hides his jar in the scarecrow summer night
winter morning dead tree bare as the others
new year's eve old songs on the hourglass dulcimer
pine knot slowly she feels her breasts
cold morning the quarter hits bottom in the parking meter
only $349 he announces   the heat
first freeze a friendly reminder in the mail
dog days envelopes stuck shut
winter night writing letters to get letters
the long day you leave as it begins
scratched into the mountain shadows of the moon

Bob Spiess, editor Modern Haiku 9:2 1978; 10:2 1979; 10:3 1979; 11:2 1980; 13:3 1982;17:1 1986;
17:2 1986: 18:2 1987


haze 2 british scientists discuss african women's milk
contra contra contra contra contra contra contra
arrested in knoxville two women holding hands
nuclear winter (nuclear spring nuclear summer nuclear fall)
old bed we jump into love sound
spring in america water unsafe food unsafe sex unsafe

John Sheirer, editor Oak Grove Haiku #1 1986

 

snow on snow oiling the iron pot
april cracked

[[ ]], editor Outch 4:1 1979, Japan

old turtle pushes her shadow to sea
old woman's porch blooms in each rusty can
pregnant she studies the face of her husband
winter night everything i write looks typed
in her old voice the mountains

Jan Bostok, editor Tweed 5:2 1976 (UGUISU #2 1977) ; 5:4 1977 (UGUISA #2 1977); 6:3 1978
(CICADA V 2 #1/1978; 0UTCH V 3 #1/78)



english language one-line haiku: spring morning

pregnant she studies the face of her husband
winter night everything i write looks typed
hitchhiker cars that passed on his face

(Tweed 5:2 1976) (Tweed 5:4 1977) (Cicada 1:3 1977)

new haiku friends the autumn night less
giggling the okusan knows what a man is
the fruit juice lady not liking fruits
living with a man writing a novel must be another way
hoe leaning against a scarecrow the heat
pushing hair behind my ears spring woods
cold morning the empty mailbox even colder
days passing this one too yellow leaves
the heat nothing moving but the river
summer night clothes whirling in a dryer
swallowtails following wildflower pickers
rainy day cutting pampas grass for my mother
another birthday more of my face in the mirror
car ad claiming to improve my image the heat
snow falling filling the ice tray
scrap haiku enough to start a fire autumn night

from 'shy impressions of a knee-worn traveler' (5 haiku revised):
first dawn in japan: sumi-e
over there somewhere mountains in the mist
beginning flower arrangement the rainy season
neighbors eyeing my weedy garden the heat
holiday fishing the boatman nods in the heat
waving to my parents autumn dawn
singing a song with the radio winter night
four panes of glass the long night
automatically he steps on the spider . . .

cover:
english language one-line haiku: spring morning
comment from my
10/24/77 letter:
I am very much interested in one-line haiku and feel it can get us closer to Japanese haiku - and clean up Western haiku. I haven't written or seen many one-liners, but feel that the potential is good and meaningful. What I hope is that it doesn't get too defined. That seems to be the main trouble with the 5-7-5 in English. The form was over emphasized until there was no breathing room. With one-line haiku we have a chance to begin again.

R. Clarence Matsuo-Allard, editor Uguisu #2 1977

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