by James Woodham flat out on the grass coming down as deep as dreams – the seeds of freedom  the lake concealing a million lives, another world so the mind dreams afternoon so slow it feels like the sun has stopped clouds just hanging orb of the moon hung in a sky of palest blue pink tinge on the hills ducks glide serene on the smooth expanse of grey horizon lost to sky the lake’s eternal eye the mountains’ clouded presence of the centuries screech from the bushes a pheasant’s hoarse vocals – clearing rusty pipes cormorants flapping at the clank of construction shovels the pond shivers d ..read more

By Kit Nagamura deep winter in the comb tines a single white hair whitewater instead of the bridge choosing the long way around the moment you know the moment mutable wild cherry blossoms ..read more

Blurb: “In Wintermoon Robert MacLean distils twenty-five years of living in Kyoto, Japan, into a single seasonal cycle … of 119 haiku.” Wintermoon, by Robert Maclean. Isobar Press, Tokyo, 2022. A review by Mark Richardson. I’m most at home with verse conventional to English from the 16th through the 20th centuries. I enjoy poems that argue or imply arguments. I want rhyme, well-framed stanzas, conceits. Give me Hardy, Herbert, Larkin, Frost or Bishop⎯or Seidel and Ogden Nash. Still, I’ve read haiku in English, and haiku-like poetry in English⎯a fair amount of it. I never acquired a taste for m ..read more

By Edward Levinson (aka Edo 恵道) hot water bottle memories of mother warm me 湯たんぽや母の思い出暖める yutanpo ya, haha no omoide, atatameru My earliest months living in Japan were in Kyoto. It was late fall and getting colder every day. Slowly I got used to the chilly (soon to be frigid) old wooden Japanese houses. One winter morning I tried Zen sitting with an American friend who was deep into it at Myōshinji Temple. I quickly decided that way of meditation was not for me but I liked the idea of walking up and down the hardwood hallways, part of the practice between sittings during the longer sesshin r ..read more

by Lea Millay Lea writes: ‘I offer a few winter tanka inspired by my time in Kyoto last December. May they give a brief respite from the summer heat.’ climbing the steep hill a pillow of stone offers deep and dreamless sleep as wind rustles winter pines  a clear moon graces the sky When I was walking alone on Shirakawa near Gion Shinbashi— clear cold winter’s morn heron in the quiet stream longing to return up into the icy air wings against the silver moon Stopping at Seishin-in off Shinkyōgoku-dori— each time I return to feel the pulse of ages beat beneath the new lone monk chanting the ..read more

Poems and photos from Lake Biwa by James Woodham spider walks the air unspooling from his being lifelines of silver where the wind takes it how light a life that’s floating shadow on the sand Santoka* walking – nothing between him and death haiku and sake gift of his whole life Santoka into the wind  ragged spirit free reeds flailed by the wind                          cry of the crow through torn cloud sun smashed on the waves                        crows hang t ..read more

Sea of Clouds (the art of change) The November sun Dazzles our faces with eyes closed The bright glow of coloured leaves Is not of this world Here, today It is another universe That looks like the world As it is Of islands, rivers, mountains, oceans A monochrome universe Emerges from the stone Expanding my mind Falling on the moss Like shooting stars The maple leaves Swept by the autumn wind Or by the gardener In the twilight From the path of Yoshida Hill I walk along the candlelight on the ground A black butterfly As big as my hand Escapes from the darkness of the undergrowth - Or is it a ba ..read more

by Ted Taylor A few years back, renowned guitarist Joshua Breakstone came up with the idea of doing some jazz and poetry nights, where local poets could join his band on stage.  We’d start in Kyoto, and if it went well, we’d try to expand it to other cities in Japan, and liaise with local creatives there.  Pandemic restrictions delayed the event for a while, but the first one was held last December, before a sold out audience.  WiK members Mayumi Kawaharada and Robert Yellin gave terrific performances.  I reflected afterward that poetry is a medium that is better spoken tha ..read more

by James Woodham comb your hair with wind let the hills flow through your eyes sun adorn your skin wind on the water wind in my hair and the crow’s  hollow notes dropping sun warm on the skin ears full of the mountain stream breathing the blue sky to be free of now as a bird takes to the air the future floating as the mountains wait for whatever comes along sun wind rain blue sky  standing on the sand for about a hundred years to be a pine tree my wife leaves some food each day before her parents’ bones graced with a greeting under buddha’s eyes tiers of fruit are perfect worlds of ..read more

(Photo by Ledger) Authors’ presentation and social event, Nov 15. Report by Felicity Tillack (photos by her unless otherwise stated) On a beautiful November Sunday afternoon in northern Kyoto city, the WiK members congregated for a special social and celebratory event.  The main reason for the gathering was to support authors whose books were published in the time of corona. As Rebecca Otowa mentioned in her talk, “Authors this year have had no publicity, no support, nothing.”  Equally enjoyable was the chance to see the beautiful home of Malcolm Ledger, and the autumn colours of th ..read more