Alaska Haiku Society Cindy's Page

Haiku by Cindy, Haiga Artist: Kuniharu Shimizu

CINDY'S PAGE

HAIKU BY

CINDY ZACKOWITZ

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Haiku by Cindy, Haiga Artist: Kuniharu Shimizu

In addition to the haiku shared by Cindy below, more of her work can be found by clicking the Recent Work button -- as well as on Serge Tome's tempes libre/free times, and in many back issues of The Heron's Nest.

Cindy at Exit Glacier Near Anchorage

I came to haiku from a need to express my love of nature. My 2nd Grade class had written some during a study of Japan, as had my 6th. By 1997 when I felt led to poetry I was left with the vague memory that syllables and nature were important but not much else. I was sure though that haiku was the outlet I was looking for if I could just figure out how to go about it.

I turned to the internet for information and after lurking long enough to learn the basics of haiku and the customs of the group joined the Shiki mailing list (which is now the Nobo list). It opened up a whole new world. The critiques were invaluable as were book discussions and debates on subjects such as kigo.

Not all states have large Haiku Society of America memberships. The HSA, though, provides a wonderful opportunity for all haijin to communicate through the newsletter and at regional conferences. The HSA haiku journal Frogpond, too, is a great way for haijin to know they are not alone in their efforts. Feedback, especially when a poet is just starting, is invaluable.

midbridge -- bits of fish and a feather		thin ice spread across the shallows -- a lingering swan
new coolness -- a goose feather on the outhouse floor		woodpecker -- the silence when my shadow touches the tree
cold rain -- a moth clings to the front door		the thin shadow of a broken street lamp -- winter moon
first light -- guessing the depth of overnight snow		baby spiders swarm around a knothole -- summer drizzle
gloomy morning-- a worm follows the oil slick down the gutter		spring haze -- a whiff of spruce from the avalanche debris

Credits for Cindy's haiku: midbridge (Frogpond XXII:2); thin ice spread (Modern Haiku XXXI:2, 2000); new coolness (Frogpond XXIV:2); woodpecker (Frogpond XII:3); cold rain (Acorn 4, 2000); the thin shadow (Acorn 8, 2002); first light (The Heron's Nest IV:7, 2002); baby spiders (The Heron's Nest IV:10, 2002); gloomy morning (The Heron's Nest IV:11, 2002); spring haze (The Heron's Nest V: 6, 2003)