MARTIN SHEA. waking on the bridge

Transcription

1 MARTIN SHEA waking on the bridge

2

3 waking on the bridge haiku by Martin Shea

4 waking on the bridge Copyright 2008 by Martin Shea ISBN Red Moon Press PO Box 2461 Winchester VA USA Cover Painting: John Marin, Brooklyn Bridge, 1913 Etching, 11 x 8.5 The Brooklyn Museum Used with permission A Soffietto Book ormp

5 waking on the bridge

6

7 less of her

8

9 moving out tomorrow their sounds now

10 on the wind somewhere a child, crying here

11 old paintdrops on the rusted fire escape summer rain

12 they stand in it, a doorway on the other side of the rain

13 visiting the house less of her there autumn

14 moths have come around the one light left forgotten, on

15 the thin dog takes up the winter sunlight onto its back

16

17 the shining

18

19 bent for stones, they stand on the shining of the sand

20 the shadow of my hand goes down to where the fish can feel

21 only the leaving things here: a small wet stone you put back down

22 chill on the beach shadows go in, under foam

23 sun on the ocean gone, with all their wide dark arms

24 tide s far sound... the stars have come in again to lie among the stones

25 the night waves down there in that same long sound rocks of the day

26

27 switching trains

28

29 part of the galaxy has gone into the dip and veer of the sea

30 that black rush up the night as if it could have met on the sand, with us...

31 stars gone, the dark a warm trembling under the rim

32 in the lull of the waves, for a moment

33 waking at night in a train on a bridge snow falling

34 in the tunnel the moon switched trains

35 out of the darkness train tracks back in

36

37 one side

38

39 when the suicide cut out that sky

40 freezing winds passing him by, a friend in the street

41 the lobsters in the fish-window have moved to one side

42 every head bent to it, the slanting winter rain

43 bolted space the lights on the corners click and change

44 walk s end the cold of his hand shook mine

45 the long night of the mannequins snow falling

46

47 terminal

48

49 moving around it, the stalk s shadow

50 a flame of gnats whirling on this one spot of sun

51 fly s legs they have their shadows too, in this late sun

52 the skies an old prison pass by

53 terminal. one far off and perfect moon

54 no lights out there the ones behind us gone

55 the planetarium doors open: we go in

56

57 the criteria

58

59 leaves that fit into the involved dark heart of it... in the grove

60 in the lot where nothing is now the mist

61 this hand moves this fog too moves

62 just across the hedge the moon in that world

63 rain in this place two cups from the same bag

64 sun again, in the imbecile boy-emperor s eyes

65 moving through the criteria a breeze.

66 Acknowledgements on the wind Modern Haiku 35:1; old paintdrops Modern Haiku 4:3; moths have come Modern Haiku 6:1; waking at night Modern Haiku 5:2; in the tunnel Modern Haiku 4:2; when the suicide Modern Haiku 6:1; the lobsters Modern Haiku 4:3; bolted space New World Haiku 1:3; the long night Modern Haiku 4:3; fly s legs Modern Haiku 5:1; terminal Seer Ox 3; rain in this place Modern Haiku 6:3; wind Modern Haiku 6:1. In addition, moths have come, where the suicide and walk s end all appeared in across the loud stream (Seer Ox, Los Angeles 1974), and bolted space, the long night, terminal and moving all appeared in the haiku anthology, edited by Cor van den Heuvel (2 nd Edition, Fireside Books, New York 1986; 3 rd Edition W. W. Norton, New York 1999).

67

68 MARTIN SHEA was born in New York City and lived there for 30 years. In 1965 he was selected a Gilman Fellow in Writing at Johns Hopkins, and later in the decade was Director of Theatre at The Cooper Union in New York. He currently resides in Los Angeles. I loved reading through this book it feels like soft footfalls through the woods, with a strongly felt quality to the work evoked with great compositional confidence. RICHARD GILBERT Author, Poems of Consciousness... a beautiful collection, wistful, almost dream-like at times, and not without haiku humour. The section breaks pace the collection, while each section is short enough to keep the key-note in mind. Wonder s not an easy thing to do these late days of (first-phase?) Englishlanguage haiku, but Shea brings it off. And those classics really hold up. PHILIP ROWLAND Founding Editor, NOON: Journal of the Short Poem ISBN Haiku / Poetry $12 ormp