MARTIN SHEA waking on the bridge
waking on the bridge haiku by Martin Shea
waking on the bridge Copyright 2008 by Martin Shea ISBN 978-1-893959-71-2 Red Moon Press PO Box 2461 Winchester VA 22604-1661 USA <redmoon@shentel.net> Cover Painting: John Marin, Brooklyn Bridge, 1913 Etching, 11 x 8.5 The Brooklyn Museum Used with permission A Soffietto Book ormp
waking on the bridge
less of her
moving out tomorrow their sounds now
on the wind somewhere a child, crying here
old paintdrops on the rusted fire escape summer rain
they stand in it, a doorway on the other side of the rain
visiting the house less of her there autumn
moths have come around the one light left forgotten, on
the thin dog takes up the winter sunlight onto its back
the shining
bent for stones, they stand on the shining of the sand
the shadow of my hand goes down to where the fish can feel
only the leaving things here: a small wet stone you put back down
chill on the beach shadows go in, under foam
sun on the ocean gone, with all their wide dark arms
tide s far sound... the stars have come in again to lie among the stones
the night waves down there in that same long sound rocks of the day
switching trains
part of the galaxy has gone into the dip and veer of the sea
that black rush up the night as if it could have met on the sand, with us...
stars gone, the dark a warm trembling under the rim
in the lull of the waves, for a moment
waking at night in a train on a bridge snow falling
in the tunnel the moon switched trains
out of the darkness train tracks back in
one side
when the suicide cut out that sky
freezing winds passing him by, a friend in the street
the lobsters in the fish-window have moved to one side
every head bent to it, the slanting winter rain
bolted space the lights on the corners click and change
walk s end the cold of his hand shook mine
the long night of the mannequins snow falling
terminal
moving around it, the stalk s shadow
a flame of gnats whirling on this one spot of sun
fly s legs they have their shadows too, in this late sun
the skies an old prison pass by
terminal. one far off and perfect moon
no lights out there the ones behind us gone
the planetarium doors open: we go in
the criteria
leaves that fit into the involved dark heart of it... in the grove
in the lot where nothing is now the mist
this hand moves this fog too moves
just across the hedge the moon in that world
rain in this place two cups from the same bag
sun again, in the imbecile boy-emperor s eyes
moving through the criteria a breeze.
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).
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 1-978-893959-71-2 Haiku / Poetry $12 ormp