issn 1945-8886 [print] issn 1945-8894 [digital] - prune … · · 2012-01-18issn 1945-8886...

ISSN 1945-8886 [Print] ISSN 1945-8894 [Digital]

Issue 2 Summer 2009

Edited by

Alexis Rotella

MODERN ENGLISH TANKA PRESSPost Office Box 43717, Baltimore, Maryland 21236 USA www.themetpress.com [email protected]

Prune Juice: Journal of Senryu and Kyoka

Issue 2 - Summer 2009Copyright © 2009 by Modern English Tanka Press.

Front cover art Copyright © 2008 by Alexis Rotella.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may bereproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanicalmeans including information storage and retrieval systemswithout permission in writing from the publisher, except

by reviewers and scholars who may quote up to six poems.

Prune Juice: Journal of Senryu and Kyoka, a biannual print anddigital journal, is dedicated to publishing and promoting

fine senryu and kyoka in English. Send all submissions andeditorial correspondence to: [email protected]

Prune Juice: Journal of Senryu and KyokaIssue 2 - Summer 2009

Published by Modern English Tanka Press

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.2009.

Print Edition ISSN 1945-8886Digital Edition ISSN1945-8894 [PDF & HTML versions]

www.themetpress.com/prunejuicejournal/

Dedicated to the memory of

Paul O. Williams

Notes: The following kyoka by Alan Pizzarelli should have

appeared in five lines, not separated into two verses:

this warm

february day

is only a tease –

mother nature lifting her skirt

above her knees

Alan’s “well worn ruts” was the choka (see pages 8-81 of

Issue l).

Editor’s Note (A Chinese Five-Element Perspective)

Senryu and haiku are two sides of the same coin

reflecting the two sides of the moon. While one side

reflects our idiosyncracies, the other focuses on

Nature. While they might share shape and size,

energetically the forms are different. While haiku are

upper-chakra centered, senryu usually reflect the

energy of the lower chakras, namely, the sacrum, sexual

and solar plexus. Many think senryu have to be

scatological or pertaining to the first two energetic

centers. Senryu, especially when they fall into the

“psychological haiku” arena, can resonate at the heart

and perhaps upwards, but not usually. Sometimes it’s

hard to categorize one or the other because both

genres meet at the area of our equator, or waist.

Psychological haiku often fall into this category, also

known as “serious senryu.”

In Chinese five element philosophy, the lungs and

colon are considered sister and brother relating to the

metal (or air) element, or realm of the spirit. The lungs

receive the energy of heaven or inspiration which relate

more to haiku, as haiku in general have a more refined

quality. Haiku have a “higher” energy but that doesn’t

mean “better.”

Senryu, in general, often have a cleansing effect. They

can release tension (or create it). They can be comical

or shed light on the shadow we prefer not to see or

write about. Just as the job of the large intestine is to

rid the body of waste, it also has other functions such

5

as mineralization. In fact, the metal element relates to

gems that are found underground while lungs, the

organs of breath, allude more to jewels. It has been

said that Heaven materializes inside earth through

gems giving our planet its spiritual quality. If we as

humans didn’t have sufficient minerals, we wouldn’t

survive, nor would anything else on our planet.

Minerals are responsible for our juiciness, the body

electric.

The metal element also relates to networking,

electricity, connecting. We all want to be inspired—

inspiration is that unseen juice, or chi, that gives life

meaning. The other side of inspiration is grief. When

we feel disconnected from Spirit or from each other,

we grieve and thus find ways to feel inspired so that we

may move on. Haiku can definitely offer inspiration as

it imparts to us the beauty of Nature, but humorous

senryu can offer what few psychologists can.

Senryu is a way of connecting with the human race.

Senryu can be gossip—a way of sharing information

with and about each other. Or it may just be a way of

reporting about the condition of the human race and

the drama we encounter or witness everyday.

Humor is cleansing; it’s necessary. Take the Dali Lama

as a case in point. The guy is often heard joking even

though he carries the burden of the Tibetan people on

his shoulders. And then there’s the legendary Jewish

sense of humor—a survival tool indeed.

Perhaps writing senryu is a way to improve our haiku

6

—it clears the channels, cuts away dead wood,

removes the dross. More of you seem to be developing

your sense of senryu; it’s a form that is finally catching

on. Without senryu to balance haiku, it would be a dry

world.

An an added bonus, senryu can prime the pump for

better haiku because, in following the laws of Nature,

the old must be removed before the new can manifest.

As we move through the Kali Yuga, we’re going to

need to let go of how things are—the earth is going

through big changes as are we. For those of you who

follow astrology, when Pluto entered Capricorn a short

while ago, the structures we counted upon (like banks

and other institutions) started to crumble. As Wall

Street executives turn to shamanism and meditation

practices to keep their wits —maybe they’ll turn to

senryu. Stranger things are happening, like the prospect

of poets being invited to the White House and an

organic garden on the White House lawn.

—Alexis Rotella

7

Issue 2 - Summer 2009

Steve Addiss

9

PRUNE JUICE: Journal of Senryu and Kyoka

Steve Addiss

the eminent archeologist

excavates

his nose

10


Steve Addiss

prepping for

a colonoscopy—

12-tone sonata

11


Steve Addiss

how sharper

than a serpent’s tooth—

the soprano

12


Anonymous

My computer

the only thing I cannot bribe

with cookies

13


an’ya

turkey vulture

the old woman’s shoulders

in the mirror

14


an’ya

produce box

a banana spider

far from home

15


Colin Barber

the scent

of new leather chairs

in the meeting room

we talk about

budget cuts

16


Roberta Beary

reading huck finn

i imagine a raft

of runaway wives

17


Roberta Beary

after the eucharist

la cucaracha ringtone

18


Roberta Beary

brunch buffet

she helps herself

to my husband

19


Roberta Beary

web designer

husband and lovers share

the same template

20


Roberta Beary

graveside service

the smug smile

of the ex-wife

21


Roberta Beary

german class

all the men

big and blond

22


Roberta Beary

class reunion

the surprise

of her cleavage

23


Roberta Beary

at the wake

dad’s irish tweed cap

on my sister’s ex

24


Roberta Beary

alzheimer’s wing

her philanderer husband’s

empty bed

25


Roberta Beary

open casket

the drama school teacher’s

final role

26


Helen Buckingham

taxi stand

the man in a rabbit suit

fumbles for his watch

27


Miriam Chaikin

gesturing, pointing

laughing with locals

while abroad

—the happiness

of no common language

28


Miriam Chaikin

they leap up

on the bus

offering age

a seat

I’m no longer me

29


Miriam Chaikin

moon here, not here

always there

30


Miriam Chaikin

chef hastens

to cut off

tail of new beet

too much

like a mouse

31


Miriam Chaikin

people on park benches

once ate sandwiches

for lunch

today

they munch on cell phones

32


Carlos Colon

sick day

she hitches up

the Evinrude

33


Carlos Colon

stimulus package

two crisp dollar bills

to a homeless man

34


William Cullen, Jr.

flirting florist

she shows me

her venus flytrap

35


William Cullen, Jr.

repairman

on the telephone pole

talks on his cell

36


William Cullen, Jr.

skywriting

ZERO MONEY DOWN

the long soup line

37


William Cullen, Jr.

groceries

a seat belt

around the beer

38


Curtis Dunlap

a text message

from my wife

in the next room—

the distance between us

widening

39


Curtis Dunlap

smoking

has stolen

her angelic voice

and with it

a piece of my heart

40


Curtis Dunlap

that poor birch tree

scarred with our initials

decades ago . . .

how I wish someone

would chop it down

41


Curtis Dunlap

funeral procession—

the town drunk tips

his tattered hat

42


Stanford M. Forrester

giving it to the guy

who cut me off—

middle-finger mudra

43


Denis M. Garrison

proud poet—

rips out the page with his verse,

throws the journal out

44


Denis M. Garrison

teardrop breasts—

it’s her eyes that draw me

like a moth to flame

45


Denis M. Garrison

after it’s gone

the train’s song lingers

in singing rails

46


Denis M. Garrison

the mortician

applies baby powder—

“dust to dust”

47


Denis M. Garrison

black bear

up a downtown tree

ringed by yellow tape

48


LeRoy Gorman

tight shorts

it takes balls

to be a tenor

49


LeRoy Gorman

drunk the water cooler burps

50


LeRoy Gorman

the psychiatrist’s view

a park where squirrels

get nuts

51


Sanford Goldstein

musical

are his friend’s

farts

some in B flat

some in F sharp

52


Sanford Goldstein

after

the back-row

question,

the pencil in the prof’s mouth

breaks

53


Sanford Goldstein

again

changing

his loincloth

for tomorrow’s

enemy

*It was a Japanese custom for soldiers fighting in China

to wear a clean loincloth in case killed, for they

wouldn’t want to embarrass their country.

54


C. William Hinderliter

winter solstice

visiting dad

at the graveyard

even now

I find nothing to say

55


Melinda Hipple

divorce papers

the smiley-face cup

leaves a ring

56


Jim Kacian

local wine . . .

the easy flow

of tongues

57


M. Kei

Pizzarelli,

your name is a deli,

so I fill my belly

in Canyon de Chelly

with your Pizzarelli!

58


M. Kei

how many times

has the washing machine

walked towards the door,

never quite making

its escape?

59


M. Kei

the cat’s motto:

sleep and let sleep

60


M. Kei

though we’ve never met,

I miss him, Mr. Right

61


M. Kei

Tolchester Beach

the white sails

of pleasure boats

in Baltimore’s smog

on a sunny afternoon

62


M. Kei

wrong way

down a one way street

“Didn’t you see the arrow?”

Hell, I didn’t even see

the Indian

63


M. Kei

people rushing

to and fro,

something has to

occupy their minds,

but what?

64


Gary LeBel

‘Stupid idiot’

is not what I recall was written

on my birth certificate, dear.

65


Angela Leuck

swearing off dating

I attend a gay party

& meet

the single

straight male friend

66


Bob Lucky

30th reunion

no grandchildren

to speak of

67


Bob Lucky

one-night stand

a single teacup

set for breakfast

68


Bob Lucky

put some life into it,

the director shouts

at Marley’s ghost

69


Scott Mason

ophthamologist’s office

every diploma

askew

70


Scott Mason

on his front stoop

a neighbor communes

with his laptop

71


Thomas James Martin

Hollywood movies

the moon

always full

72


Mac Miller

body builder

working out

abs nauseum

73


Michael McClintock

cock in his hands,

the proud chicken rancher

strides onto the fair grounds

74


Michael McClintock

the farther up

the window shade they crawl

the closer the ants

come to finding the grey peas

the baby tossed with her spoon

75


Michael McClintock

cycling

around the park

smoking

nonchalantly

in my pyjamas

76


Michael McClintock

the pound puppy

eyes that ripped

my soul

sleeps in the middle

of the bed tonight

77


Michael McClintock

can it be

you don’t like me

any more

Miss Nose

in a book?

78


Michael McClintock

that strawberry sundae

you eat with such gusto—

get out of here,

leave me alone,

go away

79


Jeremy Pendrey

haircut

the stylist flirts

with my son

80


Jeremy Pendrey

lunch alone

lotus stems drift

in my soup

81


Stephen A. Peters

seeing my friend’s

sister again

her name is now Jim

82


Stephen A. Peters

alone at the bar

past her prime

me too

83


Linda Pilarski

summer night . . .

he tells me

it’s like trying on shoes

84


Linda Pilarski

they sip

from the same straw . . .

his cane between them

85


Patrick M. Pilarski

the family gathers . . .

it was supposed to be

her birthday

86


Alan Pizzarelli

all night long

I put up with your snoring

then I fart & it’s a BIG deal!

87


Alan Pizzarelli

The drunk

lets the butterfly

lead the way

88


Alan Pizzarelli

Now that I’ve grown old

and senile

I can watch

the same movie

for the first time

89


Alan Pizzarelli

bored

in my lonely room

a naked woman

walked in

and that took care of that!

90


Patricia Prime

two ambulance men

pulling on white gloves

slide a body

into the waiting van—

a film crew at work

91


Bruce Ross

New Year’s Eve

the beggar again

in the chocolatier

92


Robert F. Rotella

He breaks wind

for a living—

tuba player.

93


Alexis Rotella

94


Alexis Rotella

The farmer

hitting on me . . .

earful of sweet corn.

95


Alexis Rotella

From the pulpit

the minister

shouts

The juice of the prune

shall set thee free!

96


Alexis Rotella

Ben’s Chili Bowl—

Obama

ate here . . .

maybe

George Washington too.

97


Alexis Rotella

Give me two cows

and make em’ cry

yells the waitress

to the fry cook

in the diner.

hamburgers with onions

98


Alexis Rotella

With each step

louder the sound of a rattler

and then I remember

in my pocket

the packet of lettuce seeds.

99


Alexis Rotella

Our first and only date

I knew something

wasn’t right

as he raved on and on

about my china pattern.

100


Alexis Rotella

She could use

a good editor—

chatterbox

101


Stanley Siceloff

dentist chair

dreaming the masked hygienist

is a harem girl

102


Billy Simms

so many questions

I can’t answer

why does the dentist ask

while cleaning

my teeth

103


André Surridge

not quite house-trained

her kitten goes behind

the lounge bar. . .

wees in a margarita glass

without spilling a drop

104


André Surridge

keeping my promise

I diligently water all your

house plants

whilst you’re away

including the plastic lilies

105


James Tipton

In the auditorium

loud with teenagers

one old man sits

with a ten-year-old boy—

their first rock concert!

106


Charles Trumbull

new woman in Accounting:

her corn-rowed hair

107


robert d. wilson

your voice, girl,

could have been a

spider monkey’s

108

Biographical Notes

Stephen Addiss is a scholar-artist at the University ofRichmond who is a well known calligraphic artist.

Anonymous is a champion chess player and lives in Boulder,Colorado.

an’ya is editor of moonset literary newspaper.

Roberta Beary received the William Carlos Williams FinalistAward (PSA) for her book, The Unworn Necklace (SnapshotPress).

Colin Barber lives in Marion, Arkansas and maintains apersonal website at http://collinbarber.com.

Helen Buckingham from Bristol, England is a member ofthe British Haiku Society.

Miriam Chaikin is a former editor and writer of books foryoung readers who now writes poetry.

Carlos Colon, a Louisiana poet, has authored elevenchapbooks.

William Cullen, Jr. lives in Brooklyn with his wife andfellow poet, Brenda Gannam.

Curtis Dunlap is a North Carolina poet who blogs alongTobacco Road http://tobaccoroadpoet.blogspot.com.

Stanford M. Forrester is editor of bottle rockets: a collection ofshort verse.

109

Denis M. Garrison is a prolific poet who lives by theChesapeake Bay in Maryland where he owns and managesModern English Tanka Press.

Sanford Goldstein is a renowned tanka poet who lives inJapan.

Leroy Gorman lives in Napanee, Ontario and is editor ofHaiku Canada Review.

C. William Hinderliter lives in Phoenix and is a graduate ofArizona State University and The University of Arizona.

Melinda Hipple, former editor of Up the Creek News is fromthe heartland of Kansas.

Jim Kacian is founder of The Haiku Foundation and ownerof Red Moon Press.

M. Kei is editor-in-chief of Take Five: Best ContemporaryTanka.

Gary LeBel has been published in the haiku, haibun, haigaand tanka genres.

Angela Leuck is the Vice President of Haiku Canada.

Bob Lucky, known for his kyoka humor, lives with hisfamily in Hangzhou, China.

Scott Mason is a member of the Spring Street Haiku Groupin New York City.

Thomas James Martin, a retired technical writer, lives inBeaverton, Oregon.

110

Mac Miller resides in New Zealand where he exhibits his artphotography.

Michael McClintock, a Fresnoite, is President of TheTanka Society of America.

Jeremy Pendrey lives with his wife and two children in theSan Francisco area.

Stephen A. Peters lives in the Pacific Northwest--Bellingham, Washington.

Linda Pilarski is a Canadian resident and co-editor of DailyHaiga.

Patrick M. Pilarski lives in Edmonton, Canada where heco-edits Daily Haiga.

Alan Pizzarelli is senryu editor for Simply Haiku and residesin New Jersey.

Patricia Prime is co-editor of the New Zealand haikumagazine Kokako.

Bruce Ross is a humanities educator who lives in Maine.

Alexis Rotella’s Elvis in Black Leather was just released byModern English Tanka Press.

Robert F. Rotella is a patent attorney who proudly wearshis NASA hat.

Stanley Siceloff is a member of the North Carolina HaikuSociety.

111

Billy Simms is a special education teacher who lives in Ohiowith his wife and two cats.

André Surridge, well known for his tanka, lives inHamilton, New Zealand.

James Tipton’s Proposing to the Woman in the Rear View Mirrorwas just released by Modern English Tanka Press.

Charles Trumbull is editor of the long lived journal, ModernHaiku.

robert d. wilson, author of Jack Fruit Moon, is Owner/Managing Editor of Simply Haiku and lives in the Republicof The Phillipines.

112

Also from MODERN ENGLISH TANKA PRESS

A Poetic Guide to an Ancient Capital: A izu Yaichi and the C ity of

Nara ! Michael F. Marra

E lvis In B lack Leather ! Tanka by A lexis Rotella

The Stream Singing Your Name ! Tanka and Sijo Jean LeBlanc

Streetlights: Poetry of Urban Life in Modern English Tanka !

Michael McClintock & Denis M. Garrison, eds.

Take Five: Best Contem porary Tanka ! Anthology. M. Kei,

Sanford Goldstein, Pam ela A. Babusci, Patricia Prim e, Bob Lucky

& Kala Ram esh, Eds.

All the Horses of Heaven ! tanka by James Tipton

Blue N ight & the inadequacy of long-stem m ed roses with The

Tem perature of Love (2 Ed.) ! Larry K im m elnd

Tanka from the Edge ! Miriam Sagan

Jack Fruit Moon ! Robert D. W ilson

Meals at Midnight ! Poem s by Michael McClintock

Lilacs After W inter ! Francis Masat

Proposing to the W om an in the Rear V iew Mirror ! Haiku &

Senryu by Jam es Tipton.

Abacus: Prose poem s, haibun & short poem s ! Gary LeBel

Looking for a Prince ! Senryu & Kyoka by A lexis Rotella

The Tanka Prose Anthology ! Jeffrey W oodward, Ed.

Greetings from Luna Park ! Sedoka, Jam es Roderick Burns

In Two Minds ! Tanka by Am elia Fielden and Kathy K ituai

An Unknown Road ! Haiku by Adelaide B. Shaw

Slow Motion: The Log of a Chesapeake Bay Skipjack ! M. Kei

Ash Moon Anthology: Poem s on Aging in Modern English Tanka

! A lexis Rotella & Denis M. Garrison, Eds.

Fire B lossom s: The Birth of Haiku Noir ! Denis M. Garrison

Cigarette Butts and Lilacs: tokens of a heritage ! Tanka by

Andrew Riutta

Sailor in the Rain and Other Poem s ! Denis M. Garrison

Four Decades on My Tanka Road: Tanka Collections of Sanford

Goldstein ! Sanford Goldstein. Fran W itham , Ed.

this hunger, tissue-thin: new & selected tanka 1995–2005 ! Larry

Kim m el

Jun Fujita, Tanka Pioneer ! Denis M. Garrison, Ed.

Landfall: Poetry of P lace in Modern English Tanka ! Denis M.

Garrison and Michael McClintock, Eds.

Lip Prints: Tanka/ Short Poem s 1979-2007 ! A lexis Rotella

Ouch: Senryu That B ite ! Alexis Rotella

Eavesdropping: Seasonal Haiku ! Alexis Rotella

Five Lines Down: A Landm ark in English Tanka ! Denis M.

Garrison, Ed.

Sixty Sunflowers: TSA Mem bers’ Anthology 2006-2007 ! Sanford

Goldstein, Ed.

The Dream ing Room : Modern English Tanka in Collage and

Montage Sets ! Michael McClintock and Denis M. Garrison, Eds.

The Salesm an’s Shoes ! Tanka, Jam es Roderick Burns

Hidden River ! Haiku by Denis M. Garrison

The Five-Hole Flute: Modern English Tanka in Sequences and

Sets ! Denis M. Garrison and Michael McClintock, Eds.

Journals

! Modern English Tanka ! Atlas Poetica ! Modern Haiga !! Am brosia ! Prune Juice ! Modern Haibun & Tanka Prose !

! Concise Delight !

issn 1945-8886 [print] issn 1945-8894 [digital] - prune … · · 2012-01-18issn 1945-8886...

Documents