I became interested in haiku when one evening on PBS I saw then Poet Laureate Robert Hass read from his book of translations of the haiku of Basho, Buson, and Issa Those breath-long poems were a revelation and I was baptized that night in the old pond.

Haiku for me have been more discovery and a way of living than creation. The following introduction to my first collection, mosquitoes and moonlight, published in 1999 still holds:

The title haiku:

rusty screen door—

letting in mosquitoes

and moonlight

was chosen as such because of my admiration for its subject. It embodies my aspirations as a haiku poet: that continued openness to nature and her seasons will corrode the barriers between subject and object, leaving me ever more permeable, less discriminatory, and more receptive to the wonder of all existence.

It’s a real honor to be invited to participate in Tom’s haiku project. I hope there are a few you will enjoy.