Better Than Starbucks
Poetry and Fiction Journal
. . . if you love diversity and creative writing in any and every form, then you’re in the right place . . .
August 2022
Vol VII No III
Published quarterly:
February, May, August,
and November.
Haiku
with Kevin McLaughlin
Haiku Mind Redux
Haiku is the only form of poetry that emphasizes the direct awakening of mind to nature. This is an ineffable trait that defines a great haiku. It is a quality of spiritual development that can be practiced by any religion or philosophy. It is a recognition of the absolute nonduality of the world. Writing haiku on a regular basis breaks down the ego so that the difference between subject and object vanishes. This awakening can happen to anybody at any time. The result will be a three-line poem, perhaps with 17 syllables, which affirms the sacred quality of existence. Superb haiku penetrates beyond the intellectual mind, joining words with an intuitive understanding that places the poet in a temporary state of Sanctifying Grace, Buddha Mind, or any other description that transcends the ordinary senses. It is words to get beyond words.
Haiku reveals the thing-in-itself, a distilled image that can be appreciated in many different ways. In one sense, haiku is a variety of benevolent pantheism. And it forms a bond between the poet and the reader, for reading one can be as rewarding as writing one. Once a haiku has been written, it belongs to everyone, not just the poet.
Kevin McLaughlin
Dianne Moritz, a former teacher, is a children's poet and picture book author. Her haiku is inspired by nature and the beautiful beaches near her home in Southampton, New York.
ospreys perch
high above the beach
searching for prey
meteor showers
exploding in the night sky
nature’s fireworks
Dianne Moritz
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Christina Chin of Malaysia must practice mindfulness throughout the day.
I sit in meditation
but my mind goes
out for a walk
first tiny steps
on tippy toes
magnolia blossoms
(Magnolia’s upright blossoms resemble little ballerinas.)
wake-up call
the bulbul’s piercing melody
sharp and clear
whistling warbler
a few white blossoms
on her cleavage
Christina Chin
Phil Huffy writes early and often at his kitchen table.
snow slinks away
as muddy yards
wait their turn
reflections
disguise the pond
but for ripples
(Give this haiku a second read.)
by the garage
spring’s first chipmunk
glances cautiously
Phil Huffy
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Diana Teneva of Bulgaria has had her poetry translated into many languages.
misty morning
I can feel droplets
on my face
(What may seem commonplace connects us to the universe. Our atoms merge with the mist.)
Summer morning
mist envelopes the blue heron —
there’s a mystery!
Diana Teneva
Ogedengbe Tolulope is an award-winning Nigerian poet and has been published extensively. Clearly, he is an active leader in the Afriku movement.
by the creeks of the Niger
father's gravestone . . .
just before the sea
(Beautiful poem, and very moving.)
early morning
birds race the sky
nature's reunion
village river . . .
the goddess's teeth
on white bricks
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Ogedengbe Tolulope
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Fruitful Ayobami is a Nigerian engineer and writer. He continues the great tradition of the Afriku.
cupped hands . . .
I sip the songs
of night birds
(A unique interplay of the senses.)
mother
spreading her clothes outside —
early morning sun
Fruitful Ayobami
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Sterling Warner, author, poet, and educator, has been widely published, including in Danse Macabre.
long black digits spread
cerulean fingernails
scratch icy windows
dragonfly sprinklers
rainbows chasing waterdrops
dual wings dart, dip
(Some of the best haiku, like this verse, arise from the rigidity of the form combined with the freedom of poetry.)
frost covered walkway
daffodils push though loose dirt
makeshift hovels shake
Sterling Warner
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S. Denny resides in San Angelo, Texas, and is a graduate of the University of Texas. Mr. Denny is very much a master of the classical style.
much to contemplate
broken things and memories;
purple thistle bloom
a boat-tail grackle
casting sheen of purple-green;
black contradiction
bronze urn and ashes
memories, unfinished dreams;
sleeping now alone
S Denny
Winston Widjaja Lin is a gaysian American of Indonesian and Taiwanese heritage.
swaying dock,
clear sea and sky:
give clarity
(That first line conveys the clarity of the third line. Feel that swaying.)
o, the grains’
trustworthy touch
protecting sand
the older trees
with rings and sturdiness —
lifelong lesson
Winston Widjaja Lin
Joe Sebastian of Bangalore, India, is a post-grad student in Political Science. He serves in the Government of India as Principal Commissioner of Income Tax.
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pond landing
the heron rearranges
the clouds
where her ashes dropped
now blooming, his
favourite cacti
(Mr. Sebastian holds out the interpenetration of all things in a semi-mystical poem.)
hen’s murmuration
the drone of a
rookie monk’s prayer
Joe Sebastian
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Peter Prizel of Bedford Hills, New York, is a social worker at a nursing home specializing in end-of-life care.
Tibetan singing bowl
freeing the mind
a cloudless sky
Peter Prizel
Jerome Berglund of Minneapolis has written a seasonal piece worthy of any collection of winter haiku.
snowfall is hardest
to contend with when it comes
upon one slowly
Jerome Berglund
Zachary Joseph Garcia is a Navy veteran and is studying English and Film at Baylor University in Texas.
How the crane ascends
Like Enoch into Heaven
To greet the pink moon
(This haiku seamlessly integrates with the poetic supernatural.)
Zachary Joseph Garcia
Teague McKamey lives with his wife in Washington State. The third line conveys profound loss and emptiness.
The pond is seized by
icy rigor, dead to wind,
and bereft of swans.
Teague McKamey
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Sarah Calvello lives in San Francisco, where she senses transparency without consistency.
One of those nights
Where the moon seems to be looking
For a new curve
(Grateful acceptance for the impermanence of the moon’s phases.)
Looking out
Transparency without consistency
Leaves are falling
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Sarah Calvello
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Anthony Dimatteo recently published a much-acclaimed book of poems, In Defense of Puppets. Feel the power of that third line.
Listen — someone there?
Turn to look, only a few
trees grasping at stars.
Anthony Dimatteo
Keith McCaughin earned an MS in Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins. Mr. McCaughin writes in a 3-5-3 syllabic format.
november
golden fans flutter
gingko strips
siren moans
into dead silence
great gate raped
last year’s doves
feed at my feet in
periwinkle
Keith McCaughin
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Max Gutmann has contributed to dozens of publications, including Frogpond.
syntax of birdsong,
making of the man’s wise words
monotone nonsense
Max Gutmann
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Daya Bhat is from Bangalore, India. She strides across the cosmos . . . awake.
butterfly —
cosmos to cosmos
the shifting axis
winter mist
on fresh patchouli
I dream of home
nightingale leaves
the crescendo —
missing notes
Daya Bhat
Frank X. Christmas studied journalism and writing at Northeastern University, and theology with a retired Jesuit.
briny sand
under wintry skies —
horizon’s promise
the sounded shore
the boundless sea—
distant foghorns
littered shores
of broken shells —
perfect footmarks
(Perfect juxtaposition.)
Frank X. Christmas
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Douglas J. Lanzo resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with his wife and twin boys. Mr. Lanzo, a lawyer by trade, is an extensively published poet.
sakura snow
scent of cherries
melting away
spitting snake
the sparkle and pop
of autumn fire
(Observe carefully how the first two lines enhance one another.)
silver lining
enraptured mayflies
drawn to moonlight
clouds swirl
below sandstone peaks
towering tests of time
coloring our trail
red-breasted bluebirds
dot morning melody
parting clouds
dappled river otter
soaks in rolling sun
Douglas J. Lanzo
Haiku is best written in a still, quiescent state. It is in this state when we are able to catch life as it flows. When our minds are closed to awareness, we are trapped in a self-constructed Ghost Cave.
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Kevin McLaughlin
Featured
Yet once more I encourage all haiku writers to share their work, their insights into the nature of all things, with fellow poets and BTS readers.
For those interested in haiku, I recommend you cast back into the BTS archives and reference the September 2016 column.
It provides a pretty thorough explanation of the basic format.
—Kevin Mclaughlin
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