This Victoria Day weekend Haiku Canada (founded as the Haiku Society of Canada) will mark our 35th anniversary. Some blurry memories of our founding meeting follow:
From: Chris Faiers [mailto:zenriver@sympatico.ca]
Sent: May-07-12 1:21 AM
To: Terry Ann Carter
Subject: donation for HC silent auction
Hi Terry,
Chris the cricket here. As a founding member & longtime supporter of HC I'd
like to make a donation for the silent auction at the upcoming 35th
anniversary ...
... & can it really be 35 years??? - I remember the nervous excitement of
meeting other haiku poets for the first time in Eric Amann's small condo at
Broadview & Danforth - even think I remember where I parked. I lugged along
a 6-pack of Budweiser for protection, in case things got uncomfortable or
too stuffy. No worries - Eric, George Swede, Margaret Saunders and Marshall
Hryciuk were only to eager to share my liquid contribution : ) Memory has
faded a bit, as I'm sure a couple of other founders were there - some faces
have blurred - guess I can blame the Budweiser!
What I'd like to contribute is an 'illuminated' (illustrated with coloured
felt pens) copy of "ZenRiver: Poems & Haibun", & possibly a couple of other
spare author's copies - maybe "Crossing Lines" & "Tough Times: When the
money doesn't love us". I'll rummage thru some of my stacks & see what else
is there (oh yeah, prob. some Unfinished Monument chapbooks - I published
haiku by Marshall, maybe even a rare chapbook I published of Margaret's &
maaayyybeee even a Shaunt Basmajian book? ... be interesting to see what's
in the Unfinished Monument box!!!)
What I'm planning to do is ship the books to you for taking to the meeting.
I left TO 23 years ago, & have lost touch with most haiku people there.
Hope this is OK with you? (and congrats again on taking on the role of
Prez).
If it's OK to ship, are you still at the Stinson Ave. address?
Best wishes for a successful 35th! please give my regards to all ...
peace & poetry power!
Chris/cricket ... and Chase (still going strong at 12+ years) ...
wroooooooffffffffff!
footnote: I'll put in my 2-cents bid here for being one of the first Canadian haijin to publish collections of haiku: in 1969 I self-published two chapbooks, Cricket Formations and Guest in a Garden. Hope they're in the Haiku Canada archives somewhere. If not, following is the text of Cricket Formations, as put online about a decade ago by webmaster Weed.
Chris Faiers (home) | biography & bibliography | Eel Pie Dharma
"Cricket Formations" © Chris Faiers 1969
originally printed in England by C&O PTO, Richmond, Surrey
comments to weed@wussu.com
revised 4 December 2007
URL http://www.eelpie.org/cricket/cricket.htm
From: Chris Faiers [mailto:zenriver@sympatico.ca]
Sent: May-07-12 1:21 AM
To: Terry Ann Carter
Subject: donation for HC silent auction
Hi Terry,
Chris the cricket here. As a founding member & longtime supporter of HC I'd
like to make a donation for the silent auction at the upcoming 35th
anniversary ...
... & can it really be 35 years??? - I remember the nervous excitement of
meeting other haiku poets for the first time in Eric Amann's small condo at
Broadview & Danforth - even think I remember where I parked. I lugged along
a 6-pack of Budweiser for protection, in case things got uncomfortable or
too stuffy. No worries - Eric, George Swede, Margaret Saunders and Marshall
Hryciuk were only to eager to share my liquid contribution : ) Memory has
faded a bit, as I'm sure a couple of other founders were there - some faces
have blurred - guess I can blame the Budweiser!
What I'd like to contribute is an 'illuminated' (illustrated with coloured
felt pens) copy of "ZenRiver: Poems & Haibun", & possibly a couple of other
spare author's copies - maybe "Crossing Lines" & "Tough Times: When the
money doesn't love us". I'll rummage thru some of my stacks & see what else
is there (oh yeah, prob. some Unfinished Monument chapbooks - I published
haiku by Marshall, maybe even a rare chapbook I published of Margaret's &
maaayyybeee even a Shaunt Basmajian book? ... be interesting to see what's
in the Unfinished Monument box!!!)
What I'm planning to do is ship the books to you for taking to the meeting.
I left TO 23 years ago, & have lost touch with most haiku people there.
Hope this is OK with you? (and congrats again on taking on the role of
Prez).
If it's OK to ship, are you still at the Stinson Ave. address?
Best wishes for a successful 35th! please give my regards to all ...
peace & poetry power!
Chris/cricket ... and Chase (still going strong at 12+ years) ...
wroooooooffffffffff!
footnote: I'll put in my 2-cents bid here for being one of the first Canadian haijin to publish collections of haiku: in 1969 I self-published two chapbooks, Cricket Formations and Guest in a Garden. Hope they're in the Haiku Canada archives somewhere. If not, following is the text of Cricket Formations, as put online about a decade ago by webmaster Weed.
CRICKET FORMATIONS*********************************** Halloween a young boy in a skeleton suit Rain gray doves strung on a wire Mistletoe falling slowly fading shotgun blast *********************************** In this cove waves stirring palm frond reflections Slug pocked sign rusting testimony to a day's bad hunting Night wind flapping loose weatherproofing *********************************** Blue sea bobbing red and white lobster trap buoy Tree covered campus is this the same park I dreamed in childhood dreams? Light breeze striding across campus a thin professor *********************************** Christmas vacation tame ducks starving by the campus lake New Year's Eve moon shining on tinsel Christmas tree wake Spring sun melting children's snow fort tunnels *********************************** First spring rain mudpuddles crossing the road First green appearing buds on the new stake hedge and chameleons Bay wind blowing Coconut Grove sailboats tinkling rigging *********************************** Lobster antennas waving from the twin caves of a cement block The flower of this old tree a treehouse green garden hose spouting a rainbow *********************************** stone house the roof demolished wallpapers flowers sun Tropical gardens in rough patio stones gray sea fan fossils Cavern pool tourists watching blind fish *********************************** Easter Love-In a longhaired child handing out fruit Summer moonlight rotting on our roof a starfish Summer rented house behind closed windows a mummified frog *********************************** Yellow butterflies, flowers leaves Vine leaves pressing church window *********************************** T V A lake beneath calm water Almond City L S D these clouds reveal too much moon England sheep grazing among gravestones *********************************** Piccadilly Circus Cupid's fountain spraying hippies Mounted sailfish lining the walls of Nassau airport Luxembourg black paint on pink brick U.  . A.*********************************** Brighton Beach sharp rocks stumbling bather reveals smooth round young breasts Channel marker and perched birds pointing home Night beach lovers sharing lifeguard stands *********************************** Western version "LSD" haiku LSD the writing on every wall messages growing on every tree and in a water crystal strung sky iconic clouds shift to clearly reveal the moon *********************************** Time for Peace Poems Ceremonial Smile of the Flower Children glimpsed Shantih* lightens my mind allswell allowing a smile which remains without remembering why * Shantih, the Peace Which Passeth Understanding *********************************** Full Lotus Lethe, body resting the thin white stream released like spider strands (another of nature's soft ladders) climbing higher to its source subtly expanding Blossoms *********************************** Eyes There is something between a flower and a gem Eyes something between love and fidelity your eyes in mine eyes are both gem and flower part iris and part calcite smooth eyeball and more the yearning pupil opens to the mind where we can see into the depths of each other like the many meanings in the multi-faceted crystal the black passage opens to the eternal living eons longer than doomed diamonds and brighter than short lived color reflecting flowers Your eyes Yon eyes must be mine sometime Poetic Conclusion Aye, for we are flowers all Aye, for we are priests all Aye, for we are poets all Aye, for we are poet-priests all Aye, for we shall soon be gods All ************************************** ************************************** |
Chris Faiers (home) | biography & bibliography | Eel Pie Dharma
"Cricket Formations" © Chris Faiers 1969
originally printed in England by C&O PTO, Richmond, Surrey
comments to weed@wussu.com
revised 4 December 2007
URL http://www.eelpie.org/cricket/cricket.htm
1 comment:
Good to get a bit of zen river in those prayer flag haiku you made.
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