Mr. Library Man/Moon City

Last week I sent 1 1/2 kilogram Canada Post mailing boxes to Nicky Drumbolis of Letters Bookshop and Vicki McCullough of the Haiku Canada archives committee. This is one of the final unloadings of over half a century of collecting small press poetry stuff, and it feels good to have a new home for all this material. 

While filling their boxes I came across many memories, including two broadsheets of my haiku circa 1988 - 1990. This was when I quit my clerical job with Toronto Public Library and moved to Cordova Mines on the edge of the Kawartha Lakes to live closer to nature. Some of the haiku/senryu are pretty damn good, so here are my selections.


from Mr. Library Man*:

first year in the library
   I pierce my ear

5 years in the library
     A tattoo!

the talkative patron
we hide in the workroom

so cold
I don’t want to lock
the night book drop

again he renews
The Joy of Sex

books on incest
bruised young eyes

from Moon City**:

on my birthday
swimming alone

list after list
income and expenses:
writing full-time

big spiders
share the bathroom
cool

Sunday night
cars speeding
back to the city

drinking rye
and writing book reviews
deep blue dusk

It was interesting digging out and re-reading these old broadsheets. I've highlighted the three haiku/senryu I found especially good.

*Mr. Library Man was a Haiku Canada broadsheet produced circa 1988

**Moon City was produced in1989 by Mark McCawley withGreeensleeve Publishing