triveni spotlight A FEATURE EVERY ALTERNATE DAY! hosts: Teji Sethi and Kala Ramesh GUEST EDITOR: Michael Dylan Welch
palominos—
curve of the winter hills
in moonlight
Cherie Hunter Day Woodnotes #23, Winter 1994
About the poem:
Such beauty. We can see the patches of light and dark on the moonlit hills, perhaps of shades of snow, and feel how wonderful it is to pair this image with palominos, themselves patches of colour. Are the horses galloping on those hills, perhaps in an expression of freedom and delight? Surely yes, and we see the curve of those hills, and even the curve of the horses’ backs as they run.
Note by the Editor
Woodnotes triveni spotlight
by Michael Dylan Welch
From 1989 to 1997, in various capacities, I edited or helped to edit Woodnotes, the quarterly journal of the Haiku Poets of Northern California, and in 1996 I took on the journal independently before replacing it with my new journal Tundra. I lived in the San Francisco area for more than a dozen years and was active with HPNC from its first year in 1989 until I moved north to Seattle in 2002. Working on Woodnotes with such coeditors as vincent tripi, Ebba Story, Christopher Herold, and Paul O. Williams was a fine education in the art of haiku. The following are selections of favourite haiku and senryu from the journal’s 31 issues, with brief commentary. These poems are expressions of wonder, or as Billy Collins once described haiku, they exhibit “existential gratitude.” In return, I am deeply grateful for the thousands of poems published in Woodnotes over the years, and the hundreds of poets who contributed to the journal’s success. * * * * * This month is going to be a treat for our members. _()_ Thank you so much, Michael.
Beautiful!!
What a visual treat.
the palominos,
curve - that extends the poem to a different level
winter hills - visualising the mist and fog
moonlight - summarising the poem back to line one!
Thanks, Michael, for sharing this shimmering image poem with us. Cherrie has been one of my favorite West Coast writers for many years. Here’s another reinforcement for my respect.
I envision the ripple of those pale haunches against the roll of the winter hills. With or without snow, the color keys are just right for withered grasses in the moonlight. Simply lovely.
—Billie
Lovely haiku. And your comment is most beautifully expressed, Michael. _()_
Thank you for this one Michael. I have always loved it. The curve of the hills in moonlight and I see the curve of a palomino's back. It's plural but I only see one. So visual and atmospheric.