Alan Summers is a Japan Times award-winning writer. He is the founder of Call of the Page, and editor of The Haiku Reader.
Website: www.callofthepage.org
Blog: https://area17.blogspot.com
THR: https://thehaikureader.blogspot.com
View all posts by Alan Summers
31 thoughts on “”
Alan, I love that image of sliding a kigo into the gun. Wonderful!
I didn't know if this would work but I felt it captured how a Japanese haiku writer or renku writer might feel and act. Although we cannot get close to kigo in our non-Japanese haiku and renku, we can at least attempt the flavor, and see that happens!
Great! But don't worry if you can't, as writers/poets/artists have daily deadlines and we can't make them all.
I have enough accepted work already for a fantastic first issue, though it'd be lovely to see your name there.
No worries if it doesn't happen, but if you can it's a MAXIMUM of THREE HAIKU, and only a single haiku may be accepted. So no one has more poems in an issue than another person.
Hands down the best poem I have read in a while. Breathtaking (pun intended) The image this one conjures for me is a gunmetal sky on the backdrop of a Clint Eastwood movie!
I love what you said:
"Hands down the best poem I have read in a while. Breathtaking (pun intended)."
thunder
I slide a kigo
into the gun
—ALAN SUMMERS
Yep, I guess so! Thunder (? Kaminari) is a Summer kigo:
"thunder" by itself is a kigo for all Summer, and Eastwood's Spaghetti movies seemed to be all Summer and heatwaves mostly, with a hint of thunder.
I'm still stunned how this has gone down so well, and even received an email extolling how brilliant I was, and honestly, I was blushing. But over the moon that a lot of people love it!
Blo?o Outlier Journal
Please send up to THREE haiku.
DEADLINE: Sunday 6th December ALL MIDNIGHT ZONES
Editor, Alan Summers
email: bloooutlierpress@gmail.com
If you search for:
"More than one fold in the paper: Kire, kigo, and the vertical axis of meaning in haiku by Alan Summers"
I'll see if I can get Karen to reply to you, but probably next week now, as she has M.E. and we are super busy with Call of the Page until next Monday, for a day or two! :-)
Delighted to find out that this haiku was selected for re:Virals 283 (February 2021)!
"The Haiku Foundation’s weekly poem commentary feature on some of the finest haiku ever written in English."
Alan, I love that image of sliding a kigo into the gun. Wonderful!
Wow, thanks Gregory! I continue to be fascinated by kigo, and how we might catch just a little bit in our haiku when we are not Japanese! :-)
warm regards,
Alan
Wonderful, so evocative. And the brevity!
Thank you Guy!
I didn't know if this would work but I felt it captured how a Japanese haiku writer or renku writer might feel and act. Although we cannot get close to kigo in our non-Japanese haiku and renku, we can at least attempt the flavor, and see that happens!
warm regards,
Alan
It does work, Alan. Wonderfully! Thank you for this very creative take on kigo
Thanks Jo! :-)
I wasn't sure but your words are helping! :-)
warm regards,
Alan
Brilliant! This one made me ?
marion
Wow, thanks Marion!!!
Now make my day too, and submit some work to Blo?o Outlier Journal before the next wonderful tinywords submission window opens up again! :-)
warm regards,
Alan
Shooting with poetry, Alan! ?
I will do my best. I have a few deadlines coming up over the next few weeks, so I’d better put my creative head on!
marion
Great! But don't worry if you can't, as writers/poets/artists have daily deadlines and we can't make them all.
I have enough accepted work already for a fantastic first issue, though it'd be lovely to see your name there.
No worries if it doesn't happen, but if you can it's a MAXIMUM of THREE HAIKU, and only a single haiku may be accepted. So no one has more poems in an issue than another person.
Blo?o Outlier Journal
Alan Summers, Editor
email: bloooutlierpress@gmail.com
Oh I’d love to make the first issue—hate to miss a party, Alan! :)
Fantastic!
Don't overthink, the voice and tone is a mix of upbeat, uplifting, easily accessible haiku for people new to haiku. But it can have an edge too!
Alan
Keep firing, Alan! Great ku.
Thanks Helen!
Over the moon that it's working for a number of people, great comments on Facebook too!
warm regards,
Alan
LOL
Wow, LOL aka League of Legends Support. Not sure I'm a legend, but thanks for the thought!
lol ;-)
warm regards,
Alan
Hands down the best poem I have read in a while. Breathtaking (pun intended) The image this one conjures for me is a gunmetal sky on the backdrop of a Clint Eastwood movie!
*Shots fired*
Thank you Hemapriya!
I love what you said:
"Hands down the best poem I have read in a while. Breathtaking (pun intended)."
thunder
I slide a kigo
into the gun
—ALAN SUMMERS
Yep, I guess so! Thunder (? Kaminari) is a Summer kigo:
"thunder" by itself is a kigo for all Summer, and Eastwood's Spaghetti movies seemed to be all Summer and heatwaves mostly, with a hint of thunder.
I'm still stunned how this has gone down so well, and even received an email extolling how brilliant I was, and honestly, I was blushing. But over the moon that a lot of people love it!
warm regards,
Alan
As you know, I am simple. Like it but do not fully understand. Here is my shot:
chrysanthemum
the
slowness
of
dusk
Hi Martin,
Well your verse is pretty complex you know!
But I do like it!
You should consider sending to this journal! ;-)
Blo?o Outlier Journal
Please send up to THREE haiku.
DEADLINE: Sunday 6th December ALL MIDNIGHT ZONES
Editor, Alan Summers
email: bloooutlierpress@gmail.com
My Area 17 blog article might help?
If you search for:
"More than one fold in the paper: Kire, kigo, and the vertical axis of meaning in haiku by Alan Summers"
I'll see if I can get Karen to reply to you, but probably next week now, as she has M.E. and we are super busy with Call of the Page until next Monday, for a day or two! :-)
warm regards,
Alan
Thanks!
Thanks for sending your incredible work to my new journal, I love having a haiku by you in there!
Alan
Thank You Alansama!
my face turns
sundown
cheers!
I love the brilliance of this haiku and the wonderful imagery of loading the gun with a kigo – such inspiration and beauty!
Wow, thank you so much, it's deeply appreciated.
I am still stunned that this haiku has connected to so many people.
warmest regards,
Alan
Kigo into the gun.. Wow !! What a brilliant haiku !! Bullseye ! :)
Thank you! :-)
Alan
Delighted to find out that this haiku was selected for re:Virals 283 (February 2021)!
"The Haiku Foundation’s weekly poem commentary feature on some of the finest haiku ever written in English."
Wow!
And now taken for a very prestigious haiku anthology! Wow! Thanks tinywords!
Many thanks for all the comments!
Alan