by James Woodham flat out on the grasscoming down as deep as dreams –the seeds of freedom the lake concealinga million lives, another worldso the mind dreams afternoon so slowit feels like the sun has stoppedclouds just hanging orb of the moon hungin a sky of palest bluepink tinge on the hills ducks glide sereneon …Read More
Tag: James Woodham (Page 1 of 2)
Poems and photos from Lake Biwa by James Woodham spider walks the airunspooling from his beinglifelines of silver where the wind takes ithow light a life that’s floatingshadow on the sand Santoka* walking –nothing between him and deathhaiku and sake gift of his whole lifeSantoka into the wind ragged spirit free reeds flailed by the wind …Read More
by James Woodham comb your hair with windlet the hills flow through your eyessun adorn your skin wind on the waterwind in my hair and the crow’s hollow notes dropping sun warm on the skinears full of the mountain streambreathing the blue sky to be free of nowas a bird takes to the airthe future floating …Read More
Poems and Images by James Woodham clouds of illusionchanging slowly as the skysculptures of the wind insubstantial moonon a canvas of pure bluethe faintest brushwork try painting rainbows! for a moment it was there now just a memory …Read More
The Wind’s Word (all photos by the author) intricate scripture – each leaf’s quiver the wind’s word on a page of air snail on his way down the rain soaked road easy grace of line shadows of bamboo score a melody of wind on the old stone wall crow carries its cry to the heights …Read More
A SINGLE THREADJames Woodham a single threadthe spider’s leaving light travelling along it breeze sliding it back a whiteness of wings –from the shore a heron liftsaway on water *********** egret takes to airwingtips grazing the lakegliding on shadow *********** a piece of the dusk breaks off and takes to the airbecoming heron leaves hardly movingfrom the depths of the blue …Read More
Way Back When On my doorstep happy as an utter fool I gaze at Mount Hira. Wind in the arms of the May-leaved trees, a chill on my skin. I think of Cid Corman and a friend who knows Gary Snyder cloud on the mountain. Wind soughing the leaves, a drop of rain now the …Read More
red-breasted, wings dull blue picking the way before me bird I cannot name grey clouds, grey water egret spreads grey wings to fly the evening settles calligraphic sky – soft pinks, grey pastel smudges the lake reflecting smell of fresh cut grass – the crushed stems sweet as summer …Read More
A collection of poetic images by James Woodham. (For an earlier posting of James’s rendering of Lake Biwa in poetry and photography, please see here.) ****** papers on the desk blown by the wind that blows leaves on the hillside now ****** Plato’s ideas – discussion suddenly stopped by windborn blossoms ****** the baby mantis, …Read More
The Beach in Winter Yaki soba/tako yaki sign spins outside the closed shop. Pine tree leans, dropped needles rusted. Sparrows flung from a tree. Ducks disappear between waves. The fishing boat moves deeper. ******************* Beachcombing A leaf, red stalk and veins and on it still – gold glinting now – the shower remains. **************** Reds, …Read More
WiK Writing Competition
Eighth Annual Writing Competition Winners (2023)
Previous years:
Seventh Annual Writing Competition Winners (2022)
WiK Anthologies
The Nature of Kyoto (2023)
Eds. Lisa Twaronite Sone & Robert Weis
Foreword by Pico Iyer
Structures of Kyoto (2021)
Eds: Rebecca Otowa & Karen Lee Tawarayama
Foreword by Judith Clancy
Encounters with Kyoto (2019)
Eds: Jann Williams & Ian Josh Yates
Foreword by Juliet Winters Carpenter
Echoes (2017)
Eds: John Dougill, Amy Chavez, & Mark Richardson
Preface by Alex Kerr
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