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: poetry (Page 1 of 2)
Jann WilliamsMay 14, 2023 A yellow caterpillar inspires poetry, a heart is opened, elusive scents are pursued, the sense of touch is playfully explored, a TikTok video is born, lives are changed. These instinctive and creative responses were evoked by an invitation to discover the beauty and wonder of nature, amidst the verdant forest foliage …Read More
by Preston Keido Houser The dharma of natural laws Initiate a sublime conclusion: “No cause, no cause.”* Zen sermons for all their flaws Frame an eloquent elocution The dharma of natural laws To escape ideological claws One source of absolution: “No cause, no cause.” Dreams must give us pause† The crystal clarity of illusion The …Read More
By Nicholas Teele Two of my favorite places in Kyoto are Yoshimine-dera and Sanko-ji. The temples are located partway up Shakadake, one of the mountains on the western side of Kyoto referred to as nishiyama (western mountains, 西山). Yoshimine-dera is famous for its beautiful ancient pine, its many blossoming trees, beautiful flowers, and autumn leaves. …Read More
Text and photos by Edward Levinson fall windtakes the unknown roadspreading wings 秋の風 未知の道行く翼伸ばすaki no kaze, michi no michiyuku, tsubasa nobasu People often ask me why I came to Japan and what its like to make a home in a different culture; it has always been difficult to tell the “long story.” My life here …Read More
Below are two more villanelles from Preston Keido Houser. A villanelle is a fixed-form poem consisting of five tercets and a quatrain which follows a specific rhyme scheme using only two different sounds. It originated as a form of ballad and took its name from a 1606 poem by Jean Passarat, coming into fashion in …Read More
1980s Poems I deal in demons Ya know what I mean? I see them in the daylight hours In banks, realtors outlets, Kiosks and inflatable houseboats. Pan and Prometheus know about The coming rain Another uneventful day is passing The man across the street white In his cotton shirt Scratches his balls and tugs at …Read More
The Abyss I’m standing quite still on the edge of an abyss,As wide and as deep as the heart itself is,And though I’ve not noticed its vastness till now,I know it’s been there since before time began. And now that I’ve seen it, I can’t run away,For it opens wherever I go,Yawning and gaping, like …Read More
Another SinceWe metThere has beenNo oneElseFor me but youTookAnotherAnd cameTo regretIt. ************ By the River I sat on the banks of the darkening river, By the broad, slow stream, where the water runs deep, And the grasses of Autumn grew over my heart, Entangling me, rooting me there. I saw the leaves fall to the …Read More
Forsaking the farce of form and faceArtists forced to raze the dominant paradigmSeizing the sense of silence and space The painter replicates without a traceFleeing frigid hue and spectral climeForsaking the farce of form and face The poet shuns a language of sonorous laceRefuses circumscription to rhythm and rhymeSeizing the sense of silence and space …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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