ENGLISH and AMERICAN HAIKU POETS No. 4Series compiled by Michael McClintock"Haiku Highlights and other short poems" March - April 1971 Vol 8 #2 Christopher FaiersChristopher Faiers, who often writes under his childhood diminutive, Cricket, was born in Canada in 1948, living there six years before emigrating to the USA and taking up residence with his family in Florida. Prior to leaving the country in 1969 for England, Faiers resided in Georgia. For the past year, Cricket the poet has been living a communal life at the Eel Pie Island Hotel, situated – it is rumored – in the middle of the River Thames where, according to Joseph Conrad, greatness floats on the ebb into the mystery of an unknown earth. Undoubtedly, Christopher Faiers is listening intently to the lap-lap of the water, lest "the dreams of men, the seeds of commonwealths, the germs of empires" should escape him. Undoubtedly, too, he continues to pursue the Way of Haiku with as much success, freshness and originality as was demonstrated in 1969 with his two collections, Cricket Formations and Beautiful Garden (private editions). Considering that he temporarily resides in the heart of one of the great citadels of the Western world, bringing to it his American background, a poetry first born on Far Eastern shores, and his own youth, freshness and originality would seem almost assured. Here, then, are five haiku from the pen of Cricket - |
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Halloween a young boy in a skeleton suit The flower of this old tree a treehouse Bay wind blowing Coconut Grove sailboats tinkling rigging After cold midnight scraping burnt commune rice pot on the lawn for birds Palm fronds tickling purple night sky: laughing |