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Tapping Woodpeckers |
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kitsutsuki no
hashira wo tataku
sumai kana
(from pg. 153, "The Essential Basho", translations by Sam Hamill, Shambhala Productions, 1998. ISBN: 1-57062-282-5)
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Participating in the Tapping Woodpecker team, captained by Gary Warner, is an adventure in haiku for ushi, the haigo of Andrea Gradidge. Born a Brit, she is now a Canadian citizen. Her haigo was chosen while farming and writing in Manitoba when daily chores included milking cows and herding sheep. Last year she moved to BC with her teenage son to be
closer to her grown-up daughter and new grandson. The lack of livestock in suburbia has meant a change of employment to the fields of marketing and distribution. Haiku has become a way of life since she was introduced to the form in 1998 and published here and there. Haiga captured her interest when she assisted in production of the e-zine "Star Leaper". Most recently she has had haiku and haiga in "tinywords". Over several years she has found good friends and the spirit of haikai in the Yahoo groups of Kireji and Scifaiku.
frosted sun ushi |