This is the fourth in a four-part series exploring the seasonal sections of my forthcoming haiku collection The Deep End of the Sky.
The Deep End of the Sky was the winner of the 2014 Turtle Light Press Haiku Chapbook Competition, and is scheduled for release in late spring or summer of 2015.
Originally called “Shiver”, “Home Early” is the title of the winter section of The Deep End of the Sky. This section is the longest of the collection, clocking in at 14 haiku. It had 11 haiku in the original manuscript, but it was agreed upon that the collection would be stronger by making “Home Early” slightly longer to bring the reader out of winter, which can be long in South Dakota (I have seen snow as early as October and as late as May), and into spring, or at least hint at the coming of spring.
As the section title suggests, many of the haiku found here are more introspective than in previous sections.
my body thinner these days I hear more of the wind
cleaning out
the dryer’s lint trap—
winter solitude
hunter’s retreat
the Christmas tree made from
racks of antlers
Despite the lingering cold and snow, spring always comes. Sometimes it’s just slow to start. When spring does come, so does the work. So does the fishing:
a line of rods
ready with lures
morning light
The last poem of this section, and ultimately of the collection, is a brand new, previously unpublished haiku. I won’t show it to you here though. I don’t want to spoil the ending.
Now that you’ve read about The Deep End of the Sky, how about pre-ordering a copy of the real thing. If you can relate to the poems, if it seems like a book you’d enjoy, please visit Turtle Light Press here. It’s $12.50 per copy with free shipping in the US.