The Hindu Temple

The latest issue of the online anthology Cosmopetry is entitled "BET ON PLANETS or THE SMALL OLYMPICOSMPOETRIADA OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM" by SARM Cosmpoetry Master Club and Friends .

It starts with photographs of the moon and Jupiter by Valentin Grigore over Targoviste in Romania. It is followed by numerous photographic contributions from around the world of heavenly bodies including, nebulae, eclipses, Saturns rings, the transit of Mercury, the Perseids, the Aurora Borealis as well as poems on astronomical themes.

My own contribution is an astro-photo-tanka from March 2001 in Singapore.

the Hindu temple
through the open doorway
people at prayer
over them in a dark sky
sickle moon and Jupiter

© Gerald England



Other photos show the similarities between Teide Volcano, Tenerife and Mount Fuji, Japan. Catalin Beldea displays a lovely sequence showing the total solar eclipse of March 8th 2016 over Indonesia. Adrian Bruno Sonka writes about Asteroids with Satellites. The whole collection was coordinated by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe and designed by Florin Alexandru Stancu on behalf of the Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy.

See the whole thing at Cosmopetry.

Also visit Skywatch Friday.

International Olympicosmpoetriada

EARTH AND SKY

This astro-photo-art-poem by Arlene Carol (USA, residing in Turkey) precedes my astrohaiku in the latest web production by SARM MASTER FESTIVAL (PART II OF MASTER OLYMPICOSMOPOETRIADA)

***

across light years
googols of radio waves
oscillate

Gerald England

The anthology of super photographs and poetry also includes

ESCAPING QUESTION

Whispers her dream snake
tongue licked up from pyramid
peak caught fly wise fall
of meteor swallowed spark
reawake mummy's goodbye smile

by Steve Sneyd

SIGNALS, DEDICATED FROM THE SKY

In the picture above, on the bottom left, you see the lunar disk. Ufo Analyzer software has classified the fireball as belonging to the class "J5_And" Andromenidi with estimated magnitude, but perhaps underestimated: - (minus) 4.5!
Latitude and Longitude of observing station:
Lat 46.933300 North
Long 26.366600 East
Date of sighting: 19th November 2011

image © Alfredo Caronia (Italy,
co-discoverer of 5 asteroids, established in Romania)

is followed by

3.3.12

I missed the fireball streak across the sky
That set alarm calls ringing across the land
As people thought a plane was crashing, or
A UFO had brought aliens from on high
(Their mission to invade had long been planned)
But, most likely it was just a meteor.

by John Francis Haines

Another contribution by Steve Sneyd is

TANKA

Twin suns death dancing
tear gobbets of hot flesh : shared
world pretends nothing
much just presents a gain who
hurl harmless lost meteor dreams


Valentin Grigore's VENUS AND JUPITER OVER TARGOVISTE, 15th March 2012

is followed by

twilight
an incoming jet flies by
Venus twinkles

Gerald England

All of this is just a minute part of the International Olympicosmpoetriada coordinated by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe and Valentin Grigore of the Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy.

ABC Wednesday: J is for the January 2011 Partial Solar Eclipse

The story is told on the Cosmopoetry website by SARM's Astropoetry Master Club and Friends.

On January 4, 2011 the old continent and large zones of Asia and Africa were spoiled by such an eclipse. although the sky did not break anywhere the winter clouds, an entire world vibrated for this phenomenon.


Moon and Venus over Targoviste © Valentin Grigore

*****

A Jubilee For The Foucault Pendulum
by Dimitrie Olenici

I made a jubilee experiment with the Foucault Pendulum at Iasi University, 50 years after a similar one made by Ghe. Jeverdan, Ghe. Rusu and V. Antonescu to the solar eclipse of February 15, 1961 when they discovered that the oscillation period of a pendulum changes during an eclipse. My experiment, made by a pendulum of 17.78 meters installed in an inferior room, confirmed their results one more time. A high moment, although I observed this eclipse at the subsoil.

*****

The Partial Solar Eclipse In Europe
by David Asher (Northern Ireland, UK, astronomer at Armagh Observatory, famous meteor shower predictor, discoverer of asteroids, co-star in Hollywood movie Armageddon)

At dawn on the New Year's fourth day
The sun was part eaten away.
The eclipse was quite deep,
But I was asleep -
What will other astronomers say?

*****

Tanka
by Gerald England (UK, Editor of New Hope International, honorary member of the International Writers and Artists Association, laureate of the Ted Slade Award)

an eclipse tonight
posted a friend on Facebook
but by then too late
out of my window blackness
others' visions seen online

*****

Pse 2011 In Magurele (Romania)
photograph © Andreea Fazacas

*****

Brief Escape From A Hysterical Town: Bucharest, January 4, 2011
haiku by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

Over a park
the eclipse like a
bird of fire.

*****

Hanne’S Object
or
A Parallel Thought During A Partial Solar Eclipse When The Sky Is Cloudy
by Steve Sneyd (UK, director of Hilltop Press and editor of Data Dump, laureate of the Peterson Trophy)

You praise blue gas ball
galaxy - big 10° K hot
yet no stars in it to
heat this mystery you smile
"as puzzling as me to you"

*****

Vampires And Eclipses
by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

Dracula is a vampire,
said someone,
falsifying the historical truth.

In this Romanian brave ruler's Capital,
Targoviste,
no observer of the 2011 partial solar eclipse
saw Vlad Tepes Draculea
(his real name)
eating our star.
Only the Moon's "body check"
to the Sun.

*****


Eclipse Among Snowflakes In Targoviste
photo © Cristian Daniel Grigore (age17);
haiku by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

among smowflakes
which are never twins
another unique eclipse

*****

So many potential observers were frustrated by the weather conditions but they manage to contribute some superb photographs nonetheless. The above are just a small sample. See them all at European Winter Astro-Story Of The Partial Solar Eclipse 2011.

For more J posts visit ABC Wednesday.

For more views of the heavens visit Skywatch Friday.

ABC Wednesday: A is for Astropoetry

2009 was the International Year of Astronomy and the Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy (SARM) have published a series of some 15 different pages on their Astropoetry site.

The page celebrating the 4th Quarter of the year has a whole host of photographs, cartoons and poetry including

MOON-JUPITER CONJUNCTION OVER TARGOVISTE
(2009.11.23)
astro-photo-poem by Valentin Grigore


The Moon and Jupiter gave again
a show in the evening sky,
a small present for those who
live in towns.

***

ICARUS ON LUNA
by Steve Sneyd

In crater deeps where
sun never reaches comet
head crashes dreams reflight

***

ACCELERATOR
by John Francis Haines

Particles hurtling towards one another
At the speed of light -
Just hope your planet isn't one of them.

***

COURTSHIP RITUAL
by Steve Sneyd

"Prove it" she said "bring
me from black hole's heart Hawking
radiation to
shine on my finger, show your
love", stroked Schrodinger's cat.

***

LAST ECLIPSE OF 2009
by Gerald England

five hours before
the end of the decade
above my window
the cold earth is eating
a piece of blue moon


PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE OVER THE NORTH OF ROMANIA
photo by Constantin Psenitchi

In the Epilogue Andrei Dorian Gheorghe writes

If you daily watch the skies
and admire both
the people and the heavenly bodies,

if you respect and use sciences, techniques, arts and poetry
as means for enriching
knowledge, generosity, feelings and creativity,

and if for you
the celebration of astronomy
does never end,

then you are a
REAL SKY LOVER,
my dear friend!

For more A posts visit ABC Wednesday.

New Website for the Yorkshire Dialect Society

The Yorkshire Dialect Society now has a new website at http://www.yorkshiredialectsociety.org.uk/.

As I mentioned in my post of January 2008, I've been a Life member of the Yorkshire Dialect Society for about forty years now. Established in 1897, it is the world's oldest surviving dialect society. It holds four meetings a year around the county and publishes both an annual Transactions and a Summer Bulletin.

For examples of Yorkshire dialect haiku see that post and my post in January 2009.

Graeme Garvey is the new editor of Transactions, the latest issue of which includes a tribute by Peter French for Stanley Ellis (1926 - 2009) who held the society together for many years. His voice is etched into my brain and he is very sadly missed. Another long-serving member Arnold Kellett (1926 - 2009) is also remembered.

Stan an' Arnold
tha'll be missed tha knaws
bu' nivver fret
get aff an' see Fred Brown
chiding Euclid's childer.

Gerald England.

James Kirkup (1918-2009)

James Kirkup, poet and translator, was born in South Shields on April 23, 1918. He died on May 10, 2009, aged 91

Most newspaper obituaries including the one in Times OnLine highlight his involvement in the Gay News blasphemy trial, and its sad that this is what he is most remembered for.

Some of us remember him more for his poetry and especially his contribution to the world of haiku and tanka.

I've had periodic correspondance with him since the 70s when he submitted poetry to me. THE GUITAR-PLAYER OF ZUIGANJI was first published in Headland #8.

I had previously published in a limited edition his "MANY-LINED POEM", one or two extant copies of which I have buried in a box somewhere. He was still sending me work from Andorra as recently as a couple of years ago.

The latest issue of The Tanka Journal #34 includes a tanka sequence THE WEDDING GROUP which begins

In one day's rare sun
they smile their assembled smiles
from the bright heaven
of otherworld garden's own
unplucked bouquet of summer.

As Patricia Prime writes in her review of his collection THE AUTHENTIC TOUCH (Bluechrome Publishing ISBN 1 904781 59 4)

Kirkup's poems are a privilege to experience, their generosity and musicality complementing and complicating the reader's own truths with each and every read. The poems strike a tone of light, deft whimsicality, but within the wit and whimsy, the wisdom and fine irony, is a ruthless commentary on the human condition.

His last published book was Marsden Bay and his publishers Red Squirrel Press are inviting people to a celebration of his life from 10.00 am - 12.00 midday on Saturday 13th June at South Shields Central Library.

I won't be there but I will be remembering him.

Favourite Constellations

Crux over Gemini Observatory, Mauna Kea, Hawaii
Photo: © Ovidiu Vaduvescu

This is taken from Favourite Consetellations, the latest offering from SARM’s Astropoetry Master Club and Friends coordinated by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe and designed by Florin Stancu after an idea by Mihai Petrache.

Ovidiu Vaduvescu writes

What do you say about the Southern Cross seen in other conditions (4200 m altitude, 12000 km and 12 h distance from Romania)? Aloha

My own contribution to the project is

in a cold field
on the other side of my world
the southern cross

Gerald England

a reflection from the day I went Stargazing in New Zealand.

Other contributions include

CONSTELLATIONS

88 optical illusions crawl across the sky
Trailing myths and legends in their wake,
As Gods and monsters slowly fade away
We'll find new shapes among the points of light
And tell ourselves new stories round the fire,
New myths and legends for a star-struck age.

John Francis Haines
(U.K., Leader of the Eight Hand Gang - British network of SF poets and Editor of its newsletter Handshake)

and

ALSO HER NAME'S INITIAL

Three she sky-traces
Cassiopeia's W
for woe, love-ending

Steve Sneyd
(U.K., Director of Hilltop Press and Editor of the Data Dump newsletter)

Perhaps my favourite though is this tanka

dogs bark
under Canis Major
I feel hunted
by a cell phone's
distant ringing

Deborah P. Kolodji
(U.S.A., President of the Science Fiction Poetry Association)

ABC Wednesday: S is for Sally Walsh's Dam

Sally Walsh's Dam
down Dicky Sykes Lane
near the turkey farm;
Dad told us not to walk there
for dead dogs are drowned therein

© 2008, Gerald England

This photograph and tanka are in response to the childhood memories prompt at One Single Impression.

I don't know who Sally Walsh was and on the maps it is named Hoyle Mill Dam.

I don't know who Dicky Sykes was.

And to the next question - I don't know.

My Dad is dead and it is too late to ask him now.

More S posts can be seen on the ABC Wednesday Anthology blog.

Others can be found via the ABC Wednesday with Mister Linky which carries a registry of participants.

Transience or Permanence

the transient tulip
may come again next year
the permanent stone
grows a covering of moss
or is hidden under leaves

photo & tanka © 2008, gerald england

posted in response to the "transcience or permanence" prompt at One Single Impression


The photograph was taken in the grounds of Pole Bank Hall.

I took a few photos of the little tulip. One close-up focused on the wall and another focused on the tulip. I posted the wall and a portion of the out-of-focus flower as a quiz picture on Hyde Daily Photo. Today I posted there the in-focus picture of the tulip.

Ribbons Vol.3 #4

Ribbons is a quarterly journal published by the Tanka Society of America.

Vol.3 #4 opens with some announcements from the society's President, Michael McClintock. Kirsty Karkow has handed over the secretaryship of the TSA to Carole MacRury. Johnye Strickland has been appointed a Vice-President and Eisuke Shiiki has become their Advisor and Japanese Liaison.

As well as numerous individual tanka there are some "Strings, Sequences, Clusters..."

An interesting essay by Eisuke Shiiki examines "Edward G. Seidensticker's Suggestion: A Form of English Tanka". EGS translated the 795 tanka in Murasaki Shikibu's 11th century epic The Tale of Genji as two lines of iambic pentameter, e.g.

The dew upon the fragile locust wing
Is lost among the leaves. Lost are my tears.

This was at odds with the standard practice of printing the poems as five short lines. He argued that the best stitch for translation seemed to him to be that which most naturally lends itself to poetry in the target language. In English this is the iambic pentameter. Shiiki agrees that the twenty syllables of English plus perhaps three or four balances the thirty-one of Japanese rather well. However he is not satisfied with two-line poems and prefers to break the line up, even while preserving the meter.

There are three other articles in this issue, half a dozen reviews and some short pieces of news.

Ribbons
Tanka Society of America
5921 Cayutaville Rd
Alpine
NY 14805
USA
Subscription [to Tanka Society of America incl. 4 issues] $25 [Canada/Mexico $30; RoW $35]

visit the website of Tanka Society of America

read reviews of earlier issues.

Time Haiku #27

The latest issue of Time Haiku is #27.

Contents include haiku, tanka, other short poetry, renga, haibun, reviews and brief articles.

Published twice a year in February and August, the subscription rate is £10 (UK) and £12 or $25 RoW for 2 issues including two editions of the Time Haiku Newsletter and the annual Tanka Pool. The first issue of the latter is a double-sided A4 sheet containing a couple of dozen pieces.

Cheques in sterling should be payable to Time Haiku and sent to Time Haiku, Basho-an, 105 Kings Head Hill, London, E4 7JG, UK. Submissions (to the same address enclosing s.a.e or IRCs) deadlines are end of October and April. Contributors do not get complimentary copies.

The current editor is Doreen King and the newsletter editor is Erica Facey,

Read reviews of earlier issues.

Tanka Journal #31

The latest issue of The Tanka Journal is #31.

It has sequences of tanka by James Kirkup observing demented birds at a window, Sanford Goldstein at the cinema in 1968, Esaku Kondo suffering toothache and several others.

There is an introduction to Board Members of the Tanka Poets Club; several pages of translations; a report by Hiroshi Shionozaki on "THE 2nd SYMPOSIUM ON TANKA GLOBALIZATION" and some book reviews.

TJ is published twice a year and now has a new editor, Aya Yuhki.

The Tanka Journal
Nihon Kajin Club, Shüei Bldg. 2F, 1-12-5, Higashi-gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-0022, Japan.
ISSN 0918-7707
¥1,000; Membership ¥5,000 [$40 US] p.a.
email Nihon Kajin Club
Visit the website of Nihon Kajin Club

Read reviews of earlier issues.

Gran

Me and my gran circa 1955.

This post was prompted by the "grandparents" theme at One Deep Breath.

It was twenty years after she died that I finally wrote about her. This poem was first published in Green's Magazine (Canada) and is included in my collection Limbo Time.

GRAN

Like those others whose grans
were growing old when they were
growing boys, I remember you
for your apple pies and golden pancakes, syrup-laden —
my elder brother often being sent
to bring me home from your bungalow
long after my own tea had grown cold.

That was the time when granddad sat
in the high-backed wooden chair
my mother set fire to when he died —
the sort of chair that claims
a fortune in antique shops today — but
my small, frail gran, I remember you much more
than that gaunt, great man who only sat.

You lived later in our council-house front room,
too weak to climb upstairs, too unsafe
to be left with your diabetes -
twice daily my mother tested your water —
and so that we could take a holiday
my sister and her husband came to stay
while I went with Mum and Dad
to a rented van at Thornwick Bay.

Tomorrow would be Thursday and I'd been promised
a trip on the Yorkshire Belle from Bridlington,
but Wednesday night we learnt that you had died.
That means I won't be able to go on the boat tomorrow!
the first reaction of a saddened twelve-year-old.
Dad attempted logically to explain, but all
unnecessarily - I knew that you deserved the sacrifice.

Twenty years on and I've finally made the trip
round Flamborough Head, past Thornwick Bay,
and back to Bridlington — with my own son
and his gran - his Mum's Mum like you.
Gran! — I never begrudged you dying on that day.
The waves remind me always of you, gran, because
the trip was well worth the waiting for!

GERALD ENGLAND

and finally a new tanka

Chapel Garth
granddad in his high-back chair
pancakes for tea
before big brother comes
to drag me home

shadow and light

25 years
Falkland's veterans
still march
Southport promenaders
wait and watch

words & photo © gerald england 2007

in response to the "shadow and light" theme at One Deep Breath.