Jean Dubois & Francine Porad
Ready . . . Set . . . Go
brush in hand
and the blue Sound sparkling
ready
…set…go
sails matching
sky
anchored
in sunlight
field glasses
bug and worm
under scrutiny
eagle eye spots
the woodlily
shy among the
willows
a
design for artwork
the vibrancy
of the patchwork quilt
around frail shoulders
Sunshine and
Shadow *
life and death
squirrel
scampers in fallen leaves
in the morning
ice art
bright on black water
diamond
and onyx
anniversary
gift
tripping
the light fantastic
roses with a note:
the honeymoon
is not over
white-hot words
on cool linen
coverstock
books
beneath the glass table
Tom Sawyer's fence
Pinocchio's long long nose
the Black Spot
election
time
robins plump
their feathers
fat's
in the fire now
witches without brooms
hand in hand with clowns
trick or treat
my doctor
nephew
makes a computer
house-call
crash
on I-70 eastbound
honkers
out of their orderly V,
and one straggler
playing catch-up
bouncing from
desk to sewing machine
apron
with eight pockets
seed for all--
in tune: chickadees,
wrens and the chipmunk
the wily turkey
forages in the
snow
peace
tops a "Wish List"
the world seethes
but in the manger
the Christ Child
the star
the Three Kings
coming
only
silence New Year's eve
a new regime
a new resolve
dancing in the streets
fifteen-million-dollar-
lottery winner
fortune
smiles
wow! in the cookie:
You've got a way with words:
maximize on it.
"Altered
Ego"
in one frame
two self-portraits
Gemini…gleaming
in the winter sky
* American quilt pattern
Copyright 1996, Jean Dubois & Francine Porad
Jean Dubois, a poet-photographer-essayist, is widely published in the U.S.
and has also published
poetry in Canada, England, and Japan. In addition to renga like this one
she wrote with Francine
Porad, Jean writes haiku, tanka, sijo, and haibun, as well as western-style
lyric verse. In addition to
two collections of poetry, Silent Stones, Empty Passageways
(San Miquel Press, 1992)
with her
photographer son Lee Dubois, and The Same Sweet Yellow (San Miquel
Press, 1994),
her work has
appeared
in numerous
anthologies. She is a frequent reader and workshop leader at haiku events,
and
served as co-editor of
One Breath, the Haiku Society of America's 1995 Members' Anthology.
Francine Porad lives, writes, and paints in the Seattle, Washington area.
She is a former president
of the Haiku Society of America and editor for eight years of Brussels
Sprout, an international journal
of haiku and art. Francine has published fourteen collections of haiku.
Her haiku have appeared in
many U.S. and international journals and anthologies, including Haiku
Moment (Charles E. Tuttle,
1993) and Haiku World: An International Poetry Almanac (Kodanshu,
1996). Francine is a
frequent guest lecturer and presenter and will be appearing at Haiku International
in Tokyo, April
1997. "Ready...Set...Go" first appeared in Cicada #22.