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Jo Balistreri

Jo walks daily in her Wisconsin neighborhood, stopping to pick up an odd-shaped pinecone, an unusually-colored leaf. She takes pictures of flowers she’s never seen—only to discover later that the flower is a weed/wildflower. She’s captivated by these ordinary and magical discoveries, each of which radiates such aliveness, each of which might, just might, evolve into a poem.

~

a song sparrow sings my eyes open blossoms

Blithe Spirit #34.2, May 2024
Diana Webb—Reimagining Haiku, p.21 of #34.2

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morning breeze
finches ride the stalks
of spent sunflowers 

Yuki Teikei Haiku Society,  Geppo, Vol.XLIX, 2/2024
Yuki Teikei anthology, Between Sun and Shadows, 2024

~

wild strawberries . . .
the skim and dart
of white butterflies

The Heron’s Nest, Vol 25, Number 2: Summer 2023
The Heron’s Nest Annual Edition, Vol 25, Winter, 2023

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6 responses to “Jo Balistreri”

  1. joanna ashwell Avatar
    joanna ashwell

    Beautiful poems.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. MaryJo Avatar
      MaryJo

      Thank you for writing, Joanna. I’m pleased you enjoyed the haiku.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  2. haikutec Avatar
    haikutec

    It’s always an event to see a haiku from Jo Balistreri:

    a song sparrow sings my eyes open blossoms

    Jo Balistreri

    Blithe Spirit #34.2, May 2024
    Diana Webb—Reimagining Haiku, p.21 of #34.2

    The use of both alliteration and consonance:

    a song sparrow sings my eyes open blossoms

    And how one line can be fun for a reader whether read at speed or read with micro-extended pauses (MEPs), especially for a live reading:

    a song sparrow sings (MEPs) my eyes (MEPs)open blossoms

    a song sparrow sings (MEPs) my eyes (MEPs)open (MEPs)blossoms

    a song sparrow sings my eyes (MEPs)open blossoms

    And other variations as a silent reader, close reader, or someone who loves to read other haiku out aloud several times or does a Billy Collins where he adopts someone’s haiku for a whole day!

    Alan

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    Reply
    1. bjzcfs Avatar
      bjzcfs

      I especially enjoy how the top reading suggests, at least for me, that the eyes are the “open blossoms”:

      a song sparrow sings (MEPs) my eyes (MEPs)open blossoms

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. MaryJo Avatar
        MaryJo

        It is a pleasure that you see the top reading as the eyes (as) open blossoms.

        They are aren’t they!

        thank you.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. MaryJo Avatar
    MaryJo

    Thank you for commenting Alan. I always learn even more from your thoughts.

    I wrote last night but am having trouble with word, so will keep this short.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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