Ion Codrescu
Haiku & Sumi-e
a chrysanthemun lights
the darkened garden
all alone
snow melting -
the cat's prints
bigger and bigger
redecorated house -
under the eaves a sparrow
begins its nest
a rotting apple -
on the radio the death
of a great artist
house for sale -
the apricot tree in bloom
as never before
Easter evening -
the old woman gathers
her unsold flowers
on the plate
a dry leaf completes
the design
mother's surprise
dusting the ancient icon -
the toll of a bell
after the concert
clearing the car of snow
not a word is said
cut tree -
the cuckoo's song
is heard no more
rainy day -
a shining pearl
in the dark room
red leaves -
I didn't change
the calendar page
up in the sky
hardly heard, hardly seen:
migrating birds
Ion Codrescu
(Bucharest, 1951) is a poet and sumi-e painter. His graphic works are in private and state collections in many countries. He has also illustrated books and literary magazines. His poems have been published in 11 countries and translated into 8 languages. Codrescu's publications include: Drawings Among Haiku (1992), Constantza Haiku Anthology (1992), L'Abricotier change de visage , (1993), Round the Pond (1994), and Unsold Flowers (1995).
In 1992 he founded the Constantza Haiku Society , the Albatross magazine, and the Constantza International Haiku Festival. He has delivered papers on haiku and read his poems in Romania, France, Germany, England, and the United States.
