Poetry Corner: Seasonal impressions

Pixabay image by StockSnap
December 24, 2024

Holidays are about relationships

By Barry Vitcov

Here is a variety of haiku, senryu, and a poem involving our popular Ashland coffee culture. In one way or another, they all seem appropriate impressions gathered during the holiday season.

The Poetry Corner is possible because of submissions by poets who find something interesting to say about life in Southern Oregon. There were a good number of submissions when this column began, but they are tapering off. We need more! Please, see below for guidelines and how to submit. The guidelines are suggestive and the submission process is easy, so please send in one, or two, or three or as many as you’d like.

Haiku & Senryu

By Mary Theis

short days, cold dark nights. . .
dreading the return of everything
pumpkin spice

Christmas tree a lit,
cookies and milk await the
patter of deer hooves

pine, wood smoke, whiskey,
sugar and cardamon. . .
smells of the season

Mary Theis enjoys writing poems from a different perspective and likes exploring ironies, humor, and unexpected connections in life. Her work has been published in Failed Haiku,
Verseweavers, Encore Prize Poems, Cobra Lily, and /pãn|dé|mïk/ 2020: An Anthology of Pandemic Poems by OPA Members. Mary lives in Talent, Oregon, where she spends time outdoors, writing, and reading her poems at open mics.

Ashland Cafes

By Rae Otto

Yakkity-yak, yakkity-yak
Lots to communicate
no words we lack;
verbosity, loquacity,
conversing with vivacity
Chatter chatter,
what’s the matter?
Some may call it silly
prattle, babble,
chewing the fat,
but some see the value
of this bonding chit chat
Relationships grow as
people will share,
connect, communicate,
show that they care.

Rae Otto has lived in Ashland for 44 years after teaching in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Renton, Washington, retiring in ’98 from the Eagle Point School District. When Lawson Inada became Poet Laureate of Oregon in 2006, he presented a program on poetry to AAUW and challenged participants to form poetry groups. Although this was a new experience for her, Rae and others launched a group writing poetry and have continued for the last 18 years giving each other support in our writing and also friendship during the challenges and joys of life.

Senryu

By Alice Mallory

old friends
making up for lost time
empty teacups

itchy eyes runny nose
scent of perfume
takes my breath away

Alice Mallory is a Southern California native and former teacher who began visiting Oregon on road trips with her husband in the 1970s. They soon began annual treks to Ashland, finally relocating in 2008 after retirement from Los Angeles Unified School District. Alice credits the Haiku Corner in the former Ashland Tidings for re-kindling her interest in short form poetry. She often pairs her haiku with one of her photos of the human or natural world, and also enjoys writing haibun. In retirement she enjoys haiku walks, playing piano, capturing the moment with her iPhone camera, and the support and camaraderie of a group of poet friends who meet bi-monthly. She also enjoys greeting visitors at the Plaza Information Booth and other volunteer activities.

Poetry Submissions Welcomed!


You are invited to submit original work to the Poetry Corner. There are only two restrictions: First, poems need to show a connection to Ashland and/or Southern Oregon. Your interpretation of that connection is fairly loose! Second, poems need to be aligned to the left margin. The publishing platform used by Ashland.news has issues with the creative use of space! There are no length restrictions but try to keep your poems to no more than 30 lines. Be sure to include the title of your poem, your name as you would like it to appear, the city or town in which you reside, and, if you wish, your preferred pronouns.


To submit poems, send to Barry Vitcov at [email protected].

Picture of Barry

Barry

Related Posts...

Our Sponsors

Klamath Bird Observatory Experience the wonders of Souteast Brazil Ashland Oregon
Conscious Design Build Ashland Oregon
Pronto Printing Ashland Medford Southern Oregon

Latest posts

Crossword: Peak Performances

This week’s crossword: roles, runs and readings at a nearby mountain. Solve it directly in the article or download a PDF to print. Next week’s crossword: “Camelot 2025 #02.” More crosswords under the Culture menu.

Read More >

Shrooms on Main: Licensed psilocybin facility offers low dose option

A crowd gathered outside the psychedelic entrance of the Shrooms Cafe in downtown Ashland Friday night, Feb. 7. They were among the first visitors to climb the long flight of stairs that lead to a large open room filled with music and colored lights. It was opening night at Shrooms Cafe at 139 E. Main Street, next door to O’Ryans Irish Pub. 

Read More >

Ashland native finishes Yukon Quest 450 Dog Sled Race

Erik Oline, a 2017 graduate of Ashland High School, finished the Yukon Quest 450 dog sled race Feb. 6. The race started and finished in Teslin, Canada, and covered 450 miles through the beautiful wintry Yukon Territory. Erik brought home the “Red Lantern” award, which is given to the final finisher of the race.

Read More >

Obituary: David Brian Shaw

Obituary: David Shaw, 78, former executive director of the Peter Britt Festivals in Jacksonville, founder of Artbeat Inc., and facilitator of nonprofit Mt. Ashland Ski Area founding, died Feb. 1, 2025.

Read More >

Stiff winds likely followed by rain showers over coming days

Ashland’s hiatus of dry days ends with five straight days with rain showers in the forecast, according to a National Weather Service forecast as of Wednesday evening. Showers are expected during the day Thursday and Friday, in the evening Saturday, night and day Sunday and during Monday’s Presidents Day holiday day.

Read More >

Our Sponsors

Ashland Parks and Recreation Ashland Oregon
City of Ashland Public Notice Ashland Oregon
Ashland.news House Ad

Explore More...

This week's crossword: roles, runs and readings at a nearby mountain. Solve it directly in the article or download a PDF to print. Next week's crossword: "Camelot 2025 #02." More crosswords under the Culture menu.
A crowd gathered outside the psychedelic entrance of the Shrooms Cafe in downtown Ashland Friday night, Feb. 7. They were among the first visitors to climb the long flight of stairs that lead to a large open room filled with music and colored lights. It was opening night at Shrooms Cafe at 139 E. Main Street, next door to O'Ryans Irish Pub. 
Herbert Rothschild: Regarding the evisceration of USAID, I didn’t expect any better from Musk or Trump. What I’m watching closely is how Christian leaders respond.
Erik Oline, a 2017 graduate of Ashland High School, finished the Yukon Quest 450 dog sled race Feb. 6. The race started and finished in Teslin, Canada, and covered 450 miles through the beautiful wintry Yukon Territory. Erik brought home the "Red Lantern" award, which is given to the final finisher of the race.
The city of Ashland’s police volunteer program, which had around 30 volunteers before the COVID pandemic, now has only around 10. Volunteers help put extra eyes on patrol areas such as Lithia Park and the bike path and help manage special events such as parades.
ashland.news logo

Subscribe to the newsletter and get local news sent directly to your inbox.

(It’s free)

Don't Miss Our Top Stories

Get our newsletter delivered to your inbox three times a week.
It’s FREE and you can cancel anytime.