Open Window

The following poems and photographs first appeared together in 2000 in an online ebook gallery published by Brooks Books. These photos were all originally slides, mostly taken using Kodachrome 64 film. The scans are small, and low in resolution, partly because of the limitations of inexpensive scanning options at the time, and also to minimize the amount of storage space the photos required on the original website. The scans also fail to consistently and accurately reproduce the sharpness, colours, or colour saturations of most images. Nevertheless, 21 of these photos appeared in Digital Photography Handbook by Mark L. Chambers (New York: Hungry Minds, 2001), even though none of them were originally digital. This page recreates much of the presentation of the original website, including a listing of locations for each of the photos. See also my Photographs page, “Opening the Haiku Window,” and “My Window Opens: A Personal Haiku History.”

Open Window

drifting

into the moon

toy sailboat

Between Tioga Pass and Mono Lake, California

summer solstice—

a rack full of hats

at the barbershop

On I-5, north of Sacramento, California

scattered petals . . .

the thud of my books

in the book drop

Strybing Arboretum, San Francisco

mountain spring—

in my cupped hand

pine needles

Snake den in Narcisse, Manitoba

spring breeze—

the pull of her hand

as we near the pet store

Kimberly Cortner with a Westie puppy, Redwood City, California

tarnished silver

the only guest

eats in silence

South of Mammoth, California, in the Eastern Sierras

after the quake

the weathervane

pointing to earth

On Columbus Avenue in downtown San Francisco, near City Lights Books

landing swallow—

the ship’s chain

dips slightly

Howe Sound, near Squamish, British Columbia

grey sky—

the dog’s water dish

iced over

Northern California hills from the air

first snow . . .

the children’s hangers

clatter in the closet

Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park, California

my hand curves

to fit your breast . . .

the windowsill, snow-laden

Aiguille du Midi taken from Le Brevent, above Chamonix, France

home for Christmas:

my childhood desk drawer

empty

Winnipeg, Manitoba

blowing leaves . . .

the shiny hearse

turns the corner

Tijuana, Mexico

clicking off the late movie . . .

the couch cushion

reinflates

Blurred television screen image of Bette Midler’s Where the Boys Are

lit by the sunset

waves along the shore

rolling the seal’s body

Pacific Grove, California (near Monterey)

record high

this heat

even in my toothpaste

Death Valley, California [this image was also used on the cover of The Gulf Within]

visiting mother—

again she finds

my first grey hair

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

an old woolen sweater

taken yarn by yarn

from the snowbank

Australian Zebra Finch, Vancouver, British Columbia

two crabs claw

to claw in the tidepool

the flashlight dims

Northern California coast

lazy afternoon—

the digital temperature sign

rises one degree

Near Bridalveil Falls, Yosemite National Park, California

you squeeze my hand . . .

how still the sky

after fireworks

Foster City, California

reading in bed

my pulse flickering

the lightly held bookmark

Mission Dolores window, San Francisco

empty silo—

spring wind pops the metal

in and out

Canola field, Interlake region, Manitoba

morning bird song—

my paddle slips

into its reflection

San Francisco Bay

chess men in boxes . . .

café’s ceiling fan

turns by itself

La Conner, Washington, with Mt. Baker

gridlock

on the freeway

the skywriting drifts

Mount Rainier, Washington

the river flowing stronger

first catkins

on the willow

Peninsula open space preserve, near San Jose, California

a table for one—

leaves rustle

in the inner courtyard

New Westminster, British Columbia

first cold night—

smell of hot dust

from the vent

Taos Pueblo, Taos, New Mexico

old folks’ home

the square of light

crosses the room

Monument Valley, Utah

nursing home lounge—

a child’s puzzle

left unfinished

My niece Brittany, Winnipeg, Manitoba

beach parking lot—

where the car door opened

a small pile of sand

Northern California coast

night

falling

snow

Bean Hollow State Beach, California

wet beach sand—

a sandpiper’s song

of footprints

Bean Hollow State Beach, California

spawning ground—

the ripple in the creek

becomes a fin

Yosemite National Park, California

dense fog—

I write your name

on the airport window

Oakland Hills fire, Oakland, California

Fourth of July—

grandma’s throw

half way to the toddler

Lemos Farm, near Half Moon Bay, California

summer moonlight

the potter’s wheel

slows

London, England

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