NEW HOPE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW

Walter Pater, the influential godfather to the aesthetics movement of the 1890s and mentor to Oscar Wilde, would perhaps have recognised in haiku that elusive quality that he describes as the capturing of fragmented experience. This kind of art elevates and enlightens moments in our existence — what you might call the "ahh!" kind of moment, although Pater probably argues the point much better in his STUDIES IN THE HISTORY OF THE RENAISSANCE. For the essence of haiku, though, is very much found in the quick moment that illuminates a scene and a sentiment, simultaneously.

In Mayfly, there are gathered together many such moments, from across the US and beyond. To dissect them, is to prise apart like an atom and render them meaningless, so I quote a few here to give a flavour:

	dinnertime.
	a grain of rice
	for her praying-mantis

	K. Ramesh, Chennai, India

		salt mists linger
		in the saddle of two peaks
		a gravel road

		Chad Hanson Caspar, WY

	after the funeral
	just one toothbrush
	in the rack

	Anne LB Davidson Saco, ME

		Sunday evening — 
		a bag of persimmons
		from each neighbour

		Scott Metz Okayama-ken, Japan

Slender mag with just 14 haiku, each on a separate page. Here are a couple of examples from Francine Banwarth and an'ya:

	crack of dawn
	he can't resist the smell of her
	eggs

		May sun on the face
		of my Alzheimer's patient —
		feeling it for her

This little book is a delight. This is a book to hold in your hands. Pocket sized, black and white, sparse, pared down to the essential, in the manner of the haiku it holds.

One haiku per page ensures the peaceful isolation of the words. This book is the work of artists combining words and images into a miniaturised whole. The presentation asks the reader to linger and consider each poem in turn.

There are fourteen haiku from contributors around the world although most are from within the US. It is a difficult task to highlight any of the poems as the editors have selected the very best so I choose those that I particularly liked.

	I see her plane
	flying between raindrops
	on my car window
	
	Marcyn Del Clements
	Claremont, CA

	full moon...
	the last
	of the codeine

	Helen Buckingham
	Bristol, UK

	splitting wood —
	for a moment the log
	holds the axe

	Jim Kacian
	Winchester, VA

There are eleven more haiku for you to enjoy in Mayfly and I hope you do.

This is a small (13.5 x 13.5 cm) chapbook, consisting of sixteen pages of text, with a total of fourteen haiku by fourteen different authors. All fourteen authors are identified by name, and all appear to reside in the UK or USA. The poems are printed one-per-page, there are no illustrations of any kind, and prefatory material is confined to the first page, and consists wholly of pragmatic details regarding the publication itself. MAYFLY is edited by Randy and Shirley Brooks.

Even across such a small range of poems, the styles vary considerably, although the standard throughout is uniformly high. Some, like this one by Christopher Patchel, are quietly thought-provoking, and can take a moment to produce the slow smile that often accompanies the insight haiku inspires:

	one year older — 
	the soft tips 
	of a spruce

	light drizzle ... 
	lifting her up 
	to post a card to grandpa

	hovering over 
	broken clay pigeons 
	fireflies

And the editors have done very well to select many poems that do just that. But for those who love haiku's ability to offer glimpses into the passing moments of individual lives, MAYFLY offers several gems, like these by William Letford and Anne LB Davidson:

	coffee shop window
	only children brave enough
	to return my stare

		November rain ... 
		the homeless man
		covers his dog