NEW HOPE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW ON-LINE

The vibrant cover of this issue of Mayfly depicts one of Billie Wilson's sumie:

	rumble of thunder —
	slicing just-picked peaches
	for the pies

Mayfly is a beautifully presented little book with black and white cover. There is one haiku to a page, on thick white paper, with each poem surrounded by plenty of space. Inside we find sixteen haiku, the majority of which come from the United States, with one poem from Yugoslavia. While most of the poet's names are unfamiliar to me, one that is known is that of Michael Dylan Welch, whose poem

	drapes drawn —
	just the edges done
	on the daffodil puzzle

Mayfly is an adventurous booklet. While the poems are almost entirely set in the United States, with no connection to elsewhere, the poets' imaginations are set completely free to roam. Apart from the odd phrase ("salamander", for example, in the first poem, by Harding Stedler):

	footprints of salamander
	at my door
		no one home

	park bench reverie
	sunlight floats
	on cottonwood seeds

The language in these haiku hums and sparks, rich with imagery, wrapped around fluid phrases and propelled by action to keep readers on their toes, such as in the final haiku by Dorothy McLaughlin:

	months of chemo
	throughout the garden
	weeds in bloom

The front cover of this little magazine (roughly 5" square) promises good things within. It's not so much the cover design (which does have a simple charm), but the haiku by Christopher Patchel that forms part of that design:

	park bench reverie
	sunlight floats
	on cottonwood seeds

Unfortunately the poems between the covers are not memorable. I found them rather bland, with the exception of these two — the first by Francine Porad:

	stifled giggles
	behind the gazebo
	summer wine

	end-of-the-line
	poppies
	between rusted rails

This is a delightful and well produced little haiku journal. There is no editorial, comment etc. It is a 16 page, pocket book with one haiku to a page. An unassuming little thing to take with you during a hectic day. There are good haiku here. It is suitable for anyone who wishes to get a feel for the haiku genre. A particular favourite is by Chad Lee Robinson:

	home early —
	alone in the silence
	eating a bruised pear

	garden party
	light rain falling
	into my mother's gin

	nearly my birthday . . .
	up the stairs I carry
	my mother

A delightful little haiku magazine, in which it's obvious that every care has been taken, neatness and simplicity being an outstanding feature. Square in shape, each poem is given a page to itself, centrally placed.

Quite a lot of good material, such as Pete Lee's

	from van to courthouse
	the prisoner walks
	in the April sun

	afternoon break
	the cat show judge
	in a slice of sun