Our Backs to the Wind: Selected Haiku of Gary Hotham
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Excerpt from the Author's Afterwords: Weaving Toward the Center I think haiku is the genre the Western world of poetics had been searching for and discovered that the Japanese had invented it years before. After all these years I am grateful the Japanese created it. It is a poetry tightly focused on the fullness and depth of the moment. We sometimes saw that focus on the moment in the poems of various poets in the past. And now it can be done better in haiku. It has become a thoughtful and valued part of English language poetry. I know some poets come to English language haiku after many years of writing in other forms. I was saved from that long process since I had a brief introduction to haiku during my 10th grade English class for a unit on Japanese literature taught by Mrs. Maloney. As I began to write poetry, I realized that haiku was an attractive genre. By the last year of my university days, haiku became my prime focus. It was the challenge for years to come. As one critic in later years would write, my haiku could belabor the obvious. But perhaps the power or promise of mere words would make the ordinary less ordinary. Many of my early haiku were not very good. They are a sorry read for me now. My own opinion in looking back on my poetry efforts is that my non-haiku poems were in comparison much better. I was able to find editors from time to time who accepted one for publication. So not quite sure why haiku took over. I grew up in northern Maine and we lived in an old farmhouse on my father’s potato farm. The wide-open fields around it did not offer much protection from the weather and in a strong wind in any season the house quivered. But more so in the winter. While I was sitting in my room with my notebook this haiku came to mind:
So, when did this attempt to form a haiku with my own words begin? Sometimes it takes rain to make us hear the dark. Early on as I was writing haiku, I compared the activity of a poet to Adam’s naming of the animals in the Genesis account. A haiku names the moment. Recently while reading about the literary life of Jane Kenyon, a gifted poet of the 20th century, I discovered she also thought “The poet’s job is to find a name for everything; to be a fearless finder of the names of things . . .” (A Hundred White Daffodils, 183). And one of William Shakespeare’s characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream has the poet’s pen giving things — in this case unknown things and airy nothing — “a local habitation and a name.” One wonders what percentage of poets use a pen these days. But it still takes words to make one. For the poet there is much to name and so many ways to name each moment. There is no final name for falling leaves or the lights of fireflies or a night sky or what sunrise does to our day or the effect of thunder on one’s life or what a tennis court net does to the wind. ~ Gary Hotham |
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Samples from OUR BACKS TO THE WIND:
between the rocks
holding up the snowfall
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About Gary Hotham Gary Hotham retired from employment in the Department of Defense as an intelligence analyst after more than 40 years of service. He then continued part time working in declassification for another 10 years before retiring again. He has been writing and publishing haiku since 1966 and, beginning in 1976, has published 28 collections of his work, including two holographic chapbooks. His work has frequently been honored in haiku competitions and by inclusion in dozens of haiku anthologies including all three editions of Cor van den Heuvel’s The Haiku Anthology (1974, 1986, 1999), Bruce Ross’ Haiku Moment (1993), George Swede and Randy Brooks’ Global Haiku: Twenty-five Poets World-wide (2000), John Barlow and Martin Lucas’ The New Haiku (2002), and many other major anthologies. Through the years Hotham has also served as a judge for a number of contests and is currently First Vice President of the Haiku Society of America. He also serves on the editorial staff of the yearly Red Moon anthologies. He resides in Scaggsville, Maryland. ~ ~ ~ HAIKU JOURNAL CITATIONS Grateful acknowledgment is made to the editors of the following journals in which these poems first appeared. Acorn |
Excerpt from Reader's Introduction: by Brad Bennett Gary is one of our most accomplished and highly esteemed English-language haiku poets. That his work appeared in the first edition of The Haiku Anthology (published in 1974) demonstrates an awe-inspiring longevity, and we are the lucky recipients of his prolific career. Gary has written hundreds of outstanding haiku over the decades, and I am honored to have been invited to offer comments on some of my favorites. I’ll start with one of his poems that appeared in The Haiku Anthology, one that really struck a chord with me all those years ago:
This haiku honors the essence of the haiku form and carries it forward to new destinations. Essentially, it taught me about the metaphoric power of haiku. On one level, the phrase and fragment are purely descriptive. A newspaper. The train’s speed is picking up. Both concrete sensory experiences. But the poem also alludes to another deeper level. It’s a metaphor for the passing of time. Yesterday is still sticking close — in fact, it’s right there on the next seat (and in our short-term memories). But today is just starting to speed up toward tomorrow (with all of its excitements and worries). Like the train, the haiku picks up speed from line 1 to line 3, from the past into future. This haiku demonstrates the power of an unfinished metaphor, as finished by the reader. I’ve always felt that many of Gary’s poems feel philosophical, but not in a traditional sense. They’re not the result of intellectual philosophizing, but rather seem to emerge from a “beginner’s mind” approach. A simple philosophy grounded in curiosity and attuned observation. As the poet Lucille Clifton often said, “Poems come out of wonder, not out of knowing.” Gary looks at moments, natural entities, and people with fresh eyes and ponders about how things work, how nature and people relate to each other. . . . Gary’s long and decorated haiku writing career has produced many excellent haiku. We are hugely grateful that Brooks Books has gifted us this extensive collection of his work. This book is a celebration of Gary’s consistent, dedicated, prolific career. His legacy will endure because these haiku are written with a dedicated beginner’s mind, about the most essential elements, in a pure, accessible, celebratory way. We take great joy in Gary’s haiku and will continue to take joy in what he will eventually leave behind, his footprints in the sand. ...
~ Brad Bennett |
HAIKU COLLECTIONS BY GARY HOTHAM Without the Mountains. Laurel, MD: Yiqralo Press, 1976. The Fern’s Underside. La Crosse, WI: Juniper Press, 1977. Off and On Rain. Battle Ground, IN: High/Coo Press, 1978. Against the Linoleum. Laurel, MD: Yiqralo Press, 1979. This Space Blank. La Crosse, WI: Juniper Press, 1984. Pulling Out the Bent Nail. Glen Burnie, MD: Wind Chime Press, 1988. As Far as the Light Goes. La Crosse, WI: Juniper Press, 1990. The Wind’s View: A Selection of Haiku. La Crosse, WI: Juniper Press, 1993. Before All the Leaves Are Gone. La Crosse, WI: Juniper Press, 1996. Hairs and Hawk Circles. Charleston, IL: Tel-Let, 1996. Bare Feet: A Selection of Haiku. Green River, VT: Longhouse, 1998. Breath Marks: Haiku to Read in the Dark. Moscow, ID: Canon Press, 1999. Footprints & Fingerprints. Pittsburg, PA: Lilliput Review, 1999. The Sky Stays Behind. La Crosse, WI: Juniper Press, 2000. Odor of Rain. St. Paul, MN: Juniper Press, 2004. Missed Appointment. Pittsburg, PA: Lilliput Review, 2007. Sand Over Sand. Green River, VT: Longhouse, 2009. Spilled Milk: Haiku Destinies. Montrose, Colorado: Pinyon Publishing, 2010. Nothing More Happens in the 20th Century: Haiku Dangers. San Antonio, TX: Pecan Grove Press, 2011. Our Waves Meet the Ocean Waves. Green River, VT: Longhouse, 2013. Stone's Throw: Promises of Mere Words. Montrose, CA: Pinyon Publishing, 2016. Rightsizing the Universe: Haiku Theory. Scaggsville, MD: Yiqralo Press, 2019. 23. Green River, VT: Longhouse, 2019. Park Bench Memories: Haiku Tailwinds. Scaggsville, MD: Yiqralo Press, 2020. Mannequins Dressed for the Window: Haiku Secrets. Scaggsville, MD: Yiqralo Press, 2021. Playground Grass: Haiku Options. Scaggsville, MD: Yiqralo Press, 2022. Soft Serve: Haiku Remains. Montrose, CA: Pinyon Publishing, 2023. Infant Hands: the Daughter and Grandson Haiku 1982-2022. ~ ~ ~
ESSAYS & PREFACES BY GARY HOTHAM Gary Hotham. “Why Haiku?” ~ afterword to Breath Marks: Haiku to Read in the Dark. Web. 6 August 2025. Gary Hotham. “Why Poetry?” ~ preface to Breath Marks: Haiku to Read in the Dark. Web. 6 August 2025. Gary Hotham. “God Bless You, Mrs. Maloney, Wherever You Are” ~ preface to Spilled Milk. Web. 6 August 2025. Gary Hotham. “Short Word Prejudice” ~ afterword to Spilled Milk. Web. 6 August 2025. Gary Hotham. “Preface” ~ Stone's Throw: Promises of Mere Words. Web. 6 August 2025. Gary Hotham. “Dixie Cups: History and Haiku” ~ afterword to Mannequins Dressed for the Window. Web. 6 August 2025. ~ ~ ~
ESSAYS & PROSE ABOUT GARY HOTHAM Avis, Nick. “Book review of Pulling Out the Bent Nail.” Inkstone 5.2, 1992. Web. 6 August 2025. Ballentine, Vicki. “Gary Hotham’s Haiku.” Millikin University Haiku, (2004): n. pag. Web. 6 August 2025. Gamble, Mary. “Comparing Nature in Haiku: Kobayashi Issa Versus Gary Hotham.” Millikin University Haiku, (2001): n. pag. Web. 6 August 2025. Gamble, Mary. “Gary Hotham: Haiku Genius.” Millikin University Haiku, (2001): n. pag. Web. 6 August 2025. ~ ~ ~ |
HAIKU ANTHOLOGY CITATIONS Barlow, John and Martin Lucas, Editors. Brooks, Randy and George Swede, Editors. Global Haiku: Twenty-Five Poets World Wide. Oakville, Ontario: Mosaic Press, 2000. [Iron Press edition in UK.] Burns, Allan. Muttering Thunder: An Annual of Fine Haiku & Art (2014). The Haiku Foundation Digital Library. Web. 05 August 2025. Cobb, David, James Kirkup & Martin Lucas, Editors. The Haiku Hundred. North Shields, Northumberland: Iron Press, 1992. Digregorio, Charlotte. Haiku and Senryu: A Simple Guide for All. Winnetka, IL: Artful Communicators Press, 2014. Epstein, Robert, Editor. All the Way Home: Aging in Haiku. West Union, WV: Middle Island Press, 2019. Epstein, Robert, Editor. The Breath of Surrender: A Collection of Recovery-Oriented Haiku. West Union, WV: Middle Island Press, 2009. Epstein, Robert and Miriam Wald, Editors. Every Chicken, Cow, Fish and Frog: Animal Rights Haiku. West Union, WV: Middle Island Press, 2016. Forrester, Stanford M., Editor. Lanterns: A Firefly Anthology. Wethersfield, CT: Bottle Rockets Press, 2007. Gurga, Lee. Haiku: A Poet’s Guide. Lincoln, IL: Modern Haiku Press, 2003. Gurga, Lee and Scott Metz, Editors. Haiku (various years). Lincoln, IL: Modern Haiku Press, 2014, 2015, 2020. Gurga, Lee and Scott Metz, Editors. Haiku 21: An Anthology of Contemporary English-language Haiku. Lincoln, IL: Modern Haiku Press, 2011. Gurga, Lee and Scott Metz, Editors. Haiku 21.2: An Anthology of Contemporary English-language Haiku. Lincoln, IL: Modern Haiku Press, 2025. Haiku Society of America Twentieth Anniversary Book Committee. A Haiku Path: The Haiku Society of America 1968-1988. New York: Haiku Society of America, 1994. Hardy, Jackie, Editor. Haiku Poetry Ancient and Modern. Rutland, VT: Tuttle, 2002. Higginson, William J. The Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Share, and Teach Haiku. New York: Kodansha International, 1985. Higginson, William J., Editor. Haiku World: An International Poetry Almanac. New York: Kodansha International, 1996. Higginson, William J., Editor. The Haiku Seasons: Poetry of the Natural World. New York: Kodansha International, 1996. Kacian, Jim, Editor. The Red Moon Anthologies (various titles). Red Moon Press, including years 1997, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022. Kacian, Jim, Editor with Philip Rowland and Allan Burns. Haiku in English: The First Hundred Year. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. Kanterman, Leroy, Editor. The Scare Crow: A Collection of Haiku & Senryu. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 1999. Mason, Scott, Editor. The Wonder Code: Discover the Way of Haiku and the See the World with New Eyes. Chappaqua, NY: Girasole Press, 2017. Mason Scott, Editor. Gratitude in the Time of COVID-19: The Haiku Hecameron. Chappaqua, NY: Girasole Press, 2020. Noyes, H.F., Editor. Favorite Haiku, Volume 2. Winchester, VA: Red Moon Press, 1999. Ross, Bruce, Editor. Haiku Moment: An Anthology of Contemporary North American Haiku. Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1993. Stevenson, John, Editor. Nest Feathers: Selected Haiku from the First 15 Years of the Heron’s Nest. Heron’s Nest, 2015. Van den Heuvel, Cor, Editor. The Haiku Anthology: English Language Haiku by Contemporary American and Canadian Poets. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, 1974. Van den Heuvel, Cor, Editor. The Haiku Anthology, Revised Edition. New York: Touchstone, 1986. Van den Heuvel, Cor, Editor. The Haiku Anthology, Expanded Edition. New York: W.W. Norton, 1999. Welch, Michael Dylan, Editor. Fire in the Treetops: Celebrating Twenty-Five Years of Haiku North America. Sammamish, WA: Press Here, 2015. Winke, Jeffrey & Charles Rossiter, Editors. Third Coast Haiku Anthology. Milwaukee, WI: House of Words, 1978. |
