Category: Haiku

Art is Poetry and Poetry is Art

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A Book Review

Haiku and Tanka: Lull, Harmony, and Power of Japanese Art by Hikari & Gabriela Marie Milton. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

As a lover of Haiku and Tanka, it was quite the no-brainer that I would purchase this book. From Literary Revelations, the creatively astute publishing house of Gabriela Marie Milton and team, Haiku and Tanka: Lull, Harmony, and Power of Japanese Art titillates and transports the reader to a place of ecstasy, renewal of self, and undeniable peace.

The artwork, produced by Hikari, their Resident Artist, is visually hypnotizing and allows one to enjoy the beauty accompanying every poem. Her art and words, alongside those of Gabriela’s, shine perfectly on every page. This is a masterful duo, and I am truly happy I dove headfirst into its brilliance.

Below is the review I shared on Amazon and Goodreads:

Refreshingly Inspirational

This is how I would describe Haiku and Tanka: Lull, Harmony, and Power in Japanese Art. Every page is a walk along a path guided by impressive imagery expressed in words and tremendous watercolor/painted art that stands out, and is more than luring to the curious eye.

Both Tanka and Haiku read as if they were calculated and meticulously matched with every photo, as well as marked for exemplary collaboration. Hikari and Gabriela did an outstanding job with their verses, and it is evident that care and craftsmanship were at the top of their list regarding creating this masterpiece.

A few lines that stood out to me from several pieces are:

“wounded eyes weep,” page 16.
“tease me
the silence in my voice
flickers in your eyes,” page 28
“like a sublime
and beautiful crown,” page 36
“Yearns for burning love,” page 36
“yet your song grazes my shoulder
brushes softly past my soul,” page 56…

To say that this book of measured and timeless verses is an excellent show of poetry in form is a bold understatement. It is two massively creative worlds morphing into one–a hybrid of synchronized verbal harmony.

I am glad this offering was shared with us, and I look forward to experiencing many more collaborations by Hikari and Gabriela Marie Milton.

Where the world of visual art and Japanese syllabic poetry meet, there is a place for the reader’s eyes and the writer’s heart, and I am so glad I got a chance to rest there.

Take my word, you’ll find a place of solace between these pages. You sincerely will.

Scattered Words: Poems for Jernee Timid Loadholt is available now! Have you gotten your copy? Hardcover|eBook

Queen Winter Solstice

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A Haiku

Trees and Sky. Sunday, December 21, 2025. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

Winter Solstice smiles
lying dormant for one year
she re-emerges

Have you gotten your copy of Séduire: Serial Tales & Flash Fiction at Lulu in E-Book & Paperback versions, or Amazon in Paperback (only) yet?

I am on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing, as I discuss recent events related to my previous place of employment, including racism and discrimination, the growth I experienced after resigning from that company, and the foibles and overall experiences of life. I welcome your visit.

What If We Could Haiku the Pain Away?

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A Book Review

Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku

I am trying my best to fill my life with positive images, words, and people. Given our current situation, my heart needs it more than I thought it would. I do not want to come undone.

Enter, Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku, edited by Gabriela Marie Milton and published by her team at Literary Revelations, is a book that is lifting me to higher places.

I’ve recommended this anthology before as an informative post, and to share that I, too, have five haiku published in it.

Here’s the review, shared on Amazon and Goodreads:

“An Anthology of Creativity, Expressiveness, and Tranquility

Before I purchased this anthology, I knew it would be a work of art. There are over 230 writers and connoisseurs of haiku included, and with every turn of the page, a land of wonder awaits the reader.

Edited by Gabriela Marie Milton and published by Literary Revelations, the team has produced a book that is sure to stand the test of time.

It is an outstanding follow-up to Petals of Haiku: An Anthology, and is now placed alongside it on one of my bookshelves.

I appreciate and have an affinity for the form of haiku as it pertains to micropoetry, and every contributor shared their five haiku in creative and vividly expressed ways.

I have no doubt this book will be one I turn to when I need a place of calm as my personal retreat.

If you want to experience creativity at its highest, timely serenity, and be engulfed by the expressiveness throughout the anthology, then, I suggest this book for your collection.

We all could use a bit of tranquility.”

An overwhelming sense of calm would enter my body every time I picked up this book to read it. It’s as though every writer were in sync with one another.

We all understood the assignment. And I hope you’ll take the time and care to share with your heart a plethora of haiku that’ll definitely do it some good.

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment, as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.

Left-Handed in a Dream: A Haibun

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Part V: Never missing the well’s water|NaPoWriMo #25

AI-Generated Image: A Black woman is staring reflectively up toward the sky. She is wearing impeccable makeup with a bold brownish-red lipstick, and her locs are swept back into an updo. She has gold earrings dangling from her ears. Behind her, we can see a beautiful and bold sky.

While Rodney played their piano, Memory sank into a daydream of their trip to Italy ten years ago. She remembered how bright the sky was–and such a bold color of blue, too. Rodney had taken up playing street soccer with the local children, and she laughed at his carefree spirit. If there was one thing her husband was going to do, he was going to make a good time. She could hear the birds, smell the flowers, feel the breeze nipping at the nape of her neck. What she wouldn’t give to go back to this day when her well didn’t feel or seem as dry. The more she daydreamed, the less of herself she became. But Rodney … Rodney evolved into something soothingly memorable with every closing of her eyes.

daydreaming again
this time it’s Italy’s love
and Rodney’s beauty

Part I, Part II, Part III, & Part IV

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.

Peace and Blessings!

Left-handed in a Dream: A Haibun

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Part IV: Coming back to her senses|NaPoWriMo #14

AI-Generated Image: A Black woman is sitting on her bed in deep thought. She is wearing a dark teal top with an overly expressive look on her face. The sheets are beige or off-white and the headboard is a dark tan color.

They sojourned in Panama five years ago. The short vacation was a breath of fresh air for the two of them. She recalled the love-making that shifted their spirits every day while they were there. In those moments, she knew he was her person. She and Rodney were meant to be. How could she get that feeling back again? Memory sat with the quietness of the room while Rodney played the instrumental version of “Your Love Is King” on their Yamaha C3X Grand Piano. The way the melody echoed throughout their home brought a smile to her face. And there it was . . . the moment she needed to jog her memory. She was falling in love again–it only took a melody pouring from the tips of Rodney’s fingers to do it.

remembering love
and the sweet gift of music
breaks into the heart

Part I, Part II, & Part III

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.

Peace and Blessings!

afternoon bloom-stroll

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NaPoWriMo #11 A Haiku

Jernee was really trying to get a good sniff. LOL! I heard some bees buzzing near us, so I quickly pulled her away from their homestead. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

the d o g sniffs around
and around, searching for that
fresh scent of heaven.

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a space for healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.

Peace and blessings!