keep walking: haiku of Bill Kenney

Description

keep walking reveals how the little poem has the power to soothe the challenges of the human condition. Much of this book deftly portrays the poignant aspects of aging and illness. Yet Kenney’s haiku/senryu also deliver both subtle and aha!-moment revelations and twists, plus some touches of humor. The title poem is an instant classic, portraying a moment where past, present, and future merge in motion. All in all, this collection’s emotional impact transcends discussions of form; so if you think you know the difference between haiku and senryu, read keep walking and think again.

bucket list
as if I believe
I’ll ever die

                    inserting
                    a semicolon;
                    summer clouds

          fresh snow
          the children rising
          from their angels

ISBN: 978-1-947271-76-0
Pages: 94
Size: 4.25″ x 6.5″
Binding: perfect softbound
Year Published: 2021

“Kenney’s third collection of haiku keeps up the good work he is known for: words well-chosen, images well-placed and, above all, inner honesty and authenticity. The four sections of the book (averaging eighteen or so haiku each) read like four meditations on the imperatives of old-old age, which is to say, dealing with illness, living for the present, savoring the work left to do. The seasons cycle endlessly throughout, as if recounting all that has brought the poet to this point: summer hours … / older than my father / ever was. Leaning on a light touch, a way with compression, and emotional presence, Kenney keeps walking. Recommended.”

Michele Root-Bernstein, Modern Haiku