Livingdying

by Cid Corman, Shiryu Morita (Illustrator)

Harbound, packaged in a slipcase. A lovely signed, limited edition of Corman’s 1970 edition of stunningly lean, and spare modern poetry that sometimes appears as a form of Western haiku.

Genres: Poetry

64 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Sam]

“Ten years living dying alone
Why remember
How forget
Miles and miles away
Cold thought thinking
If we met would you know me
Face dust
Hair frost

Dreaming last night found me home
At your window
You primping
Turning to see me
Tears for your eyes
Year after year what eats the heart
Moon grave
Squat pine”
—
“Dipped into
cold night
sea

to draw this
gasping
out

glad to be
back on
shore

shivering
naked
flame.”
—
“Dead, who can say,
I have been? One

may imagine,
but body knows.

Nothing can go
that far and not

have gone too far—
or has it? One

may visit. He
did, who looked back

beyond song to
the impulse of

singing. Ascend
from the heart, heart.”
—
“I shall go out
again and find
a tree, trees, pines,
mountains of pine

If my silence
succeeds in song,
you will hear of
it from the winds.”
—
“Finally
one by one
she lets go
the veils and

you see—de-
lirious-
ly-there is
nothing left.

Look now in
to the great
emptiness

What comes as
her gift comes
in a plate.”

[Jacob Howard]

THE JOURNAL

I shall go out
again and find
a tree, trees, pines,
mountains of pine

If my silence
succeeds in song,
you will hear of
it from the winds.

[Jampa]

We often feel we need to fill the space. Especially in this day and age of social media. With our opinions, our judgements, our need to exist. This collection of poetry, verses, specks on white, is refreshing and profound in its simplicity.

"Of course life matters. Twitter, sparrow, and let me know it." — Cid Corman

[R.K. Cowles]

3 1/2 stars