Eucalypt: A Tanka Journal (Issue 26, 2019) has published Andrew’s poem “no consolation”.
Unlike most of the 5-line poems in the magazine, Andrew’s poem conforms to the the traditional 5.7.5.7.7 syllabic structure used by the ancient Japanese tanka poets. Also, Andrew has structured his poem so that each line is a balanced phrase ending on an identical consonant.
no consolation
but it was by death it won
my admiration—
this long-snouted seadragon
snagged in weed by the ocean© Andrew Lansdown
Kyoto Journal (No. 94) has published Andrew’s poem, “Dragonflies from the Bamboo Forest”.
Kyoto Journal is an award-winning English-language magazine founded in 1987 in Kyoto, Japan. It presents cultural and historical insights from all of Asia, with a major focus on Japan. It is published biannually.
The text of Andrew’s poem is reproduced below:
Dragonflies from the Bamboo Forest
They journeyed from Japan,
the bamboo dragonflies
buoyant by my bookcase.Members of a squadron
of small fixed-wing flyers,
they zeroed in on meas I walked with my wife
through an ancient forest
of tall timber bamboos.And I quickly yielded
to the craftsman for them
my pocketful of yen.Now they hover weightless
above papers and books,
upheld by just the tipsof their noses touching
the raised sticks of their stands,
the weight of their bodiesand long tails magically
offset by the weight of
their forward-thrusting wings.They tremble dreamily
in the still air above
the tarmac of my desk,tempting me to puff them
into storm even as
I marvel at their poise,reminding me always
of the balance and grace
they own but I must chase.© Andrew Lansdown
A slightly altered version of this poem is included in Andrew’s new collection, Distillations of Different Lands (Sunline Press).
One of Andrew’s poems has been included in the Australian Poetry Anthology, Volume 7, 2019. The poem, “Prank Call”, is also published in Andrew’s latest poetry collection, Distillations of Different Lands (Sunline Press).
The Mozzie published Andrew’s poem “Sounds and Wrens” in its Vol. 27, No. 5 issue. This poem consists of two tanka and it is also published in Andrew’s latest poetry collection, Distillations of Different Lands (Sunline Press).
The Mozzie published Andrew’s poem “Suburban Birds” in its April 2019 issue (Vol. 27, No. 3). This poem, which is a set of five haiku, is included in Andrew’s latest book of poetry, Distillations of Different Lands, which has was released late last year by Sunline Press.
Andrew’s poem “Autumn Maples” has been published in the April 2019 issue of Quadrant magazine. The poem, a set of two tanka, is reprinted below:
. .1
As they spun out
during the scourging of Christ,
so the blood-drops
are hurtling from the maples
as the wind flogs their raw backs.
. .2
The south hemisphere
is not the maples’ true home
—and yet only here
do they perform the Passion
plays at the right time of year.
© Andrew Lansdown
Rhiza Press has published a new collection of Andrew’s poems and photographs.
Kyoto Momiji Tanka is a stunning collection of poems and photographs celebrating the ancient capital of Japan, Kyoto, during autumn, when the maples (momiji) vividly colour the natural, cultural and emotional terrains of the Japanese.
The poems (written in a traditional Japanese form known as tanka) and photographs introduce readers to a fascinating world of Shinto brides, tanuki, spirit foxes, geisha, shakuhachi players and, of course, autumn maples.
Kyoto Momiji Tanka is a companion volume to Kyoto Sakura Tanka (Rhiza Press, 2016), which celebrates Kyoto in spring during the cherry blossom (sakura) season.
Read sample poems and view sample photographs on the Kyoto Momiji Tanka page on this website here.
Order a copy of Kyoto Momiji Tanka for $24.95 (free postage in Australia) through the Buy Books page on this website.
The March 2019 issue of Quadrant magazine contains two of Andrew’s poems— “Of Maples and …”, a 5-tanka gunsaku, and “Windbells at Fushimi Inari Shrine”, a 4-tanka gunsaku. The first and third “Windbells” tanka are reproduced below:
. .1
A shop at the shrine
selling big-tailed stone foxes
and toy-sized torii
has a dangle of windbells,
all dinging with the wind’s dint.
. .3
There is everything
and nothing sacred about
this Shinto windbell
whose fashioned material
sounds out the ethereal.
© Andrew Lansdown
The latest issue of Studio magazine (No. 145, 2019) contains three of Andrew’s poems: “Them Shoes”, “Miscellaneous Thoughts on Poetry” and “Suburban Birds”.
“Miscellaneous Thoughts on Poetry” is set of three tanka, while “Suburban Birds” is a set of five haiku. “Them Shoes” is a 52-line “free form” poem set in Bourbon Street in New Orleans. All three poems are included in Andrew’s latest book , Distillations of Different Lands, which has was released late last year by Sunline Press.
The first and last haiku in “Suburban Birds” are reprinted below:
. .i
The overhead wire—
a pair of welcome swallows
singing in the sag.
. .v
Such a lovely note—
how could I not look up to
find the pardalote?
© Andrew Lansdown
The Mozzie published Andrew’s poem “The Spatter Painter” in its January-February 2019 issue (Vol. 27, No. 1). This poem, which is a set of two tanka, is included in Andrew’s latest book of poetry, Distillations of Different Lands, which was released late last year by Sunline Press.