Poem: Woodblock Print

Woodblock Print

Sparrows in the cherry tree

twig to twig

the only movement

in the August air

so cold

in waiting

for the spring

they settle

watchful

and still

if only I could make

a woodblock print

cherry wood

would be ideal

winter would be in it

a branch

and two small birds

the line would be

articulate

and spare

you’d see it

all-at-once

haiku-like

and clear.

Karen Blaylock lives and works in the Adelaide Hills. A writer of poetry and essays she has been published in literary journals, newspapers and anthologies in Australia, and with her haiku in New Zealand and America. Her collection of poems, The Saying of Names, was published in 2022.

Readers’ original and unpublished poems of up to 40 lines can be emailed, with postal address, to [email protected]. Submissions should be in the body of the email, not as attachments. A poetry book will be awarded to each accepted contributor.

Photo: Pexels / Siyuan Zhao