Love in the Time of Covid

by Anna Cates
Wipf and Stock Publishers
$13 paperback, $28 hardcover
Eugene, Oregon, 2021, 107 pages
Ordering Information

In her introduction to this book, Anna Cates writes that “Love in the Time of Covid is the sequel to The Journey, my earlier collection of mixed form poems on the theme of religion. Love in the Time of Covid continues that poetic journey with short form poems that reveal the intersection of nature and spirituality. Finally, it highlights my unlikely friendship with an antiquarian of rare oddities during the Covid-19 crisis and beyond.” In addition to various haiku and tanka, the collection contains 21 haibun and tanka prose that reflect the author’s interest in metaphysics and myth, her concern for the environment, and her compassion and resilience in the face of life’s challenges.

Excerpt

Love in the Time of Covid

Spring 2020. No effervescent sparkles beside the fireplace. No wine glasses clinking. No strains from a violin. Only our “great adaptation,” this social distancing . . .

pandemic longing for the daffodils to open

Unexpected Gift

by Sonam Chhoki & Geethanjali Rajan
Published by Editions des petits nuages
Ottawa, Canada, 2021, unpaginated
Available in PDF, E-pub, and Kindle formats
Kindle edition is $2.49 U.S.
PDF and E-pub are available for free by contacting Sonam Chhoki or Geethanjali Rajan.

The book features 25 linked forms by two writers—one living in Bhutan, the other in Chennai, India—who began collaborating in 2015 and “over the years discovered the similarities of our cultures.” The collection (which was whittled down from more than 50 pieces the pair composed through e-mail) features a mix of forms: rengay, tanka sequences, and collaborative haibun and tanka prose. Chhoki and Rajan have obviously developed a strong bond over the years; their voices blending seamlessly. An example of a collaborative haibun is shown here. (It’s never stated overtly how to differentiate between each writer’s contributions, but since the opening introductions show Chhoki’s contribution in italics, we would assume her work is italicized throughout.)

Excerpt

Becoming a memory

First day of school. With her satchel slightly lopsided, she takes the teacher’s hand and walks down the corridor.

deeper and deeper
in rhododendron shadow
a lone partridge whistles

Inhaling the scents, the dance of light slowly becomes a memory.

fading footsteps
forget-me-nots on the bank
wave in the mist

From a hamlet across the other side, the lilt of a tune drifts by.

smoke rises
from the thatches somewhere
a meal of rice kanjee

A candle flame stutters in the distant window.

evening star
the chorus of birds in the grove
flows into the river's song