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Cyril Childs            

Born in Invercargill in 1941, Cyril Childs died in Dunedin in 2012. He wrote haiku and related forms after living in Japan for 12 months in 1989/90. He was a past-president of the NZ Poetry Society, edited both of the NZ Haiku Anthologies published by the NZPS (1993,1998) and co-edited Listening to the Rain (Small White Teapot Group, Christchurch, 2002). His own book, Beyond the Paper Lanterns - a journey with cancer, was published in 2000. He judged three NZPS haiku competitions and was co-judge, with Jerry Kilbride, of the HSA's Henderson Award in 2000. After a career as a scientist, Cyril retired to Port Chalmers in a home overlooking Otago Harbour and also enjoyed spending time at his beloved bach in Riverton. A biography of his uncle's wartime exploits absorbed most of his writing energy in later years. The book was under contract for publication at the time of his death. There is a page of tributes made at the time of his death here.


 

mountain track
the marks of it
on his wedding ring

 


wind over water
so easily the cormorant
one to the other

 
better than ever
in my neighbour's garden
my old roses

 
backyard cricket
Dad and I pick up
the kitchen window

 
midday shimmer
the elderly umpire
closes one eye

 
tea break
a sparrow at point fossicks
among the seed-heads

 
bouncing ball
beating the giggling boy
down the zig-zag

 
me
pulling
the weed
pulling
me

 
winter morning
the lame goose lagging a little
behind its gaggle

 
for tonight enough
the stars ...
the black sky

 

Publication notes:

mountain track: Kokako 4 (NZ) 2006


wind over water: Kokako 10, 2009


better than ever: Kokako 3 (modified) 2005


backyard cricket: Kokako 14, 2011; A Tingling Catch (Mark Pirie ed.) 2010


midday shimmer: Kokako 7, 2007


tea break: Poetry NZ 25, 2002; A Tingling Catch, 2010


bouncing ball: Kokako 14 (modified)


me: Kokako 2, 2005


winter morning: Presence 27 (UK)


for tonight enough: Kokako 13, 2010

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