Thank you, haijin, for raising your voices for equality. Congratulations to last week’s contributors:

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Moving forward.

We lost haijin Rachel Sutcliffe yesterday.:

Rachel Sutcliffe has suffered from a serious immune disorder for the past 14 years, throughout this time writing has been her therapy, it’s kept her from going insane. She is an active member of the British Haiku Society and the online writing group Splinter4all. Her work has appeared in numerous print and online journals including Hedgerow, Prune Juice, Brass Bell, Cattails, The Heron’s Nest, tinywords, and A Hundred Gourds.
Awards and Other Honors: Work selected for big data: The Red Moon Anthology of English-language Haiku 2014 (Red Moon Press 2015); Journey to Crone (Chuffed Buff Books 2013); The Survivor’s Guide To Bedlam (Brian Wrixon Books 2012); Poets with Voices Strong-In Praise-In Memory- In Ink anthology (Brian Wrixon Books 2012). C.2.2. Anthology of short verse (Yet To Be Named Fee Press 2013); and Kigo: Seasonal Words Issues 1 and 2 (Chuffed Buff Books 2014). Short listed for Desmond O’Grady Poetry Competition, White House Limerick Poetry.

Many of you may be familiar with her exsquisite haiku and senryu. Many of you know that I have often reblogged her work:

wind
BY FRANK J. TASSONE ON JANUARY 25, 2019 • ( 2 COMMENTS )
#Haiku Happenings #4: I’m sad to share the news of Rachel Sutcliffe’s passing. This may be her last haiku. Rest In Peace, Haijin! You were one of our best!

Project words

wind through the trees
the ocean
in my heart

Daily Haiku: Jan. 20, 2019
BY FRANK J. TASSONE ON JANUARY 20, 2019 • ( LEAVE A COMMENT )
#Haiku Happenings #5: Charlotte Digregorio’s Daily Haiku features Rachel Sutcliffe!

Charlotte Digregorio’s Writer’s Blog
snow-filled nest
the depth of silence
before spring
by Rachel Sutcliffe (England, UK)
cattails, April 2017

Rachel has also been featured in the Living Haiku Anthology:

his death day
in graveyard shadows
gathered crows

The Zen Space Winter Showcase 2015 
 
talking done
the dregs of friendship
in our mugs

tinywords 15 December 2015
 
heavy snow
shovelling away
the solitude

Failed Haiku January 2016

and the Living Senryu Anthology:

hospital ward
the hum of machines
she no longer needs
Cattails  May 2014 


 
long wait
knitting the tension
into a scarf
Cattails  January 2015 
 
paving stones

stepping round the cracks

in our relationship
Cattails  May 2015 

We truly lost one of the best of us, haijin. This week, I would like to honor her memory and her beautiful haikai. So let’s do something a little different.

Choose your favorite haikai by Rachel (haiku, senryu, haibun, haiga, tanka, renga, etc.). Then, write a comparable haikai poem in the style of your choice that honors the spirit of the favorite that you chose.

For example:

hospital ward
the hum of machines
she no longer needs

Cattails  May 2014 

last pump

of a respirator

Calvary

In addition to her haikai from her Registry and Living Haiku/Senryu Anthology profiles, you can read her website, Project Words.

Let’s celebrate Rachel Sutcliffe, haijin!

As always:

Here’s how the challenge works:

1. write the haikai poem of your choice.
2. post the link of your post to Mister Linky.
3. pingback by posting the link to the challenge on your site.
4. read and comment on other contributors’ posts.

Thank you, haijin, for joining me in this special memorial challenge. Rest in Peace, Rachel!