Michael Dylan Welch

April 19, 2024

“Something Fishy” by Michael Dylan Welch, C.R. Manley & Tanya McDonaldPosted by

Michael Dylan Welch, C.R. Manley & Tanya McDonald

SOMETHING FISHY

a rengay written on a Washington State Ferry

salmon time—
the path to the creek
free of cobwebs
mdw
 
he warns us again—
don’t eat the pufferfish
crm
 
field trip—
the cold stare
of the passing shark
tm
 
the guppy circling
down the toilet
mdw
 
motionless angelfish—
still waiting
for my order
crm
 
one fish, two fish
I switch off her bedside lamp
tm
 

—from Rattle #83, Spring 2024
Tribute to Collaboration

__________

Michael Dylan Welch, C.R. Manley, & Tanya McDonald: “‘Something Fishy’ is a rengay we wrote mostly on the ferry between Edmonds and Kingston, Washington. Fish seemed like a natural theme to write about while we crossed the Puget Sound. Michael wrote the first rengay with Garry Gay, its inventor, in 1992, and has been promoting the form ever since, with essays and my website. Renku always links and shifts between the verses as it seeks to taste all of life, but rengay deliberately focuses on a single theme, which we had fun exploring in various fishy nuances.”

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July 10, 2017

“Separation” by Michael Dylan WelchPosted by

Michael Dylan Welch

SEPARATION

the hangtime
of a tossed football
separation

separation
the balcony again
in shadow

fish heads
in a bucket
separation

separation
the town square flag
at half mast

fog
in
the
forecast
separation

the birthday cake
store-bought
separation

the ice finally shifts
as I tip my glass
separation

shuttered windows
on the family cottage
separation

a gargoyle’s laugh
from atop the cathedral
separation

gas prices
lower today
separation

last out
of the little league game
separation

whether the stop lights
are green or red
separation

the firemen
washing a ladder truck
separation

flecks of rust
beneath the anchor
separation

the kids’ shoes
lined up at the door
separation

separation
another poem
about sandcastles

the patter of rain
on the forest path
separation

—from Rattle #55, Spring 2017

__________

Michael Dylan Welch: “I hope the poems I write might resonate with at least one reader—that can sometimes be enough. A poem is a door, and whether it’s ajar or not, you’re invited to open it wide. My ‘Separation’ sequence is an exploration of many things that word might mean, but more in an experiential rather than intellectual sense. Perhaps at least one reader might connect with it.” (web)

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June 23, 2015

“True Colours” by Michael Dylan WelchPosted by

Michael Dylan Welch

TRUE COLOURS

Solo Rengay

true colours—
the abstract painting
overpriced

an off-colour joke
from the psychiatrist

colouring
outside the lines
the kindergarten teacher

the realtor
talking too much
about local colour

hardly colourblind
the district attorney

technicolour sunset—
the photographer loads
another memory card

—from Rattle #47, Spring 2015
Tribute to Japanese Forms

[download audio]

__________

Michael Dylan Welch: “Why am I drawn to haiku and related Japanese poetry? Because I’ve always found short forms of poetry to be the most appealing, and haiku is the queen of short poetry. I write because I can’t help but share my passion for haiku (together with longer poetry). This is a chief motive behind my establishment of National Haiku Writing Month. Unfortunately, haiku is widely misunderstood and mistaught, so another reason I continue to write haiku, and write about it, is to help correct these misunderstandings.” (website)

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