The following senryu were first published February 13, 2025 in Cold Moon Journal:
the pungent scent
of ground ink—
Minnesota lake
tapping maple trees
my novel-writing secret
revealed
Author: Dennis
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Tanka 2-3
The following tanka were first published in the February 2025 issue of The Bamboo Hut:
kitchen, living room
following the trail
of toys and chores
my wife struggles yet again
to sleep when the children sleep
carving your initials
the pine tree bleeds and bleeds
and bleeds sap
I don’t, can’t know it yet
but the relationship won’t last
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Senryu 6-7
The following senryu were first published in the February 2025 issue of The Bamboo Hut:
broken family heirloom
a chance to learn
kintsugi
Communion Sunday
thinking about
Shinto shrines
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Haiku 15
The following haiku was first published in issue 52 (February 2025) in bottle rockets:
a day on the prairie, no haiku came to mind
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Haiga 1
The following haiga was first published in Issue 19 “Insects” of Consilience:
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Haibun 2: Operation
The following haibun was first published in Issue #106, December 31, 2024, of Failed Haiku:
The nurse asks, “Do you have any metal in your body that wasn’t present at birth?”
Which is an odd question.
Those last five words don’t seem necessary. They imply that it’s possible for metal to be present in the body at birth or even before birth. Those five words further assert that, while metal in the body present after birth might complicate certain medical procedures or surgeries, metal present in the body at birth or before birth might be benign or even beneficial.
cyborg baby
suckling
power cords
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Haibun 1: The Birth of Venus
The following haibun was first published in Issue #106, December 31, 2024, of Failed Haiku:
My elementary school library, second grade: A group of boys were giggling in the corner, hunched over a book. The librarian came over and snatched it away. I caught a glimpse of the cover as she put it on the cart: the swirled, amber form of the planet Venus.
While I loved the library and the wonders contained within books, I’d never known the library to contain something so subversive, so dangerous. What could be within that book that made her take it away?
The next week, after the book was reshelved and forgotten, I found it. The book discussed Venus’ formation, climate, geology, and the mythology behind the name. Toward the front was a full-page image of Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus.” Now I knew what was so enchanting: I had never seen such curves before.
The novelty of the painting, though, was quickly replaced by the stunning, full-color photographs of the second planet from the sun. Such colors, such windswept clouds, such quiet elegance, the planet framed by black, starry space. That book engendered a fascination with the planets that continues to this day.
“Remove From Circulation”
mining banned book lists
for treasure
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Senryu 5
The following senryu was first published in Issue #106, December 31, 2024, of Failed Haiku:
carving our initials
in the pine tree
my chisel rusts overnight
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Visual Storytelling in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Back in 2016, I used video capture equipment to make this video essay on the visual storytelling techniques used in the Wii-U game Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. The DKC series has always been near to my heart, and Tropical Freeze is outstanding.
In this video, I document how the developers at Retro Studios tell story—not through elaborate cutscenes—but through in-game visuals. This essay reveals a lot of depth to the game that has been little discussed in other forums.
I always meant to follow up this video with other video essays, but life got busy, and I never returned to the hobby (I even recorded footage for the original Donkey Kong Country). Still, as a fan of Let’s Play videos, I was satisfied with what I was able to achieve in this video. Had Let’s Plays been a thing when I was in my 20s, I probably would’ve made more of these.
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55 Cancri e
The following poem was first published October 21, 2024 in Poets for Science. It’s about planet e, which orbits the star 55 Cancri, located in the constellation of Cancer. The planet is very close to its star, making it extremely hot. It’s also dense and full of carbon, meaning it might be a diamond planet. NASA has a lot of information about 55 Cancri e through their fictional Exoplanet Travel Bureau. They provide a guided tour and visualization of the surface.
The largest diamonds ever found,
deep within Earth’s ancient ground:
Cullinan, Millennium, Jubilee,
none can equal Cancri e
A diameter of twice the girth
and mass eight times the mass of Earth,
a gemstone radiant, sublime and
rare—the planet is one giant diamond
An orbit of just 18 hours,
around a sun that scorches, scours
hot enough for melting iron,
turning carbon into diamonds
Standing on that glassy gem,
the angels’ holy diadem,
every direction, stunning views
of diamonds of prismatic hues
Men, for gemstones, constant striving
cut in shapes bizarre, contriving
On her neck, no woman could wear
a diamond that’s beyond compare
No business man could sell this thing,
nor put it on a wedding ring
This jewel is not for us to own,
but the universe’s out on loan
Clouds of silicates are forming,
sparkling in the endless morning
Tidal-locked, its face aglow
molten diamonds down below
Cancri A, the blazing sun,
whose work will never be outdone
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
I gaze in wonder from afar
Nestled in the crab of Cancer
Cancri A, the stunning dancer
Visible to the naked eye
holding diamonds in the sky