Keeping Time: Haibun for the Journey

This beautiful collection of haibun has a purity stemming from the honesty of its recollection and the elegance of its form. Reading it, I entered into a world of hawks and feathers, of deer and turkeys, of Poppy’s tears, of spouses lost, of love of family and friends, of gratitude for being a poet and love of the natural world. I emerged from this world with a feeling of privileged access into a great and positive spirit recording her shares of sorrow, loss, illness, the turbulence of years, encouraged by the poet to share her resolve to love the broken world and to praise the light.

—Neil Creighton, author of Morteza

Penny Harter’s Keeping Time: Haibun for the Journey is an exceptional work. Haiku-woven tales of love, loss, hope and redemption are set forth in a poignant three-part journey of discovery. Although every haibun is remarkable in its own way, I was swept away by the beauty of these three titles: “Keep,” “ Kept,” “Keeping.” And there is a not-to-be missed bonus at the end, a treasure trove titled “Tips for Writing Haibun.”Keeping Time: Haibun for the Journeyis destined to lead the canon of outstanding haibun collections.

—Roberta Beary, author of The Unworn Necklace

In Keeping Time, poet Penny Harter, takes her readers on a journey through the labyrinth of human existence. Each poem lingers in the liminal spaces between dream and memory, love and loss, joy and heartache. Whether it be antique store relics, the raised blue veins of aging hands, or the melting ice of an ancient glacier, Harter uses personal yet relatable imagery to thoughtfully ponder the things that measure, hold, and release time. Her poetry speaks to the resilient, transformative nature of the human spirit and the interconnectedness of all things. In a world that sometimes seems lost and struggling, her message is one of hope and reassurancethe journey is our destination . . . .

—Terri L. French, author of Fully Human; co-editor, contemporary haibun online