Book Review: Wing Strokes Haiku

By Gretchen Gales

Looking for a short, gorgeous collection of haiku to add to your bookshelf? Wing Strokes Haiku (Kelsay Books, 2022)by Sydell Rosenburg and Amy Losak is both a haiku collection and living memorial. Written by a late mother and daughter, the collection has two haiku on each page, one by Rosenburg and one by Losak.

Rosenburg's literary contributions included "city haiku" published in many journals and anthologies prior to her passing in 1996. Losak followed in her footsteps with her own haiku in several notable journals, including Akitsu Quarterly, Newtown Literary , Tinywords, and others. 
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In the book, each poem echoes the other for a beautiful duet on each page. "as darkness descends" and "a flock of pigeons" is a snapshot of heaven and earth, a cat with prey on the ground, pigeons ascending into the sky. The collaborative collection is not only divided by mother and daughter, but by insect and bird poems. Rosenburg's insect poems followed by Losak's bird poems both celebrate two facets of the natural world. 

In "sodden Saturday" and "'Guaranteed to Sing!'", moments of small, but significant joy happen, the former spontaneously and the latter by choice. The first poem has worms creating letters on the sidewalk while the speaker of the second poem bring home a singing canary to fill the space in a quiet home. 

While Wing Strokes Haiku is a haiku collection perfect for anyone to enjoy, it's worth mentioning that it is an admirable example of what collaboration can be. A poet's work is never done, and this collection is a perfect example of the enduring power of outstanding writing. 

The collection can be purchased now through Kelsay Books.