Julie Warther
Born: 1969, Dover, Ohio
Current residence: Dover, Ohio
Julie Warther, author of What Was Here (Folded Word Press, 2015) lives in Dover, Ohio and serves as Midwest Regional Coordinator for the Haiku Society of America. Julie was instrumental in the installation of The Forest Haiku Walk, a path featuring thirty haiku stones with poems by Midwest writers, on the grounds of The Inn at Honey Run in Millersburg, Ohio.
graveside service
no one wants to leave
first
Honorable Mention, 2010 Gerald Brady Memorial Senryu Contest
dad’s directions
landmarks
that used to be
Frogpond 34.2, Summer 2011
family dinner
siblings feed the elephant
in the room
Frogpond 35.1, Winter 2012
mixed verb tenses
coming to terms
with her death
Modern Haiku 43.2, Summer 2012
holiday blues
turning the bare spot
to the wall
Frogpond 35.2, Summer 2012
death watch
she dies peacefully
in their sleep
First Prize, 2012 Gerald Brady Memorial Senryu Contest
following her death
all the expressions
we no longer use
A Hundred Gourds 2.2, March 2013
power suit
she pulls
the dangling thread
Honorable Mention, 2013 Kaji Aso Studio International Senryu Contest
no gears to shift
acclimating
to island time
Tinywords 13.2, July 25, 2013
at last
spending time with loved ones
family plot
Modern Haiku 44.3, Fall 2013
life and death decisions
the need to feel
the satin lining
Honorable Mention, 2013 Gerald Brady Memorial Senryu Contest
after the funeral
the peace lily
A Hundred Gourds 3.1, December 2013
pieces of eight
his artwork
on the fridge
the time it takes
for jello to set –
first condolences
Honorable Mention, 2014 Kaji Aso International Senryu Contest
the blank
where I’m supposed to sign
filled with doubt
Honorable Mention, 2014 Kaji Aso International Senryu Contest
no longer able to move
our collie herds us
with her eyes
Prune Juice, Issue 14, November 2014
parts unknown
the sax player improvises
a lullaby
Tinywords 15.1, April 15, 2015
Ash Wednesday service –
wearing the heels
that pinch
Modern Haiku 46.2, Summer 2015
Epiphany –
marveling at the arrival
of three more pounds
Cattails, May 2015
in the candle’s flame
the prayers
I never prayed
Bottle Rockets 17.1, February 2015
the care she takes in cutting her paper heart
Honorable Mention, 2015 Kaji Aso International Senryu Contest
palmistry –
the lines
I’ve crossed
Prune Juice Issue 16, July 2015
cataract clouds . . .
her children remind her
what she likes
Tinywords 15.2, October 14, 2015
new tablecloth –
first thanksgiving
without the extra leaf
Frogpond 38.3, Autumn 2015
heat of the day . . .
my own company
wearing thin
Bottle Rockets 17.2, February 2016
making amends –
an unpainted board
on the picket fence
Bottle Rockets #34, February 2016
rising early
to find the bathroom empty –
Easter morning
Cattails, January 2016
new fiscal year . . .
hearing only the sounds
of his words
Failed Haiku #1, January 2016
first love the ring his ring leaves
Second Place, 2015 HPNC International Senryu Competition
fruit flies . . .
the shelf life
of a grudge
Failed Haiku #2, February 2016
dropping in . . .
a layer of dust
on the guest soaps
Failed Haiku #3, March 2016
broken spine –
gently cradling
her Bible
Prune Juice Issue 18, March 2016
forcing putty
into the cracks –
what he doesn’t say
Modern Haiku 47.2, Summer 2016
brontosaurus . . .
the half-life
of my education
Cattails, May 2016
eulogy
a man in the last row
checks his watch
Failed Haiku #5, May 2016
after the stroke
only half
a smile
Honorable Mention, 2016 International Matsuo Basho Award
stacked on top
of get well cards
sympathy
Prune Juice Issue 19, July 2016
company –
the doors
I close
Prune Juice Issue 19, July 2016