by Neal Whitman
first dream of New Year–
five ships at rest on cradles
came ashore last night
Neal Whitman is a member of the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society of San Jose and the Haiku Poets of Northern California. Neal provides us with five seasonal haiku a year; in the Japanese tradition, New Year is a season and “first dream” is a “kigo,” that is, a phrase associated with this season.