briefly in spring

Judith E.P. Johnson's haiku

have a down-to-earth flavour reminiscent of Issa, one of Japan's four great haiku masters. Her haiku are like little sake cups of imagery. Read at a gulp, or sipped and savoured, they capture moments and movement, a connection to a natural object, or a wry social observation. Above all, these tiny polished gems reveal a keen sense of wonder. They capture the essence of haiku in a way very few English language versions do.

- Liza Dalby, author of The Tale of Murasaki