Hannah Mahoney

Issue 17

RULES

Certain bones are of intrinsic value.
The inner table is “toward the light.”
A stone may jump over adverse stones.
The asker is bound by the reply.


OBSERVATIONS

The naked eye
A blue companion
The body
The right leg
The left shoulder
The string of pearls

A swan with wings outstretched
A man encircled by a serpent
A lion crouching
The heart of the snake
They are close together
It is very dangerous


Source & Method

All lines taken verbatim from these sources:
“Rules”: My family’s battered and frequently consulted edition of Hoyle’s Rules of Games, edited by Albert H. Morehead and Geoffrey Mott-Smith (New York: New American Library/Signet, 1963)

“Observations”: An Instant Guide to the Stars and Planets, by Pamela Forey and Cecilia Fitzsimmons (New York: Bonanza Books, 1988).


Hannah Mahoney is a coauthor of Dream Language: For Three Voices (Yet to Be Named Free Press). Her work has appeared in a variety of journals, and she is the recipient of a Kaji Aso International Haiku Award. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.


Photo by Soroush Karimi 

Hannah Mahoney

Issue 15

ARE YOU READY?

Life
requires assembly

Includes three cupcakes
Rejoice!

 

THE WORLD IS SPINNING

Entrances and exits

Things
grow more distinct with age

It all ends
Not quite what you hoped for?

Oh,
it’s perfect


Method: Each line or sentence, including the titles, has been lifted verbatim from the 2019 IKEA catalog.

Hannah Mahoney is a coauthor of Dream Language: For Three Voices (Yet to Be Named Free Press). Her work has appeared in a variety of journals, including at the Mann Library Daily Haiku website.