Mary Fran Meer: 1922–2019

Kirkland, Washington

July 7, 1922 – July 6, 2019

Mary Fran Meer grew up in Illinois, attended Northwestern University, and worked in the Chicago area before moving to Washington. She was the first Northwest regional coordinator, in 1993 and 1994, when Haiku Northwest became a region of the Haiku Society of America. She helped establish our regional anthology tradition with the publication of Echoes Across the Cascades, which included poems from HSA members living in Washington and Oregon. Her collection of haiku, Wooing the Meadowlark, was published in 1997 (see PDF version). She lived in Kirkland, near her family.

From Chiyo’s Corner:

walking in the woods

the chickadees’ chatter

a welcome escort

                1:1, Spring 1999, page 10

at twilight

the lark’s song

darkens

                1:1, Spring 1999, page 14

autumn stroll

the puppy chills his nose

in his first rain puddle

                1:2, Fall 1999, page 16

frost on the maples

     leaf colors warming

          to peaches and cream

                1:3, Winter 1999–2000, page 10

the candle winks

behind the pumpkin’s grin

                1:3, Winter 1999–2000, pages 24–25, in “Unruly and Diverse” renku

a fresh breeze

greets the newcomers

                1:4, Spring 2000, pages 18–19, in “Sunbreak” renku (written February 29, 2000)

dripping branches

sun streams through showers

first Sunday in Advent

rugged nurse log

the vine leaves trailing red

a touch of autumn

ferns and sorrel

cascading

toward the pond

sailboats in view

from the park’s high terrace

                2:2, Fall 2000, pages 22, 29, in “Keeping to the Trail” renku with Francine Porad

       side by side

in the autumn sunset

     kite and cloud

                3:2, Fall 2001, page 13

From Other Publications:

school bell rings

my garden takes

a recess

                “Haiku Northwest Greetings!” 1992, edited by Francine Porad and Connie Hutchison

frozen spring

meets its melting point

       drip by drip

                Echoes Across the Cascades, 1994 anthology of the Northwest region of the Haiku Society of America, page 3

                (Mary Fran also wrote the book’s introduction)

clapper-less

        wind chimes

a new resonance

                Echoes Across the Cascades, 1994 anthology of the Northwest region of the Haiku Society of America, page 31

beads of rain

the fan opens . . . fills

fresh leaves of lady’s mantle*

                “The Swinging Grasshopper,” 1995, edited by Robert Major

                *a low-lying plant of accordion-folding leaves

summer breeze

otters laze on shallow rocks

in the slow-moving river

                Sudden Shower, 1995 anthology of the Northwest region of the Haiku Society of America, page 20

the barn kitten

fills a patch of sunlight

on the hayloft floor

                Sudden Shower, 1995 anthology of the Northwest region of the Haiku Society of America, page 22

spilling over

the weathered grave site

white forget-me-nots

                Unbroken Curve, 1996 anthology, edited by Cherie Hunter Day and Ce Rosenow, page 17

a spent leaf

     spindles

on the spider’s loose thread

                Unbroken Curve, 1996 anthology, edited by Cherie Hunter Day and Ce Rosenow, page 18

From Sunlight Through Rain: A Northwest Haiku Year:

Edited by Robert Major and Francine Porad, 1997

Spring:

                early spring

                 rain mixed with snow

                         splotches the mare’s shaggy coat

                 wisteria wreathes

                 the red cedar snag

                      the thrush’s crumbled nest

Summer:

                as the river coils

                through the deep canyon

                a sidewinder suns

                Pacific coast storm

                    a beachcomber’s bucket fills

                with tumbled agates

Autumn:

                ripening harvest

                apple crates stacked

                along the valley road

Winter:

                white against white

                the crocus breaks through

                the winter crust

From Other Publications:

a piebald pony

drowses in the orchard grass

half-munched apples

                Cherry Blossom Rain, 1997 anthology, edited by Mary Fran Meer, page 23

the first frost crystallizes the last rosebud

                Cherry Blossom Rain, 1997 anthology, edited by Mary Fran Meer, page 24

mountain cabin

a deepening glow

in the cabin’s hearth

                To Find the Words, 2000 anthology, page 26

faint strains

          float over the teahouse

                    silken koto strings

                On Crimson Wings: Centennial Anthology of the Japanese Consulate of Seattle, Laughing CyPress, 2001, page 12

three flat boulders

span the dry stream bed

. . . the urge to go barefoot!

                “Ginkō: Northwest Poets at the Bellevue Botanical Garden, April 21, 2002” trifold

                edited and illustrated by Ruth Yarrow

autumn chill

curled leaves cradle

the first snowfall

                Box Anthology, 2002, compiled by Francine Porad and Marilyn Sandall

falling leaves

crisp and curling

catch the first snowflakes

                Wind Shows Itself, 2004 Haiku Northwest anthology, page 28

a spent leaf

spindles

on a spider’s loose thread

son’s fluting whistle

woos the meadowlark

ever     closer

on the back road

crushed clamshells dusting the blue

out of the bluebells

                No Longer Strangers: Haiku Northwest 25th Anniversary Anthology, 2014, page 52

Mary Fran Meer produced the following publications:

• Echoes Across the Cascades, 1994, editorial committee chair

• Cherry Blossom Rain, 1997, editor

• Wooing the Meadowlark, Bellevue, Washington: Miraclear Press, 1997 (her only book)

• Wind Shows Itself, 2004, editorial staff

summer

        flies by

in a flock of geese