Halebsky - Sky=Empty

Judy Halebsky

Judy Halebsky is a contributing editor and translator for the bilingual poetry journal Eki Mae. Residencies at the MacDowell Colony and the Millay Colony have supported her work. Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, she spent five years in Japan studying art and literature on fellowships from the Japanese Ministry of Education. She teaches writing and world literature at Dominican University of California and is artist-in-residence at Theatre of Yugen.

Also by Judy Halebsky

Japanese for Daydreamers (Chapbook, 2008)

Sky=Empty

$15.00 paper | 62 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-930974-91-3
Publication Date: March 29, 2010
Buy: Amazon.com | spdbooks.org

Winner of the 2009 New Issues Poetry Prize

"I was caught by the clarity of mind and expression of Sky=Empty — a quality distinctive at any time. I was caught by the ear and eye, the tone of voice, and the easy movement between inner and outer. The respect for language is tangible. This is a beautiful, engaging first book, the sort of book one may buy a second copy of to give away."
—Marvin Bell, from the Judge’s Citation

Poem

婪 Woman Under Trees

it's the harvest Mom says
work night and day
so there’ll be food in the winter
she's talking about me and homework
and trying to graduate

suede sneakers and bay windows
you would find me
a couple bars under healthy
in the bedroom too small
with all the noise from the street

you might think these aren’t my words
not my body, not sounds that shaped me
when I was growing through shadows on the wall

      海女    ama
      ocean woman:
      a woman diving for shells

      姦       kan
      three women:
      wickedness and mischief

      雨女    ameonna
      rain woman:
      a woman who brings rain

these words flood into the river
they are trees that rise uprooted
they are butterflies in the trees