Marigolds in Snow
Marigolds in Snow
Jocelyne Villeneuve
Artwork by Peter Schwarz
6 X 9 inches, 110 pages
Penumbra Press Poetry Series, No. 34IN THIS COLLECTION OF HAIKU, Jocelyne Villeneuve blends the brevity and precision of the genre's form with the faith and essence of her own life. It is a poetry of insight, where strength, wisdom, and joy help us not only to observe but also to share in her personal story. There are battles here—of snow against the window pane, of her father in a hospital bed, of absent lovers. And there are small victories—of smiles like ornaments, of kisses like hidden flowers.
Jocelyne Villeneuve's haiku are already familiar to audiences in Japan, the United States, and Canada. Marigolds in Snow is her first book-length publication of haiku in English.
a new friend—
sky filtering through
heavy clouds
worrying about you
bare branches
scratching at the window
—from The Letter
wanting
to write your name
in the window frost
—from Musings
Jocelyne Villeneuve
(1941-1998)
Author
Perhaps better known for her writing of French-language stories, poetry and journalism, Jocelyne Villeneuve was nonetheless no stranger to publishing in English. She lived in Sudbury, where she was a champion of Franco-Ontarian culture. Wheel-chair confined as a result of illness and a car accident in 1967, the former librarian worked for many years as a freelance writer.
Peter Schwarz
Cover Art
Peter Schwarz lived and worked as a full-time artist in Grafton, Ontario. His bold-stroked paintings, pastels, and prints have graced the covers and interiors of numerous Penumbra Press books. His work embraces the human range from agony to ecstasy and inspires with its resilience.