David Ash

DAVID ASH learned his first haiku in sixth grade. It began with the word hototogisu (cookoo), and he felt an instant connection. He should also have been learning about spelling, grammar and punctuation, but he thought haiku gave him a loophole. By the time he got a degree in English from Georgetown University, studying 20th Century poets like e. e. cummings, it was a wonder he got a job as a secretary. He eventually realized that no one could check your spelling when you sang what you wrote. Three albums, years of church choir directing and a Masters in liturgical music from Santa Clara University followed. David finally figured out that his wife, son, family and friends seemed a lot happier when he would use no more than a dozen words at a time. So he regressed to his sixth grade roots. David doesn't seem worried that his first haiku is being published at an age when Matsuo Basho was writing his last. Basho's inspiration is still there and haiku is about the journey.