Nika
Born 1946, Spokane, Washington, USA
Current Residence: Victoria, BC, Canada
Nika is the pen name of retired educator Jim Force. He currently writes with The Heron’s Quill in Victoria where he is a member of Haiku Arbutus. His haiku have been widely published in magazines and anthologies. He has published two chapbooks: frogs singing (1993) and snail my friend (2015).
afternoon affair –
the distant sound of traffic
searching for my socks
frogs singing, 1993
(self published chapbook)
again today
I ease my body
into old man skin
Failed Haiku, Vol. 1, Issue 8, 2016
alone in the gym –
scoring the winning basket
again and again
Blithe Spirit, Vol. 4:3 August, 1994
at grasp-bird’s-tail
the tai chi master
breaks wind
Blithe Spirit, Vol. 4:4 1994
blended family -
whose child
names the dog
Brussels Sprout, Vol. X:1 1993
Buddhist monk
hesitates . . . then steps
on a wasp
Albatross, Vol. IV: 1&2 Spring & Autumn, 1995
close-out sale
first item to go
cashier’s smile
Haiku Spirit, #4 November, 1995
corpse pose
my restless world
fades away
Hedgerow, Issue #80 3 June 2016
evening news
another senseless bombing
invades our home
Albatross, Vol. V&VI: 1&2, 1996-97
family photos
cousin Ann discovers
she’s adopted
Frogpond, Vol. XVIII:2 Summer, 1995
family reunion
grandfather’s smile
in every cousin
Prune Juice, Issue 19, July 2016
fleamarket –
dad buys back
his old sweater
Dreams Wander, HSA Members’ Anthology, October 1994
grandfather
negotiates the stairs
one muscle at a time
Tidepool, #11, 1994
morning fog
my pill box tells me
it’s Friday
Frozen Butterfly, audio blog April, 2016
mother
resets the table
just so
Raw Nervz Haiku, Vol. 1:2 Summer, 1994
October fest
ah, such good beer
such good farts
Haiku Spirit, #4, November, 1995
second spouse
same problem –
could it be me
Point Judith Light, Vol. 2:2 July, 1993
stargazing . . .
grandson more fascinated
with satellites
Presence, #2, 1996
strange
this house
not one nail mine
The Haiku Quarterly, # 9, 1993
summer holiday
visiting imaginary friends
the only child
Frogpond, Vol. XVIII:2 Summer, 1995
too ashamed
to say I lied –
another lie
Modern Haiku, Vol. XXIV:1, 1993
washday –
checking all the pockets
his wedding ring
Modern Haiku, Vol. XXIV:2, 1993