Lake Cora is a beautiful spring-fed lake located in the cradle of southwest Michigan's orchards and vineyards. The lake is surrounded by a soft sandy shore, natural grasses, and stately trees. Though it is small and not widely known, locals affectionately call it the other great lake. Although Lake Cora is an ideal setting for water skiing, small sailboats, kayaks, and an occasional wave runner, it is primarily a quiet reflective setting for fishing, swimming, and a calm nightly parade of pontoon boats. As such, the lake gives rise to thoughts of nature and the nature of life. The ancient craft of haiku provides a vehicle to express such reflections.
Haiku is a generally unrhymed poetic form traditionally consisting of seventeen syllables arranged in three lines of five, seven, and five syllables, respectively. Haiku is perhaps the most popular and best-known poetic form worldwide. These poems are deceivingly simple enough to be taught to children and yet have been the subject of doctoral dissertations and academic careers. Lake Cora Haiku is a fresh new collection of this admired poetic form.