VANISHED ROADS

In the aftermath of personal upheaval, pandemic isolation, and profound change, Thomas L. Vaultonburg turned to haiku and Soto Zen as a way of navigating a world that had suddenly become much smaller. The result is Vanished Roads, a collection of 104 haiku that traces a journey from grief and disorientation toward renewal, acceptance, and a deeper engagement with the present moment.

Beginning with poems that acknowledge loss—the loss of loved ones, relationships, identities, and familiar ways of living—the collection gradually opens onto new landscapes both internal and external. Rivers, forests, mountains, weather, and wildlife become companions and teachers as the poet learns to move forward without relying on the maps that once guided him.

Throughout the book, the focus shifts from personal sorrow toward transformation. Old roads disappear. New paths emerge. A creative partnership, a growing Zen practice, and the discipline of haiku become means of discovering what remains when certainty falls away.

Accompanied by original illustrations from artist Tré, Vanished Roads is a meditation on impermanence, resilience, and the quiet wisdom found in paying attention. These poems invite readers to pause, breathe, and continue their own journeys with greater awareness of the beauty and mystery that surrounds them.