 His first published haiku appeared in "American Haiku" magazine in 1963, and he wrote thousands, many unpublished, during his 20-plus-year career.The death of his youngest brother Larry in the Vietnam War inspired some poignant and powerful haiku, and made his reputation as a haiku elegist.He is quoted by haiku author and book editor Cor van den Heuvel as saying he wrote haiku "to get in touch with the real".