The winning haiku can be found here
Write a haiku on any topic and post it in the comments section below. The haiku must adhere to the traditional parameters of a haiku to qualify (and may be deleted if it does not). It must…
1. Be three lines. The first line must have five syllables, the second seven syllables, and the third five syllables. Seventeen syllables total (5-7-5).
2. Contain a nature or seasonal reference: the crumbling leaves, the cold air, the smell of manure, the taste of fresh black berries, the cicadas’ buzzing.
3. Be in the present tense (swims rather than swam).
4. Be subtle and observational.
5. Contain some sort of twist in the third line: a shift in perspective or mood, a surprise, a new interpretation of the first or second line.
Read more about writing a haiku here.
When: Now until Saturday August 8, 2020 midnight EST. Winners Announced August 15, 2020.
Who: Anyone in the world, any age or background, may participate. From within the Society, anyone, including Advisory Board Members, not involved in judging the contest may participate. (If you are outside the United States, you will have to have a PayPal account or a bank that accepts U.S. checks to receive the prize money if you win.)
What: Each entrant may submit up to three haiku. Any topic. Must conform to traditional haiku rules above.
Where: Post your haiku in the comments section below.
Prize: $100.
Judge: Mike Bryant
Entry Fee: None
Lull Before the Storm
Moisture in wind, petrichor fills nostrils
Tsunami’s seismic splash
late spring arrives new,
no rain – petals, chokecherries, sweetgrass spate,
your vague form parts
(fixing an error)
late spring arrives new,
no rain – petals, chokecherries, sweetgrass spate,
your vague form departs
The empty silence
crouches within me, I remain
awake on my bed
wintertime is here
darkness prevails over me-
a smile of sunshine
cold, mist surrounds me
hands lay on the yellow pages
memories flooding
Tributary:
Bare feet still on stones
Fear a silent serpent’s stare—
Just an empty skin.
the end seems so near
feels bitter like unripe fruit
one door closes, then opens
This is all right. You could do better.
sharp bend of the albatross
behind the slow spinning of the fog
the uncertainty of my dreams
a morning sirroco whirls by
while the cicada escapes to nowhere catching
breath on the maple leaf
first family reunion at summer
a long forgotten name is quickly remembered
by the size of bowl
thoughts I redirect
in lockdown meditation
the sun is quiet
It seems like the poet is in prison, but the sun calms him.
we waited all year,
free to the outdoors with friends,
then the virus came
sixteen isn’t seventeen
Dewy petrichor
Waiting for the rain to pour
To watch farmers smile!
The time has come
For the moon to shine more
The poors to rise up!
Birds are chirping,
In a vast empty space…
I call my heart
wind wafts petrichor
i dance in the rain to mark
the end of the drought.
you walk beside me
fall leaves crunch, forming footprints
But only one pair
it’s safe in the rain
wind knits me a warm blanket
grow me like the grass
clouds of fire,
the dawns fate to bring the sun,
hazy candle light
the moon rains her beams
showers rain of melody
stream down deep slumber
clear water trickling
like silver threads weaving
her shimmering dress
Correction for first one (I had a typo)
the clouds of fire,
the dawns fate to bring the sun,
hazy candle light
Restlessness beats on
My soul like waves on the rocks.
I long to be gone.
“Hi queue!” is one way
To address a line I’d say,
Not in USA.
Beneath the surface
The river runs swift and deep
Salmon are spawning
Eternal beauties
You bequeath the tidal waves
I see in the day
Dancing in the rain
Letting go of all the pain
Liberated crane
The grey-lit clouds form
Like smoke blooming in the sky
Thunder cracks the skies
it’s safe at daytime
the Sun God dims all desires
…night; the Moon ignites
the path I tread thence
is all poesy sprinkled now
like gold dust on sand
monsoon doctor helps
the pregnant earth deliver
a million sprouts
I really like the monsoon doctor!
balcony garden
I let the money plant find
its way to the sun
tossing and turning
when did I become as old
as the blinking stars ?
the apple pickers
bent backs carrying baskets of
the sweet fragrance
1.
Coming home from work
Without wearing a face mask:
Unhealthy practice.
2.
Birds tweeting freedom
prancing on branches of trees
pollution thinning.
3.
Meaning is the same
mother by no other way
she’s pregnant with child.
Karachi’s air
Such a summery affair
Can’t belong here
Winter Haiku
It’s cold, and it’s here.
It makes life complicated.
I so hate the snow.
As the sun sets in
the dispersed raven return
to home with his kin.
At a total loss
With haiku: too short to get
My full meaning acr
LOL Peter!
The bright full moon,
Rides through the dark night,
Staring back at us.
Bad workmen blame tools,
Good workmen blame other fools:
(They CAN’T blame owt else).
Long winter journey
Cloaked in a blanket of snow
Asleep by the fire
Spring at her easel
Wielding a palette of green
Paints leaves on the trees
white droplets sprinkle
oak leaves in the rainy night—
sending weeping sounds
a flash of bright red,
cardinal in the garden:
Audubon appears
old rusty key turns,
entrance to ancient building—
opens ancient thoughts
1.
Glittering sunlight
Pierces through the canopy
Disturbs the coolness.
2. Water
Swarming molecules
Dance throughout the streaming flow
Resolute to fate.
3. Snake
Tenses as I near
Hidden amongst cool darkness
Slithers silently.
SMALL COMPENSATION
Summer’s stuck inside,
Covid contact cowering.
Neighbors wave more though.
ELECTION SEASON
Promises abound.
Hopes and dreams bloom on the Hill.
Breath of hot air blows.
SUMMER BUMMER 2020
Disguised by face masks,
sheltered this swimsuit season,
let ourselves grow fat.
Now
Stories of us now
Proffer universal theme,
Self preservation.
Lingers one question
Is Covid19, longest chapter?
Or call of curtain?
Anon
We’re at a place now
With an uncertain future;
arrested present.
Those slipups of past
Led us to now; hereabouts
Enfeebled passions.
Yen prospect of hope
Crafts life once again stable
The newest normal.
dawn walk near a bog
the taste of fresh black berries
blues the lion’s lament
long languid morning
the cicadas’ buzzing song
stirs the lemonade
Correction:
dawn walk near a bog
the taste of fresh black berries
blues the loon’s lament
Addition:
yellow crop duster
quickly dives wing over wing
the smell of manure
First Communion host
stuck to the roof of my mouth
dissolves. I . . . swallow!
Footsteps approaching;
calling birds fall silent: sh-h!
The willows whisper.
I realized, too late, that it wasn’t possible to edit or delete my first haiku (above) which has an error in the last line. Therefore, I’m submitting a corrected version of that haiku as my third entry, as follows:
First Communion host
stuck to the roof of my mouth
dissolves. I . . . swallowed!
Patricia
I think the swallow works as it keeps it in the present tense
Haiku Verses
A tormented boy,
Adrift on a sea of pain –
A shell of a man.
A shell of a man,
Tumbling on the shore of life,
Never to be filled.
Never to be filled,
A broken shell of a man
Is swept out to sea.
vintage lacquer box
on the blackened mantelpiece
sandalwood perfume
whoops of chimpanzees
in a listing wooden boat
summer getaway
a nightingale’s song
on the forest canopy
waxing gibbous moon
Very beautiful!
Thanks ever so much, JOE TESSITORE. So pleased you enjoyed. Very much appreciated.
~ Christina ☕❤️
Yours are the real haiku and beautiful ones.
Thanks ever so much my dear poet friend, Vandana Parashar, deeply appreciate your support, encouragement and feedback always.
~ Christina
Three haiku
city umbrellas
lovers kiss the rain away
under black silk skies
lighting the wood fire
seeing a gold ring glinting
in last year’s ashes
this summer evening
taking us all for a ride
a merry-go-round
tiny white phlox blooms
exhale a whole hay field’s scent
cupped in your two hands
the owl’s head spins ’round
his spring-loaded talons flexed
mice mate naive bliss
as the crow flies straight
into autumn’s heart of fire
an icy arrow
Three haiku
Sunset at the beach
The waves rising and falling
I miss the summer
Breeze and dancing trees
Signs of rain yet to come forth
Joyfully we sing
Darkness drawing near
We stay close as lovers do
What a lovely day.
Into Shinto shrines?
To go to noh theatre
Don’t follow the signs.
Shogun if you must
Nippon the bullet train while
Flaunting noh ticket.
They’re heasy to do:
You just need an ‘igh haiku,
(What I ‘aven’t got).
clouds cover the skies—
the rain approaches far east
but birds sing away
the rolling mountains
over the sugarcane fields
trees are witnesses
thatched roof of palm leaves
the rain is silent—the moon
quiet in hiding.
Fog enshrouds the night.
Woven in the heavy mist,
A thread of fireflies.
How tranquil the sea,
Next day’s spring tides gleefully
Drowning you and me.
Nature’s fire expires
When Empedocles sneezes
And Etna freezes.
Beautiful image- a light of hope in the gloom of the present situation
my comment referred to Joe Tessitore’s haiku:
Fog enshrouds the night.
Woven in the heavy mist,
A thread of fireflies.
We are as common
as dinosaurs once were and
as apt to die off
White cherry blossoms
Tinged pink by the setting sun
Gently drift to sleep.
Mating spring peepers
Erupting in symphony
Celebrate the night.
Flying fish seek light
Leaping toward the ocean sun
Renewing their lives.
We mutter and cuss,
As time slips away from us –
It is always thus.
The virus scares us
Trembling in isolation
Mother Nature smiles
Sand dunes lurch through night
A single scorpion shuffles
I gasp as dawn breaks
Crepuscular light
Above the city skyline
Night devours twilight
The following haiku was inspired by a visit to a church graveyard in the Michigan county where I grew up. I came across information on that graveyard in a geocaching website.
Among black walnuts,
To German gravestones,
I give them a gift.
Correction in the second line, as follows:
Among black walnuts,
To the old German gravestones,
I give them a gift.
I would like to share a German oversetting of the haiku, that has been made possible with help from Reddit user leu34 (https://www.reddit.com/r/German/comments/hmp8tw/oversetting_my_haiku/):
Bei Schwarznussbäumen,
alten deutschen Grabsteinen
geb’ ich ein Geschenk.
Another revision of the haiku once again, this time with a change to the first line as follows:
By black walnut trees,
To the old German gravestones,
I give them a gift.
bright morning sun rays
on puddles by night showers
mirrors on the road
the mountain in rain
like a dark Indian beauty
in filmy nightgown
The dark winter night
the bright lamp beckons the moth
to its grand finalé.
sweltering summer
humidity’s a bummer
cool in your Hummer?
the virus that spreads
and sends people to their beds
lies within their heads
Pandemic
Spring sun beckons and
Birds call, “come out! come on out!”
But fear fills the air
Amendments to my second of three posted together on 3rd July:
Shogun if you must
Nippon the bullet train with
Noh valid ticket.
My other two entries now read as follows:
Nature’s fire pleases
Till Empedocles sneezes
And Etna freezes.
(I was only practising with the other ones ‘cos I’ve never written a haiku before)
How tranquil the sea:
Next day’s spring tides gleefully
Engulf you and me.
Other than worrying about who Empedocles is and why he sneezed,
I believe for me
I like the verse of all three.
They rhymed perfectly.
EMPEDOCLES AND HIS FLEAS
Empedocles’ fleas
Fly up with ease, and later
Fry in its crater.
WISHFUL THINKING
If I bawl she’ll fall
Down Stromboli and bake ‘er
Head in the crater!
Save us from ourselves.
Save us from the Evil One.
Prayer, in a nutshell.
When the eagle flies
skyward, even the mighty
oak tree dreams of wings
This haiku is withdrawn, July 7, 2020
Sad that it’s withdrawn. I think it one of the best here.
Three Haiku Poems
Three bear cubs watched men
Walking through a sylvan glen.
Then mom roared again.
Wind blowing like that
Upset my calico cat
By knocking him flat.
Bird nest in a tree.
Birdie looking down on me.
Timed hit, perfectly.
Correction for present tense of three haiku poems:
Three bear cubs watch men
Walking through a sylvan glen.
Then mom roars again.
Wind blowing like that
Upsets my calico cat
By knocking him flat.
Bird nest in a tree.
Birdie looking down on me.
Times hits, perfectly.
There was a young man from Schleswig-Holstein, who wrote haikus
In post-preterite pluperfect tense…
(Well, that’s a bit of a non-starter)
The warmth of nature
Beckons for humanity
To save or destroy
Hokusai seascape
the tips of the ocean waves
sea monster’s claws.
between empty streets
and clear blue summer skies-
your Monalisa smile
pitchblack summer night
two moths flirting in a dance
Over my phone’s light
there it was
your key to our old, cold house-
still hooked on my wall
for just one moment
when the night frogs stop chirping
an eternity
mountain majesties
yet still the powerful urge
to stare at my phone
two weeks overdue
still might not arrive today
summer thunderstorm
it contains all the vast
the Ouroboros –
the sea spins tirelessly
the same wave
nothing makes a sound,
the lone cabin in the woods—
I listen to books
My shriek is nothing
As he keeps swaying my body
From this side to that
The woods – Narnia
The hills – a print by Bruegel
Winter – by Nature
Waiting for the post
I smell mown grass and poppies
And summer is scent.
Do we find a way
By streams, crags and waterfalls
Or does it find us?
solitary leaf
left behind on withered branch
trembles in the wind
hard green tomatoes
slow to ripen on the vine
oh! blossom end rot
the virus lockdown
signs at the water bus stop:
DON’T TREAD ON DUCKS’ EGGS
the raging wildfire
firefighters find a helper
in the autumn rain
Dark black inky night
fireflies light in passion dance
bright is now the night.
1.
an elderly man
sleeping on the verandah …
wisteria scenting
2.
the transparency
of a poppy in the wind …
your evening dress
3.
on my notebook
petal of an almond tree …
studies on haiku
all alone at home…
the moon outside my window
keeps a watch on me
******
anger management
mom teaches me to sew back
the brown bear’s eyes
******
if only I knew
you would leave without goodbye
—the stillborn baby
the second one is my favorite – good work
Thank you so much, Marina.
Loved yours too.
*
a sweet summer breeze
on the floor all scattered
unfinished haiku
**
dew on my sandals—
such a magnificent sight
this morning comet
summer afternoon
in the rural reading room
librarian and flies
the cat chirps and turns
her belly up for my touch
teeth hidden for now
Into a lockdown
a caterpillar crawling
fragile wings unfurls
second version
Into a lockdown
a crawling caterpillar
fragile wings unfurls
the caiman’s stare
at the edge of the lagoon
her innocent long legs
*
old woman’s face
in a colorful wool
a dried “frailejón”
*
our farewell
of gliding wings
the blue butterfly
He cannot keep up.
We leave him on the ice flow.
Our hearts stay with him.
Round and glistening,
The glass is a sweet dewdrop –
Red wine tipsiness
A thin and bare tree
The snow, a plain white canvas –
Winter’s poverty
My love is a fish
A lung-breathing one, and he
Only swims in me
first winter twilight
enters the subway station
street violinist
Many shades of green
Trees are waving tenderly
To those who must leave
Sheets of rain falling
The wind begins its war cry
That battle will come
Green buds soon bursting
Birds are anticipating
Raspberries for tea
The warmth of nature
Beckons for humanity
To save or destroy
Out on the range
a sleek yellow jaguar
jungle feverish
I am now thinking this works better
what do you think?
jungle feverish
a sleek yellow jaguar
motorway madness
the breakers’ white noise
from time immemorial . . .
my feet in sea foam
floating on my back . . .
for an instant a seagull
eclipses the sun
another day spent
learning fluid dynamics
my beach vacation
“Torrid Cactus”
Thorny cholla arms
Stretching golden blooms skyward
A prickly love’s plea
“Sea Fair-er”
Speckled cockle shell
Sea orphan, bleached, limned with sand
This is time passing
“Miss Muffet Regrets…”
Spinning silken thread
She extracts her nightly home
Nocturnal nomad
Cicero proclaims,
“History is life’s teacher.”
We have failed the course.
the journey of life
but still more and more to see
along the long road
1.
Mortality
yellow daffodils
swaying along concrete path
precariously
2.
White
your letter arrived
while I was shoveling snow
to clear the driveway
3.
Pray
curling lines of heat
scorched temples of million gods –
the poor have no faith
Orange-yellow sun
Rising from the nightly skies
Now my pager rings
Pushing through the earth
The green shoot of the bean plant
Crushing children’s race
The cool evening breeze
My spirit at blissful ease
Distant Floydian Shriek
He’s there. He crowned you.
But you buried him. Alive
He is not broken.
That was a cheap trick
Poof and abracadabra
I know what’s up: Ouch!
Howls at the moon
Sometimes true love pays the price
Rescues her. Swoops in
He’s there. He crowned you.
But you buried him. Alive
He is not broken.
At first we are here
Then we are gone with the wind
Just how is unclear
Sunflowers greet us
Turned towards the lane where you live
Sun shines where you are
Amongst the flowers
Gracing the rolling green hills
I opened my heart
Crawdads clack their way
on top of the slimy rocks
unaware of you
the night is dark … cold
but the sky is filled with stars
and my dawn approaches
The world’s deadlocked in
everlong rivers of hate.
It will never end.
The skylines shimmer,
stretching for infinity
with dunes, blazing white.
The world is at war,
neverending ponds of hate.
Love, it’s gone away.
This are my three now, please ignore
my previous submissions
Soft, swaying curtains
Jasmin-scented evening breeze
whispering secrets
Into a lockdown
a crawling caterpillar
fragile wings unfurls
Jungle feverish
A sleek, yellow jaguar
stuck in traffic jam
sorry
these are…
A rose lost its stalk,
Alone on the sand, cannot
Be the old fair one.
#1
Greys await calm
Calm awaits greys
Petrichor and rain stop by on their way.
#2
Edelweiss wilts in longing
Anklets slip away afar
Does love bloom in a breezy fall?
#3
Lotus souls dancing freely.
The night above, and the stars below make earth a sun.
With nothing but love in sight..
Inspired by Takashi Nagai, “the saint of Urakami”
Bitterness turns sweet
Like dross turns to gold in heat.
Glory in the cross.
#1
Six in the morning.
Barefoot on the grass. Thousands
of cold dew droplets.
#2
light wind on the skin
the silent singing of birds
evening in the wood
***
Greetings from Poland!
after Ryokan
within each snow flake
are a thousand plum blossoms
even now falling
at the street market
new dress for an immigrant –
lilies of the field
**
delicious taste
of a watermelon seed –
silence break
**
summer noon traffic –
in the ecodoppler room
tense silence
2020 Summer Boys (30 June)
While June is sinking,
Time’s winking, days now shrinking;
Bats are flying not.
2020 Summer in Seattle (1 July)
Summer of Love, 2:
Rape and loot, and sometimes shoot
Mayor: “Stop, not here!”
2020 Summer at My Home (18 July)
Children jump and tease.
Trees in breeze dancing with ease.
Weapons of my hope.
The Amazon tract
is called the lungs of the world.
Now it is gasping!
In like a lion,
more like a ragamuffin.
Must be climate change.
Haiku #1- I am so thirsty.
The desert marks cruelty.
Snow thus relaxes.
Haiku #2- Waves break the branches.
The tree shivers with self-doubt.
All is calm and well.
Haiku # 3- The tornado lives.
Why does the life go away?
Please, is it real?
Tell me, what largesse
Let the mighty Dipper tip
Stars across the grass?
Frozen feet in snow,
Mountain top in rosy glow,
Not so far; let’s go!
Raucous leaves will race.
Moon can’t hold her silver veil
Still about her face.
A field of daisies
I lay silent among them
Ne’er to stir again
Rustlings in the wind
Could it be they call me forth?
To take the first step
I do not lay still
Ripples form throughout the pond
Disturbed but alive
1. New Rain
dawning of Petrichor
heralding a blaze of shoots-
Tardigrades reborn
2. Lady at the Beach
cute betrothed lady
basking on sunny beach –
enthralling cone snail
3. The Fruit Seller
he stood, eyes gaping
as she bends to wrap the fruits
…the dangling melons!
white clouds, clear blue skies,
a soft breeze and downey grass-
who says I am poor?
Correction:
white clouds, clear blue skies,
a soft breeze, and softer grass-
who says I am poor?
My mirror shatters
And what most clearly matters
Remains to be seen.
Nice job!
another downpour
approaching motor bikes halt
the songs of the frogs
Toni Newell (Australia)
20th July, 2020
1. Praying for a Lizard
Upon a warm rock
A lizard basks in the sun
Laying, open prey
2. Thirsty Sheep
Sheep flock in the sun
Water doesn’t quench their thirst
The dam is empty
3. Loneliness
Cold night descending
Home alone and pondering
Bottle of vodka
Condoms once littered
roads after cherry blossoms.
Now dirty masks do.
1. Evokes deep feelings,
A relationship begins
A naughty smile
2. A bamboo shoot small,
Deepens itself in the earth,
Heights of ecstasy
3. A lion awakens,
The scent travels through the air,
A baby gurgles
evergreen choir
atop high mountain, murmurs…
aged crow’s eyes close
Blinding flashes
Fire, smoke, fear, clashes
Volcanic ashes
Three Haikus for My Chickens
I
Frost glazes the run,
as hens descend from their roost,
down feathers flying.
II
With soft clicks and clucks,
the hens watch the full moon rise—
the night’s great white egg.
III
Spring rain beats the roof,
the sleeping hens dream of day,
feathered souls flying.
Soft winter twilight
Covers this cozy cabin
I shake the snowglobe
Pink and magenta
A bouquet of bright jewels
Cute plastic flowers
A flash of bright gold
Prancing, muddy puppy paws
Dig up my garden
Leaves Leave
Leaves glance once at tree
As brewing autumn appears,
Falls to the ground, dried.
BIRDS PRAISE
Birds singing loud hymns
while swaying tails on their cage
facing at the king
bluebird’s morning flight
shock of shadow, flying by
through the falling night
What was Never There
Bolt of lightening
Waves wrestle an abstract sea
A deaf woman sleeps
Sun coaxes to rise
Blind to the sky’s past anger
She writes a letter
Oh, bottled letter
Afloat on calm gentle blue
Never to know rage
Fliping the book’s pages
Out flows words of unkown ages
The scent calms my edge
Horses mirror you,
Red sky morning, night in view;
Care they show, you sow.
“Outside Warmth” Entry 1
A sweet Summer sun
Warms with unmatched radiance
Yet I remain numb
“Creating” Entry 2
Piercing green eyes glare
Watching me through brush, Beware!
Yet, I shape their stare
“Stay” Entry 3
I pray for thee to stay
God’s rays pierce through Earth’s black clouds
You last though I fray
My 2005-2015 China, in 3 Haiku
disembark cool jet
to South China humid heat,
find a home for years.
Mid-Autumn full Moon
as huge campus falls asleep,
all night crickets chirp.
typhoon flag hoisted,
Hong Kong ferries stay berthed,
monsoon blows from sea.
1.
Digging through the Earth
Excitement in all his hearts
The worm swallows on
2.
Flowers grow up tall
Out of the new backyard pot:
The thrown-out toilet
3.
The moth tastes sweetness
And crawls among bright colors
In a soda can
Twilight drops the sun
And it shattered into stars
Dawn cleans up the mess
Like a drooping “V”
Black against a painted sky
Hangs the distant bird
The sun hides behind
Fat clouds frozen in blue glass
In comes clumsy wind
Gopher Tortoise digs
Finds shelter in deep tunnels
Australia fire
Fragile coral reefs
Climate change kills colonies
Fish lose their shelter
The long leaf pine trees
Supple limbs bend with the winds
Hurricane looses
scribbling down end goals
the scratch of bird claws on eaves
scouting for a nest
Correction
scribbling down end goals
the scratch of bird claws on eaves
scouting out to nest
The trees are screaming
It happens ev’ry summer
Hon, it’s just tree bugs
Sand, land and sea meet
Entangled and passionate
The storm blows always
After the first rain
I squish the mud in my toes
And my face, neck, hands
Squirming through moist soil
Rain persuades worm to surface
Plucked by a robin
Warm apple cider
Auburn leaves float off the maple tree
Raked into a pile
The river slithers
A snake sunbathes in the sun
The tree branch then snaps
mercaptan bellows
midst a mirage round the field
bumblebees steam by
Correction:
mercaptan boils
midst a mirage round the field
bumblebees steam by
black skies spotted with stars
tree leaves rustle in the breeze
expanding out my eyes
Nonstop Buzzing Phone
Never Left Alone Twenty First Century
Can Not Run From Time
Tokyo toyota
mitsubishi kyoto
teriyaki saki
translation:
September jonquil
you’re a little late here, pal–
the party’s over.
A moment later
billows and the bobbing boat
say the whale was real.
High up in the sky
O buzzard, your shadow falls
on some patch of earth.
In the sun’s last light
a grackle washed its purple off
into a puddle.
High up in the sky
oh buzzard your shadow falls
on some patch of earth.
Geese
High up overhead
a heard-abed clamoring
hijacking my heart.
Feel mud underfoot
Walking barefoot through the stream
The fish scream unseen
Build skyscrapers tall
Wonders of man above all
Watch as the world falls
Not all stop to see
to look at nature’s beauty
it leaves on the breeze
Correction
stars spot the black skies
tree leaves rustle in the breeze
expanding out my eyes
The haiku are –
1. squirrel losing grip
motionless, she fell
downwards
into my two hands.
2. dropping the mango
parrot follows the macaw
to snatch back his bell.
KNIGHT OF HOPE
A warrior trounce death,
yielding shafts of vivid hope,
renewing the world.
The whisper of leaves
Rustle on a dancing tree.
They say I am free.
Hues of gold and rose
On a berry blue night sky
Come and say “goodnight.”
Value
Broken branches of tree
Which were shed on a breezy day
Act as home for birds.
Haiku #1, “Pebbles”:
I count the pebbles,
as I walk past the evils,
my eyes cast downwards
Haiku #2, Words:
Sore words flow away,
down a stream of broken vows,
swelling in water.
Haiku #3, “A Burden”:
My heart beats again,
burdened by lungs that breathe and
perpetuate life.
visions of your eyes
dancing through the turquoise waves
archipelago
my ghost still loves you
kissing you every fall night
still waiting for you
I saved a cricket
lost with laughing cicadas
midwest summer storm
We all need to write
While there’s still some daylight left.
Coming fast, the night.
Falling like snowflakes
The smell of cherry blossoms
The vision of blood
the winter wind blows
the blackbird repeats his call
on a moonless night
again the wrong path,
an eerie stillness, these woods…
sound of falling leaves
stories in the clouds
let all of your secrets go
whisper to the wind
Here’s the background story about my second haiku entry: I read the article “Exposing the Occult Corona-Initiation Ritual” by Makia Freeman. But then I had to go with my family on the annual trip to Redfish Lake in central Idaho. While I was there, I got a few ideas intuitively.
Under cheated stars,
dark rituals upon men
might make them puppets.
(By the first line, I mean astrology being used for evil purposes rather than good ones.)
Imploding spirit
Lost within Suicide’s flood
Reaching out for life.
Crocuses bloom in the freezing place
As women ready to shine
The light of success.
This is not a contest entry, but a suggestion for the entrant, who may decide whether or not to take my advice:
Cold crocuses bloom
and women prepare to shine
the light of success.
The fallen rabbit;
ensnared, but silent, peaceful;
food for the weakened.
I walk through the door
It shuts quickly behind me
And now it’s snowing
Forgot to add my last name
I walk through the door
It shuts quickly behind me
And now it’s snowing
Sunflowers bloom now
Stretching to find the daylight
No darkness can hide
Oh what I would give
Summer rain drifting away
To be that raindrop
Walking in the cold
Opens the body’s window
And lets the light in
A mountain of dew
Gathering on the grass blade
Is moved by your faith
A lover’s finger
As warm as a match’s flame
Is food for the soul
Butterflies
The girl in orange
dances among the flowers,
her wings bent in grace
Dandelion Death
Bright dandelions,
their decapitated heads
strewn upon the ground
They Always Sink
Love is like a stone
Skipping into an abyss
And used to crush hearts
War
Spring’s clean white roses
Blooming purely all alone
Now stained in red blood
There is Still Life
Winter freezes, kills
Cold chokes every living thing
Sun peeks out- soon spring
Robbin Robbing Life
Small bird chirps in nest
Mother gone. One brother’s push,
Falls down to the ground
DESOLATION
Trapped inside myself
Time passing like cold wind
Longing to be me
TWILIGHT
The endless night sky
Burning stars release questions
Morning sun bears none
HEALING
Falling into earth
Heat of the core warms my mind
I am all control
Haiku 1: Blue Crane
Stars in the vast sea
Leaves the feather of blue cranes
Flying toward mountains
Haiku 2: Mystic Deer
The forest of rain
A light twinkle of mist covers
Deer softly appears
Haiku 3: Forest Wind
Relaxed with green life
Wonders of animals pass
As zyphers flow by
at the garden gate
only my shadow passes
the locked entryway
from the bleeding hearts
a hummingbird emerges
humming an old tune
How nice to have a deadline in order to continue to revise.
first day of college:
only my shadow steps through
the front entrance gate
from the columbine
a hummingbird emerges
whistling a blues tune
into this haiku
about a gnarled apple tree
a robin appears
STARRING
Nightingale’s sorrow
resonated in melancholy night
my heart echoed
SAD STEPS
There used to be rose
petals where we stood, now I
can only feel thorns
SELF-DESTRUCTION
My soul is tired
Fighting my worst enemies
Me, myself, and I
Correction to the first poem:
STARRING
Nightingale’s cry
resonates in sorrow night
my aching heart rings
Final correction: decided to only include two haiku poems.
SAD STEPS
There used to be rose
petals where we stood, now I
can only feel thorns
SELF-DESTRUCTION
My soul is tired
Fighting my worst enemies
Me, myself, and I
Sweltering cadence
Seduce me at sea again
Cerulean eyes
Heavy in my chest
An ambiguous request
Taste my earth again
Night in the desert
Encumbered me with this ache
Scorpion kisses
People in my head
Trapped like wind, Howling to be
Released by my pen
Buffeted like leaves
She wanders through the masses
stealing all she can
Trees tell many tales
I see the stories written there
in ink on paper
It rains once more, but
Spring showers bring May flowers
Love is in the air
Summer afternoons
Spent lounging in the hot sun
With someone I love
Leaves fall from the trees
Warm evenings begin to cool
Where has my love gone?
Haiku #1:
bright sunbeams shimmer
twinkling on wavy waters
horizon’s diamonds
Haiku #2:
lollipop flowers
white, scalloped pickets
“no trespassing” sign
Haiku #3:
perfect symmetry
unfolding kaleidoscope
monarch butterfly
Correction: Haiku #2
lollipop flowers
scalloped, white picket fences
“No Trespassing” signs
Haiku #2 Correction:
lollipop flowers
scalloped white picket fences
“No Trespassing” signs
Horses mirror you,
Red sky morning, night in view;
Care they show, you sow.
Pain is a ladder
Shedding skins of dark matter
Climb! Kill the doubter.
I am not a God,
But I know why you are here;
Be true, love, forbear.
“Wonder Over Wander”
How wild the spirit
In all of humanity
Silenced and longing
“Living”
Offering a soul
Where the sunlight beams anew
Waiting on thunder
“Independence”
Burn like July sun
With fire at our fingers
Snuffed out in fall’s rise
-Light vs Dark-
The wind sings behind
Sun glimmers through the curtains
My eyes close to black
‘Rona’
Fear covers her face
Contagions fill the dense air
She stands strong for them
‘Goodnight’
In the grass, bear sleeps
A quiet day full of peace
Shot all for a game
White feathers fluttering
soar curving in blue above
red squirrel “whhurring”
1.
Passing a river
a smell of antiseptic.
Did you wash your hand?
2.
The empty snail shell
reminds of old defences –
not needed, but missed.
The sun and the surf,
Summer’s traditional turf,
Uninhabited.
The birds and the bees,
Virus carried by the breeze,
Fly oblivious.
Prejudice in stone,
Carved warmly, but now grown cold,
Returns to the earth.
Earthquake in the sea
Triggers tsunami on land
Radiation spreads
Incessant rainfall
Inundates village cottage
Snake befriends human
Himalayan monk
Meditates for lord Siva
Snow submerges hut
1.
Evening’s glow enchants
Waves crash through the setting sun
Final gasp for air
2.
Currents flee turtles
Bears of white swim through waters
Global Warming’s grasp
3.
A torrential rain
Children splash in new puddles
Museum’s new Oil Painting
Haiku #3 Correction:
A torrential rain
Children splash in new puddles
Museum’s Oil Painting
Crew Haiku
It is autumn now–
My son sculls on the river.
I am left behind.
#1
Wild wind, where’d you go?
Over oceans, through windows -
home is in the flow.
#2
Sheer curtains flowing,
the moon peeks in to kiss me
goodnight — quietly.
August occasion,
bells toll for school to resume—
my pupils contract.
Haiku Sequence
Yellow butterflies
Flitting across green meadows
Like dancing sunshine
The insect monarchs
Skimming with orange and black wings
Holding court in spring.
Butterflies resting
In the shade of the oak trees
Like forest jewels.
Hanna Hosannah
Hurricane havoc hoists his
Horrid wall; hurray!
2020 Haiku Competition
Spring
The box trap, submerged,
frozen winter long, thaws, and
the squirrel within.
Early Flower
Dawn’s rose I give you
for morning’s when you wake to
skies of steel gray.
September Sunrise
Steam from my coffee
ascends to the painted sky,
watering it down.
During chilling winds,
Birds recall halcyon days
To remember warmth
Haiku 1
A solar death kiss,
Yet the potted pansies thrive,
Quaff pandemic tears.
—
Haiku 2
Tilt your axis, Earth,
Towards equinoctial rebirth–
Vernal virus lurks.
—
Haiku 3
Stoic hawk screeches
Like a kettle left on flame.
Somewhere, mountains dance.
When my Japanese
friend gives me homemade rice balls
they taste like summer
A threatening sky
predicts a violent storm.
Garden under threat
The leaves are falling:
hazelnut trees, now undressed,
shiver in the cold.
The grass is too wet.
Idle gardeners are glad:
no more lawn mowing.
1.
the sun celebrates
as flowers dance in sweet warmth
but the ice queen lurks
2.
the smells of earth grow
a new adventure begins
she gives Death a kiss
3.
smoky clouds signal
the sparks and embers glisten
up in flames I go
1}
Winter pink cheeks
came along withe a
gift for the princess
2}
Withering leaf
fell into many places as
landscape of mind
3}
Polar lights of night
thundering sound brings the
shades of human
Wood nymphs flittering
All faerie wood emblazon
Day lends length to night
Twilight summons wings
Chasers falconing the chased
Footprints on a lake
Haiku 1
on the Zambezi
I float dragonfly-easy
laze like crocodile
Haiku 2
hot shamal blowing
hillocks and wadis cracking
the Red Moon dwindling
Haiku 3
the red-faced mud snake
glides over the fissured earth
without faltering
1. “Watery Mirrors”
She is lying there
Raindrops pelting her grave frame
Now above, I’m her.
Flower petal lips
Attached to the one he loves
Wither six feet deep
Paper enfolds rocks.
Seven-times-folded paper
blunts blades. Paper wins!
1.
Monsoon rain tableau –
Sun emerges to refract
A double rainbow
2.
Summer symphony –
Azans call, koels wail, in
Tuneful euphony!
3.
In spring for a game
Butterflies flit randomly –
Lacking any aim.
Wind sings and I smile.
Wind brings rain and I rejoice!
Wind breaks I exhale.
The idea for the haiku was the Shoshone Ice Caves, which are about fifteen miles (or five-and-twenty kilometers) north of Shoshone, Idaho.
Under lava rocks
is a lava tube ice cave
with lost coins and bucks.
A circle of ice in the aforementioned attraction has dollar bills and coins tossed onto it by tourists, reminiscent of a wishing well.
Leaves blow in the wind.
I wish that I could join them.
They travel too fast.
The soil beneath me.
Remains still at all times, yet-
Feels much more alive.
Rabbits hops and hop.
Wandering through their domain.
I am ever still.
seated on a rock
in front the mountain rises
days of old pass by
Dancing in spring breeze
lilies on the riverbank
summon butterflies.
*************************
Riverbank lilies
suckle bees and hummingbirds;
I sway to their hum.
*************************
Pidgeons on the roof
warble summer harmonies
with their soft high coos.
1.
The wind gently blows
On a field full of flowers,
A scene in my dreams.
2.
Winter has arrived.
The weather should be colder.
Why is it warmer?
3.
The end of summer
I should go on a trip soon
Autumn has arrived.
that eye in the sky
lidded with pieces of cloud …
the sun or the moon?
firefly wishes
adding a touch of lightness
to the shortest day
a squirrel’s tail furls
around a fallen birdbath …
the world in my yard
1.
Every flower fades;
Summer ends as it begins –
Seed returns to seed.
2.
A late summer swim,
but caught by an undertow;
Neptune culls the herd.
3.
The June days grow long,
but summer grants a short lease.
Will you strum the lyre?
HOMERIC HAIKU
Far down firmaments
Helios’ chariot wends–
Hot summer days end.
#1:
Soil smeared mother’s face
Tucks me into a lush bed
Sleep sound, my Tulip
#2
Wind chills caress cheeks
Metal frost seeps through glove’s clutch
She jumps off the swing
#3
A warm sleeper train
Sunlight strikes, blushing soft cheeks
Streaming tears cool skin
firefly in flight
bio-luminescence bright
a seasonal light
Footsteps on hard snow,
Intense as soft-voiced secrets,
Whispers of winter.
A clock is ticking
The granite mountains of years
to pebble-seconds.
New season, fresh songs,
old guitar, tune strings, top E
too taut – SPRING! Ouch
Land of liberty
Opportunity rains down
But for whom, I ask
Yellow butterflies
Flitting across green meadows
Like dancing sunshine
The insect monarchs
Skimming with orange and black wings
Holding court in spring.
Butterflies resting
In the shade of the oak trees
Like forest jewels.
TITHE
Fences billow steam,
Return to heaven one-tenth
The gift – offering.
Autumn loses grip;
Old Man Winter tightens his;
Mine pours a whiskey.
1.
Heights of thinnest air,
Uneven sharp sierras,
Cold judgmental peaks.
2.
Flowing little stream,
I cup my hand across you.
Still the water runs.
3.
Sleepless soul’s dark night,
Cacophonic caterwauls.
Felines fornicate.
Cherry blossoms glide
A cloud of pink dusts the earth
As lips touch slowly
A babbling brook
Stumbles and trips on its way
Into mother’s arms
Rain drops softly fall
Sliding down a window pane
Caught in a white cloth
These are nice. I like the connection with human emotion and actions.
1.
Like petals falling
past the maiden flush of spring
ash coats the forest
2.
From volcanic wrath
and skeleton quiet woods,
a sprout emerges
3.
Pebble skips along
the frozen stream’s silver path
loosed from rocky banks
These haiku seem to be positive and hopeful. I like them.
the sunset has pulled
sherbet taffy across the
sky: hot sticky sweet.
dew drops on rose blooms
quiver then slide inside to
quench a beauty’s thirst.
the silent sound of
snow sifting through bare branches
wraps me in warm furs.
Nature Reveres Itself
Winds Blow and Trees Bow –
Thankful for Clouds Bringing Rain
That Bless the Sacred Trees.
Cycles
Dusk – Day Becomes Night.
Hope Dwindles, but Faith Remains…
Dawn – Night Becomes Day.
Natures Power
Crack – Tremendum. Fear.
Lightning Striking Somewhere Near.
Obscure to Mind’s Ear.
young stray allows me
to stroke her growing belly
cherry blossoms bloom
umbrellas crossing
the rain-wet street below us
petals in a stream
the spring’s first sighting
of the buzzy hummingbird
last day of chemo
Haiku #01
I sit at the tree
every Summer waiting for
the times we once had
Haiku #02
The smell of burning
in the crisp December air
beckoning past ghosts
Haiku #03
She awakens spring
with her presence as the dead
wail for their once queen
1. The last flying fox
Heads home with beating wing as
Evening softly falls.
2. The joy of seeing
Through dark’ning trees tonight a
Golden crescent moon.
3. Cat by the screen door
at the crepuscular hour
the moon in her eyes.
heavy waves ahead
calmness in the meadow sun
mask push us apart
shreds of iron rust
a temple bell tolls and a
cricket answers “spring” // I intended italics, not ” “, but my computer
won’t italicize here//
a chorus of crows
petals purple as plums fall
something like perfume
the cat tests the air
half the year gone already
rain digs in its heels
Crickets pierce the night
The smell of cut grass and rain
I awake in sweat
[ floating cotton balls ]
floating cotton balls
crashed together
thunderstorms
[ desert storm ]
desert storm
date palms uprooted
2000 dates on the sand
haiku 25.1.17
crack in the wall,
sun rays designs
art in the dark
fall resurfaces,
obi dark with pondwater.
warm vengeance stirring.
Rain pounds the sidewalk.
Wind swirls. Tree limbs scrape window.
Toddler looks and waves.
One Rose on a field
Dances and falls with the breeze
And paints a picture
Nagasaki Day —
from the tree a group of bats
fleeing to the sky
waning harmattan . . .
the village chief waits longer
for a less hot pap
snapping the cherries
and crocuses all day long . . .
the moon walks us home
“the moon walks us home” is a lovely line, beautiful image.
dozing in his boat –
fish scatter their phosphorus
at the splash of oar
a sorrowful night –
the tedious politics
of obdurate rain
laughter from next door –
you put your empty bottle
in the grubby bin
Late April morning
Wild, yellow, spiking tendrils
Yes, Forsythia!
Mountain waterfall
Drift off to secluded thought
The thunder returns!
Cascading waters
Mossy, verdant hideaway
Gentle spray, deep thoughts.
These are beautiful haiku. I enjoyed reading them.
two moons this clear spring
night–one drifts among the stars,
one floats in the lake
cicadas shatter
evening stillness–I dream of
runaway horses
snowflakes settle in
my flower bed–white blossoms,
livening dry stalks
1.
A crisp cool winter
Mixed with a great affliction
Can scorch a pure love
2.
The fall leaves tremble
Walking down the breezy path
A grave made too soon
3.
Flowers weep with joy
To the sound of their laughter
Lovers load boxes
1.
A crisp cool winter
Mixed with a great affliction
Can scorch a pure love
2.
The fall leaves tremble
Walking down the breezy path
A grave made too soon
3.
Flowers weep with joy
To the sound of their laughter
Lovers load boxes
shriveled cores adhere
to branches’ skinny season
sun sparks can’t revive
wind gropes the freeway
heavy footprints etched in ice
a madman in snow boots
in the birth of spring
snow gilds the tips of tulips
lingering for a time
“wind gropes the freeway”
is an excellent image
[HAIKU CAN BE READ TOGETHER OR SEPARATELY]
Title (optional): In Praise of Nature
#1
Being a wordsmith
is easy when compared to
being a birdsmith.
#2
Don’t love it too hard —
the garden needs its wildness
to keep on giving.
#3
Like an angry child
the wind wails and stamps its feet
and then falls asleep.
1.
Your words make a rise
The wind blows my tears away
Love will remain here
2.
The hill of our dreams
Where we gaze at countless stars
Forever you lay
3.
That man in orange
Cold as the Arctic’s climate
I grieve the victims
1.
Cloud of winter breath
Floats through the frostbitten air
Boy tries to catch it
2.
The mellow moonlight
Casts an eerie glow on you
This forbidden kiss
3.
Gray and white flashes
Run to the discarded food
Seagulls have breakfast
Waves leap toward me
Arms outstretched. Energy weak
Surrender, retreat
Wind, water, heat–earth
A big world we call our home
Yet, I’m still alone
Raw earth traps.
Cruel frigid air oppresses.
Christmas cacti bloom.
Tattered leaf fragments,
These paper ghosts, last studies
Haunt now childless rooms
backyard birds gather
at the old baptismal font
splashes of summer
1. Title – Drizzle
Drizzling of the rain.
Let the downpour lave away
my old timeworn pain.
……………………….
2. Title- Nature wonders in
pandemic
Why is air still , hushed
Why birds chirping, wondering
where is he gone now
……………………………..
3. Title – autumn leaves
Brown leaves drop to earth
Wither and fall, embracing
change for a rebirth
…………………………….
I
Seasons trickle on,
Only the clock-hand swims back,
Others are locked out.
II
Tired birds return
To a home of moist shadows-
Moss on fresh concrete.
III
The vibrant canvas
Flutters on a sea of light-
Sailing Butterfly
I like these haiku. I think the last one is especially good.
the end seems so near
it feels bitter like unripe fruit
a new beginning
Sunny days are here!
The beach is ideal and near.
It’s Fall already?
Racing with the leaves
Unknown where the winds lead me,
I drift endlessly.
I like it. I wish you had posted more.
exploding rainbows
surfing the curl of a wave
dolphins swim with me
summer sun does grace
dark illusions fly transformed
peacock feathers glide
walking through shadows
an owl taps my shoulder with
the scent of crushed leaves
I like these haiku–very perceptive.
an owl waits for me
wisdom sentinel for my
walk on the wild side.
first rain
of new monsoon
ripples in lake
This does not conform to the regular 5-7-5 form.
Rotting of bodies
Morning breeze in Covid times
Withered yellow leaves
The kin are all dead,
Who cares for the alive too?
Only the breeze blows…
let’s hold hands and walk
Life, a rough terrain of thorns
Hear flowers whisper
together but sole,
six feet apart, you are dead,
I live six feet up.
Love rots in alleys
The promises are shattered
Still a bee bumbles
Silvery, my hair
I hold a carved cane to trod
Yet golden dreams fly
Drink in the warm sun
Cherish the smell of rich earth
Emptiness awaits
This is nice. I wish the poet had submitted more.
For your consideration, three haiku
1. Stars on the Ceiling
Claustrophobic day.
Sit staring at the ceiling
imagining stars
2. Owl
On wild, winter nights,
the owl calls out to dreamers,
“Who-r-you? Who-ooo?
3. The Silent Night
The owls fly away;
swaying in the silent night,
a sad, leafless tree.
This submission is withdrawn – incorrect email provided, apologies
RESUBMITTED (incorrect email previous submission, apologies) for your consideration, three haiku
1. Stars on the Ceiling
Claustrophobic day.
Sit staring at the ceiling
imagining stars
2. Owl
On wild, winter nights,
the owl calls out to dreamers,
“Who-r-you? Who-ooo?
3. The Silent Night
The owls fly away;
swaying in the silent night,
a sad, leafless tree.
Exceptional, especially ‘Wings’
And The Silent Night. Very good.
1.
Naive, fallen seed
Is loved, is fed, has sunlight
‘Til bitter winter
2.
Rain pours, my heart beats
Soaked grass and branches shake slow
Lights flash, fallen tree
3.
Waves crash over rocks
Deep blue surrounds, the tides rise
The rock beneath, veiled
1. BE STILL
The boats carry bones
Under the Ha Long islets
Peace is within one
2. ABYSS
A boat submerges
A couple cries angrily-
The ships are sinking
3. DROUGHT
Petrichor in May,
our deep long kisses,
I miss the waters.
August 6th, 2020
Waves
Underneath the sky,
the waves lay without moving.
Now the moon pulls them.
Rose Petals
There in the valley,
where no roe petals soar in wind,
nature comes to life.
Clouded
I am so confused,
my mind clouded and misty.
Sunshine now shines through.
AUTUMN SOUP
a lonely yolk sits
silent in the rich, dark broth
the Harvest Moon swells
PYGMALION, 2020
beautiful statue
will you come alive for me?
The wind blows empty
MY MOTHER’S GARDEN
Drop garnet jewels
glisten in the summer sun
Fruit fresh on the vine
These are good. I like them.
beautiful imaginings of life! love this
I.
The wind sifts the sand
elegantly dancing grains
amongst my fingers
II.
Remember the sun.
Once your sunburn heals to tan,
Cold returns again
III.
Forming in the skies
Nature’s most gentle crystals
Falling down frozen
Three Haiku
1. Wings
When the eagle soars,
even the mighty oak tree
wishes he had wings
2. The Bridge
The bridge is rotting;
yet we cross, ever hopeful
it will hold our weight
3. The Last Words
See how they linger,
hanging in the silent night –
the last words spoken
I
my iris garden
unfurls its shades of purple—
waiting for van Gogh
II
red fish float along
our long embracing shadows—
bridge over the pond
III
smiles all in black and white
pressed with care in the album—
the shine of days past
how the days go by
go in the blink of an eye
they cannot be stopped
please disregard this entry
how the ryegrass grows
chaotic, everchanging
the bunches flow free
oh, the month of may
the life it breathes into us
spring, it does portray
oh how the sun shines
in through my bedroom window
i do crave her warmth
I.
As it rustles leaves
I find the West Wind hiding
A soft, silver laugh
II.
Frostbitten moonlight
Encloses Faerie stillness
A charming snow-globe
III.
A winter zephyr,
Fluttering the falling flakes,
Whispers wistfully
Wild man dancing hard
Wind blows soft, dancing, dancing
Wild man dancing, hard
Dancing free and light
Sunshine beats down on the dance
Shines light on it’s truth
bitter autumn gales ~
barbed wire on the barracks wall
wails through the darkness
Twilight dark as grey
Nigh time dark as pure pure black
Morning light yellow
meditation hike
in blossomed woods, my mind still
at the trailhead stump
A sunset on Skye.
Cinnabar flames burn wild.
The summer murmurs.
winter interment
of the opera tenor . . .
snow falls silently
snowy fluffy sheets
ivory frosted pearls
white blank canvas
the nelipots walk
a tender earth gives yet takes
it is time we give
droplets of water
the leaves weep all through the night
we grow in the dark
provoke the sea once
swim deeper into its depth
provoke your beauty
Sun sets in ocean
Darkness on the horizon
The light shows the way
[waves]
underneath the waves
runs the uneasy stormwind
breathing oceanward
[damp spring]
raindrops at soft leaves
falls from gentle petals of
wildflowers
[mountains]
the majestic crests
where magnificent sun rests
bury deep forests
Thoughts in August
Sweat pores on blank page
The heat foments ideas
Inspires like ice
More thoughts in August
Sweat pores on blank page
Heat fosters vacant ideas
Inspires like ice
In the wood
Pine sap scents the air
Dry needles cushion foot falls
Fueling a fire’s rage
April
Every day I swear
you breathe down my neck as if
one could hurry spring.
—–
May
You again draw close,
glaciers between us no match.
Spring will have her way.
—–
June
By a single leaf
is the chief end of winter
declared to be spring.
Haiku written before coffee…
1
Bacon frying; smells
Like breakfast – heaven at dawn
Sunshine in a pan
2
Feel my heat up close
See my demons in my eyes
Twilight falls; they dance
3
Mushrooms in the grass
Dancing fairies in the fog
Vanish – Sun’s first rays…
Singapore lights up
like mystical fireflies
from an elven land.
Wolves might surround you
when you defy boundaries…
Hope they’re not hungry…
A refreshing breeze
trembles fat spiders in webs
like lacy curtains.
Trees bowing forward
form a shaded canopy
a tired farmer rests
Wet grass, lonely shell
snail emerges from its shell
moving at snail’s pace
Tree left bare after
breeze, bird looks for shelter to
save young ones elsewhere
Beds cling to silk sheets
Your tears on a spider’s web
I watch from above
Chrome against blue sky,
quivering, a gingko leaf
anticipates frost.
Mist, fallen beech leaves,
fungi bursting from the ground,
hands no longer held.
Revealed by the thaw,
artefacts left by Vikings,
writing on a wall.
The original Japanese haiku doesn’t have the 5-7-5 structure. Haiku is only a kind of statement depicting some stunning image that is special to a season which they call as kegu. In haiku anthropomorphism is strictly prohibited. The lines also shouldnot start with capital letters. Please see examples of haiku by legendary Japanese poet Basho:
The old pond
A frog leaps in.
Splash!
Jumping over the brook
for water
not needed.
Another modern school of English haiku discarded the 5-7-5 rule and emphasized on less number of syllables and more pronounced images.
●
street light
on two poles
two crows
●
midnight storm
under mom’s blanket
garden chicks
●
hairpin bends
on road turns
trees too
(1)
the moonless night
a door is being shut
even the distance farmland
(2)
strewn in the morning
upon the lawn
night fallen stars
(3)
sprouting leaf carrying dew drops
quenching the thirst
universe consuming small housefly
Dying pet dog
Eyes shows clearly
The past memories..
1. the buds get dried
and falling before blossom
in the hot summer
2. the midnight rain
has shoved the beard
to the guard doll
3. moon raising tomorrow
worn with disappointment
seeing the dried wells
plein air oil painting
the grapevines keep the pose
despite the tastings
dinner on the grass
nude in honor of Manet
the hornet doesn’t care
evening museum
in front of the Sleeping girl
whispering softly
(1)
deep dhyana on mist
a tree shades the lone monk
nothing but vacuum
(2)
on mountain peak
a monkey sings my voice
the mouthorgan
(3)
end of a rain
with a drop on moustache
a snail travels
hail hurdled at grapes
vines weakened and rotting fast
no champagne this year
when the river floods
on each side of the highway
fields turn to ocean
algae blooms in mid june
proliferating, excess
kills fish, flourishes
No birds in the sky
Nothing moves on land or sea
Life frozen by heat
Hot day, vacant chairs
Empty, waveless, subdued sea
Empty resort sighs
#1
refugee convoy
a pregnant lass looking for
a four leaf clover
#2
shooting rapeseed field
I quickly remembering
that epiphany
#3
other speech of praise
a flock of sparrows chatting
in a cherry tree
Covid19 corona cases crores
We are fighting over in terrible force
Fearand faith are onour nose
#1: Raindrops trickle down
Wandering, leaving wet trails
They change so quickly
#2: Hawk calls in the sky
We want to escape on clouds
True escape or hide?
#3: Leaves crunch underfoot
Once brilliant red, now dull brown
When life fades…what?
(forgot to add last syllable to #3. Please use this revised haiku.)
#3: Leaves crunch underfoot
Once brilliant red, now dull brown
When life fades…then what?
Three Haiku
Bluebird on white oak
Whisperer of promises
Winging morning fan
© 2020 Sherri Jens
Dragonfly on glass
Glimmering transformation
Mirroring my wink
© 2020 Sherri Jens
Lemon butterfly
Flitting ‘round the refuse pile
Disparate partners
© 2020 Sherri Jens
a man was die yesterday
The corpses of tomorrow to be carried funeral
for go to silently today
our birth is beauty full
our living a life is beauty full
our death is beauty full
Beaming rays, long days
Salty seas serene and clean
But no one can leave
Whispers from the leaves
Moonshine, feeling so sublime
Lit up midnight crime
Oh to feel your touch
Icicle limbs, numb and sharp
6 feet underground
1. Landless People
Jobless Life
Endless Journey
2. Blackberry seller hand extends,
Payments were at down, Walking heads are straight
3. Pregnancy pain,
Insurance limit,
The first cry.
I.
Humans reign the world
A perfect storm of screw-ups
Natural beauty
II.
Spring awakening
Endless shells of guarded chicks
Hatching open hearts
III.
Like a lion’s roar
On battlefields of spirit
Love will always win
Peaceful Pot
Hot coals sit below
Fine leaves rest in mesh
Bitter but calm steam
Patient Plate
Traveling from oak
Crystal thin disk solemn white
Waiting for its friends
Cheerful Cup
Releasing handle
Greetings given plate and pour
Soft breeze and a kiss
The lilac blossoms
It brings hope and slight despair
It, too, cedes to time.
Golden autumn days,
Fire-crackling frost-fingered nights,
the season unfolds.
THE NIGHT’S DIRGE
The night mourns the stars
In tune dirges with the frogs—
Insomnia walks in.
TEARFUL TREES
Trees weep their losses
In tears for the inhume leaves—
Autumn rises up.
THE REBORN SPINE
Cactus grow their spine
Newly and wonderfully—
Just when the spring woke
1.
its rusted anchor
surrounded by withered grass—
foreclosed restaurant
2.
morning newspaper
wet with a midsummer rain—
empty rocking chair
3.
blackberry picking . . .
behind her mask mother hums
a Celtic folk tune
roses bloom on cheeks
morning dew spills from eyes
Why is beauty pain
Anarchists rampage
when sunbeams melt to twilight
and our leaders sit.
Ignatius the Pig
could hardly be rounder. A
four hundred pounder!
I’d be an aesthete —
except my aesthetic is
purely cosmetic.
the night cityscape
stare in awe at the backdrop
of someone’s labor
the song of scops owl
shuddering sigh of blue moon
her window darkens
i feel less alone
when they knock on my window
rain pitter patters
1.
A flower dances,
It even resists the wind,
Until I pick it
2.
A mighty shark swims,
A group of fish are swallowed,
The fisherman claps
3.
Flies buzz aimlessly,
The frog’s tongue comes back empty,
It tries one more time
Thunder-bellied clouds
Move slow over heathered hills,
Pregnant with June’s rain
Cruel storms shake the ash
Mother Dove returns, finds her
Fallen nest, destroyed
February thaws
Blooms pierce frost, resurrected—
The mountains breathe again
1. BLACK LIVES MATTER
In sweltering heat,
No justice No peace for the
Black bodies that bleed.
2. At the Corner Where Politics and Xenophobia Meet
Outside, flowers bloom.
Inside, they waste in dark room
Caged then shipped to D O O M.
3. Privilege–We All Have It
See how birds have wings?
How insects blend with most things?
It’s their privilege.
Soft blanketing fog
Rising outside my window
Then sunlight, a crash.
Crow’s Feet
delicate valleys
carved by the waves of laughter
monuments of time
SUMMER
hey, do you hear that?
the thrum of life is louder
no – just cicadas