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The Winner and Runner-ups are listed HERE.

WHO

Anyone in the world, of any age or background, may participate (SCP Membership not required). Among members of the Society of Classical Poets, everyone including Advisory Board members may participate, if not involved in judging the contest. The winner, if not a U.S. resident, must have a PayPal account or a bank that accepts U.S. checks, in order to receive prize money.

IMPORTANT: By submitting haiku to this contest, the contestant declares that the poems are his or her own work, and that they were written after July 2023. Please submit using your first and last name, as we may find it difficult to distinguish between contestants who have similar first names.

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PRIZE

$100

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JUDGES

J. Thomas Rimer, Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature, Theatre, and Art at the University of Pittsburgh; former chief of the Asian Division of the Library of Congress.

Margaret Coats, Ph.D. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University; retired from a career of teaching literature, languages, and writing that included considerable work in homeschooling for her own family and others. 

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WHEN

Now until September 15, 2024, 6 pm EST (New York time).  Results to be announced September 29, 2024.

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WHERE

Post your entries in the Comments below.

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WHAT

Each competitor may submit up to three haiku of traditional form: three lines per poem with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second, and 5 in the third. Entrants are recommended to conform to other traditional haiku requirements outlined HERE.

If you want coaching on haiku features, please read the examples and explanation before submitting your entries. Once entries are posted, they can be revised or withdrawn ONLY by making another Comment. This is permitted until the competition closes, but do take reasonable care to complete work to your satisfaction before you enter it. Please do not use the Comment area as your scratch pad. That is discourteous to other competitors, to interested readers, and to the judge and will disqualify you.

Entries that do not meet basic traditional haiku requirements may be deleted. Anyone who submits more than three entries will have ALL his or her entries disqualified, unless excess entries are clearly withdrawn by a later Comment.

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PAST WINNERS

2023
2022
2021
2020

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NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets.

The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.

393 Responses

  1. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Blossom placed in box.
    Jasmine scent will not decay.
    Gold in cloisonné.

    I learned to warble.
    Birdies join me in a song.
    I must be cuckoo!

    Birds sing in bushes
    While I am picking berries.
    Jamming in the spring.

    • Patricia Allred

      Truly beaytiful Haikus, so well crafted! Your first Haiku is my favorite.
      Terrific line..Gold in cloisonné? Awesome.

    • Laura M.

      A hunger dwells in
      Everyone else fades away
      Lights become dimmer

    • Sherry Caayupan

      By stars enchant
      Beautifully falling-
      And fell over a bloke’s head!

      You are my past
      He is my present-
      In the future, he furts!

      The night sings lullabies
      Only to keep me from-
      Your nagging mouth!

    • Michael Pappafava

      Our routine small talk
      takes an unexpected turn.
      Summers first cuckoo!

      The wind through the reeds.
      During our afternoon walk,
      static on the line.

      Indian summer.
      Growing on a pumpkin patch —
      the shades of autumn.

    • Refika Dedić

      beginning of autumn –
      restless lake
      washes the morning

      the taste of morning tea
      sun rays
      through an open window

      .
      autumn is getting closer
      different flowers in an unknown world
      a comforting haiku

      .

      .

    • Emily C. A. Snyder

      Hello! I’m happy to submit the following haikus.
      My many thanks, Emily C. A. Snyder

      1.

      five red petals fall
      stain Demeter’s sobbing snow;
      pomegranate Spring

      2.

      thread the |
      | midnight maze
      minotaur moan ||
      || hero ‘s(w)ings
      can
      I
      get
      a………………………………….clue?

      3.

      six-eyed Seraphim
      shut the Eden gate to man;
      let the women eat

      • Emily C. A. Snyder

        LOL – looks like the formatting of the second one didn’t quite come through. But that’s alright. Thank you for this opportunity!

        – Emily C. A. Snyder

  2. Ed Ahern

    Thank you for considering these three haiku for the 2024 Haiku competition.
    Regards,

    Ed Ahern

    winter holdover
    cruising slowly through our rooms
    the first fly of spring.

    the shading maple
    balding even in summer
    never reawoke

    subject to censure
    but the musk of burning leaves
    is autumn’s censer

    • Pamela Ruggiero

      Three very nice haikus. I especially like the first one about the fly. I’ve never figured out how flies no one want to come out and where their eggs go so that they hatch in the spring. They usually problem in the summer mostly

    • Hannah

      subject to censure
      but the musk of burning leaves
      is autumn’s censer

      – I really like this one.

    • Pamela Rea

      I especially like the first one. It has a very clever Satori line. Although I am never partial to flies, they do service for all of the creatures in the world by eating the rotting flesh before it eats us.

  3. Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

    Respected judges,
    thank you for your time.

    Regards,

    Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

    always on tiptoes
    exuviae of insects
    in a field of wheat

    grasshopper kebabs
    capital letters twinkling
    with the beat of heart

    a green popsicle
    even on a rainy day
    my ace in the hole

    • Pamela Ruggiero

      I especially like the first haiku of yours. But they’re all really good. I only have one entered, and I don’t know if it is as good as the rest of you guys.

  4. Shari LeKane

    Lapis azul sky
    rainbow in the falling leaves
    stars intensify

    Journey cool and dry
    chilly night to winter freeze
    vegetations die

    Sunsets with a sigh
    season ends with golden ease
    leaving winter’s try

    • Pamela Ruggiero

      I really like that third haiku. I find it interesting that a lot of people are talking about winter in here it is summer. But, I just wrote a poem about that that I’ll be submitting soon.

      Good job

  5. Peter Venable

    A feathery storm:
    A cawcophony of crows
    Murders autumn hush.

    The moon sheens the view
    Over the bay’s tidal crests—
    I am swept away.

    Starless ocean night.
    On the skyline—fuel ship burns?
    Crimson moon blazes.

  6. Carter

    Between the cypress
    And the thrush of Pelican wings,
    Eternity speaks.

    The old coyote
    Under the solstice moonlight
    Looks like Ezra Pound.

    The smell of sage brush
    And salt soaked mist from the surf;
    Warm tobacco drifts.

    • Margaret Coats

      Carter, please provide both first and last name, as requested in the paragraph above marked IMPORTANT, right after the one telling WHO may enter the contest. Thank you for your haiku!

  7. wendy lee klenetsky

    “YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!”

    that’s what all of the books say

    then I guess I’m NUTS.

    CHOCOLATES

    I ate chocolates

    all of my 70 years

    Now diabetic.

    PARTY SURPRISE

    Met at a party

    neither one wanted to go

    Wed 50+ years.

    • Jan

      Wendy,

      You made me laugh; thank you! Then you scared me; I love chocolate and eat too much of it. Then I felt really happy for you, for your 50+ years marriage. Best wishes for the competition.

      Jan

  8. Frank Rable

    record with scratches
    two sides music click pops hiss
    vinyl memories

    • Kathy Bahr

      Like and like.
      thank you for sharing your haiku.

  9. Scharlie Meeuws

    Winds in my plum tree
    Took all its perfumed blossoms
    Their scent now in dreams

    Spiders in April
    Immobile sitting on stones
    Sun worshippers too?

    Summer skies are fun
    Fluffy clouds graze in the wind
    White sheep on blue fields

    • čas

      neúprosný čas
      v pavučinách spomienok
      hľadám myšlienky

      lúka v rozkvete
      vôňa čerstvého dažďa
      zhlboka dýcham

      bútľavá vŕba
      uložené tajomstvá
      hlboko v duši

      Eva Drobna, Slovakia

      • Margaret Coats

        Eva Drobna, thanks for your haiku in Slovak. Please either translate them into English, or submit others written in English. We are happy to see occasional dual language entries, but we judge only those written in English. Appreciate your efforts!

  10. Gene Fendt

    Signs from the Times
    (July 13, 2021)

    The Times is finding
    poetry everywhere.
    Is this true haiku?

    “These things happen and
    you feel like you’re alone, but
    people can relate.”

    Counting syllables
    is all it takes to make it.
    Basho! Issa! Weep!

  11. Euphrates Moss

    The turn of the page
    Is like briskly walking through
    A door to a room

    Chaos to chaos
    Move from one to the other
    Order to order

    How many great men
    Would rather not have done the
    Things that made them great?

  12. Matthew Wood

    A peace lily, frost-
    fringed: an old man’s hand shielding
    his match from the wind.

  13. Keith Burkholder

    Summer
    >
    > It is a new time,
    > Life comes alive and well here,
    > Embrace it with strength

  14. Kevin Gilbert

    Haiku #5
    Upon the fabric
    of Sol’s Green Couch, we built life
    in the sky’s embrace.

    Haiku #6
    To some, to be numb
    is a blessing. I say no.
    Painlessness is death.

    Haiku #7
    This poet of woes
    I find him droll, composing
    pains he does not know.

  15. Md Sadek Hossain Asif

    ⁠Cherry blossoms fall
    Pink petals dance on the breeze
    Spring’s fleeting beauty

    Moonlight on water
    Ripples break the reflection
    Stars swim in the lake

    ⁠Northern lights shimmer,
    a dance of colors above—
    nature’s silent hymn.

  16. John Paul Fournier

    A marble sinking
    amidst a rising silence
    in vast, dark waters.

    Dire straits break the skin.
    Roses and Violets in bloom;
    stemming from the ground.

    Nothing is formless,
    standing and swirling around.
    Nothing is deathless.

    Thank you for considering my work.

  18. Grace Beckish

    Goldenrods ablaze
    Can you hear the ashes too?
    Let me burn tonight.

    Blue cotton nightgown.
    Stars mark steps after living.
    Metaphysics fan?

    Candy in glass jars
    Marching like small tin soldiers.
    Rain sheets, silver walls.

  19. Ann McLean

    Thank you for the invitation

    Wild fires scorch the earth
    The black ash will fuel new life.
    The waste land renewed.

    Spring bursts from the sky
    Waking earth’s sleeping beauty,
    With the kiss of life.

    Slow the fall descends
    In golden leaves of glory.
    Life will rise again.

  20. Kathy Bahr

    Kathy Bahr

    chorus starts to sing
    time for all of us to breath
    silence of the leafs

  21. Brianna Camacho

    Thinning of the veil
    October’s golden flicker—
    Nightlights guide the dead

  22. Sierra Williams

    Clouds blocking the sun
    In stillness she waits for song
    A hummingbird’s breath

  23. Mary H Sayler

    Squirrels strip red seeds
    from magnolia pods – again!
    There go the blossoms.
    …
    From the roof’s edge, rain
    falls in strings of silver beads –
    dancer’s costume. Bling!
    …
    Pumpkin orange moon
    perched alone on a tree branch –
    nothing rhymes with you.

  25. Martin Rizley

    Moonrise in the hills
    Floods the shadow filled valley
    With a spectral glow.

    The summer sizzles.
    Heat waves rise from the baked earth,
    Waiting for a breeze.

    Gnats dance in the air.
    The still pond gleams in the sun,
    Warmed by its embrace.

  26. Osho Tunde

    Shivering
    Bodies in jackets
    August break

    Day begins
    Behind window
    Cock crows

    Thunder strikes
    Wild wind
    Rainfall

  28. James A. Tweedie

    Gold and crimson rain
    Leaves bare thin-fingered branches
    Windows to the sky

    Summer Olympics.
    Steamy rain in gay Paree.
    Slip-sliding cycles.

    Summer in London.
    Winter in South Africa.
    On the Equator?

  29. Sharon Mueller

    POLITICIANS

    I ALWAYS DISTRUST
    A MAN WHO DOESN’T HAVE A
    LOYAL DOG OR CAT

  30. Paul A. Freeman

    Ravens taking flight,
    flee the Tower of London.
    The walls tumble down.

    Oppressive July,
    mugged by volatile August.
    Smell the thunderstorms.

    Comet detritus
    lighting up the midnight sky
    entertains the apes.

  31. Michael Miller

    barren tree is filled
    winter wing woven monarchs
    black and gold at dawn

    trout surface gulp air
    on summer river running
    the warm mist rises

    the conflicted sky
    whose drifting clouds hide the sun
    lined with silver glow

  32. Mandy Beattie

    Mandy Beattie

    Classical Poets, Thank you for the wonderful opportunity. Blessings.

    Wood Wide Web’s Morse code:
    Linguists listen; learn to speak
    the language of trees

    Under crackling leaves
    a hibernating hedgehog
    uncurls and unfurls

    Gaia nurtures all
    We’re litmus among lichen
    She recharges us

    • Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo

      brown caterpillar
      inching up the mountain trail
      i pause to breathe in

  33. Nolo Segundo

    reluctant leaves fall
    from the tree showering
    an old man walking

    puffy summer clouds
    float across eternity
    so high birds can’t fly

    the old cemetery
    abandoned by the living
    waits eternity

  34. Linda Watson Owen

    Magnolias tremble….
    Flesh-soft petal wings flutter
    on winds of wild wishes.

    ***

    A cricket chirps through
    thunder blusters. Flashes dare
    not sear his night-song.

    ***

    From window watches,
    a sigh flies on sea breezes
    to a lover’s soul.

  35. Lexie Rose Kunz

    All grasses have blooms
    That wave winged hands, enticing
    Visitors to dance.

    Small cries from a mouth
    The size of a cheerio
    Drift in with the dawn.

    Hydrothermal springs
    Frothing orange-gold. Geysers
    Vivid blue steam swirls.

  36. Galin Elias Franklin

    Birds twitter away…
    The cold and clang of church bells
    Command this silence

    Messalonskee Stream
    Laced with browning pine needles…
    Can’t believe your gone

    A light rain subsides…
    Out from the reeds, a heron
    Taking stilted flight

    • Galin Elias Franklin

      My God, a your/you’re spelling error! Please forgive me.

  37. Galin Elias Franklin

    Birds twitter away…
    The cold and clang of church bells
    Command this silence

    Messalonskee Stream
    Laced with browning pine needles…
    Can’t believe you’re gone

    A light rain subsides…
    Out from the reeds, a heron
    Taking stilted flight

  38. Scott Gold

    Thanks for putting on this haiku contest.
    Here are some for your consideration.
    S.D. Gold

    Breaker takes a break
    to watch a tail-lit comet
    not unlike his own

    Needles long are leaves
    a cardinal rests within
    red as hate in bones

    As the day’s light droops
    slow with it falls again the
    eyelids of the world

  39. rp elkins

    Everyone loves haiku, eh? Thanks to SCP for allowing the immediate readings, great stuff! Here’s my three:

    Pale apple blossoms
    assaulted by southern gale,
    no apples this fall.

    Below the riffle
    red Royal Wulff emerges,
    A rainbow rises.

    A tear shed in grief
    refracts white light to rainbow,
    fractal future joy.

  40. Lucia Haase

    even in summer
    when the bright yellow finch sings
    i long for its song

    mischievous young pup
    testing my patience daily
    yet the bond strengthens

    Autumn eve, sunset
    wandering the woodland path
    without a lantern

  41. Kathy Bahr

    December shakes down
    Stern winter chill throws shivers
    December crowns past

  42. Cristian Matei

    the autumn deepens –
    the shadows gently gliding
    within more shadows

    orphanage courtyard –
    a trio of snow angels
    as if holding hands

    snowing quietly –
    in the hands of the orphan
    the parents’ picture

    • Pamela Ruggiero

      I noticed that you have two haiku about orphan. Have you experienced about being an orphan or knowing orphans?

      I thought these were all very good entries to the contest. Good luck in it.

    • Natalie Wilkinson

      The last one is very sad and lovely. Thank you for sharing these here.

  43. Skye Campbell

    Cool gray tidal sand
    Slowly glows golden in the
    Tequila sunrise.

    Flaxen hair tumbles.
    Cataracts in gold silence
    Only sunlight sees.

    Stiff cracks split cold glass
    Breaking wintry calm under
    Furry moccasins.

  44. Monika Cooper

    on these lonely roads
    all the traffic coming is
    wind in the treetops

    tall old wagon wheels
    spin sacred geometries
    from late summer light

    cane chairs and table
    left empty under trees – where
    falling leaves mingle

  45. Ernesto P. Santiago

    swift drift of jasmine
    this she feels on her tired face
    a caress whisper

    Ernesto P. Santiago

  46. Mark Arvid White

    Thank you for the opportunity.

    St. Stephen’s Day dawns —
    bloodied moose antlers fallen
    on riverbed stones

    island cattle ranch —
    the massive Kodiak bear
    chews on cow parsnip

    a murder of crows
    devours the spawned-out sockeye
    her thousand children

  47. Alvin B. Cruz

    rainy summer night
    father changes his last will
    at the last minute

  48. Alvin B. Cruz

    waves unearthing shells
    deeply buried in the sand —
    those words left unsaid

  49. Alvin B. Cruz

    visiting the sea
    where I scattered your ashes
    the cry of seagulls

  50. Nina

    This is a collection meant to be read individually or collectively.

    The leaves fall slowly
    the slight breeze tickles my face
    winter is coming

    こんな感じを Konna kanji wo (This kind of feeling)
    初めて感じした Hajimete kanji shita (I felt for the first time)
    愛と思う Ai to omou (I think it’s love)

    He entered my life,
    So swift, yet, I loved him so.
    Now? I’m a widow

    • Margaret Coats

      Nina, thanks for your haiku. Please provide your last name as requested above in the very first section on WHO may enter the contest. You can do it by replying to me here; there’s no need to retype your poem collection. Thank you.

  51. lev hart

    so cold my breath hurts —
    descending the snowbank from
    an upstairs window

  52. Andrew

    neighbor’s lawnmower
    heralds the scent of mown grass
    through open windows

    stop for a second
    on a light, airy morning
    after snow: hear still

    the violet snaps
    her lithe limbs toward the sun
    as the bee studies

    • Monika Cooper

      Stop for a second. The cold can be so delicate.

    • Margaret Coats

      Andrew, please provide your last name as requested above under WHO may enter the competition. You can give it as a reply to me here–no need to re-type your haiku. Thanks!

    • Manasa Reddy Chichili

      refreshing myself
      refreshing nature bloom
      all cherry blossoms

      unfamiliar roads
      unknown fake destination
      mysterious end

      The morning spring dew
      falling petals in cool breeze
      cherry blossoms path

  53. Ethan Essick

    laughs dissolve in drink
    jokes devolve into venom –
    summer night turns cold

    • Manasa Reddy Chichili

      refreshing myself
      refreshing nature bloom
      all cherry blossoms

      unfamiliar roads
      unknown fake destination
      mysterious end

      The morning spring dew
      falling petals in cool breeze
      cherry blossoms path

  54. leo

    orange blossoms bloom
    the lingering scent of cold
    fog covers my eyes

    rain quiets down slowly
    the wind softly brushes past
    frogs croak, sleep descends

    sky darkens, above
    the crowd huddle together
    and rain falls softly

    • Margaret Coats

      Thanks for your haiku, Leo, and please provide your last name along with them. You may do that in reply to me here; no need to re-enter your poems.

  55. Lily Tadevosyan

    fig tree sings sweetest,
    fickle fuzz roots seeping through
    our summer postcard

  56. Lily Tadevosyan

    London fog dances,
    stranded street lamp company
    gold rust embrace me

  57. Lily Tadevosyan

    iridescent wave,
    rabbit atop ocean ground
    questions snowflake sand

  58. Daniel B. Pickett

    Parched and dying land
    begs stoic Mother Nature
    to weep precious tears.

  59. Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo

    cascading marvel
    of orange bougainvilleas …
    heavy summer rain

  60. Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo

    early morning walk
    on toasted bread a black ant
    steps on the bright sun

  61. Rohini Sunderam

    1) The lake clear and still
    Autumn ripples, geese fly south.
    The lake; still again.

    2) Little lamp of clay:
    A bright flame to banish night
    Glow! Now autumn ends.

    3) Dot. Dash. Firefly
    Your Morse Code in the night sky,
    Summer makes me cry.

  62. Christopher G Sahar

    “Longing for Autumn ”

    Eventide’s ochre
    Suffuses autumnal air,
    Bare-boned flagstones mute.

    “School”

    Little kids babble,
    As shepherds guide their tethers
    Close to curbs concrete.

    Poems written by Christopher G Sahar

  63. Colin Ian Jeffery

    She is harmony, joy and soulmate
    >
    > Radiant flower never fading
    >
    > Beauty enthralling desire.
    >
    >
    >
    > Colin Ian Jeffery
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > Lover, wife and mother
    >
    > Strength and purpose
    >
    > Companion on life’s journey.
    >
    >
    >
    > Colin Ian Jeffery
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > When truth calls out
    >
    > Like mighty trumpet blast
    >
    > We rally to the sound.
    >
    >
    >
    > Colin Ian Jeffery
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >

  64. Sohaib Aboona

    I’m now a leaf: blow.
    For these days are crossroads, but
    Nowhere is labeled.

    Summer loses heat.
    She keeps me warm, day and night,
    But wakes me up cold.

  65. David McMurray

    Oleander blooms…
    Hiroshima mon amour
    never-ending war

    deceptive comfort—
    guarding children at the beach
    in a rattan chair

    damselfly kisses
    a silver underbelly…
    the reflecting pool

  66. Lara Dolphin

    Please find below three independent haiku not intended to be a series. Thank you for your consideration. ~Lara Dolphin

    frost shimmers then melts
    into gleaming pocket pools
    watering the earth

    cremated remains
    sprinkled over rose bushes
    have found their way home

    birds in scarlet oaks
    herald longer days singing
    things won’t fall apart

  67. Jack Ratliff

    Thank you for your consideration -Jack Ratliff

    1) Counteroffensive

    The sunflowers march.
    Their heads bowed and their stems limp—
    Cloaked in autumn frost.

    2) Martyrs

    Candles flicker low
    in the chapel’s quiet gloom—
    sacrifice endures.

    3) Summer

    This season warmed us—
    But the leaf went brown and curled,
    And the bird, silent.

  68. Vasile Moldovan

    the sun after the cloud –
    the sunflower field sway slowly
    looking for the lost one

    panic among tourists –
    a rattlesnake follows its way
    ignoring them all

    near the bush of grass
    an ant suddenly stopped
    to adjust burden

    • Natalie Wilkinson

      I think these have interesting and beautiful images.

  69. David John Etchell

    D.J.Etchell

    where stubbled fields wait
    cloying mists haunt low hollows
    slow ploughs brow the earth

    through barren branches
    last light caresses softly
    leaf burial mounds

    grey snarling seas churn
    bladderwrack rots on the beach
    mournful gulls glide high

  70. Eric O Owen

    Trudging through the snow
    up and down the hillside drift
    A night for cold feet.

    Wintry night’s portrait
    Boshi lean into the wind
    Six feet in the snow.

  71. Marek Kozubek

    emptiness around –
    between silence and silence
    the heat of summer

    sunny summer noon –
    a temple’s shadow filled with
    a prayer for rain

    night summer puddle –
    bare feet of a homeless man
    immersed in the stars

    Marek Kozubek

  72. Ethan Essick

    19th floor, earthquake
    sirens blare, my mother screams –
    tranquil clouds recline

    • Ethan Essick

      meant to write out nineteenth instead of using the numbers, but did it absent-mindedly. Sorry about that.

  73. Thompson Emate

    Away from the sun
    I sit alone with my thoughts
    Light draws its curtain

    Serene little friend
    Walks past me in Summer’s noon
    Tranquil in feathers

    Purple flowers field
    Fragrance pervades Nana’s room
    Departure in spring

  76. Finn Mac Eoin

    Lame cat walks across
    QWERTY keyboard creating
    A Hieroglyphic Haiku

    ¡¢∞§¶
    –≠åß∂ƒ∆
    ≈ç√∫˜µ

  77. Eric O Owen

    Leafless night summons
    Old World Sparrows wheel away
    Footfalls in the snow

  78. Eric O Owen

    Strike poems one and two submitted 08/10/2024. Consider the last submission on 08/12/2024.
    Thanks!.

  79. Tevada Dismas Pay-Pey

    High cliff’s apple tree.
    Lightning, falling, screaming nest.
    Apples splash — silence.

    Still emerald pond.
    Howls of wolves. A deer jumps in
    Splashing waters red.

    Red sun, ruby lake.
    Two cranes swipe with bloodied claws
    While ladies sing.

    Thank you for your consideration – Dismas

  80. Carl Bellerose

    holiday romance
    I walk along the white sand
    infested with crabs

  81. Johanna Donovan

    Perched on wires
    Birds are separate, askew
    Man’s mirror image

    Through his prison bars
    Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
    Iron is obscured

    White clouds battle black
    On Virgin-blue arena
    Armageddon waits

  82. Justice J Prah

    demonstration ground
    a child holds a leader’s head
    on his white t-shirt

    shape of oasis
    defying the sun’s strong threat
    the umbrellas here

  83. Danny Blackwell

    New Year’s reunion;
    on the train with my mother
    and her Alzheimer’s

    Shelter from the rain;
    I run a sakaki leaf
    across your lips

    crossing the threshold,
    she forgets to water them:
    the chrysanthemums

    • Alan Brayne

      I like the first a lot. It’s very simple and almost factual but under the surface there’s a lot of complexity and feeling.

    • Natalie Wilkinson

      I am reading through some of the entries. I particularly like the first and last. Chrysanthemums have so much symbolism. And now I feel guilt for neglecting my plants.

      • Ogedengbe Tolulope Impact

        on a cold stone floor
        a candle burns to its end
        ashes mark the day

        in the thickened air
        fireflies stitch the night with light
        a trail through the fog

        atop a mountain
        a monk tears another page
        in his diary

  84. Betsy K. Brown

    I. in our kitchen

    friend brings a bouquet—
    one week later, still golden
    I can hear her laugh

    II. gardening

    the cucumber blight
    bleeds wormholes through thriving vines
    no salad tonight

    III. visitor

    lizard on our wall
    drinks the drenching summer sun
    at dusk, he is gone

  85. John Sweeder

    August goosebump breezes
    signal ocean’s upwelling—
    autumn’s drawing near

    waning crescent moon
    smiles on Equator’s dung huts—
    Maasi sleep soundly

    childhood memories—
    a rosary of prized pearls
    sweet as bay oysters

  86. Nancy Brady

    an August evening…
    cicadas buzz in the trees
    vibrating their leaves

    summer vacation–
    on the top of the Rockies
    sisters play in snow

    autumn equinox
    the Milky Way ribboning
    across the night sky

    Nancy Brady, 2024

  87. Richard L. Matta

    chanced upon sketchpad
    in autumn light the countless
    pathways forsaken

    bee balm touch-and-go’s…
    between feeds the monarch stops
    and refuels a soul

    meandering stream
    a tiny toad on a leaf
    takes a carefree path

  88. Camilla Marx

    Candelabra Lily

    splash of life like blood
    stains through fallen acrid ash –
    stem and leaf and bud

  89. George Ordway

    Ekphrastic haiku for three paintings

    Monet’s House

    Inviting me in
    to images not yet seen
    but to the artist

    Tidal Marsh

    Misty summer hues
    weave litany of visions
    times past spent dreaming

    Todd’s Garden

    Muted colors blend
    forming a seamless display
    with a path ahead

  90. Venessa Lee-Estevez

    Under arched prisms
    Kaleidoscope of jeweled strokes
    God’s contract endures

  91. Mantz Yorke

    hands scratched and juice-stained
    after blackberry picking
    spiders re-spin webs

    heavenly blue drapes
    over fields of sunflowers
    the buzzing of drones

    Respite from the heat?
    No chance. Among the ruins
    seeds await the rain.

  92. andrew shimield

    in the biting wind
    a pregnant girl wraps her coat
    around her belly

  93. T.M.A. Day

    Blessed are the sightless
    Who being but blind believe.
    Eyes they shall receive.

    Blessed are the hopeless.
    Homeless this side of heaven.
    They are our leaven.

    Blessed are the broken,
    Hearts hallowed by human tears.
    For joy moves the spheres.

  94. Stefanie Bucifal

    fall meditations–
    my hands move the rake until
    the rake moves my hands

    water reflections–
    my face the face of someone
    with a lotus life

    dewdrops and sunlight
    a kind word once in a while–
    we thrive with little

  95. James Kirkpatrick

    taking in the view,
    bees in purple-petalled rooms;
    hyacinth hotel

    ***

    hibernating bug
    under tree-bark’s shingle roof;
    icicle ice picks

    ***

    not the way it thinks
    each beast of burden’s burden ends;
    Fluffy the collie

  96. Michael Edwards

    Michael Edwards

    A Lovely Flowerstrewn Meadow

    Ugh! how — how grisly —
    to walk up on the carcass
    of this calf, long dead.

  97. Sara Kate Egan

    Lurkers ’til lunchtime
    Speckled sparrows spy from pine
    Sunflower lady

    Hummingbird hovers
    Staring at my teal-green eyes
    Seeing its same shade

    Bright blues on deep reds
    Large jays feed in apple tree
    Sweet sensory feast

  98. Romeissaa Asmaa Younes

    Thank you for this lovely contest, I had fun writing these poems .

    Poem 1: My Firefly

    Like a firefly;
    You bring light to my dark life,
    Guiding me back home.

    Poem 2: Mighty White Willow

    Mighty white willow,
    Thy noble shade never fails;
    always generous.

    Poem 3: Bid Farewell

    Mellow crispy air,
    Time for trees to bare their souls,
    Bid farewell to leaves.

  99. Jane Fuller

    Lavender heather
    an elegant instrument
    ringing with insects

    Feathery grasses
    a ring of spikey thistles
    divergent neighbours

    The delicate earth
    longs to shed its blistered skin
    grow a harder shell

  100. andrew shimield

    on the woodland path
    bracken bends to catch the wind
    and then lets it go

    • Natalie Wilkinson

      I’m reading through the entries, and like this one very much. I can picture it in my mind.

  101. Charles P. Duncan

    Silence of darkness
    a twisting of tangled fates
    before the world wakes
    quiet_6/20/24

    Sun’s height is today
    feeling some new kind of way
    a beautiful storm
    sol_6/21/24

    Fresh candles of pine
    reaching towards the divine
    can I grow with you?
    grow_8/24/24

    Thanks for reading!

  102. Judy Hawkins

    Outside the headlamp’s
    small light, claws climb a dim tree:
    six young eyes gleam back.

    Nettles sting my shins,
    but here, too, grows jewel weed:
    crushed leaves heal the hurt.

    Just below the peak,
    ancient trees stand tall, hidden
    from winter’s harsh winds.

  103. Alan Brayne

    To the competition organisers: Both of these haiku were self-published earlier this year (June) in a book of poems, Digging for Water. I have given the titles because they are both ephrastic and based on Japanese prints.

    Ushibori

    Flow, friendly water,
    lantern warming a window,
    hush, cascading snow

    Rain at Maekawa

    so frail the pathway
    of fading into darkness
    and remembering

  104. Marjolein Rotsteeg

    chilly, cloudless night
    on the hilltop we gather
    just to view the moon

    bird migration starts
    at last I manage to fold
    linen crane napkins

    her first sakura
    the child’s frenzy when seeing
    those marshmellow trees

  105. Chen-ou Liu

    bonfire flaming red
    children’s eyes spark at Grandpa
    telling love stories

    my shadow and me
    on the forget-me-not path
    this graveyard silence

    the neighbor’s garden
    fading into moonlit dark
    a foreclosure sign

  106. Kevin Hodgson

    Nibble on the skin,
    the small stone within the plum
    begins its dreaming

    Ragged edges, scratch
    skin, red where the blood begins;
    the rose resistance

    Dirt fingers, like seeds –
    in a sense, we’re playing God –
    poking holes in Earth

    Thank you for considering my poems.
    Kevin

  107. Chris Collinson

    urgent ducks flying
    in front of the brown burnt hills
    liquid blue below

    in a silent arc
    the diving osprey strikes taut
    then rises slapping

    tiny yellow tail
    the gull spying the fish swoops
    leaving a feather

  109. Claudia Brown

    Claudia’s Poems:

    1. The Beauty of Life
    Is when you laugh at your past
    Even when it hurts

    2. Music can bring peace
    To the mind, spirit and soul
    Listen to your song

    3. The view of mountains
    Brought back special memories
    From years in college

  110. Dan C. Iulian

    fully spring cleaning –
    the housemaid trying to mop
    her humble shadow

    the scent of absence
    in the attic with the moon
    her shawl forgotten

    the nights of full moon –
    I’m reconciled to myself
    and everybody

  111. Joseph Eldredge

    Good morning, all! I am a new member of the Society, and I’m happy to be with you all, here for these hearings. This is my haiku:

    Crane stilting the lake
    Lapping the cracked fence, strikes me,
    Have they broken through?

  112. Jeanna Cooper

    Dragonflies hover
    and land on heron-swept reeds
    darkened from high tide

    Wild Mustangs caught
    lower their heads and nicker
    gentling cowboys

    Chincoteague ponies
    swim the highwater slack tide
    heads bobbing near boats

  113. Mihael de la Montagnes

    fallen forest leaves
    converse between sloping hills
    hushed by early snow

    morning semaphore
    mirrored beach leaves glassy dew
    signal sun’s approach

    colored air ballet
    whirling wind of gossamer
    butterfly landings

  114. Johnson John

    Spring blooms on reef edge
    Friends enjoy shallow lagoon
    Deep blue Siren lures

    On a flowered branch
    Two doves sharing warmth of love
    Squeals a stretched bowstring

    Jogging in the morn
    Cries beneath trodden dead leaves
    I curse my knowledge

  115. Julia Wakefield

    Mother’s Day flowers
    roadside hawker sells enough
    to feed her children

    the sky bursts with song
    angels dart across the sun
    the martins are back

    golden spring morning
    the dog pricks her ears to hear
    shoelaces tying

  116. Scott Beattie

    Powerful water
    Turquoise river surges clear
    Purifies sunlight

    Grey clouds tinged with white
    pass by with light intentions
    Raindrops pelt evergreen trees

    Puffy white clouds soar
    Crystal clear blue sky canvas
    Summer is the brush

  117. Hannah Xman

    Chipped and broken still,
    Beauty hides in silent cracks,
    Strength within them speaks.

    Wild Woman roams free,
    Wolf beside her, spirit calls,
    In the Wild, her home.

    Soul lost in shadows,
    Chasing echoes through the dark,
    Fires fade, cold remains.

  118. Hannah

    Chipped and broken still,
    Beauty hides in silent cracks,
    Strength within them speaks.

    • Hannah Xman

      Correction: (including last name)

      Chipped and broken still,
      Beauty hides in silent cracks,
      Strength within them speaks.

  121. Gabriella Bedetti

    waves crash
    on honeymoon beaches
    horizons expand
    ***
    time enough
    to listen to a joke
    senior center
    ***
    under a canopy of stars
    blinking fireflies await
    the couple’s unfolding story

  122. andrew shimield

    on the level plane
    of a freshly trimmed privet
    a new sprig rises

  123. Lloyd Miller

    The sound of birdsong
    On the path often trodden
    Falls now on deaf ears

    Ten thousand brush strokes
    Cannot truly match the sight
    That nature provides

    At autumn’s approach
    Each new breath becomes precious
    Beyond any coin

  124. Vivienne

    There are some wonderful Haiku here. Here are my three.

    March wind howls like wolves
    Stalking herds of antelope
    But I am safe inside.

    Rainbow in the sky.
    The sunshine split by raindrops.
    Glorious colour.

    Mist curls all around
    Swirling like smoke in the air.
    All colour has flown.

    • Margaret Coats

      Much appreciate your contributions, Vivienne. Please reply here with your last name, as requested above where it says (boldface and underlined), “Please submit using your first and last name.” Thanks!

  125. Gigi Ryan

    Twirling maple seeds
    Gravity does not hold back
    April pirouettes

    Lithe sandpiper hops
    Deftly dodging sun-glazed waves
    Pecking for his prey

    Tears entombed by sweat
    Moisten fresh dug August earth
    Of a canine grave.

  126. Jen Obritschkewitsch

    Curious weather
    The clouds roll in like staining
    But it never rains

    A garden of stars
    But sometimes you disappear
    I wish you’d take me

    Pink across the sky
    Somewhere a cardinal chirps
    Early morning sigh

  127. R.L. Maizes

    Thank you for considering these coffee haikus.

    Keurig (Coffee Haiku #4)
    Little plastic pods
    wrecking the environment.
    They have hot chocolate.

    Microwave (Coffee Haiku #3)
    Spaghetti splatter.
    Odor of ancient lunches.
    Where I find my cup.

    Morning (Coffee Haiku #1)
    How am I supposed
    to drink water when there’s still
    coffee in the pot?

  128. Natalie Wilkinson

    Dear Judges,
    Thank you for considering my work for the competition.

    *****

    cricket orchestra
    plays to cicada humming
    an all-night soirée

    *****

    cotton flowers bloom
    white fluffy clouds on brown stems
    a late summer snow

    *****

    wind through bare branches—
    a final autumn apple
    falls with a dull thump

    *****

  129. Stacey Cooper

    Poem Title: “The Season of Fall”

    The leaves turn brown now
    The air is cool and freshens
    We start something new

  130. Manfred Dietrich

    Ants gather slowly
    to see what spring sun has brought
    for their Easter feast.

    Bull-frog sitting glad
    catching flies on lily-pad
    Bull-frog sounds so sad.

    Dr Williams writes
    poems on prescription pads
    he knows that words heal.

    • Pamela Ruggiero

      I like the third one, especially. However, I think it’s more of a.senryu than a haiku. Haiku deals only with nature

      Also, do you know that rhyming is frowned upon in a haiku?

  131. Anne Louise Curran

    a brisk summer breeze –
    the sound of apples dropping
    from a laden tree

    faithful apple tree –
    from Nana’s sunny kitchen
    the scent of warm pie

    cherry blossom tree –
    the whisper of soft petals
    falling to the ground

    • Pamela Ruggiero

      I like all three, but I thought in the first one that it would be more appropriate to say sounds rather than sound Since it’s multiple apple dropping from the tree

      I like Nanas apple pie

      • Anne Curran

        Thank you for taking the time to comment Pamela.
        I thought afterwards that to have used a word like ‘thud’
        to onomatopoeia the sound of apples falling might have been nice.
        Anyway, I appreciate your comment, Pamela. And, when I find time
        I will try to do the same for other poets.

  132. Madison Elizabeth Smart

    nothing is unmade
    a language of resonance
    radiates presence

  133. Peter Free

    those castaway seeds
    pumpkins growing all over
    our old compost patch

    fresh picked peas quick crunch
    sunrise dewdrops fill each pod
    pregnant with the day

    working on Sunday
    childhood piles in the guestroom
    snail without a throat

  134. Pamela Ruggiero

    Hello. I am submitting two more entries for the haiku competition thank you very much for considering my entries

    purple flower face
    sheds the drips of morning dew
    ladybugs shower

    red, yellow, green, gold
    float on breezes to the ground
    autumn leaf parade

  135. Kundi Antonieta Joaquina kodia

    Heavy steps in sand
    Endless dunes beneath the sun
    Heat scorches the earth

    Cloudy sky, drops fall
    Sounds like music whispering
    Ping ping ping ping ping

    Golden grasses sway
    Roar, Serenity broken
    The sun pours in red
    Feedback

  136. Richard Campbell

    Sunset Haiku 3.jpg
    Waiting in your smile –
    The dawn of my tomorrow.
    Today slips away.

    • Richard Campbell

      There’s a sunset photo that goes with the haiku, but obviously it didn’t get transferred.

  137. Portly Bard

    instinctve squawking
    hunger building lungs to fly
    purpose spring conceals

  138. Jeannette Tien-Wei Law

    Curtains fill like sails
    Hulls of imagination
    Skimming whimsy strands

    ***

    Afternoon Plunge

    Sun hammers the hills
    Pummel punch the summer drum
    Crash! The cymbals splash

    ***

    August petals yearn
    The heart’s eventide lily
    Opens to the night

  140. Venessa Lee-Estevez

    Through silent branches
    Illuminating azure
    Twilight’s offering

  141. Paulette Calasibetta

    opaque beryl glass
    edges smoothed in briny tide ~
    treasures from the sea
    ~~~~~
    vibrant autumn leaves
    romanced by the whirling wind ~
    shifting devotion

    • Venessa Lee-Estevez

      I absolutely love the imagery in both of your haikus.

      • Paulette Calasibetta

        Thank you for your lovely comment on my haiku.

        Best Regards,
        Paulette

  142. John Leidy

    Awakening day
    comes later, silvery now,
    leaving frosted glades.

    When the thunder rolls,
    the birds just continue on
    about their bus’ness.

    Spring’s indigo nights
    gleam with miniscule diamonds,
    greater than the sun.

  143. Bruce Wise

    In the icy pond,
    there is no sound of water;
    and no frog jumps in.

    About the auto
    i-dl-ing-in-the-traff-ic,
    a dragonfly flies.

    Beneath red yuccas,
    and a white Adam’s Needle,
    he stared at pebbles.

  144. Linda Marie Hilton

    1)
    merry bird singing
    clasping branch: a whole world
    ’round my teacup rim.

    2)
    green brown fallen leaf
    cupped catching frost melting slow
    ladybug drinking

    3)
    lentic puddle floats
    petals swirling in sunshine
    tricycle splashes

  145. Ethan Essick

    golden morning sun
    holy splendor bathes my room
    fear envelops me

  146. Katrina Turner

    falling from the tree
    stopping, birds’ body laid still
    broken bird – cruel winds

    • Jeannette Tien-Wei Law

      What a beautifully striking image! I appreciate how the sudden caesura in line 2 creates a metrical mirror for the meaning of the poem. The line truly does “stop” itself–how wonderful!

      In line three, the 3 + 2 syllabic rhythms of the metrical feet recall to me the traditional meter of the juéjù (quatrain) in classical Chinese poetry, from which the haiku evolved as a poetic form.

      Above all this, thank you for an exceptionally well-crafted poem that lingers in memory.

      • Katrina Turner

        You’re so very welcome! But I should be the one thanking you for commenting on my poem, it really means a lot to me! So, thank you so much! 😀

  147. Junaid Ahmed Ahangar

    it’s december’s unending snow
    i wait motionless to gather this small world
    in my ordinary hands

    cold hermit forest
    i woke up in a silent night
    what are the odds?

    lost count of snowfalls
    my neighbor left his gate open
    and i feel cold in my room.

  148. John Savoie

    cracking the old book
    a prism of dust hovers
    above the pages

  149. Vinod Narayanan

    Like a nightingale—
    A mother’s lullaby in moonlight,
    She Rocks an empty cradle.

    A leaf in autumn—
    Falls dead, gives us breathing air,
    We walk on, unseen.

    Bees before winter—
    Collect and store, like we hoard wealth.
    Bees get wax, we get coffins.

  150. Katherine Uy

    flames rain from branches
    delicious warmth on our tongues
    by tame crackling light

    shades and hues of hope
    softly wakes as life begins
    for hungry bear cubs

    winter wonderland
    sun shining, children laughing
    while I long white’s end

  151. Aaman Lamba

    A tranquil moonrise
    Embracing Lookout Mountain
    In Laurel Canyon.

    Foam, flashing white, red,
    Spirit over the waters,
    Ten thousand fishes.

    The pain is my muse,
    The city blurring through tears
    Steel, remorse, night rain.

    • Dominique Hilmon

      Eyelevel wasp nest
      Startles us both. That branch there
      Was bare last we looked.

  152. Caidan Pilarski

    Haiku Contest Submission, 3 separate haikus:

    butterfly springs forth
    in mind, dreamy nectar froths
    in heart and garden

    river soars on rock
    with the birds and mid-year heat
    my spirit dragged on

    rickety autumn —
    frail bones befriend the branches
    fruiting memories past

  153. Miodrag Kojadinović

    __________________

    By the old brick wall
    pear trees great-grandpa planted,
    mossy wooden bench.

    __________________

    Swooshing from red woods,
    train hoots at curved viaduct
    near my parents’ grave.

    __________________

  154. Talbot Hook

    Resinous bombshell
    Explodes my hammocking daze:
    A falling pinecone.
    ________________________

    Cold air grips my bones
    As I cross a bridge. Even
    The water shivers.
    ________________________

    My face wheels around
    To catch the westering sun —
    Field of sunflowers.

  155. Kayla Laswell

    Wagging tail, so cute
    When you look at me sweetly,
    I bask in your love.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Mornings spent in chair,
    Warm, occupied and content,
    Reading in a daze.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Walking with my thoughts,
    Winding, striding in my mind,
    When will I prevail?

  156. Gloria Eastmond

    Faith, a sanguine moth,
    fluttering through the gloaming.
    Lamps reawaken.

    —————————————-

    Basic radar glitch:
    A bat bustling in the sun.
    Recalibrating.

  157. Portly Bard

    birches painting fall
    barren, barkless, thickened pink
    art of self defense

  158. Paulette Calasibetta

    I am submitting one more haiku :

    silhouettes of leaves
    lacy cutwork appliques ~
    patterns on canvas

  159. Leyelle

    (The haiku titles are in “quotes”)

    “19”
    Flowers should bloom now
    But it snows in the springtime
    Young girls have white hair

    “Monsters Steps”
    This year we will die
    Winter has not yet shown up
    But still I shiver

    “Perennial”
    Someday my lost youth
    Will come back to me again
    Like a fresh blossom

    • Margaret Coats

      Thank you for your haiku, Leyelle. Please give your full name (first and last) as requested above in the section about WHO may enter the competition. You may place your full name in reply to me here. It is not necessary to re-type your entries.

  160. Maria Panayi

    round drops of dawn dew
    delight on delicate thread,
    fly in tangled web

    sweet lavender breeze
    each breath a caressing kiss
    fragrant mystery

    a rollercoaster
    that dips and soars time takes all
    to the earth’s embrace

    • Maria Panayi

      Dear judges,
      Please may I make a slight change to haiku number 3.
      Thank you for your patience
      it should read,

      a roller coaster
      that dips and soars, time takes all
      to the earth’s embrace

  161. Federico C. Peralta

    at the edge of dawn–
    trading secrets with the stars
    lizard on the sill

    a hibiscus falls–
    the pregnant woman looks for
    her engagement ring

    through the hourglass–
    in a matter of minutes
    a sand dune appears

  162. Nokulunga Mazibuko

    Summers hot fury
    lingered in the azure sky
    as autumn leaves fell

    The winds melody
    whistled blissfully through the
    dancing forest trees

    Autumn left before
    the wilted leaves touched the ground
    the cold came swiftly

  163. Vandana Parashar

    untended garden
    without any prejudice
    the spring springs on it

    following the breeze
    through a rusty garden gate
    a few autumn leaves

    without permission
    entering my daughter’s room
    late September sun

  164. Alan Bern

    in the gutter dust
    a green pencil with bite marks
    along the body

    single buzzing wasp
    twitches on the bottom sheet
    the next election

    a different green
    every single day for
    the rest of his life

  165. Princesse-Joella Lajoie

    Am i scared to start

    Wondering and worrying

    I’m scared to finish

  166. Ron C. Moss

    home again once more
    Father’s soggy old shoes steam
    by the crackling fire

    sound of coming of rain
    a blind man hears once again
    the ripples of light

    our bedtime story
    blackbirds sing a lullaby
    with the starry night

  167. Richard Harrow

    like fly-tipped sofas,
    cows hiding in tall rye-grass
    lounge under grey clouds

    • Jane Fuller

      Great image of a moment in time that I could see and feel.

  168. Daniela Misso

    an autumn evening . . .
    the sweet sound of a piano
    coming from downstairs
    *
    a nightingale sings
    ripples of light and shadow
    on the lace curtains
    *
    letter from a friend
    a golden primrose peeps out
    from under dry leaves

    Daniela Misso

  169. Dharani Sri

    Empty pocket
    Empty stomach
    Hunger filled eyes

    Cutting old trees
    Building new house
    Shelterless birds sheltered humans

    Barking dogs
    In street and home
    For food and love

  171. Kathy Gaynor-Henry

    Bats keen and flit out
    Fanning the autumnal moon
    Keeping it aloft

    Withered mums and moms
    Await springtime’s new cycle
    One will ride away

    Pumpkin tendrils grab
    Thriving in harvest debris
    Along with the deer

  172. Karen Morris-Denby

    clouds slide through sunbeams
    where whales migrate to rainbows
    butterfly effect

    dreams made in dark rooms
    never find the light of day
    sunlight breaks all hearts

    changing seasons now
    full moon reflects in birds’ eye
    summer never comes

  173. PRABHA K

    Stars of night skies, find
    Morning at nadir, bring back
    Lurking dark frightens

    • Margaret Coats

      Prabha K, I’m glad to see your haiku, but we need to have your last name too. See the top of the contest information where it says IMPORTANT. Click the REPLY button below this message to type your full name. Your haiku is fine where it is, with no need to retype it. Thank you!

  174. Peter Free

    a quick crunch of peas
    sunrise dewdrops fill each pod
    pregnant with the day

    piles of childhood high
    where i work in the guestroom
    snail without a throat

    golden crunch of leaves
    chortles from a wheelchair race
    weight of the world lifts

  175. Sonia Patrician

    Burning gems of old
    Adorn chilling winter skies
    Brilliant shining stars

    Soft fur, beating heart
    Warms both a lap and a soul
    Summer sun with paws

    A boisterous boom
    Spring storm, or a lion’s roar?
    New life comes again

  176. Ravi Kiran

    It is indeed a delight to write classical haiku in the 5-7-5 syllable format and with Kigo (season word). While the kigo is evident in the first two haiku below, in the third it is ‘acorn’ – which is an autumn kigo.

    autumn riverbed
    patches of moss holding on
    to some of the stones

    one more war coffin
    the summer a teenager
    suddenly grew up

    acorn below ground
    does it know a sprawling oak
    lies within its womb

  177. Halli Steinberg

    #1
    Jacaranda tree
    Lavender blossoming forth
    Shower Spring on me!

    #2
    Piles of stacked flat rocks
    Largest anchors the bottom
    Brave waves, wind, and rain

    #3
    A flash of lightning.
    In awe of Mother Nature,
    I count the seconds…

    Thank you for this opportunity!

  178. Ngo Binh Anh Khoa

    mother’s braided hair
    the exposed roots of an oak
    covered in fresh snow

    what will be will be
    a world within a dewdrop
    clinging to a branch

    resting on the palm
    of a stone Buddha statue
    a praying mantis

  179. Jeffrey Ferrara

    a deer springs away

    from the path of an arrow

    a tree later stopped

  180. Jeffrey Ferrara

    the first drop of sap

    hitting softly the bottom

    of an old steel pail

  181. Jeffrey Ferrara

    the lonely seabirds

    connecting with the mainland

    an isle made of fill

  182. Camilla Marx

    Town of sandstone spires –
    jacarandas bury my
    eroding footprints

    • Camilla

      I’ve seen that this is the second jacaranda haiku in as many days! 🙂
      I love Halli Steinberg’s beautifully vivid poem!

  183. Deborah H. Doolittle

    at work at my desk
    a spider darns a web
    in the window frame

    daybreak
    a girl skips across the lawn
    picking buttercups

    raindrops caught
    on the branches of the quince
    and my umbrella

  184. Maura Harrison

    Drought drives the dirt mad,
    Vine’s fruit autumns and wrinkles.
    Sad whine is fruitless.

    Yellow False Foxglove
    Sits at summer’s edge and lies
    In Fall’s coming truth.

    Fall’s first tree to drop
    Its aged leaves halos the ground,
    Deeply forgetful.

  185. Jason Mackey

    fireflies in the night
    glowing with a golden light
    like stars in my sight

    everlasting spring –
    maidens on a Grecian urn
    always dance and sing

    middle of winter –
    an old friend and I part ways
    before a black bridge

  186. Afshan Ahmed

    Monsoon rain of mine
    and his rainfall in sunshine
    Life at a crossroads

    Two eyes in prison
    draw a gritty black rod grid
    on a cloudy sky

    On a warm night, the
    scent of night-blooming jasmine
    revives the old grief

  187. Katherine Muir

    tulips awaken
    late frost hits the snooze button
    nature unfriends them

  188. Cindy Greene

    I sprint to dinner.
    warm rain spatters my sweater,
    leaving cheetah spots

    like unruly vines,
    barbed wire wraps the fence top,
    piercing sky and dreams

    cleats rip the grass,
    revealing terrain teeming
    with bewildered ants

  189. John Leidy

    Please remove my submissions of Sept 1 and replace with these revisions:

    Awakening day
    comes later, silvery now,
    leaving frosted glades.

    When the thunder claps,
    the birds just continue on
    about their business.

    Spring’s indigo nights
    gleam with minute diamonds,
    greater than the sun.

  190. Ken Dick

    Moon shining down bright
    Dark woods bathed in brilliant light
    Beauty sees twilight

    The rain ceases now
    Though the grayness will remain
    Colors will not fade

  191. Timothy Wheatly

    Thank you for considering my haiku for publication.

    morning light strikes fish
    -ing boat small ripples big SPLASH!
    dog jumps overboard

    wind gust.. picking up….
    even the scarecrow will pay
    homage by resting

    dog gnaws on a dream
    -sicle sunset while right paw
    guards large set of twigs

  192. Teyah Alniaami

    Thank you to the respective judges for considering my haiku’s!

    Whispers slash the night,
    Grotesque truths drip like fresh blood;
    I drown in your lies.

    Falsehood consumes me,
    Gore paints the walls of my mind-
    Truth’s malformed disguise.

    Blood paints the silence,
    Love’s facade now stained with red-
    Tear-stained hearts collide.

  193. Arunachalashiva Ravisankar

    1) september flower
    no scent but adores roaming
    bees and butterflies

    2) dancing and singing
    a sky lark on the branch of
    the cemetery cross

    3) deep meditating
    a monk on river water
    neck drown for the rain

    I here by declare these haiku are my own haiku and written after july 2024

    -Arunachalashiva Ravisankar

  194. Tejendra Sherchan

    the monsoon raindrops
    held on a wild grass cobweb
    diamonds on hammock

    late summer heat
    walking in the pine forest
    butterfly fans me

    somnambulism
    I turn on my new laptop
    and shut it down

  195. Roxana Terranera

    Haiku 1:
    Rough clear ocean waters
    Like a soaring ballerina
    A whale shows splendor.

    Haiku 2:
    Close the warmer months
    Mayflies rising from ponds, ready
    Their fleeting lives mourned.

    Haiku 3:
    Prestine marks on snow,
    A striking red fox fix gaze,
    Aiming on its catch.

  196. Angela Quintanilla

    Haiku 1:
    What a misery
    My once delicate feathers
    Nothing but mere shreds

    Haiku 2:
    For all of your words
    That are cruel and unjust
    I’ll still love the same

    Haiku 3:
    Tears will only flow
    Somewhere where I’m all alone
    When I let them fall

    I declare that these haiku are my own haiku and are written after July of 2024
    -Angela Quintanilla

  197. Rick Johnson

    Unmistakable!
    Kingfisher’s trusty twitter,
    Drought, pond life teeters.

    Deep woods mystery,
    Puzzling quiet, forecast moot,
    Cicadas are mute.

    Summer’s snow stings legs.
    Wind sifted, sugary sand
    Fills fleeing footprints.

  198. Katrina Turner

    restrained, bound, enchained
    wings rent and torn – burned to ash
    fly; I shall never

  199. Claire Shalhope

    “Thymos”
    Blood is down your wrist,

    Elbow deep within my chest,

    Do you twist your arm?

    “14,000 ft”
    Do you remember

    the mountain? You cut

    the rope, and I screamed.

  200. Alan Brayne

    I’ve already entered two haiku earlier; this one is my third.

    lengthening shadows
    fall on the chair in my porch:
    an early candle

  201. Halli Steinberg

    Respected judges and fellow poets,
    Is there a way to get notified of the winning poems, or perhaps a daily/weekly digest of poems submitted? The poetry is beautiful, and I don’t want to unsubscribe, but my email inbox is becoming crowded (and I don’t want to set up another filter). Suggestions would be appreciated!
    Warmly, Halli

    • Mike Bryant

      Halli Steinberg,
      Every entry in this Haiku Contest is in this comment section.
      Simply scroll up from my reply here and you can read every single entry. Thanks, Mike the Moderator.

    • Margaret Coats

      Dear Halli Steinberg and others interested,

      The WHEN section near the beginning of this competition post says results will be announced September 29. “Results” means the winning poem and runners-up judged to have composed the best haiku submitted here. If you subscribe, but cannot find the results in your inbox on September 29, come to classicalpoets.org, click on POETRY, and look for the same snow scene picture as above, with the title BEST HAIKU OF 2024.

  202. Leila Lahidji

    I was bleeding out
    I thought my cuts were sewn up-
    Healing takes its time

    The leaves left quickly
    But the tree did not bargain
    It knew things had changed

  203. Leila Lahidji

    I was bleeding out
    I thought my cuts were sewn up-
    Healing takes its time

  204. Linda Albertson

    pinks whisper of gold
    bees buzz oblivious as
    red mites hitch a ride

  205. Tracy Davidson

    something in common –
    hermit thrush and I, our throats
    full of lonely song

  206. Tracy Davidson

    war cemetery
    moonshadow slowly swallows
    the names of the dead

  207. Tracy Davidson

    a snowy owl’s swoop
    she startles a woodpecker
    from his busy beat

  208. Jayda Remlinger

    decay striking red
    turning memories to ghosts
    soft death for new life

    branches and empty
    a coat of silence to wear
    anticipation

    ghosts moan through the trees
    yellow orange and crimson
    blurry transitions

  209. Helen Hanson

    We long for bright dreams
    where angels’ wings flutter by
    Behold, butterfly

    Sunset as promise
    Red clouds dancing over waves
    At dawn an omen

    Seeking attention
    snowdrops knock against the cold
    Keep the door open

  210. Sam Walker

    hanging the laundry
    tiny perfect sets of clothes
    for my unborn son

    silence on the beach
    she seems happy holding hands
    wind tousles her hair

    jewels on brown skin
    apples set in golden leaves
    orchard at evening

  211. Cathy Bendix

    Sabaras spiral
    Soldiers braving brisk breezes
    Bull finch on alert

  212. Nitu Yumnam

    birds at the window
    holding empty chair he talks
    to his late father

  213. Sara Jean Baker

    a sudden downpour
    on an unwanted journey
    brown grass turning green

    countless tiny moons
    illuminate the stone path
    a frozen koi pond

    humid cricket song
    and quiet breezes deserve
    a cat at full length

  215. Nitu Yumnam

    submerged paper boat
    the toddler retrieves his tears
    from the puddle’s edge

  216. Jan Mennite

    bees in the snowbell

    busy with floral treasures

    that nourish and heal

  217. Jan Mennite

    warm sand’s embraces

    rhythmic seaside alpha waves

    bestow healing balm

  218. Sebastian Chrobak

    the start of spring break
    all those heavy books stay still
    deep in the backpack

  219. Nitu Yumnam

    hands limp on the bed
    my mother throws all the pills
    into the twilight

  220. Stuti Sinha

    Fistfuls of oozing
    sweet flesh slips from sticky hands.
    Mango stones lay bared.

    Cracking thunder beats
    to Kalboishakhi lilting
    on darkened grey stage.

    Vibrant brolly tops
    brush Mumbai’s louring canvas –
    painting in motion.

  221. M. Schwartz

    The sea cloaked in mist
    as I grieve the loss of you
    a seagull cries out

  222. Catherine Posey

    Grandmother’s lilacs
    Craft cloister where children
    And chameleons play.

  223. Guy Graybill

    Flowers are wilting.
    Dry seeds lie scattered beneath.
    Tomorrow’s glory!

    Wild geese glide downward.
    A down-covered flotilla
    Splashes on the creek.

  224. Catherine Posey

    ancient ice expanse
    quietly drips, drips cold tears
    of the universe

  226. Catherine Posey

    Meadow daises bow.
    Eagles soar, clouds pause, taps play.
    Rain mingles with tears.

  229. Guy Graybill

    He lived by Walden.
    So immersed had he become:
    Seasons were his clock.

  230. Shamik Banerjee

    From zinnia’s pink
    to petunia’s purple –
    the chameleon

    Bolting roller skates
    scare the road-perched crows away –
    summer vacation

    Working overtime;
    prodigious black clouds sew up
    the last silver rift

    • Shamik Banerjee

      Dear Judges,

      My second haiku got swapped with another accidentally. Therefore, I am making a fresh submission of the batch. Kindly pardon my mistake and please accept this new submission. Thank you so much.

      From zinnia’s pink
      to petunia’s purple –
      the chameleon

      While mother’s garden
      nears vernal blue and yellow,
      she nears wintry grey

      Working overtime;
      prodigious black clouds sew up
      the last silver rift

  231. Lisa Marie Miller

    (Haiku contest entries):

    Cityscape A.M.

    Colors bring the day
    Pink and periwinkle play–
    All below stays gray

    Centenary-ing

    Just one hundred four
    Garden, girlfriends, gourmet store
    Why not live some more?

    A Cluster of Birds

    A cluster of birds
    chirping in the tallest tree
    looked very lovely

  232. Liam Maor

    Winter sun bathes me
    through icy-cold window panes
    The Comfort of Home

    Autumn leaves decay
    yet I only stare in awe
    at their amber leaves

    Ravaging wildfires
    paint the sky red– all will see
    the death we must face

  233. Urszula Marciniak

    her tight city yard
    just one daisy in the crack
    of the old sidewalk

    the blind girl’s dinner
    the scent of food in the scent
    of lilac from him

    the second first date
    the last golden leaf sparkles
    in her silver hair

  234. Chelsea Bushman

    I appreciate the opportunities to learn from the experienced poets on this website, as well as to participate in this contest. Thank you for extending the invitation to beginners like me.

    Respectfully submitted,
    Chelsea Bushman

    Here, out on a limb
    Fledgling, trembling, leaps then soars.
    Courage, then, my heart.

    Winter’s threat’ning gale
    Drives perilous waves to shore…
    Foes attack my land.

    Fragrant, freshened air
    Springtime’s efflorescent flair…
    Precious newborn life.

  235. Catalina Fernandez

    bullet pierced the mind
    The dirt is soft on my skin
    Here, the lilies sprout

      • Margaret Coats

        Very glad to see your haiku! Please enter the competition with your full name. If you forgot, just place your full name at the REPLY box after your poems. Thanks!

  236. Diana Woodcock

    birds on migration
    reaching my arms up to them
    I become all flame

    with each falling leaf
    dead father’s sigh of relief
    free now of raking

    river still flowing
    heron soaring above it
    some things never change

  237. Ivan Georgiev

    newly leafed forest
    the magnificent bareness
    of a dying tree

  238. Edward Cody Huddleston

    contrails intersect
    just over the horizon
    where winter deepens

    the faded sunrise
    in our family photo
    just dust in Mom’s eyes

    funeral bouquet
    putting a dandelion
    between the roses

  239. Hla Yin Mon

    I
    equanimity
    petal by petal she drops
    the rose letting go

    II
    eugenia sprouts
    waiting for the wars to end
    day by day older

    III
    endless monsoon rains
    what else could I do but pray
    for the swept aways

  240. Brandon Hensley

    Dewdrops spark the blades;
    humid morning sparkling.
    Rich in the moment.

    Waves go in and out,
    the great cosmic breath of life.
    Welcome this moment.

    Haiku gods hold court,
    settling syllabic spats.
    “Twas six!” “No, seven!”

  241. zineb oriyane-rass

    Rain of September,
    emanating petrichor
    cat seeking shelter

    Mother and daughter
    same tale, over and over…
    A bamboo hairbrush

    Eyes brimming with tears –
    reverberating thunder…
    At last, looking up

  242. Tejendra Sherchan

    the monsoon raindrops
    held on a wild grass cobweb-
    diamonds on hammock

    late summer heat-
    walking in the pine forest
    butterfly fans me

    somnambulism-
    I turn on my new laptop
    and shut it down

  243. Maria Tirenescu

    Toddler in the park –
    a snowflake on the eyelash
    another in the palm

    The apple blossoms
    recalling of grandparents –
    I write a haiku

    the evening concert –
    big waves breaking on the shore
    full of broken stones

  244. Benjamin Cannicott Shavitz

    September Sunset:
    With a sinking gleam,
    Summer’s sun admits it’s done,
    Now a fading dream.

    Desert:
    Only sand and dread.
    Sunset looms in bloody red.
    Buzzards overhead.

    November:
    The leaves are falling,
    Bloody red, then flat and dead.
    The dark is calling.

  245. Tanja Soulas

    One fallen leaf alone
    hanging on propeller drone
    bird view happiness

    Ladybug, pink flower
    wiped by sudden monsoon
    softly veiled lady

    Crystalline raindrop
    gently drifting from beyond
    transient wonder

  246. Rachelle Constan

    Black snake slithers
    up dark tree bark, seeking bird
    eggs, ignoring me.

    Cricket’s concert says
    it’s cold. I open windows,
    warm up to its song.

    The orchid smiles
    as rain mists its face. No tears
    in today’s shower.

  247. Murray Eiland

    Dry dust invading,
    Omni ant tracks everywhere
    Nature’s small footprints

    Needles tremble, sing,
    Echoes of ancient songs past
    Lost in autumn’s breath

    Burls cradle secrets—
    Sprouted growth from knobby stumps,
    Knots of life untapped

  248. Bruce Keahi

    Serenading leaves
    Brooklet sings a lullaby
    Summers’s choir whispers

    Consuming hunger
    Obliteration, struggle
    Butterfly’s freedom!

    Cherished blossoms fall
    Delicate sanctuary
    Spring nestled above

    • Bruce Keahi

      I am an absolute novice of haiku poetry, or an kind of poetry. I only began studying it more intently within the past few days. I don’t know if it was Basho’s intent when he wrote The Old Pond, but I saw/experienced a deeper understanding in the plain and simple capture of the moment. Very Zen.

      I am Native Hawaiian, and we use a similar principle in our poetry, story-telling and mele (songs) called kaona. I don’t know if my work conforms to traditional haikus since I employ kaona, but it has been a fun and enlightening exercise.

      Thank you for this opportunity to share.

  249. Kit Hughsen

    Hard prairie rainfall
    Golden rays pierce the black sky
    Please cue the songbirds

    Bright red maple morn
    The Crimson King is aging
    Deciduous chum

    Super blue blood moon
    All the heavenly glory
    See what else is on

  250. Glauco Saba

    #1
    “Poppies delight me…”
    your innocence vanishes
    within your blushing

    #2
    where is the cricket
    which used to sing “Summertime”
    all along the night?

    #3
    here comes my evening…
    no worry, for the fireflies
    lighten the footpath

  251. Carl Bellerose

    shaking maracas
    in the pale yellow moonlight
    dancing with the stars

  252. Gordana Kurtovic

    #1
    in the spring dawn
    an elderberry bush blooms
    the smell of childhood

    #2
    the end of summer
    I put a drop of the sea
    under my skin

    #3
    heatwaves
    harvest in the vineyard
    ahead of time

  253. Melanie Phoenix

    I hear you call from
    bright sky, young one, learning what
    it means to be hawk.

    ***

    Birdsong tiptoes through
    thick gray fog and testifies
    hope rises again.

    ***

    This old tree whose roots
    weave with mine in the deep earth
    breathes enduring joy.

  254. Benjamin Bläsi

    what remains from the
    rain clouds deep in the forest:
    mist and mushroom smells

    heavy, humid sky—
    the song of a soaring lark
    barely stirs the air

    a lone Roman snail
    crosses the Way of St. James—
    dripping summer rain

  255. Monica Kakkar

    Dear Mr. Rimer and Dr. Coats,

    Thank you for the opportunity to submit three haiku with seasonal words, kigo.

    *****

    01
    silver at sunup
    echoes by the sacred well—
    a sweep of Peepul

    02
    a staccato gnaws
    canisters in the courtyard . . .
    tapioca snow

    03
    a cold spell white outs
    canopy of conifers . . .
    first flush Darjeeling

    *****

    01
    All summer kigo: Peepul (Ficus religiosa)

    02
    All winter kigo: tapioca snow

    03
    All winter kigo: cold spell

    [World Kigo Database]

    *****

    Thank you for your consideration. Best wishes.

    Sincerely,

    Monica Kakkar (she/her/hers)

  256. Bradley Kemp

    Autumn breeze sweeps by—
    a child races fallen leaves,
    learning how to fly

    Winter wind commands—
    chimes ring out in crisp cadence,
    frosted notes take flight

    Winter snow falls soft—
    a sly fox treads silent trails,
    white world hides its tracks

  257. Jonathan Bear

    The rains, finally
    are here. Reaching for the sky
    the plants celebrate

    Debris from the storm
    covers our path. Another
    reason not to fight.

    Suddenly right there
    a deer outside my window
    my heart skips a beat

  258. Emylou Infante

    Pale round moon sailing
    the vast cloudless winter sky—
    snowdrop buds peeking.

    Dark grey clouds looming,
    slow murky waters rising—
    kids swimming, laughing.

    Blinding blazing sun,
    scorched fields and cracked earth waiting—
    typhoons blossoming.

  259. Cindy G.

    I just want to say thank you so much for organizing this contest! I have had so much fun reading through everyone’s delightful haiku. I submitted my entries a while ago and have been reveling in the talent as people are submitting..

    • Margaret Coats

      Thank you, Cindy! I very much appreciate the high quality of so many haiku, the interaction of writers in comments to one another, and the grateful appreciation you and others express for this competition. Although it will close soon, entries remain visible indefinitely. Be sure to check back on September 29 for announcement of the winner in a new post that day, along with a list of runners-up chosen by Dr. Rimer and me.

  260. Sarah Joseph

    Once strong father’s arms
    desert willow drops its leaves
    now frail in winter

    pairs of sunbirds flit
    amorous and musical
    lonely cat watches

    moonless summer night
    in stillness, two things certain—
    loneliness and God

  261. Koichi Kazama

    maple leaves set alight
    a lone path in the graveyard
    at autumn sunset

    mirage of rainbows
    flickers over winter clouds
    on a bus window

    a leaf and a worm
    lying wet on the wayside
    after a spring storm

  262. Katie Tencza

    Cricket-chirps spouting
    from lone, hidden nooks converge –
    envelop like night

    Brittle clattering
    as patio-blown leaves sweep
    away solstice warmth

    A feathered white wisp
    wafts over beaming rose-heads
    only at wind’s whim

  263. Karan S

    The sky, on fire,
    Man blithely wraps in desire
    And condemns his child.

    Ma’s verdant coat’s swiped
    by just eight billion bairns.
    She now wears grunge grey.

    The flood of sun rays
    wash away all those yesterdays
    morn’s new hopes float by.

  264. Dr. José Luis Solís López

    Haiku 1
    Bouquet of roses.
    Say the old great grandmother
    what am I living for

    Haiku 2
    The willow blossoms.
    From the teeth of the caiman
    drops of water fall

    Haiku 3
    On the way home
    the light of the cocuyos,
    the overcast sky

  265. Margaret Coats

    Last call for beauty-FULL NAMES to go with your haiku, if you entered the contest without them! Enough hours left to claim your entries. Thanks!

  266. Alexis Liftee

    Haiku 1
    Spring time, breeze calls me
    walking by pink rose bushels
    petals waving hi

    Haiku 2
    Autumn afternoon
    whistler walking by fish ponds
    to old tunes, they splash

    Haiku 3
    Dreary winter night
    moon weaves in and out of clouds
    whistling wind at sea

  267. Cezar Florescu

    Remembrance Sunday…
    on the unknown hero’s cross
    a few paper cranes
    *
    deepening autumn…
    the people in the hospice
    talking about spring
    *
    old railway station…
    the fragrance of linden trees
    filling the wagons

  268. Cezar Florescu

    old railway station…
    the fragrance of linden trees
    filling the wagons

  269. Cezar Florescu

    Remembrance Sunday…
    on the unknown hero’s cross
    a few paper cranes

  270. Cezar Florescu

    deepening autumn…
    the people in the hospice
    talking about spring

  271. Lakshmi Iyer

    Hello
    Trying my hand to write a classical 5-7-5 haiku with kigo

    silent summer breeze
    a blind boy laughs as he breaks
    his birthday balloons

    rainy autumn day
    mother manages to walk
    post leg surgery

    intense summer heat
    the leather bag starts to peel
    its sticky odour

  272. Roohallah Ghasemi

    1) spring afternoon
    the city have hypnozed
    thousands_ eyed cherries

    2) summer night
    beneath the stary sky
    I have no name

    3) moonlight
    crickets gnaw the night
    knit the moon

  273. Sonali Tiwari

    In winter, a sheet of
    snow was seen on the mountain
    Fog was seen everywhere.

    Birds are sitting in
    the tree to avoid the raindrops.
    Wet birds shiver.

    The whole world wakes up
    when the sun rises and goes to
    sleep when the sun sets.

  274. Robert Hornford

    Best wishes all, my three for consideration

    Construction season

    Where forests once stood
    Cultivated concrete blooms
    Construction season

    Cracks

    Sun’s touch, cracks garden
    Jagged fissures of torn soil
    Rain soothes earthy wounds

    Awaiting

    Heavy vines dangle
    Tomatoes now ripening
    Raccoons awaiting

  275. John Egan

    Rocket scientist
    Calculates his wedding vow
    Ignition Launch kiss

  276. imaan wallenburg

    Breathless, cold beauty,
    Light flickers like a heartbeat,
    Your love, a waning moon.

  277. Tayyiba Jadoon

    Haiku 1:
    Hours stretch, then snap back
    Clock hands blur like fading stars,
    Threads entangle, day and night

    Haiku 2:
    Moonlight sculpts the sky
    Silver veins in endless dark,
    Night bleeds into dawn.

    Haiku 3:
    Falling autumn leaves
    Crimson whispers on the breeze,
    Summer slips away.

  278. Angela Petsis

    Chirping chickadees
    rouse me from my Sunday sleep
    with rapturous song

    A sliver of moon
    floats in silver summer skies
    sailing through night

    Along the lakeshore
    silence disturbed by a breeze
    breaks the water’s peace

  279. Natalie Myers

    Title: Basketball

    It soars through the air,
    The crowd roars like a lion.
    A buzzer beater

  280. Haniya Ashiq

    Thank you for considering my poem

    The mud beneath me,
    Calmness stirs inside my soul.
    Earth swallows me whole.

  281. Radhika Soni

    Tiny feet splashing
    A rainbow in the puddle –
    Wonder in his eyes

    Dark clouds streak the sky;
    A Rain Lily, bright and still
    The sole sign of hope

    Cherry blossoms wake
    Have long been in a slumber –
    Outstretched rosy arms

  282. James Presley

    scrimshaw made from spark
    lightning spiders the fissures
    of a fractured night

    spider constructs a
    God’s eye delicate as breath
    more complex than death

    standing smug and louche
    the dandelion strikes a pose
    on my well coiffed lawn

  283. Jon C. Holt

    On the shore they learn
    To breathe underwater past
    The lines in the sand

  287. Rachelle Constan

    Withdrawing my previous submission and resubmitting w/ edits.

    #1
    Black snake slithers up
    dark tree bark, seeking bird eggs.
    The wind holds its breath.

    #2
    Cricket’s concert says
    it’s cold. The breeze agrees—my
    window stays open.

    #3
    Orchid smiles but
    does not bow; royal as rain
    now misting its face.

  288. Valentina Ranaldi-Adams

    burgeoning springtime . . .
    poets desire to sow the seeds
    of enduring change

  289. Li Xiao

    the cry of a crane…
    the sharp adam’s apple of a man
    looking at the sky

  292. E.C. Traganas

    full September moon 
    a copper gong hums in the
    symphony of night

    footprints near the door
    a brass knocker cloaked in snow 
    just a strolling cat

    Circling

    hands pluck at bedsheets
    tracing lines, ending stories
    returning to sleep

  293. Cato Galen

    We hide from the dark
    Fearing fated, endless night
    And rise with the sun

    Tears hide in raindrops
    A reminder that heartache
    Is so natural

    Soothing coos of doves
    A new day dawns, and with it:
    Possibility.

  294. Meera

    Vividly fuzzy
    Memory of someone who
    Otherwise unknown.

    Rose, color word task
    Touch me not,seldom listen
    Conflicts never end.

  295. Sylke Laine

    How fifty changed me?
    Watching robins take a bath:
    Friday night delight.
    —-
    I pull in the oars
    to honor river’s silence.
    Mergansers don’t care.
    —-
    First snow blankets peaks.
    Leaves and needles blanket trails.
    Autumn blankets souls.

  296. Anna Miller

    “Harmful algal blooms”
    the sign warns. Precarious,
    you perch above, glad.

    “You don’t know me.” True
    enough—so many barriers.
    Yourself, for instance.

    I crash through the gauze
    between consciousness and more.
    Oh. Life. There you are.

  297. Navya

    Colorless

    You were a painter
    And I, your canvas. But now
    I rest colorless.

  298. Ekta Adhikari

    Teta leaves home to find
    Too busy wiping away tears like windshield
    To build a new one.

    Prayed for the rain much
    The crops are now fully satisfied
    Enjoying bodies swallowed by rivers.

    The bird flies away singing
    From my room I watch her mocking
    Caged person with grilled windows.