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Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, Volume 5:1, Autumn/Winter 2021-22

12/11/2021

 
Welcome to this Autumn/Winter issue of Autumn Moon Haiku Journal. The philosopher Edmund Husserl, founder of phenomenology, focused on the phrase zu den Sachen selbst (to the things themselves). This is a perfect procedure for haiku. Nowadays, some haiku is trying to follow the trend of modern poetry, which betrays the true essence of haiku. Those who are writing in this style, to my mind, are making a misstep perhaps also based on modern phrasing in current poetry. In this issue, there are many excellent haiku that are focusing on the essence of haiku writing. For further information on this important issue, if you haven’t read my article The Essence of Haiku, it is available on the internet including the Haiku Foundation website. Also, I published in 2002 How to Haiku, A Writer’s Guide to Haiku and Related Forms, now out of print, but which is coming out as a new revised edition in April 2022, with Tuttle Publishing, titled Writing Haiku, A Guide to Composing Japanese Haiku Poetry.
Bruce Ross, December 2021
drought . . .
in the well of my house
there is no moon

siccità. . .
nel pozzo di casa mia
non c'è la luna
 
first snowflakes –
the crying of the newborn
of a premature birth
 
primi fiocchi di neve -
il pianto del neonato
di un parto premature
         Vincenzo Adamo, Italy
 
                                                                                                        waning starlight
                                                                                                                          great-horned owl
                                                                                                                          calls in the dawn
 
                                                                                                                         daybreak
                                                                                                                         silent coyotes
                                                                                                                         in single file
                                                                                                                                   Cynthia Anderson, USA
 
a forest
in the raven’s voice
winter dusk
 
ribbons of mist
between the cornrows
the body of a rabbit
          Jenny Ward Angyal, USA
 
                                                                                                                         the long journey
                                                                                                                         of a lost mitten
                                                                                                                         autumn moon
 
                                                                                                                         runaway . . .
                                                                                                                         a raven’s whisper
                                                                                                                         into the wind
 
                                                                                                                        crisp breeze
                                                                                                                        seagulls circle
                                                                                                                        the waves of grain
 
                                                                                                                        coloring
                                                                                                                        inside the lines
                                                                                                                        first snow
                                                                                                                                  Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA
 
fading scent
of the fallen pines . . .
mom’s funeral day
 
ماند پڑتی خوشبو
...گرے ہوئے پائنز کی
ماں کے جنازے کا دن
 
moor heather
in full bloom
autumn twilight
 
خلنج کا پھول
پُورے جوبن پر
خزاں کی شام کا جھٹ پٹا
 
Ode to Autumn
I lend my voice
to hedge-crickets
 
خزاں کی غزل
میں اپنی آواز ادھار دیتی ہوں
باڑ کے جھینگروں کو
         Hifsa Ashraf, Pakistan
 
                                                                                                                         the last leaf
                                                                                                                         a touch away
                                                                                                                         in failing light
 
                                                                                                                         the owl’s gaze
                                                                                                                         deepening
                                                                                                                         in barn light
 
                                                                                                                         evening chills
                                                                                                                         the wind chimes
                                                                                                                         constant ripple
                                                                                                                                  Joanna Ashwell, UK
 
winter stone
                                                                                  the creek slows
                                                                                  to a whisper
                                                                                          Susan B. Auld, USA
 
wavering skies
a distant hill
comes and goes
 
weifelende luchten
een verre heuvel
komt en gaat
        Michael Baeyens, Belgium

                                                                                                                         autumn rain
                                                                                                                         under a rock
                                                                                                                         I find       myself
                                                                                                                                  R.D. Bailey, Jamaica

                                                                                   skein by skein
                                                                                   dusk returns the geese
                                                                                   to the marsh
                                                                                             John Barlow, UK
street artist –
autumn sunset
is not for sale

уличный художник  
не продается
осенний закат
          Helen Barysheva, Russia

                                                                                                                        autumn night
                                                                                                                        more stars than leaves
                                                                                                                        forest walk

                                                                                                                        mountain stream
                                                                                                                        I watch myself flow
                                                                                                                        downhill
                                                                                                                                Mona Bedi, India

lull in the squall
the earthly scent
of a stone angel

répit dans l’orage
l’odeur terreuse
d’un ange en pierre

shuttered train station
the weathered reds
of different trees

gare murée
les rouges burinés
d'arbres différents
         Maxianne Berger, Canada

                                                                                                                        a snow goose
                                                                                                                        narrows the gap
                                                                                                                        autumn twilight
                                                                                                                                Tom Bierovic, USA

                                                                               a mourner’s song
                                                                               circles the stones
                                                                               the colour of leaves
                                                                                      Bisshie, Switzerland

                                                                                                                       the sounds of autumn
                                                                                                                       mother’s music box holds
                                                                                                                       stardust
                                                                                                                                Ed Bremson, USA

fading wildflowers
deep in the dewy meadow
a new chrysalis

welkende Wildblumen
tief in der taufeuchten Wiese
ein neuer Kokon
         Benjamin Bläsi, Switzerland

                                                                                                                       the last warm day
                                                                                                                       asking my students
                                                                                                                       to define the sky
                                                                                                                                Kristyn Blessing, USA

                                                                                   lingering over
                                                                                   the warm copper pan
                                                                                   harvest moon
                                                                                           Helen Buckingham, UK

the pleading eyes
of a hunter’s trophy
filmed with frost

walking in snowfall
the lost moments
of my passing life
          John Budan, USA

                                                                                                                        dead tree shakes
                                                                                                                        under raven’s weight
                                                                                                                        winter solstice
                                                                                                                                 Alanna C. Burke, USA

that imprinted design
on your pupils –
autumn moon

quel disegno impresso
sulle tue pupille -
luna d'autunno

fallen leaf –
slowly settles down
on the dew

foglia caduta -
lentamente si posa
sulla rugiada
         Dennys Cambarau, Italy

                                                                                  autumn sunset
                                                                                  leaves and sky
                                                                                  melting together
    
                                                                                  tramonto d'autunno
                                                                                  foglie e cielo
                                                                                  si fondono
 
                                                                                  silence . . .
                                                                                  a choir of sparrows
                                                                                 on light snow
 
                                                                                 silenzio . . .
                                                                                 un coro di passeri
                                                                                 sulla neve leggera
                                                                                          Mariangela Canzi, Italy
 
chokeberry jam
the tumbling keen
of gulls

a pothole
just deep enough . . .
the sleeping stray
          Matthew Caretti, USA
 
                                                                                                                        planting bulbs
                                                                                                                        I wake
                                                                                                                        the sleeping toad
                                                                                                                                 Louise Carson, Canada
 
bird-pecked grapes
my hand reaching
for the moon
 
iskljucan grozd
ruka posiže
za mjesečinom
 
viaduct
under each arch
moonlight
 
vijadukt
ispod svakog luka
mjesečina
         Mihovila Čeperić-Biljan, Croatia
 
                                                                                  just the sound
                                                                                 of leaves crunching as i walk –
                                                                                 solitude
 
                                                                                 cannot stop
                                                                                 the leaves from blowing away –
                                                                                Alzheimer’s
                                                                                           Vernon Chain, USA
 
                                                                                                                         fallen, but
                                                                                                                         the scarecrow’s face
                                                                                                                         still smiling
                                                                                                                                  Kanchan Chatterjee, India
 
                                                                                   Shiki Day
                                                                                   even the gourd wind chime
                                                                                   ringing
 
                                                               瓢箪の風鈴鳴つて子規忌かな 千秋
 
                                                                                  a blind man
                                                                                  stops to listen . . .
                                                                                 crossing hawks
 
                                                           耳澄ます盲人のゐて鷹渡る  千秋
                                                                            Christina Chin, Malaysia
 
autumn garden
grandma still smiles
at grandpa’s letters
 
ogród jesienią
babcia wciąż uśmiecha się
do listów dziadka
         Sebastian Chrobak, Poland
 
                                                                                                                         enchanted
                                                                                                                         by a blue star . . .
                                                                                                                         balloon flower
 
                                                                                                                         shorter days . . .
                                                                                                                         this creaking in the eaves
                                                                                                                         of my parents’ house
                                                                                                                                  Marion Clarke, Northern Ireland
 
frost moon
our fallen leaves curl up
together
 
for awhile
resting on a toadstool
red leaf
         Sue Colpitts, Canada
 
                                                                                   bonfire
                                                                                   no group photo this year
                                                                                   still—a bonfire
                                                                                            Vera Constantineau, Canada
 
                                                                                                                      soya bean harvest . . .
                                                                                                                     welcome to my garage
                                                                                                                      little cricket
                                                                                                                                 Bryan D. Cook, Canada
 
first frost
a fantail fluffs up
feather blankets
 
stage 4
the tree becomes
a skeleton
        Sue Courtney, New Zealand
 
                                                                                                                          shimmering moon
                                                                                                                          the warmth of
                                                                                                                          kind words
                                                                                                                                   Ronald K. Craig, USA
 
                                                                                  Ripe grapes.
                                                                                 A flock of starlings sings
                                                                                 in the vineyard.

                                                                                 Zrelo grožđe.
                                                                                 Jato čvoraka pjeva
                                                                                u vinogradu.
                                                                                        Stjepan Crnić, Croatia

autumn wind –
goodbye written
on a paper moon

hangin sa taglagas -
paalam isinulat
sa papel na buwan 

an interlude
between yes and maybe
in the falling leaves

intermedyo
sa pagitan ng oo at marahil
sa mga nalalaglag na dahoon
        Alvin B. Cruz, Philippines
 
                                                                                                                         first red leaves
                                                                                                                         on the Maple –
                                                                                                                         autumn moon
                                                                                                                                 Anne Curran, New Zealand
 
hand-shaking . . .
the formal beginning
of my bereavement

ръкостискане...
официалното начало
на моя траур

New Year’s day
the same version of me
as ever

Нова година
все още съм същата
версия на себе си
        Maya Daneva, Canada/Bulgaria

                                                                                  autumn storm . . .
                                                                                  stripping color
                                                                                  leaf by leaf

                                                                                 autumn chill . . .
                                                                                 at recess, children
                                                                                 don new hats

                                                                                 colors fade
                                                                                 into winter’s chill . . .
                                                                                 this life’s journey
                                                                                        Risë Daniels, USA

                                                                                                                         spider webs drape
                                                                                                                         the garden tools –
                                                                                                                         spring far off

                                                                                                                         this autumn
                                                                                                                         the old man’s gourds
                                                                                                                         unharvested
                                                                                                              Frank Dax, South Korea

cold morning . . .
our dreams melt
like snow

mattino freddo . . .
si sciogle come neve
il nostro sogno

autumn . . .
the scent
of the last rose

autunno . . .
il profumo
dell’ultima rosa

winter sky . . .
the colours disappear
under the snow

cielo d’inverno . . .
scompaiono i colori
sotto la neve
            Rosa Maria Di Salvatore, Italy

                                                                                                                        gust of wind
                                                                                                                        the snowflake falls
                                                                                                                        on another tongue

                                                                                                                        coup de vent
                                                                                                                        le flocon tombe
                                                                                                                        sur une autre langue

                                                                                                                        winter bleakness
                                                                                                                        and if there were no more stars
                                                                                                                        behind the clouds
  
                                                                                                                        grisaille d’hiver –
                                                                                                                        et s’il n’y avait plus d’étoiles
                                                                                                                        derrière les nuages
                                                                                                                                  Marie Derley, Belgium

frost on the ground –
the crescendo
of Canada geese

autumn rain . . .
from under a Big Leaf Maple
a tree frog’s song

rain-soaked
pampas grass,
head bent low
            elehna de sousa, Canada

                                                                                                      out-screeching
                                                                                                                         the rake’s gentle scrape
                                                                                                                         a cockatoo flyover
                                                                                                                                 Jan Dobb, Australia

                                                                                  gusty winds
                                                                                  sweep fallen leaves
                                                                                  deeper into autumn
                                                                                         Carmela Dolce, USA

by the light
of the moon
starfish

winter limbs
only the pompoms
of squirrel nests

ancient cedar
every limb heavy
with time
         June Rose Dowis, USA

                                                                                                                         cold temple floor
                                                                                                                         my prayers
                                                                                                                         abridged

                                                                                                                        daylight savings
                                                                                                                        something new to say
                                                                                                                        to the neighbor
                                                                                                                                Johnette Downing, USA

dazzle
in the snowbound window
the eyes of a doe

ярка светлина
в заснежения прозорец
очите на сърна
            Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria

                                                                                                                          making his bed
                                                                                                                          elderly man unrolls a blanket
                                                                                                                          beneath an overpass
                                                                                                                                   John J. Dunphy, USA

                                                                                 frosty morning
                                                                                 echoing through woodland
                                                                                 the bark of a muntjac
                                                                                           Maureen Edden, UK

crescent moon
cuts the sky
cricket chirps slowing

autumn sky
walnuts cling
to bare branches
        Susan Farner, USA

                                                                                                                         leafless tree
                                                                                                                         dad and toddler fish
                                                                                                                         a storm puddle

                                                                                                                        rainbow trees
                                                                                                                        mantle the waterfall
                                                                                                                        her cold hand in mine
                                                                                                                                 Ignatius Fay, Canada

the hermit thrush
hops along the fence
autumn drizzle

midnight chill
the distant barking
of harbor seals
         Bruce H. Feingold, USA

                                                                                                                         frozen river
                                                                                                                         the ground is still breathing
                                                                                                                         beneath it

                                                                                                                         nagyelong ilog
                                                                                                                         humihinga pa rin ang lupa
                                                                                                                         sa ilalim nito
                                                                                                                                Nestorio Felerino, Philippines

                                    woods’ health depends on squirrels’ forgetting

                                      autumn field now a meadow now a woods

                                     today the first morning i see my own breath
                                                                                                 Jeff Ferrara, USA
        
                                                                                            alone
                                                                           the mooncake still cut
                                                                                           in two

                                                                                      still warm –
                                                                                      the empty
                                                                                      cup
                                                                                             P.H. Fischer, Canada

autumn twilight
I brush before sleep
mother’s hair

jesienny zmierzch
szczotkuję przed snem
włosy mamy

cemetery path
my daugters’ pockets
full of chestnuts

cmentarna ścieżka
kieszenie moich córek
pełne kasztanów
 
frosty morning
your pillow 
still warm
 
mroźny ranek
twoja poduszka
jeszcze ciepła

croaking crows
in the morning my father
cracks walnuts

krakanie wrony
wczesnym rankiem mój ojciec
łupie orzechy
         Małgorzata Formanowska, Poland

                                                                                  autumn ends
                                                                                 under the stillness
                                                                                 leaves of gold

                                                                                 autumn
                                                                                 again
                                                                                 this
                                                                                 stillness
                                                                                 hanging

                                                                                 over the ache
                                                                                 an autumn mist
                                                                                 folds into the valley

                                                                                 singing
                                                                                 into the silence
                                                                                 a blackbird lingers
                                                                                         Jenny Fraser, New Zealand
back porch
a yellow leaf is resting
on the wheelchair

veranda
žuti list leži
na ljuljački
       Zhelyko Funda, Croatia
 
                                                                                                                       all the secrets
                                                                                                                       I’ve kept from my son –
                                                                                                                       melting snow
                                                                                                                              Joshua Gage, USA
 
                                                                             undressing
                                                                             leaf by leaf by leaf
                                                                            Mexican ash
                                                                                    william scott galasso, USA
 
Florida ducks
Have returned.
Autumn is leaving
 
Han regresado
Los patos de Florida.
Se va el otoño.
 
Under a moon
that does not shine yet
autumn afternoon.
 
Bajo una luna
que aùn no alumbra:
tarde de otoño.
          Rafael Garcia Bidò, Dominican Republic
 
                                                                                   expanded coal use . . .
                                                                                   fading day after day
                                                                                   the maple leaves
 
                                                                                   raširena upotreba ugljena . . .
                                                                                   blijedi iz dana u dan
                                                                                   javorovo lišće
 
                                                                                  sleepless night . . .
                                                                                  following the river corridor
                                                                                  pandemic moon
 
                                                                                  besana noć . . .
                                                                                  prateći riječni koridor
                                                                                  pandemijski mjesec
 
                                                                                  acres of mist
                                                                                  obscuring the snowy tracks
                                                                                  of an owl
 
                                                                                  hektari magle
                                                                                  zaklanjajući snježne tragove
                                                                                  sove
                                                                                         Goran Gatalica, Croatia
 
                                                                                                                         plum sake . . .
                                                                                                                         I fall in love
                                                                                                                        with the autumn moon
                                                                                                                                   Garry Gay, USA
 
a single
monarch butterfly
who speaks first
 
phrases
of a familiar tune
the moon sets
          Marilyn Gehant, USA
 
                                                                                                                         moon still up
                                                                                                                         a city worker begins to replace
                                                                                                                         missing street signs
 
                                                                                                                         scattered leaves
                                                                                                                         neighbors
                                                                                                                         I never bothered with
                                                                                                                                LeRoy Gorman, Canada
 
Fall arrives.
Where do
the cicadas hide?
 
Llega el otoño.
¿Dónde se esconden 
las cigarras?
 
Oh silence!
In the harsh winter
not even the rooster.
 
¡ Oh silencio ! 
En el crudo invierno,
ni el gallo.
       Eduardo Gûisiano, Argentina
 
                                                                                October dusk
                                                                                sunflower seeds falling
                                                                                in light rain
 
                                                              even the smallest leaf connected
                                                                                                 Charles Harmon, USA
 
Autumn
It was my mother’s
dry hands
 
پاییز،
دستانِ خشکیده ی
مادرم بود
       Amir Hasanvandi, Iran
 
                                                                                                                          spider season
                                                                                                                          all the leaves
                                                                                                                          turning red
                                                                                                                                 John Hawkhead, UK
 
                                                                                  moonlight
                                                                                  on red maple leaves
                                                                                  the weight of dew
 
                                                                  月光洒红叶,露珠更凝重 
 
                                                                                  moonlit park
                                                                                  a rabbit jumps
                                                                                 with my thoughts
 
                                                                    月光照公园,拙想随兔跃
                                                                                                                  David He, China
 
                                                                                                                        breath clouds
                                                                                                                        on a starry night
                                                                                                                        aurora borealis
                                                                                                                                  Karin Hedetniemi, Canada
 
labyrinth walk
by October’s Hunter Moon
every candle a soul
       Deborah Burke Henderson, USA
 
                                                                                                                         morning snow
                                                                                                                         smoke from the chimney
                                                                                                                         of the old man’s place
                                                                                                                                 Chad Henry, USA
 
fluffy sparrows
in the naked plum
shelter
 
fuwa fuwa suzume
hadaka no ume ni
kakumau
 
ふわふわスズメ
裸の梅 に
匿う
         Judith Hishikawa, USA
 
                                                                                                                         stacking firewood
                                                                                                                              a hard frost
                                                                                                                                   on the land
                                                                                                                                           Gary Hittmeyer, USA
 
                                                                                late winter –
                                                                                the lengthening ash
                                                                                of the incense stick
 
                                                                               who will get
                                                                               my jar of pennies –
                                                                                autumn rain
                                                                        Ruth Holzer, USA
 
yellow-tinged leaves
a white butterfly
with everywhere to go
 
steeple bells
sunset draws hawks
across the hills
 
home again
a white moth
from the suitcase
       Frank Hooven, USA
 
                                                                                                                         warm October
                                                                                                                         settling into Point Pelee
                                                                                                                         migrating monarchs
                                                                                                                                Louisa Howerow, Canada
 
full moon
atop the bare branches
at roost
 
autumn day
coots tumble
to the lake

winter tide
all the shells piled
and spilled
        Marilyn Humbert, Australia
 
                                                                                                                       a grey day
                                                                                                                       collecting the yellow
                                                                                                                       of gingko leaves

                                                                                                                       past midnight
                                                                                                                      wind carries the autumn leaves
                                                                                                                      north
 
                                                                                                                      sudden nightfall
                                                                                                                      the whole of winter
                                                                                                                      to come
                                                                                                                             Erica Ison, UK
 
winter wilderness
losing the way
to oneself
 
pustiu de iarnă –
rătăcind drumul
către sine
 
virgin snow –
the color
of silence
 
zăpada virgină –
culoarea
tăcerii
          Dan Iulian, Romania
 
                                                      even after autumn another autumn stays
                                                                                                               Lakshmi Iyer, India
 
                                                                                                                        saying nothing
                                                                                                                        about everything
                                                                                                                        empty shells
                                                                                                                                    Rick Jackofsky, USA
 
even
a leafless tree
hosts birdsong

color
of emptiness
March sky
         Roberta Beach Jacobson, USA
 
                                                                                                                         Leaves changing color
                                                                                                                         just one more day
                                                                                                                         and I feel old
 
                                                                                                                         Feuilles changent de couleur
                                                                                                                         juste une autre journée
                                                                                                                         se sentir vieux
                                                                                                                                 Liette Janelle, Canada
 
after the rain
it sails into the unknown
ant on the leaf
 
nakon kiše
plovi u nepoznato
mrav na listu 
           Zvonko Jurcevic, Croatia
 
                                                                                                                        once before
                                                                                                                        going to bed
                                                                                                                        winter wren
 
                                                                                                                        a fresh take
                                                                                                                        on the song of a wren
                                                                                                                        winter’s end
                                                                                                                                 Elmedin Kadric, Sweden
 
                                                                                 Elevated train
                                                                                 a full moon for a while
                                                                                 in the window
 
                                                               高架行く車窓にしばし望の月
 
                                                                                 Evening drizzle
                                                                                 not enough to silence
                                                                                 chirping crickets
 
                                                                虫の声鎮めぬほどに夕の雨
                                                                                                  Satoru Kanematsu, Japan
 
raven calls
gliding over the treetops
memories
 
Rabenrufe
über die Wipfel gleitend
Erinnerungen
 
chestnuts
picking them up
all my fears
 
Kastanien
Ich lese sie auf
all meine Ängste
          Deborah Karl-Brandt, Germany
 
                                                                                                                          the flight of cranes
                                                                                                                          over letters to mom
                                                                                                                          volunteer
 
                                                                                                                          przelot żurawi
                                                                                                                          nad listami do mamy
                                                                                                                          wolontariuszka
 
                                                                                                                          the cemetery in winter
                                                                                                                          under white blanket
                                                                                                                          nameless
 
                                                                                                                          cmentarz zimą
                                                                                                                          pod białym pledem
                                                                                                                          bezimienni
                                                                                                                                    Wiesław Karliński, Poland
 
old fence –
a cat crosses
the full moon
 
broken tombstone –
a squirrel buries
its acorn
         Skylar Kay, Canada
 
                                                                                                                       winter wind
                                                                                                                       staying inside
                                                                                                                       myself
                                                                                                                                 Bill Kenney, USA
 
autumn moon
grandma’s empty chair
stares at the window
 
خزاں کا چاند
دادی کی خالی کرسی
کھڑکی کو گھورتے ہوئے
           Mohammad Azim Khan, Pakistan
 
                                                                                                                       snow turns to rain
                                                                                                                        the sting
                                                                                                                        gradually eases
                                                                                                                                 kj munro, Canada
 
tangled kelp
a crab scurries along
the tide line

evening on the lake
your paddle rearranges
the stars
         Deborah P Kolodji, USA
 
                                                                               visiting hours
                                                                               on a hospice window stool
                                                                               a dry leaf alights
 
                                                                              sati posjeta
                                                                              na prozor hospicija
                                                                              slijeće suhi list
 
                                                                             shed under snow –
                                                                             fathomless years
                                                                             of the kabuki actor
 
                                                                            koliba pod snijegom –
                                                                            nedokučive godine
                                                                            kabuki glumca
                                                                                    Nina Kovačić, Croatia
 
paths in the fog
absorbed by autumn
former dreams
 
ścieżki we mgle
wchłonięte przez jesień
dawne marzenia
      Marek Kozubek, Poland
 
                                                                                                                         the long trail to here
                                                                                                                             Australopithecus
                                                                                                                          footprints in stone
                                                                                                                                 Jeff Kressman, USA
 
cloudburst . . .
discarded tin can
full again
 
silovit naliv
odvržena konzerva
končno spet polna
 
an old man
a little shivering
just his shadow
 
živahen starček
nekoliko tresoča
njegova senca
        Samo Kreutz, Slovenia
 
                                                                                                                 deep in September
                                                                                                                 treelawn milkweed
                                                                                                                        still waiting
 
                                                                                                                        in the after-rain
                                                                                                                        every leaf in the garden
                                                                                                                        and i breathing in
 
                                                                                                                       at the water bowl
                                                                                                                       drinking our moon . . .
                                                                                                                       possum
                                                                                                                                  Jill Lange, USA
 
                                                                                 stubble field
                                                                                 a light dusting of snow
                                                                                 softens the scarecrow
 
                                                                                daylight savings –
                                                                                i set my alarm
                                                                                by the moon
                                                                                         Michael Henry Lee, USA
 
a moment ago
brimming with promise
bruised apples
 
bare i sted
så fulle av forventning
nedfallsepler
       Hege Jakobsen Lepri, Canada/Norway
 
                                                                                                                        pumpkin stand
                                                                                                                        bringing the harvest moon
                                                                                                                        home with me
                                                                                                                                  Barrie Levine, USA
 
not hurting
a soul
blue winter sky
        Kristen Lindquist, USA
 
                                                                                                                         more phases
                                                                                                                         than I imagined
                                                                                                                         autumn moon
                                                                                                                                 Darrell Lindsey, USA
 
                                                                                  light of snow
                                                                                  my newborn’s chest rises
                                                                                  with every breath
 
                                                                                 雪光
                                                                                 每一次呼吸我的新生兒
                                                                                 胸部隆起
                                                                            Chen-ou Liu, Canada
 
autumn
the unraveling
of a clematis
 
liquidamber
autumn flows over
the leaves
          Gregory Longenecker, USA
 
                                                                                                                       mother’s Yahrzeit . . .
                                                                                                                        autumn leaves exhaling
                                                                                                                        tendrils of mist
                                                                                                                                Amy Losak, USA
 
oneness
nothing but the silence
and this moon
 
unità
null’altro che il silenzio
e questa luna 
 
perfect circle
the first raindrop
into the pond
 
perfect circle
the first raindrop
into the pond
          Oscar Luparia, Italy
 
                                                                                 leaf skeleton
                                                                                 touching someone’s silence
 
                                                                                scheletro di foglia
                                                                                toccando il silenzio di qualcun altro
 
                                                                                death bells
                                                                                her mother’s face
                                                                                now on her face
 
                                                                               campane a morto
                                                                              il volto di sua madre
                                                                              ora sul suo viso
                                                                                       Carmela Marino, Italy
 
                                                                                                                       autumn cool winds –
                                                                                                                       from a dusty jar
                                                                                                                       childhood marbles
                                                                                                                                 Richard L. Matta, USA
 
                                                                                autumn leaves
                                                                                snails stuck in shells
                                                                                each year—the old habit
                                                                                          Germina Melius, Saint Lucia
 
Thread and needles
Mending little clothes
and lonely days
 
Hilo y agujas
Remendando ropitas
y soledades
         Lía Miersch, Argentina
 
                                                                                    click of a cane
                                                                                    across the street from my window . . .
                                                                                    autumn moon
                                                                                           Mark Miller, Australia
 
evening guest
in the squirrel’s hollow
a moonbeam
 
oaspete de seară  
în scorbura veveriței   
o rază de lună
        Vasile Moldovan, Romania
 
                                                                                 her dog’s long lashes
                                                                                 more gray now
                                                                                  autumn dusk
 
                                                                                 new year
                                                                                 after a decade of not speaking
                                                                                 they wish each other well
                                                                                             Beverly Acuff Momoi, USA
 
                                                                                                                        almost forgotten
                                                                                                                        plum tomatoes
                                                                                                                        covered by frost
                                                                                                                                  Mike Montreuil, Canada
 
                                                                                   full wolf moon
                                                                                   the silence broken
                                                                                   by a baying dog
 
                                                                                   chill in the air
                                                                                   I wear his old sweater
                                                                                   to rake leaves
                                                                                             Joanne Morcom, Canada
 
caper flower
on the crumbling wall
seeds’ dormancy
 
un fiore di capero
sul muro in rovina . . .
la dormienza dei semi
        Luciana Moretto, Italy
 
                                                                                                                        kicking through
                                                                                                                        the crumpled smell of leaves
                                                                                                                        autumn night
 
                                                                                                                       resting leaf –
                                                                                                                       the lightness
                                                                                                                       of mother’s hand
                                                                                                                               Laurie D. Morrisey, USA
 
window creak
the comfort
of soft autumn rain
 
autumn mountain
the sharp sound
of the stream
        Tim Murphy, Ireland/Spain
 
                                                                                                                       put the rumors
                                                                                                                       of tension to rest
                                                                                                                       rainbow
 
                                                                                                                       gokkusagi
                                                                                                                       gergin söylentiler
                                                                                                                       geri dursun
                                                                                                                                  Guliz Mutlu, Turkey
 
                                                                                  red moon rising
                                                                                  the distant yipping
                                                                                  of coyotes
                                                                                            Nika, Canada
 
a sacred glow
you leave behind . . .
sentient coyote
          Veronika Zora Novak, Canada
 
                                                                                                                         falling leaf –
                                                                                                                         from long ago
                                                                                                                         love’s pain
                                                                                                                                David Oates, USA
 
open window –
eavesdropping
on gathering fog
 
autumn wind
         my leaves
                   my neighbor’s
                            Helen Ogden, USA
 
                                                                                                                          autumn snow
                                                                                                                          the cawing of a crow
                                                                                                                          fades to white
                                                                                                                                   Victor Ortiz, USA
 
                                                                                  in this spoonful
                                                                                  the cloves I forgot to remove –
                                                                                  Apple Charlotte
                                                                                              Maeve O’Sullivan, Ireland
 
taps . . .
a row of sunflowers
with bowed heads
 
autumn nightfall
Mahler’s Adagietto
deepens
        Roland Packer, Canada
 
                                                                                                                        growing dark
                                                                                                                        pale moon brightens –
                                                                                                                        the depth of silence
                                                                                                                                 Scott Packer, Canada
 
my blind dog
sniffs the air . . . ah, the cry
of wild geese
 
мой слепой пёс
нюхает воздух . . . а, крик
диких гусей
           Sasha A. Palmer, USA/Russia

                                                                                                                        frigid days
                                                                                                                        last autumn drained out
                                                                                                                        from the leaves

                                                                                                                        mrzli dani
                                                                                                                        posljednja jesen
                                                                                                                        iscijeđena iz lišća
                                                                                                                                 Dejan Pavlinović, Croatia

autumn moon . . .
the missing colour
in my sewing box

winter moon
a nautilus shell
rinsed by the tide

winter dawn
I stretch the clay
from its sleep
         Dru Philippou, USA

                                                                                                                        ebb tide
                                                                                                                        in the setting sun
                                                                                                                        Miyajima
                                                                                                                                 Greg Piko, Australia

                                                                                 one knit one pearl . . .
                                                                                 echoing the child
                                                                                 a grey butcherbird
                                                                                           Madhuri Pillai, Australia

autumn rain –
on the stem of a rose,
a snail

pioggia d’autunno –
sullo stelo di una rosa,
una lumaca

autumn mist –
a veil of sadness
in her eyes

nebbia d’autunno –
un velo di tristeza
nei suoi occhi
         Maria Teresa Piras, Italy

                                                                                                                     the harvest moon . . .
                                                                                                                     bright reflections on
                                                                                                                     my mother’s face

                                                                                                              pun mjesec . . .
                                                                                                              odraz svjetlosti
                                                                                                                     na licu majke
                                                                                                                              Vlasta Pirker, Croatia
                                                                                                                             (Translated by D.V. Rozic)

                                                                              limestone shoreline
                                                                              I smooth away
                                                                              the day’s edges

                                                        what’s mine in mist a ghost moon
                                                                                         Thomas Powell, Wales, UK
    
                                                                                                                       winter garden
                                                                                                                       pinning my luck
                                                                                                                       on broccoli
                                                                                                                              Sandi Pray, USA

Night after night
October sun shines
on my pillow

Notte dopo notte
Il sole d’ottobre splende
sul mio cuscino
 
Uncertain steps
The shadow of your rose
between my hands

I passi incerti
L’ombra della tua rosa
tra le mie mani
       Maria Cristina Pulvirenti, Italy
 
                                                                                                                        nature’s gift
                                                                                                                        the eternal beauty
                                                                                                                        of snowflakes
                                                                                                                                  Carol Raisfeld, USA

                                                                                  autumn sunset –
                                                                                  the lost child’s crayons
                                                                                  fill the sky
                                                                                          Milan Rajkumar, India

low fog
over my prayer
moonlight

la nebbia bassa
sopra la mia preghiera
chiaro de luna

let yourself go
like an autumn leaf
even windless

lasciarse andare
come foglia d’autunno
anche senza vento

winter sky
among the wood of the fireplace
sleeps a cricket

cielo d’inverno
fra la legna del camino
dorme un grillo
         Nazarena Rampini, Italy

                                                                                                                        river breeze
                                                                                                                        the shiver
                                                                                                                        of maidenhair ferns
                                                                                                                                Ivan Randall, Australia

                                                                              shorter days but
                                                                              every ginkgo leaf
                                                                              golden
                                                                                       Dian Duchin Reed, USA

cutting firewood
I study
climate change
           Carol Reynolds, Australia

                                                                                                                          autumn moon
                                                                                                                          our neighbors calling
                                                                                                                          porch to porch
                                                                                                                                  Nancy Richards, Canada

ghosts and witches
knocking at the kitchen d*oor
my mask meeting theirs

pandemic autumn:
missing the lower halves
of friends’ faces

reusing
my weakening tea bag
all-day blizzard
        Edward J. Rielly, USA

                                                                                                                          autumn
                                                                                                                          footsteps
                                                                                                                          buried in the sand
                                                                                                                                  Richard Roberts, New Zealand

flooded meadow
here and there a splash
of coho coming home

a dream
of longships gliding . . .
elk in deep grass

winter’s fog
stealing up the valley
stealing the firs
           Aron Rothstein, USA

                                                                                                                        autumn blues
                                                                                                                         a paper wasp crawls
                                                                                                                         into my poetry book
                                                                                                                                    Cynthia Rowe, Australia

by the window
waiting for the visit
of the harvest moon

pored prozora
čekam posjetu
žetvenog mjeseca
         D. V. Rozic, Croatia
 
                                                                                                                         cold dawn
                                                                                                                         on the shore
                                                                                                                         just the imprint of waves

                                                                                                                         bearing witness
                                                                                                                         to her chemotherapy
                                                                                                                         autumn trees
                                                                                                                                    Srinivas S, India

                                                           first frost the finch’s visible song
                                                                                          Barbara Sabol, USA
christmas eve
the beggar at a temple
shifts his stance

క్రిస్మస్ పండుగ
గుడి దగ్గరి ఓ భిక్షగాడు 
మకాం మార్చేశాడు
 
first snow
two banyan roots hold
an empty swing

మొదటి మంచు 
రెండు మఱ్ఱి ఊడల మధ్య 
ఓ ఖాళీ ఊయల
           Srinivasa Rao Sambangi, India

                                                                                                                       lost
                                                                                                                       in the rhythm of the forest –
                                                                                                                       autumn solitude
                                                                                                                                 Bona M. Santos, USA
two parrots
swinging on a cable
time pauses . . .

autumn breeze
yellow pages of grandma’s
recipe book
          Minal Sarosh, India

                                                                                                                          narrow trail
                                                                                                                          branches and leaves
                                                                                                                          dapple me
                                                                                                                                  Agnes Eva Savich, USA

harvest time
birdsong fading
into the day’s last light

temps des moissons
le chant des oiseaux s’évanouit
dans les dernières lueurs du jour
          Olivier Schopfer, Switzerland

                                                                                                                       rolling the river
                                                                                                                       off the tips of each wing
                                                                                                                       migration wind

                                                                                                                      dressing
                                                                                                                       for the wake –
                                                                                                                       newly-turned trees
                                                                                                                                  Julie Schwerin, USA

autumn dusk
a bird’s nest brims
with fallen leaves
      Teji Sethi, India
     
                                                                                                                       foggy morning . . .
                                                                                                                       I try to understand
                                                                                                                       a crow’s conversation
                                                                                                                                 Manoj Sharma, Nepal

forecast for tomorrow
all day long
leaf fall

прогноз на завтра
весь день
листопад
       Dmitry Shestakovsky, Ukraine

                                                                                Woodpecker
                                                                                 drumming ‘Symphony No.5’
                                                                                 out of the window
                                                           
                                                    窓外に啄木鳥叩く第五シンフォニー

                                                                               The last persimmon
                                                                                soon disappeared from the bough –
                                                                                crow's voices

                                                             木守柿すぐに消ゆるや烏鳴く
                                                                                                                  Kyoko Shimizu, Japan

empty beach . . .
footsteps of a man
and a dog

пуст плаж...
стъпки на мъж
и куче
          Tsanka Shishkova, Bulgaria

                                                                                  full moon
                                                                                  in the dry bouquet
                                                                                  the white dandelion

                                                                                  полнолуние
                                                                                  в сухом букете
                                                                                  белый одуванчик
                                                                                             Alexander Shytkovskiy, Ukraine

                                                                                                                          Zigzag traces
                                                                                                                          suspended on the horizon . . .
                                                                                                                          wild geese in flight
                                                                                                                                   Keith A. Simmonds, France

autumn dusk . . .
only my shadow
walks with me

fading light
makes gourds glow
harvest moon
        Neena Singh, India

                                                                                   full moon
                                                                                   the emptiness
                                                                                   of the rest

                                                                                   pun mjesec
                                                                                   praznoća
                                                                                   svega ostalog

                                                                                   autumn wind
                                                                                   in old man’s mailbox
                                                                                   just a maple leaf

                                                                                   jesenji vjetar
                                                                                   u starčevom poštanskom sandučetu
                                                                                   samo javorov list
                                                                                             Tomislav Sjekloća, Montenegro

roof top view
so glad
our cat called

vue du toit
si contente
que le chat ait appelé
        Sandra St-Laurent, Canada
 
                                                                                                                         puff of wind
                                                                                                                         a butterfly wing
                                                                                                                         takes flight
 
                                                                                                                         late autumn
                                                                                                                         two curled feathers
                                                                                                                         in the old nest
                                                                                                                                Barbara Strang, New Zealand
 
night of stars
the singing bowl
of our campfire
 
lifting fog
the day breaks into
something other
           Debbie Strange, Canada
 
                                                                                                                        October, children
                                                                                                                        quarreling to light up
                                                                                                                        Diwali’s first lamp
                                                                                                                               Mohit Kumar Tanwar, India
 
uncrushed
the moon gives taste
to the new wine
 
nestrivită
luna dă gust
noului vin
        Eduard Ţară, Romania
 
                                                                                                                         full moon
                                                                                                                         Bogong moths rattle
                                                                                                                         the screen door
                                                                                                                                   Barbara A. Taylor, Australia
 
stew season –
flavoring dusk with the scent
of thyme
 
corn maze
we purposely
lose ourselves
 
All Soul’s day
the space between then and now
shifts just a little
          Angela Terry, USA
 
                                                                                                                         slow wake
                                                                                                                         through a cloud filled sky
                                                                                                                         blue moon
 
                                                                                                                         a cold wind
                                                                                                                         ruffles dove’s feathers
                                                                                                                         the hospital eave
                                                                                                                                  Nicole Tilde, USA
 
gentle sun –
a burgundy leaf settles
on mother’s grave
 
soare blând –
o frunză bordo se aşează
pe mormântul mamei
 
calm night –
snow flakes slowly come down
over yesterday’s
 
noapte calmă –
câţiva fulgi coboară rar
peste cei de ieri
        Maria Tirenescu, Romania
 
                                                                                  autumn gold –
                                                                                  the glen lit up
                                                                                  with double rainbows
 
                                                                                  cinnamon tea –
                                                                                  the warmth that fills
                                                                                  an autumn evening
 
                                                                                 moonless sky –
                                                                                 the clouds clear
                                                                                 for green aurora
                                                                                          Xenia Tran, Scotland, UK
 
night fishing
i catch a limit
of moonlight
 
autumn migration
a hummingbird lingers
as if to say goodbye
 
autumn wind
the empty shell
of a cicada
        Kevin Valentine, USA
 
                                                                                                                          bonfire of leaves
                                                                                                                          the smell of autumn
                                                                                                                          deepens
                                                                                                                                   Rp Verlaine, USA
 
                                                                                   unable to sleep
                                                                                   outside my window
                                                                                   aurora dance
                                                                                            Mary Vlooswyk, Canada
 
Hunter’s moon
the weary pitcher gathers
himself up
 
Охотничья Луна 
собирается с духом 
усталый питчер 
       Anna Viazmitinova, Ukraine
 
                                                                                 golden lace dress –
                                                                                 the chestnut tree shakes
                                                                                 its last leaves

                                                                                rochia de dantelă galbenă –
                                                                                castanul își scutură
                                                                                ultimele frunze
                                                                                          Steliana Cristina Voicu, Romania
 
in a stone angel’s
cupped palms . . .
autumn butterfly
 
a sparkly frost
over the cottonfield
autumn moon
       Marilyn Appl Walker, USA
 
                                                                                                                          a grey wind
                                                                                                                          on the horizon
                                                                                                                          aroma of winter ice
                                                                                                                                   David Watts, USA
 
flaming sunrise
high overhead a skein of geese
heading south
           Sheila Weaver, Canada
 
                                                                           the smell of smoke
                                                                           in my daughter's hair . . .
                                                                           autumn leaves
                                                                                     Michael Dylan Welch, USA

                                                                                                                          snowed in on Christmas
                                                                                                                          I’d be alone without you
                                                                                                                          dark eyed juncos
                                                                                                                                  Kelley Jean White, USA
 
random yellow
of cottonwood leaves
autumn tempo
          Scott Wiggerman, USA
 
                                                                                                                         between ground and tree
                                                                                                                         orb weaver
                                                                                                                         news of refugees
                                                                                                                                  Elaine Wilburt, USA
 
                                                                                  autumn chill
                                                                                  a bee zigzags
                                                                                  the lawn
                                                                                         Tony Williams, Scotland, UK
 
mother’s passing
I bury myself
in a pile of leaves
 
odejście matki
zagrzebuję się
w stosie liści
 
I wait for the light
inside my head to go out
deepening winter
 
czekam aż światło
w mojej głowie zgaśnie
głęboka zima
 
windborne leaves
a child’s time running
in small steps
 
liście na wietrze
czas dziecka biegnie
małymi krokami
          Ernest Wit, Poland
 
                                       a leaf slowly turning past the pilgrim’s deep bow
                                                                                                     Robert Witmer, Japan
 
the space between branches
where wind was
Hunter’s Moon
 
                                                where backwater meets river your touch
                                                                                               Valorie Broadhurst Woerdehoff, USA
 
                                                                                                                           moonlight drops
                                                                                                                           with the persimmon
                                                                                                                           autumn ends
                                                                                                                                    Jann Wright, USA
 
autumn ocean
our paddles dig deeply
into the quiet
         J. Zimmerman, USA

Autumn Moon Haiku Contest 2021

11/14/2021

 
C                                                                               First Prize
                                                                               cold air
                                                                               stray kittens lap the full moon
                                                                               from a puddle
 
                                                                              không khí lạnh lẽo
                                                                              những con mèo hoang liếm vầng trăng tròn
                                                                              trong vũng nước
                                                                                         Ngo Binh Anh Khoa, Vietnam
 
This haiku is perhaps the most unique haiku I have encountered and well deserves the first prize.
 
                                                                           Second Prize
                                                                         hospice garden . . .
                                                                         understanding the way 
                                                                         leaves fall 
                                                                                         Meera Rehm, UK
 
The second prize winner provides a profound understanding of approaching death.
 
                                                                             Third Prize
                                                                          crabs move slowly
                                                                          through the cattails
                                                                          autumn night
                                                                                         Carol Raisfeld, USA

This is a deeply poetic nature haiku.
 
                                                   Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)
 
evening pond
a leaf falls
onto the moon
                     Jonathan Aylett, UK
 
autumn rain
I long for what
is not mine
                    Mona Bedi, India
 
light
trapped in a leaf
autumn equinox
                   Owen Bullock, Australia
 
the road
to my father’s grave
autumn crocuses

пътят към
гроба на татко
есенни минзухари
                   Vladislav Hristov, Bulgaria
 
sweeping the darkness
of a leaf strewn path
harvest moon
                  Ravi Kiran, India
 
food bank closed
an old man shuts the door
on the harvest moon
 
食物銀行歇業
一位老人將豐收月
關在門外
                 Chen-ou Liu, Canada
 
autumn deepens
a clink of sadness
in my wineglass
               Marietta McGregor, Australia
 
fallen leaves
we lay our warm skin
on moonlight
              Ron C. Moss, Australia
 
no reason
to change one’s mind:
autumn moon
             ourthomas, USA
 
mourning moon
we scatter mom’s ashes
on the garden
            Nika, Canada
 
scarlet maple
an unknown infant’s grave
outside the cemetery
             Agnes Eva Savich, USA
 
flint corn –
I’ll learn to live
with the diagnosis
             Sandra Simpson, New Zealand
 
hazelnut picking
the child in a memory puts
my hand to the moon
           Alan Summers, UK
 
father’s ashes
autumn wind scatters
my thoughts
          Kevin Valentine, USA
 
autumn moon
i touch the stone
laid for me
          Marilyn Appl Walker, USA
 
October rain
even the smallest potato
feels precious
         Tony Williams, Scotland, UK
 
harvest
snails racing
the moon
         Jann Wright, USA


 

Best of Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, Volume 4 (4:1 and 4:2)

7/21/2021

 
                                                                          Haiku Moment Award
 
                                                                          summer clouds
                                                                          the turtle pond surface
                                                                          full of dreams
                                                                                        Agnes Eva Savich, USA
                                         A very subtle poetic metaphor.
 
                                                              Runners-Up (in alphabetical order)
 
                                                                        for only seconds
                                                                        feeling eternity
                                                                        April sunrise
                                                                                        Charles Harmon, USA
                                        A perfect haiku moment.
 
                                                                       winter light
                                                                       the permanence
                                                                       of longing
                                                                                        Laurie D. Morrissey, USA
                                    Longing never ceases, beautifully expressed.
 
                                                                       all our hopes
                                                                       still within reach –
                                                                       daytime moon
                                                                                         Scott Packer, Canada
                                     Light, despite the pandemic. A very deep haiku.
 
                                                 Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)
 
summer stars
folding a promise
into the light
            Joanna Ashwell, UK
 
deep into autumn . . .
thinking about that moment
when everything changed
           Ed Bremson, USA
 
trails in the snow
in each enough room
for the moonlight

stope u snijegu
baš u svaku stane
mjesečina
            Mihovila Čeperić-Biljan, Croatia
 
arms outstretched
baby gathers in
the harvest moon
            Ronald K. Craig, USA
 
mom’s urn
my cosmos
in suspense

урната на мама
моят космос
приземен
             Maya Daneva, Canada/Bulgaria
 
climate change
against all odds
I plant seedlings
            Helen Ogden, USA
 
last year’s struggles
just one breath
rights the bug
             Kyle Sullivan, Taiwan
 
fireflies . . .
all the dreams
I’ve ever had

kunang-kunang
semua mimpi
yang pernah kumiliki
           Agus Maulana Sunjaya, Indonesia
 
the Milky Way above
fails to bring you closer –
my long walk home
           Michael Dylan Welch, USA
 

Autumn Moon Haiku Journal 4:2, Spring/Summer 2021

6/13/2021

 
Welcome to this Spring/Summer issue of Autumn Moon Haiku Journal. As I noted previously, climate change has caused natural disasters, food shortages, diminishing wild natural spaces, while 2020 also brought the COVID pandemic which has continued to affect our lives for the past year. There may be hope with the vaccinations and reopening of businesses worldwide, although we still see devastation in some areas especially in India. Haiku poets in this issue are both addressing the ongoing pandemic and human adaptation to the restrictions, but also a hopeful tone is emerging, perhaps with the advent of spring blossoms. Haiku remains most important in its connection to nature and the capture of a moment of insight. Hopefully more and more we will see joy replacing sorrow this year.
Bruce Ross, June 2021


a child in the park
the anxiety of the mother
on the swing

un bimbo al parco –
l’ansia della madre
sull’altalena

spring sun
migrants dry their clothes
on the barbed wire

sole primaverile –
i migrant ascugano i vestiti
sul filo spinato
         Vincenzo Adamo, Italy
 
                                                                                                                                  happy birthday
                                                                                                                                  on the plant he gave me
                                                                                                                                  a swallowtail
                                                                                                                                               Dennise Aiello, USA
 
                                                                               birches budding
                                                                               sneezing together
                                                                               the cat and I
                                                                                             Meg Arnot, UK
 
Milwaukee summer
across the dry cement
duck prints

 صيفُ ملواكي
على الاسمنت الجاف 
أقدامُ البط الذي عبَر
            Inas Asfari, USA/Syria
 
                                                                                                                                  singing bowl
                                                                                                                                  a bluebird learns
                                                                                                                                  her grandma’s song

                                                                                                                                  hopscotch
                                                                                                                                  skipping home
                                                                                                                                  through a spring shower
                                                                                                                                               Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA
 
summer stars
folding a promise
into the light
              Joanna Ashwell, UK
 
                                                                                                                                 august light
                                                                                                                                 in the field your pale hand
                                                                                                                                 showing me feverfew
                                                                                                                                             Michael Battisto, USA
 
lone ridge
a crow and i
share a dawn

hilltop road
a view, far enough
from demands
            Michael Baeyens, Belgium
 
                                                                                                                                  low tide
                                                                                                                                  a hatchling turtle
                                                                                                                                  stretches its neck
                                                                                                                                               Tom Bierovic, USA
 
spoonbill in flight
this longing to
get away
          Meik Blöttenberger, USA
 
                                                                           wildflower garden
                                                                           one long shadow
                                                                          across the sundial

                                             curled ferns ready to open the hymnal
                                                                                        Maxianne Berger, Canada
 
a robin cocks
his head to listen
worm moon

canna lily blossoms
open to hummingbird beaks
late summer
           Nancy Brady, USA
 
                                                                                                                                  icicles melting
                                                                                                                                  onto a tin roof
                                                                                                                                  a robin’s return
                                                                                                                                             John Budan, USA
 
a crow lands
in my perfect composition
painting en plein air

listening for what’s true
bee chorus
in the chocolate flowers
           Alanna C. Burke, USA
 
                                                                                                                                  bee on tulip
                                                                                                                                  in the rising sun . . .
                                                                                                                                  first love

                                                                                                                                  un’ ape sul tulipano
                                                                                                                                  al sorgere del sole . . .
                                                                                                                                  primo amore

                                                                                                                                  daffodils in bloom
                                                                                                                                  a girl in the sun
                                                                                                                                  reading his email

                                                                                                                                  giunchiglie in fiore
                                                                                                                                  una ragazza al sole
                                                                                                                                  legge la sua mail
                                                                                                                                             Mariangela Canzi, Italy
 
leaving the road
for a new path . . .
wild irises

lasciare la strada
per un nuovo sentiero . . .
iris selvatici
        Lucia Cardillo, Italy
 
                                                                                                                                  spring birdsong
                                                                                                                                  the shut-in finds a clip
                                                                                                                                  on her iPhone

                                                                                                                                  rivulet
                                                                                                                                  of blossoms
                                                                                                                                  the journey home
                                                                                                                                                 Matthew Caretti, USA
 
a robin hops
I am three
holding Mother’s hand

slowing –
toward that day
the rose blooms
            Louise Carson, Canada
 
                                                                                                                                  backyard garden
                                                                                                                                  beyond the celery
                                                                                                                                  cats mating

                                                                                                                                  basmati rice
                                                                                                                                  soaking in an antique bowl . . .
                                                                                                                                  tranquility
                                                                                                                                                 Anna Cates, USA
 
                                                                                   warm spring day –
                                                                                   watched clouds pass by instead
                                                                                   of my life
                                                                                                   Vernon Chain, USA
 
lilac blush
under the window sill
graduation day

pemerah pipi
bawah ambang tingkap
pengijazahan
 
卒業日窓の外にはライラック
               Christina Chin, Malaysia
 
                                                                                                                                  bent daffodils
                                                                                                                                  an old man leans
                                                                                                                                  on his cane

                                                                                                                                  forgive
                                                                                                                                  my hurried steps
                                                                                                                                  lady slipper
                                                                                                                                              Sue Colpitts, Canada
 
yard sale goods
laid out to view
a life lived

on the patio
coffee with birdsong
and raccoon
             Vera Constantineau, Canada
 
                                                                                                                                 alone with gulls
                                                                                                                                 and the call of the wind
                                                                                                                                 summer drifter
                         
                                                                                                                                 an eaglet
                                                                                                                                 on the edge
                                                                                                                                 first flight
                                                                                                                                            Susan Constable, Canada
 
her death
the contour lines
of a calla lily

la sua morte
le linee di contorno
di una calla

letting go
of everything
spring wind

lasciando andare
ciò che vuole andare
vento di primavera
            Maria Concetta Conti, Italy
 
                                                                                                                                   spring showers
                                                                                                                                   a Buddhist monk
                                                                                                                                   rescues worms

                                                                                                                                   springtime
                                                                                                                                   snow
                                                                                                                                   on daffodils
                                                                                                                                               Bryan Cook, Canada
 
setting aside
the rose-colored plates
farm auction
           Bill Cooper, USA
 
                                                                                                                                 sailing
                                                                                                                                 through a field of stars
                                                                                                                                 fireflies in June
                                                                                                                                            Ronald K. Craig, USA
 
new rattle
the baby moves . . . his feet
ah, those first times

nouveau hochet
le bébé bouge . . . les pieds
ah, ces premières fois

her soap bubbles
travel up into the sky
her coat soon too tight

ses bulles de savon
montent jusqu’au ciel
son manteau bientôt trop étroit
               Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont, Belgium
 
                                                                                                                                 sultry day . . .
                                                                                                                                 a catbird carries
                                                                                                                                 the conversation
                                                                                                                                            Risë E. Daniels, USA
wind of May Day
the lily of the valley
does as it pleases

premier mai
dans le vent le muguet
fait ce qu’il lui plait
            Marie Derley, Belgium
 
                                                                                                                                   summer harvest
                                                                                                                                   birds devour the figs
                                                                                                                                   without warning
                                                                                                                                                Carmela Dolce, USA
 
                                                                              on the armchair
                                                                              the shadows of clouds
                                                                              back and forth

                                                                              sulla poltrona
                                                                              le ombre delle nuvole
                                                                              vanno e vengano
                                                                                        Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo,
                                                                                        The Netherlands/Italy
 
another encore
on the way to the cemetery
plum petals rain

още един бис
по пътя за гробището
дъжд от цветовете на сливата

empty pipe
in the old fisherman’s boat
thunder moon

празна лула
в лодката на стария рибар
пълнолуние
              Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria
 
                                                                                                                                  pink moon –
                                                                                                                                  my childhood drawing
                                                                                                                                  so accurate

                                                                                                                                  luna roz –
                                                                                                                                  desenul din copilărie
                                                                                                                                  chiar realist
                                                                                                                                             Ana Drobot, Romania
 
Mizuki
We eat the rice dumplings
Waiting for night
               Miriam Dunn, Canada
 
                                                                                                                                 winding-down yard sale
                                                                                                                                 the Virgin and Buddha statues
                                                                                                                                 now a package deal
                                                                                                                                                John J. Dunphy, USA
 
after rain –
the last reverence
of the irises

după ploaie –
ultima reverenţă
a stânjeneilor

summer night –
in the lavender field
cricket song

noapte de vară –
în câmpul de lavandă
cântec de greier
              Carmen Duvalma, Romania
 
                                                                                          moonlight
                                                                                            will do…
                                                                                          sunflower
                                                                                                    David Käwika Eyre, USA
 
spring equinox
finding the other half
of the haiku
               Seren Fargo, USA
 
                                                                                                                                  Good Friday
                                                                                                                                  a cardinal calls
                                                                                                                                  from the bare sycamore
                                                                                                                                                Susan Farner, USA
 
honeysuckle breeze . . .
a barn swallow
in mid air

mountain ridge
coywolf’s breath
as it pauses
             Donna Fleischer, USA

                                                                                                                                   long lockdown . . .
                                                                                                                                   magpies in the schoolyard
                                                                                                                                   sing their song of joy

                                                                                                                                   lingering heat –
                                                                                                                                   a greengrocer cicada’s
                                                                                                                                   late serenade
                                                                                                                                               Lorin Ford, Australia
 
a tiny feather
at my feet
i leave it for the wind
             Jenny Fraser, New Zealand
 
                                                                                                                                    in the puddle
                                                                                                                                    a tree resounds
                                                                                                                                    with light
                                                                                                                                                 Alex Fyffe, USA
 
oak woods
a woodpecker arranges
the night silence

hrastova šuma...
djetlić raspoređuje
noćnu tišinu

храстова шума...
дјетлић распоређује
ноћну тишину

late spring . . .
a spider weaves silence
in the moonlight

kasno proljeće...
pauk pod mjesečinom
plete tišinu

касно прољеће...
паук под мјесечином
плете тишину
                Ivan Gaćina, Croatia
 
                                                                                                                                another bourbon –
                                                                                                                                awake with me,
                                                                                                                                this moonlit slug
                                                                                                                                           Joshua Gage, USA

                                                                                             early spring –
                                                                                             mockingbird’s song
                                                                                             in the cobwebs

                                                                                             spring breeze –
                                                                                             resonance of bees
                                                                                             in the rosemary
                                                                                                           Jerome Gagnon, USA
 
they make their nest
deep inside the house –
spring.

Hacen su nido
muy dentro de la casa.
La primavera.

quietly
today that glow
of flamboyants.

Calladamente
hoy ese resplandor
de flamboyanes.
              Rafael Garcìa Bidò, Dominican Republic
 
                                                                                What a light
                                                                       In the blossom tree
                                                                                 The moon
                                                                                              Ava Gardiner, New Zealand
 
falling in love . . .
the way the peony
takes a butterfly

zaljubiti se...
način na koji božur
prima leptira
            Goran Gatalica, Croatia
 
                                                                                                                                   not a breeze
                                                                                                                                   an owl hoots
                                                                                                                                   at the full moon

                                                                                                                                  brise disparue –
                                                                                                                                  un hibou s’adresse
                                                                                                                                  à la pleine lune
                                                                                                                                                Line Gauthier, Canada
 
Waiting room
I name all the fishes
In the aquarium

Poczekalnia
Nadaję imiona wszystkim rybkom
W akwarium

Lockdown
Freely twinkling
Of stars

Lockdown
Swobodne migotanie
Gwiazd
             Anna Goluba, Poland
 
                                                                                                                                   nothing
                                                                                                                                   then a puffin
                                                                                                                                   to take the breath away
                 
                                                                                                                                  evening blues
                                                                                                                                  blackbirds fall into line
                                                                                                                                  along the corncrib
                                                                                                                                                LeRoy Gorman, Canada
 
new moon
the boys count and recount
lightning bugs

sundown –
this river flows slower
than thirty years ago
              John S Green, USA
 
                                                                                                                                  red and white bobbins
                                                                                                                                  swinging from tree branches –
                                                                                                                                  the old fishing hole
                                                                                                                                              Steven H. Greene, USA
 
for only seconds
feeling eternity
April sunrise

midnight waves
riding a pearl moon
body surfer
            Charles Harmon, USA
 
                                                                                                                                  rising moon
                                                                                                                                  the lake ripples
                                                                                                                                   in and out
                                                                                                                                              David He, China
 
first bouquet
of sweet peas –
her smile at the door

top step
on a shaky ladder –
sun-warmed peaches
              Karin Hedetniemi, Canada
 
                                                                                                                                   early spring
                                                                                                                                   the drift of wood smoke
                                                                                                                                   guiding me home

                                                                                                                                  Good Friday
                                                                                                                                  sprouting in the basement
                                                                                                                                  spring bulbs

                                                                                                                                  spring break . . .
                                                                                                                                  a robin watches her young
                                                                                                                                  fall into flight
                                                                                                                                               Marilyn Henighan, Canada
 
cherry petals
float on the tide
how far will they go?

shio ni ukabu
sakurabana ikada
doko made desho

潮に浮かぶ
桜花筏
何処迄でしょー
 
seagulls
wander the mud flats
low spring tide

umi neko
higata o urutsu
higanshio

海猫
干潟を得るつ
彼岸潮
               Judith Hishikawa, USA
 
                                                             finding the right pitch pine wind
                                                                                             Jeff Hoagland, USA
 
spring equinox –
tilting my head a little
toward the light

no one else
here on this hilltop –
geese flying north
              Ruth Holzer, USA
 
                                                                                                                                 dark faces
                                                                                                                                 of the sheep
                                                                                                                                 spring snow

                                                                                                                                 southbound
                                                                                                                                 along the train tracks
                                                                                                                                 butterflies
                                                                                                                                           Frank Hooven, USA
 
mist
rising from the river
the call of a bull moose

bergs
clogging the shallows
spring breakup

homebound
guided by rooftops
nest after nest
             Louisa Howerow, Canada
 
                                                                                                                                  spring cleaning
                                                                                                                                  the echo of a church bell
                                                                                                                                  comes with the wind

                                                                                                                                  пролетно почистване
                                                                                                                                  ехо от църковна камбана
                                                                                                                                  донесено от вятъра
 
                                                                                                                                  pandemic year
                                                                                                                                  the higabana bloomed
                                                                                                                                  in spring

                                                                                                                                  пандемия
                                                                                                                                  хиганбаната цъфна
                                                                                                                                  през пролетта
                                                                                                                                                   Vladislav Hristov, Bulgaria
 
does love thy neighbor
include the wolves, hummingbirds
and eucalypti?
           Pat Hull, USA
 
                                                                                                                                  moon bridge –
                                                                                                                                  the pathway over
                                                                                                                                  rivers of stars

                                                                                                                                  moonlit night
                                                                                                                                  brumbies splashing
                                                                                                                                  through shallows
                                                                                                                                                  Marilyn Humbert, Australia
 
heavy with blossom
the lilac branch
closer to the ground

bătută de flori
creanga liliacului
mai aproape de pământ
                Mona Iordan, Romania
 
                                                                                                                                   crescent moon
                                                                                                                                   dusk yet to sharpen
                                                                                                                                    the stars

                                                                                                                                   skimming
                                                                                                                                   the near-earth air
                                                                                                                                   three swallows

                                                                                                                                   beneath the tree
                                                                                                                                   a deepening of fallen
                                                                                                                                   petals
                                                                                                                                                    Erica Ison, UK
 
half-open eyed
Buddha looks at me
looking at him
               Lakshmi Iyer, India
 
                                                                                      cricket frog –
                                                                                      leaping from a lily pad . . .
                                                                                      to the moon

                                               scattered clouds . . . a cormorant comes up for air

                                                                                     flying fish
                                                                                     in the company of clouds
                                                                                     koinobori*
                                                                                        *carp streamers
                                                                                                        Rick Jackofsky, USA
 
A caterpillar
in front of the mountain –
So far to go

Une chenille
devant la montagne –
Si loin pour s’y rendre
             Liette Janelle, Canada
 
                                                                                                                                  locust buds
                                                                                                                                  do not yet
                                                                                                                                  hide the sparrow
                                                                                                                                                   Julie Allyn Johnson, USA
 
                                                                                        The fountain
                                                                              turns quiet abruptly –
                                                                                     a pigeon’s coo

                                                                 噴水のはたと鎮まり鳩の声
                                                    Funsui no hatato shizumari hato no koe

                                                                                      Repeatedly
                                                                          the fountain touches
                                                                                daytime moon

                                                        噴水のときおり触るる昼の月 
                                                 Funsui no tokiori fururu hiru no tsuki
                                                                                  Satoru Kanematsu, Japan
 
                                                                                                                     haiku in chalk –
                                                                                                                             the typos too
                                                                                                                             will wash away
                                                                                                                                             Skylar Kay, Canada
 
with mask
the journey of a toad
to water

Mit Maske
Die Reise einer Kröte
zum Wasser
              Deborah Karl-Brandt, Germany
 
                                                                                                                                  a blustery day
                                                                                                                                  swaying back and forth
                                                                                                                                  the lark’s song
                                                                                                                                                David J Kelly, Ireland
 
a pocket full
of small change . . .
spring rain
             Bill Kenney, USA
 
                                                                                April snow
                                                                                tiny daffodils turn
                                                                                from the window
                                                                                            kjmunro, Canada
 
                                                                                                                              acorn footpath
                                                                                                                             woodpeckers tapping
                                                                                                                             in the oak forest
                                                                                                                                           Deborah P Kolodji, USA
 
sprouted wheatgrass
white heron leaves the ground
against the wind

izniklo žito
diže se bijela čaplja
nasuprot vjetru
            Nina Kovačić, Croatia
 
                                                                                   cathedral bell
                                                                             the pigeons return
                                                                                   after services
                                                                                                    Jeff Kressmann, USA
 
shop window
today’s special offer
a rainbow

sčiščena okna
med ponudbo v izložbi
drobci mavrice
           Samo Kreutz, Slovenia
 
                                                                                                                                  sharing
                                                                                                                                  morning rain
                                                                                                                                  with robins
 
                                                                                                                                   twilight
                                                                                                                                   by the marsh
                                                                                                                                  spring peepers
                                                                                                                                               Jill Lange, USA
 
In the forest
a Huia*
dreams of the moon
                *A Huia is an extinct NZ native bird
                          Alfie Lash, age 7, New Zealand
 
                                                                                                                                full moon
                                                                                                                                within the raindrop
                                                                                                                                falling from a leaf
 
                                                                                                                               crickets chirping
                                                                                                                               below the silence
                                                                                                                               of the moon
                                                                                                                                         Luke Levi, USA
 
Clouds, the soft white
of dogwood petals –
a mindful walk
              Rebecca Lilly, USA
 
                                                                                                                                  an oriole
                                                                                                                                  curls around apple buds
                                                                                                                                  high noon
 
                                                                                                                                  April sky . . .
                                                                                                                                  amid last year’s leaves
                                                                                                                                  a jay feather
                                                                                                                                              Kristen Lindquist, USA
 
old age home
once in a while the sound
of footsteps
 
養老院
偶爾聽到
腳步聲
 
spike in cases
the muezzin’s call
more distant
 
更多的新病例
穆斯林宣禮員的召喚聲
更加遙遠
                  Chen-ou Liu, Canada
 
                                                                                                                                  making wishes
                                                                                                                                  on dandelions
                                                                                                                                  potter’s field
                                                                                                                                               Gregory Longenecker, USA
 
 crescent moon . . .
on night sky
I search for Venus
              Margaret Mahony, Australia
 
                                                                                                                                  flower seeds
                                                                                                                                  looking for god
                                                                                                                                  into myself
 
                                                                                                                                  semi di un fiore
                                                                                                                                  cercando un dio
                                                                                                                                  dentro me stessa
                                                                                                                                                 Carmela Marino, Italy
 
old beached hull
still buoying up
this flower moon
          Marietta McGregor, Australia
 
                                                                            End of summer
                                                                                                                       Siesta* with humming cicadas
                                                                            and tereré*
                                                                                  *siesta: early, warmest afternoon hours
                                                                 *Tereré: cool, refreshing drink made of yerba mate (ilex paraguayensis)
 
                                                                          Fin del verano
                                                                          La siesta con cigarras
                                                                          y tereré
                                                                                         Lía Miersch, Argentina
 
over the marsh
the shadow of a white crane
sliding lightly
 
peste mlaştină
umbra unui cocor alb
alunecând uşor
 
flying at night –
a flock of wild geese
above the airport
 
zbor de noapte –
stol de gâşte sălbatice
peste aeroport
              Vasile Moldovan, Romania
 
                                                                                                                                 dry lightning
                                                                                                                                 every summer this game
                                                                                                                                 of chance
                                                                                                                                             Beverly Acuff Momoi, USA
 
 late Spring
seeing through the forest
one last time
 
fin du printemps
un dernier regard
à travers la forêt
              Mike Montreuil, Canada
              (French translation: Maxianne Berger)
 
                                                                                                                                  hospice garden
                                                                                                                                  the forget-me-nots
                                                                                                                                  in full bloom
 
                                                                                                                                 sunning herself
                                                                                                                                 in my fairy garden
                                                                                                                                 neighbor’s cat
 
                                                                                                                                 windy day
                                                                                                                                 the cherry blossoms
                                                                                                                                 fill sidewalk cracks
                                                                                                                                              Joanne Morcom, Canada
 

clumps of clover
the symbolic leaf . . .
end of pandemic
 
ciuffi di trifoglio
la foglia simbolica . . .
fine della pandemia
            Luciana Moretto, Italy
 
 
 
                                                                                                                                  rainbow –
                                                                                                                                  wondering if the robin
                                                                                                                                  sees it
                                                                                                                                                  Wilda Morris, USA
 
spring trail ride
my pony makes some
of the decisions
 
summer blooms –
the lovely Latin
of their names
                Laurie D. Morrissey, USA
 
                                                                                                                                  visiting
                                                                                                                                  civil war trenches
                                                                                                                                  summer grass
                                                                                                                                                Tim Murphy, Spain/Ireland
 
rainbow
I remember
again
 
gökkuşağı
hatırlıyorum
yine
           Guliz Mutlu, Turkey
 
                                                                                                                                  summer garden,
                                                                                                                                  my cat playing
                                                                                                                                  with the moon
                                                                                                                                              Tom Nalder, New Zealand
 
years from the ashram
I pick my way over
the rocky beach
             Peter Newton, USA

                                                                                                                                  spring thaw . . .
                                                                                                                                  sparrows stuff their nest
                                                                                                                                  with sweater yarn
                                                                                                                                                  Nika, Canada
 
spring morning
the gifts of stillness
wrapped in song
 
climate change
against all odds
I plant seedlings
 
morning meadow
yet another layer
of birdsong
                Helen Ogden, USA
 
                                                                                                                                 have you blossomed
                                                                                                                                 since my last time on this path –
                                                                                                                                 star clematis bush?
                                                                                                                                              Maeve O’Sullivan, Ireland
 
shining lake –
a distant loon calls
my other name
 
trailer park –
all of the haiku
quiet
            our thomas, USA
 
                                                                                                                                  all our hopes
                                                                                                                                  still within reach –
                                                                                                                                  daytime moon
 
                                                                                                                                  apple blossoms
                                                                                                                                  open one by one
                                                                                                                                  the road unknown
                                                                                                                                                Scott Packer, Canada
 
                                                                             moving clouds
                                                                             even now standing so still
                                                                             that tree afar
 
                                                                            oblaci se kreću
                                                                            i dalje stoji tako mirno
                                                                            ono daleko stablo
                                                                                        Dejan Pavlinović, Croatia
 
light breeze –
the wave of poppies
reddens the sky
 
brezza leggera –
l’onda dei papaveri
arrossa il cielo
 
dew –
the color of dawn
in a rose
 
rugiada –
il colore dell’ alba
in una rosa
           Maria Teresa Piras, Italy
 
 
 
                                                                                                                                  a new dream
                                                                                                                                  the sun among the cherry trees
                                                                                                                                  suddenly
 
                                                                                                                                 un nuovo sogno
                                                                                                                                 il sole tra i ciliegi
                                                                                                                                 all’ improvviso
 
                                                                                                                                 the last words
                                                                                                                                 of our meeting
                                                                                                                                 leaves in the wind
 
                                                                                                                                 le ultime parole
                                                                                                                                 del nostro incontro
                                                                                                                                 foglie al vento
                                                                                                                                                 Cinzia Pitingaro, Italy
 
 
way home –
gently hold the puppy
miner’s hands
 
дорога домой –
бережно держат щенка
руки шахтёра
           Philmore Place, Belarus
 
                                                                                                                                  missing color
                                                                                                                                  on painter’s palette –
                                                                                                                                  spring green
 
                                                                                                                                  couleur manquante
                                                                                                                                  sur la palette du peintre –
                                                                                                                                  vert printemps
                                                                                                                                              Nicole Pottier, France
 

early summer
ducks in pairs, webbed feet
opening and closing
 
soaking up
late summer sunshine
a ceramic frog
             Patricia Prime, New Zealand
 
                                                                                                                                  almost summer
                                                                                                                                  through an open door
                                                                                                                                  the scent of earth
 
                                                                                                                                  morning dew
                                                                                                                                  fresh paw prints follow
                                                                                                                                  the sparrow’s song
                                                                                                                                                Carol Raisfeld, USA
 
 
the moment that
indigo turns to black
first star
 
two children
in raincoats and boots
a puddle
 
blowhole
at the edge of the sea
the silence between
              Dian Duchin Reed, USA
 
                                                                                                                                 Koels call
                                                                                                                                 on cue
                                                                                                                                 Spring
 
                                                                                                                                 first night of Summer
                                                                                                                                 the deafening drum
                                                                                                                                 of cicadas
 
                                                                                                                                 golden wattle
                                                                                                                                 in full bloom
                                                                                                                                winter blues end
                                                                                                                                               Carol Reynolds, Australia
 
 
planting flowers . . .
on the kitchen table
my dark mask
 
discussing graffiti
on the sides of train cars
spring sunshine
 
4th of July
the darkening sky
of the pandemic
               Edward J. Rielly, USA
 
                                                                                                                                summer sun
                                                                                                                                        setting
                                                                                                                       in my lap
                                                                                                                                              Joan Marie Roberts, Canada
 

bright lilacs . . .
bird seed on the sill
of an open window
 
home from the meadow
my son draws us
as blue horses
 
wildfire –
the horse given water
from a cowboy hat
              Chad Lee Robinson, USA
 
                                                                                radio says rain –
                                                                                      yet the sun is trailing me
                                                                                           in every room
 
                                                                              before its tracks dry
                                                                       the red salamander slides
                                                                                             into the water
                                                                                                           Sydell Rosenberg, USA
 
 
piercing the fog
black eyes of a barred owl
turn my way
 
no backstory
among the willows
a lone elk cow
              Aron Rothstein, USA
 
                                                                                                                                  backwater twilight
                                                                                                                                  a skipping pebble
                                                                                                                                 ripples the colours
 
                                                                                                                                 too far
                                                                                                                                 for the contagion to catch
                                                                                                                                 haze-masked moon
 
                                                                                                                                summer breeze . . .
                                                                                                                               the fragrant rain
                                                                                                                               of neem flowers
                                                                                                                                           Srinivas S, India
 
 
reading the tao te ching –
a breeze through the window
turns the next page
             Dan Salontai, USA
 
                                                                                                                                  Buddha’s birthday
                                                                                                                                  a cow licks all over
                                                                                                                                  the newborn calf
 
                                                                                                                                  morning tea
                                                                                                                                  a little sparrow drops
                                                                                                                                  into our talk
                                                                                                                                            Srinivasa Rao Sambangi, India
 
                                                        a hillside shifts shape spring rain
                                                                                                 Bona M. Santos, USA
 
                                               sometimes a stick is a snake river trail
 
                                                                                     summer clouds
                                                                                     the turtle pond’s surface
                                                                                     full of dreams
                                                                                                     Agnes Eva Savich, USA
 
call for prayer . . .
the dandelion seeds
drifting
 
panggilan azan . . .
biji-biji bunga jombang*
berderai-derai
          *tanaman jombang (Taraxacum officinale)
 
I wash my face
moonlight sinking
between the wet pebbles
 
kubasuh muka
cahaya bulan karam
diantara kerikil basah
 
spring rain . . .
in an umbrella I shelter
from thought shower
 
hujan turun . . .
di bawah payung aku berlindung
dari guyuran pikiran
                Ken Sawitri, Indonesia
 
                                                                                                                                 a flycatcher
                                                                                                                                 chasing moon-bleached wings
                                                                                                                                 summer’s end
                                                                                                                                               Julie Schwerin, USA
 

handmade doily
wily spider
works his way out
           Ron Scully, USA
 
                                                                                                                                  idle summer day
                                                                                                                                  in Buddha’s lap
                                                                                                                                  a cat dreams
                                                                                                                                             Richa Sharma, India
 
places to go
a row of weeping cherries
slows me down
            Adelaide Shaw, USA
 
                                                                                                                                 the crow
                                                                                                                                 stretching out her wings
                                                                                                                                 morning meditation
                                                                                                                                             Ted Sherman, UK
 
                                                                    Under cherry blossoms
                                                                    walking side by side
                                                                    at the same pace
 
                                                   寄り添へば同じ歩幅に花の下
                                         Yorisoe ba onaji hohaba ni hana no shita
 
                                                                  Fallen peony petals
                                                                  still spread the scent
                                                                  over the ground
 
                                        散りてなほ地に香をひろぐ牡丹かな
                                         tirite nao chi ni ka o hirogu botan kana
                                                                                        Kyoko Shimizu, Japan
 
waving grass
of the meadow
kite in my bag
 
разлюляна тревата
на ливадата
хвърчило в чантата ми
 
fragrance
of the white sand lilies
alone by the sea
 
аромат
на бели пясъчни лилии
сама край морето
              Tsanka Shishkova, Bulgaria
 
                                                                                      Calm sea,
                                                                      the greenery of a rock  
                                                                            among the foam.
 
                                                                                Mar en calma,
                                                                        el verdor de una roca
                                                                 entre la espuma.
 
                                                                                At dawn . . .
                                                                        the first shower
                                                                                of spring.
 
                                                                         Al amanecer . . .
                                                                 el primer chubasco
                                                              de primavera.
                                                                                        Leticia Sicilia, Spain
 
                                                                                                                              prognosis –
                                                                                                                              spring colours
                                                                                                                              in the pillbox
                                                                                                                     Neena Singh, India
 
raindrop –
a glimpse of
what’s to come
 
kap kiše –
nagovještaj onoga
što dolazi
 
moonlight
the hedgehog ignores
no trespassing sign
 
mjesečina
jež ne mari za znak
zabranjen prolaz
            Tomislav Sjekloća, Montenegro
 
                                                                                                                                  pollen clouds
                                                                                                                                  the meadow threaded
                                                                                                                                  with butterflies
                                                                                                                                               Debbie Strange, Canada
 
The face of spring –
the ruined wall
full of ivy
 
Chipul primăverii –
zidul ruinat
plin de iederă
 
Vigils of Easter . . .
two doves on the spire listen to
the liturgy
 
Deniile . . .
doi porumbei pe turlă
ascultă liturghia
           Constantin Stroe, Romania
 
                                                                                                                                 drifting
                                                                                                                                 on the spring breeze . . .
                                                                                                                                 children’s laughter
 
                                                                                                                                 terbawa bersama
                                                                                                                                semilir angin musim semi . . .
                                                                                                                                tawa anak-anak
 
                                                                                                                               fireflies . . .
                                                                                                                               all the dreams
                                                                                                                               I’ve ever had
 
                                                                                                                               kunang-kunang
                                                                                                                               semua mimpi
                                                                                                                               yang pernah kumiliki
                                                                                                                                            Agus Maulana Sunjaya, Indonesia
 
 
 
windowsill . . .
tulips in a pot waiting
for spring
 
перваз на прозорец…
лалета в саксии чакат
пролетта
             Diana Teneva, Bulgaria
 
                                                                                                                                 in fragments
                                                                                                                                 across the melting pond
                                                                                                                                 the spring moon
                                                                                                                                           Angela Terry, USA
 
white clouds in the sky –
ready to bloom
the old cherry

nori albi pe cer –
gata să înflorească
cireşul bătrân

granny on the porch
several cries in the cherry
with ripe fruits

bunica în verandă –
strigăte în cireşul
cu fructe coapte

clear night –
girls making wreaths
of yellow bedstraw

noapte senină –
fete împletind cununi
din sânziene
             Maria Tirenescu, Romania
 
                                                                                                                                  grandpa’s lazybed
                                                                                                                                  his potatoes still grow
                                                                                                                                   in the corner

                                                                                                                                  spring snow
                                                                                                                                  lighting a fire to write
                                                                                                                                  about the old days

                                                                                                                                 cherry blossom
                                                                                                                                 an old pen
                                                                                                                                 fills with ink
                                                                                                                                              Xenia Tran, Scotland
 
                                                                              leap of a trout
                                                                    spring rain resurrects
                                                                       the river
      
                                                                            swamp thistle
                                                             rival hummingbirds battle
                                                                                for nectar
       
                                                                             bait bucket
                                                          reaching into the moon
                                                                        for a minnow
                                                                                       Kevin Valentine, USA
 
                                                                                                                                 spring cold snap
                                                                                                                                 even the moon
                                                                                                                                 is snowbound
                                                                                                                                             Mary Vlooswyk, Canada
 
lavender in bloom –
my garden filling
with sky

lavanda în floare –
grădina mea se umple
de cer
              Steliana Cristina Voicu, Romania
 
                                                                                                                                  spring rain
                                                                                                                                  the scent of the forest
                                                                                                                                  touching the clouds

                                                                                                                                  icicles on the cross
                                                                                                                                  melting into
                                                                                                                                  my husband’s grave
                                                                                                                                                Althea Rowe Watson, USA
 
love done –
the skipped stone disappears
into fog

the Milky Way above
fails to bring you closer –
my long walk home
             Michael Dylan Welch, USA
 
                                                                                                                                 crabapple branches
                                                                                                                                 blown bare again
                                                                                                                                 in March wind

                                                                                                                                Feral bee hive
                                                                                                                                The whole earth humming
                                                                                                                                beneath our feet
                                                                                                                                           Allyson Whipple, USA
 
                                                                                   spring sunflecks
                                                                                   all those moments
                                                                                   of insight
                                                                               Kath Abela Wilson, USA
 
along a lake
on a long slow day
a lonely swan

wzdłuż jeziora
w długi wolny dzień
samotny łabędź

venturing
into the impossible
oriole’s voice

odważ się
na niemożliwe
głos wilgi

the sun forces
forsythias to bloom
a cold snap

słońce zmusza
forsycje do kwitnienia
ukłucie zimna
               Ernest Wit, Poland
 
                                                                                                                                  spring rain
                                                                                                                                  the capricious pattering
                                                                                                                                  a toddler’s first steps
                                                                                                                                              Robert Witmer, Japan
 
burying mother
in a pandemic
the space between
              Valorie Woerdehoff, USA

Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, Volume 4:1, Autumn-Winter 2020-2021

12/13/2020

 
Welcome to this Fall/Winter issue of Autumn Moon Haiku Journal. Very recently, people around the world have noticed climate change as manifested in the destruction of natural spaces on Earth and produced by human activity and population growth. According to the well-known British naturalist David Attenborough, wild natural spaces are diminishing. There is an increase in hurricanes and wildfires around the globe, and resulting destruction of human living space. This year has also brought a pandemic of COVID virus and resulting undermining of many important social activities as some of the haiku poets in this current issue have addressed. Also in this current issue, there are many excellent haiku addressing mortality and impermanence, a number of them with philosophic undertones. A recent documentary on the well-known beautiful Australian coral reefs by an oceanographer wondered about the recent dying of some of these coral reefs. What he discovered was that the reefs depended upon the soundscapes that were near them. He therefore recorded that soundscape in its various sections and played them near the dying coral reefs. The result was that these reefs revived and looked as beautiful as they were before. As for flowers, which are cherished by humans for their beauty, in Japan from the beginning of haiku, dictionaries were formulated to record the seasonal growth of the natural world. The haiku itself was formulated upon the poets’ appreciation and sense of such particular beauty.
                                                                                                                                           Bruce Ross, December 2020

              
autumn trees –
the village market
on its off day

àwọn igi ẹ̀rùn –
ọjà abúlé náà 
ní ọjọ́ kòfo 
           Oluwasegun Oluseyi Adesina, Nigeria

                                                                                                                                  wind again . . .
                                                                                                                                  alchechengi lantern
                                                                                                                                  on my doorstep

                                                                                                                                  ancora vento . . .
                                                                                                                                  lanterna di alchechengi 
                                                                                                                                  sulla mia soglia
                                                                                                                                             Elisa Allo, Switzerland

kaleidoscope
the clink of autumn colors
settling in place
           an’ya, USA

                                                                                                                                   lockdown
                                                                                                                                   the face of the moon
                                                                                                                                   still shining

                                                                                                                                   carantină
                                                                                                                                   chipul lunii
                                                                                                                                   încă sclipind
                                                                                                                                                Cristina Apetrei, Romania

                                                                                           twilight tracks
                                                                                           from the homeless shelter
                                                                                           hunger moon

                                                                                          western wind
                                                                                          rearranging the pattern
                                                                                          fallen leaves
                                                                                                          Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA

unraked leaves –
life on the verge
of annihilation

غیر مجتمع پتے -
زندگی فنا ہونے
کے قریب
             Hifsa Ashraf, Pakistan

                                                                                                                                  deep winter
                                                                                                                                  the intimacy
                                                                                                                                  of stars

                                                                                                                                  there
                                                                                                                                  in this silence
                                                                                                                                  with leaves
                                                                                                                                               Joanna Ashwell, UK

                                                                                        autumn eve
                                                                                        swans glide
                                                                                        into the moon
                                                                                                       Susan B. Auld, USA

windstorm . . .
a soutane hanging
on a minaret

ìjì ńlá . . .
sùtánà sokọ́
sóri asóró

autumn wind . . .
an olive tree falls
by half

atẹ́gùn ọyẹ́ . . .
igi ólífì ṣubú
dá méjì

rustling leaves –
the intermittent sound
of father’s newspaper

rírún ewé –
dídún ní lemọ́lemọ́
ìwe ́ìròyìn bàbá
             Taofeek Ayeyemi (Aswagaawi), Nigeria

                                                                                                                                Foggy autumn day
                                                                                                                                a piece of colorful dress
                                                                                                                                hanging on barbed wire

                                                                                                                                Jesen u magli
                                                                                                                                na bodljikavoj žici
                                                                                                                                šarena krpa
                                                                                                                                              Katica Badovinac, Croatia

cancer
erasing the color of his skin
autumn’s end
             R.D. Bailey, Jamaica

                                                                                                                                autumn loneliness . . .
                                                                                                                                the old scarecrow
                                                                                                                                a good listener
                                                                                                                                              Saumya Bansal, India

                                                          rain dropping all pretense
                                                                                       Aaron Barry, Canada

I want to learn
the thoughts of fireflies
in the September dusk
             Michael Battisto, USA

                                                                                                                                  Lauds
                                                                                                                                  through the abbey windows
                                                                                                                                  black-capped chickadees

                                                                                                                                  trimming beans
                                                                                                                                  I count
                                                                                                                                  my blessings
                                                                                                                                                   Maxianne Berger, Canada

dark grass
on the spider’s web
frost hardens

dunkles Gras
auf dem Spinnennetz
härtet Frost aus
                   Bisshie, Switzerland

                                                                                                                                  gnarly tree
                                                                                                                                  the apples are small and crooked
                                                                                                                                  yet so, so sweet

                                                                                                                                  knorriger Baum
                                                                                                                                  die Äpfel sind klein und krumm
                                                                                                                                  doch so, so süss
                                                                                                                                            Benjamin Blaesi, Switzerland

frozen bog
the only sound on
the mountain
              E.L Blizzard, USA

                                                                                                                                  harvest time –
                                                                                                                                  singing in the sun
                                                                                                                                  a local herb seller
                                                                                                                                                Meik Blöttenberger, USA

deep into autumn . . .
thinking about that moment
when everything changed
           Ed Bremson, USA

                                                                                                                                   snow field
                                                                                                                                   a scarecrow
                                                                                                                                   salutes the wind
                                                                                                                                                 Alanna C. Burke, USA

sudden thunder . . .
jumping here and there
pomegranate grains

tuono improvviso . . .
schizzano di qua e di là
chicchi di melograno

quiet chattering
of yellowed leaves . . .
empty benches

chiacchiericcio
di foglie ingiallite . . .
panchine vuote
             Lucia Cardillo, Italy

                                                                                knowing how clouds
                                                                                move along mountains
                                                                                 this place called home

                                                               cicadas become september rain
                                                                                                                Matthew Caretti, USA

a dream
I want to remember
morning’s chai tea

the heavens . . .
a wild pony
. . . nodding
        Anna Cates, USA

                                                                                                                                  trails in the snow
                                                                                                                                  in each enough room
                                                                                                                                  for the moonlight

                                                                                                                                  stope u snijegu
                                                                                                                                  baš u svaku stane
                                                                                                                                  mjesečina
                                                                                                                                         Mihovila Čeperić-Biljan, Croatia
 
 
on this night
i truly travel alone –
snow falling
 
dreary sky –
one of us needs to cheer up –
winter clouds
          Vernon Chain, USA
 
 
                                                                                                                                   from next room
                                                                                                                                   the muted sound of bangles . . .
                                                                                                                                   hazy moon
                                                                                                                                               Kanchan Chatterjee, India
 
                                                                                         mountain cabin
                                                                                         the sound of winter
                                                                                         approaching
                                                                                                        Hemapriya Chellappan, India
 
farewell gift
on the old maple tree
first red leaf
 
pożegnalny dar
pierwszy czerwony liść
na starym klonie
 
Autumn drizzle
twitches of the horse’s ears
shake off the droplets
 
jesienna mżawka
drganie końskich uszu
strząsa kropelki
          Marta Chociłowska, Poland

                                                                                                                                  a bright spark
                                                                                                                                  wanders in her eyes
                                                                                                                                   harvest moon

                                                                                                                                   jasna iskra
                                                                                                                                  wędruje w jej oczach
                                                                                                                                   jesienna pełnia
                                                                                                                                                  Sebastian Chrobak, Poland

                                         where the mulberry’s fruit have been . . . autumn
                                                                                                        martin gottlieb cohen, USA

away, wild geese
we’ve stayed too long
in autumn

autumn moon
the grasshopper left
by the harvester

autumn sunset
holding its fading red
corn poppies
          Sue Colpitts, Canada

                                                                                    barefoot
                                                                                    waiting for a spider to leave
                                                                                    the stepping stone

                                                                                   a horse trailer
                                                                                   with one board missing
                                                                                   red leaves
                                                                                                        Bill Cooper, USA

                                                                                                                                    Full moon rising . . .
                                                                                                                                    Down to the last page the book
                                                                                                                                     keeps its secret

                                                                                                                                      Aufgehender Vollmond . . .
                                                                                                                                      Bis zur letzten Seite wahrt
                                                                                                                                      das Buch sein Geheimnis
                                                                                                                                                     Beate Conrad, Germany

autumn equinox
just enough breeze
to turn a page

Canada geese
the way they divide
an autumn sky
           Susan Constable, Canada

                                                                                                                                   full moon
                                                                                                                                   all that’s left
                                                                                                                                   ash and urn
                                                                                                                                           Vera Constantineau, Canada

me and the silence
the last leaf is about
to fall

io e il silenzio 
l’ultima foglia 
sta per cadere

a certainty
of finding nothing
sudden storm

la certezza 
di non trovare nulla 
temporale improvviso 
           Maria Concetta Conti, Italy

                                                                                                                                   arms outstretched
                                                                                                                                   baby gathers in
                                                                                                                                   the harvest moon

                                                                                                                                   I awoke and knew
                                                                                                                                   the snow was falling
                                                                                                                                   a lightness of heart
                                                                                                                                                  Ronald K. Craig, USA

white moon –
my restless desire
to explore beyond
            Anne Louise Curran, New Zealand

                                                                                                                                   mom’s urn
                                                                                                                                   my cosmos
                                                                                                                                   in suspense

                                                                                                                                   урната на мама
                                                                                                                                   моят космос
                                                                                                                                   приземен
                                                                                                                                          Maya Daneva, Canada/Bulgaria

autumn lockdown
a family gathering
of mushrooms
           Tracy Davidson, UK

                                                                                                                                   forest ferns
                                                                                                                                   brushed by moonlight . . .
                                                                                                                                   the drizzle of autumn rain

                                                                                                                                    descent into darkness . . .
                                                                                                                                    the last bigleaf maple
                                                                                                                                    falls to the ground
                                                                                                                                                 elehna de sousa, Canada

first logs
in the hearth the sound
of cicadas

premières bûches 
dans l’âtre le son 
des cigales 
 
watching
Malevich’s white square
silently
 
regarder
le carré de Malevich
en silence

chocolate money
at thirty bucks I stop –
night of quarantine
 
euros en chocolat
à trente balles j’arrête –
soir de quarantaine
         Marie Derley, Belgium

                                                                                                                                  late winter . . .
                                                                                                                                  a light rain
                                                                                                                                 wets the roses

                                                                                                                                  fine inverno . . .
                                                                                                                                  una pioggia sottile
                                                                                                                                  bagna le rose
                                                                                                     &nb