Autumn Moon Haiku Journal
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Volume 6:1, Autumn/Winter 2022-23

12/4/2022

 
Welcome to the 6th volume of Autumn Moon Haiku Journal. I am thrilled that it has become so popular and even happier about the quality of the haiku we have been able to publish, and the true international nature of the journal, including a number of languages. We received about 1000 haiku for review this time (we are limiting submissions therefore to 2 haiku per person going forward). This issue contains a good number of fine nature haiku, and there are many haiku about loss and grief as well. As the world goes through wars, climate change and a pandemic, poets are responding to the current times with powerful haiku. Hope you will enjoy reading this Autumn/Winter issue.
Bruce Ross, December 2022
 
        pruning –
        reflected in the river
        the changes

        potatura –
        si specchiano nel fiume
        i cambiamenti

       Autumn leaves
       it sails in the fog
       the depression

      foglie d’autunno –
      naviga nella nebbia
      la depressione
              Vincenzo Adamo, Italy
 
the hospital sleeps
our last conversation
lit by the moon

het ziekenhuis slaapt
ons laatste gesprek
verlicht door de maan
      Annette Akkerman, The Netherlands
 
        crickets absent
        after the downpour –
        autumn chill

        turning heads
        the mountain chickadee’s
        teacher voice
                  Cynthia Anderson, USA
 
frostbite –
my father’s excuses
for giving me up
       Lithica Ann, USA
 
       full harvest moon
       a gust of wind polishes
       the chubby pumpkins

       lună plină –
      pala de vânt lustruiește
      dovlecii dolofani
               Cristina Valeria Apetrei, Romania
 
autumn moon
a mother’s quiet conversation
with an empty crib

buwang taglagas
tahimik na pag-uusap ng isang ina
at kunang walang laman

autumn wind
fanning the dying embers
in her eyes

hanging taglagas
pagpaypay sa namamatay na baga
sa kanyang mga mata
       Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo, Philippines
 
        blackbird’s song
       among the spruce
       one yellowing birch

       svarttrostsang
       blant grantrærne
       en gulnende bjørk
                 Emma Alexander Arthur, Norway
 
foreclosure
the corn rows
covered in snow

misty moon
a blanket of leaves
on the baby quilt
       Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA
 
       hollow tree trunk
       attuning to the sound
       of emptiness
                Hifsa Ashraf, Pakistan
 
whichever way
we leave the forest
pine light

shaping
the shore
rain light
       Joanna Ashwell, UK
 
        autumn breeze –
        the gentle sway
        of an empty swing
                 Mona Bedi, India
 
first frost –
laying the baby’s blanket
on the mums
        Deborah A. Bennett, USA
 
       old well
       all those wishes
       the bucket never reached

       vieux puits
       tous ces souhaits que le seau
       n’a jamais atteints
                Maxianne Berger, Canada
 
the changing colors
of the flower garden
autumn clouds
       Shawn Blair, USA
 
       late-blooming roses
       bittersweet is their smell
       amid falling leaves

       spätblühende Rosen
       bittersüss ist ihr Duft
       zwischen fallenden Blättern
              Benjamin Bläsi, Switzerland
 
leaves in the wind
families still looking for those
scattered by war

frunze în vânt
familiile încă îi caută pe cei
împrăștiați de război

early haze
mom calls my daughter
by my name

ceață timpurie
mama o cheamă pe fiica mea
pe numele meu
        Mirela Brăilean, Romania
 
         All Saints’ Day . . .
         a patch of blue in the elm
         chirping

         leaves . . .
         how beautiful some are
         dying
                 Ed Bremson, USA
 
rotten park bench
a crow
teaches me winter

morsche Parkbank
eine Krähe
erklärt mir den Winter

bird of passage
I surrender myself
to the wind

Zugvogel
ich überlasse mich
dem Wind

thaw
my father’s footprints
vanish

Tau
die Spuren meines Vaters
verschwinden
       Stefanie Bucifal, Germany
 
       winter solstice
       a crow rakes emptiness
       into a sand garden
              John Budan, USA
 
ice
in an empty nest
moon sliver

a walking stick clings
to the front door screen
autumn arrives
       Alanna C. Burke, USA
 
       first freeze
       a baby tarantula
       by the door
               Claire Vogel Camargo, USA
 
an old pond –
the little fish drinks
full moon

un vecchio stagno –
il pesciolino beve
la luna piena
 
full moon –
who knows what it presents
on the other side

la luna piena –
chissà cosa presenta
sull’ altro lato
        Dennys Cambarau, Italy
 
       autumn moon –
       the tea got cold
       a long time ago in my cup

       luna de toamnă –
       ceaiul s-a răcit demult
       în cana mea
                  Daniela Lăcrămioara Capotă, Romania
 
         the half lives
         of hermit crabs
         silent dawn
                 Matthew Caretti, USA
 
a city square
first Christmas ball on the tree
the Moonlight

gradski trg
prva kuglica na boru
mjesečina
        Mihovila Čeperic-Biljan, Croatia
 
 
         a startled crow
         in the forest creek
         autumn voice
  秋声に驚く森の烏かな

        windsongs
        rustling the dry leaves
        autumnal clear day
秋澄めり風にさらさら葉が揺れて
 
        among the trees
        hidden cicadas cry
        sounds of autumn
木に隠れ蝉の鳴きたる秋の声
                  Christina Chin, Malaysia
 
acorns
wide open
rook beaks

żołędzie
szeroko otwarte
gawronie dzioby
        Marta Chociłowska, Poland
 
        lonesome oak
        a squirrel snatches
        the last acorn

        samotny dąb
       wiewiórka porywa
       ostatni żołądź
                Sebastian Chrobak, Poland
 
deep into autumn
I rake through my memories
before darkness falls
       Dana Clark-Millar, USA
 
       in the pumpkin patch
       grandma’s Easter floral hat
       crows pick the daisies
                 Sharon D. Cohagan, Germany
 
moon’s bright face
I too have
              a dark side
                      Sue Colpitts, Canada
 
        kettle whistles
       cranking up the volume
       our kitchen cricket
                Julie Constable, Australia
 
under ripe apples
a few shakes of the head
12-point elk
       Bill Cooper, USA
 
       v-formation
       the silence in my house
       returning

       autumn rain
       the moment the blossom
       becomes fruit
               Sue Courtney, New Zealand
 
my face
aglow with moonlight
first snow
        Ronald K. Craig, USA
 
        mid-autumn rain
        the unfamiliar road
        home

        ulan sa gitna ng taglagas
        tinahak ang tahanan
        sa dimawaring landas
                Alvin B. Cruz, Philippines
 
autumn embers
burn a hole in my heart –
enduring love
        Anne Louise Curran, New Zealand
 
        old injury
        beautiful mushrooms
        on the dead tree

        vieille blessure
        des champignons superbes
        sur l’arbre mort
               Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont, Belgium
 
old age
grandma feels it
in the stone lichen

преклонна въсраст
баба я чувства
по лишея на камъка
 
autumn crocus . . .
feeling grateful for the spring
in the winter

есенни минзухари...
благодарна съм за пролетта
през зимата
       Maya Daneva, Canada/Bulgaria
 
       November rain.
       My mother is withering
       at the cancer clinic.

      Novembarska kiša.
      Moja majka vene
      na klinici za kancer.
             Zoran Doderovic, Serbia
 
still contagious
leaves blow again
to someone else
      Carmela Dolce, USA
 
harvest moon
in the straw bowl
the song of a cricket

есенна луна
в сламената купа
песен на щурец

days-long painting
the color of her eyes
first autumn rain

с дни рисува
цвета на очите й
първи есенен дъжд

almost autumn
in the thrush beak
a sunbeam

почти есен
в човката на дрозда
слънчев лъч
       Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria
 
       two bugs in love
       on the last blooming rose –
       Indian summer

       vară indiană -
       doi gândaci îndrăgostiți 
       pe ultima roză 
                Carmen Duvalma, Romania
 
a ray of sunlight
on the pitched roof
winter sky

autumn twilight
heavy dew mantles
this overgrown lawn

the rattle
of brittle bamboo
record cold
       Lynn Edge, USA
 
       first frost . . .
       last cherry tomatoes
       catching rays on the sill
                 Anna Eklund-Cheong, France/USA
 
       moonlight
       a memory
       a moment
                 David Kāwika Eyre, USA
 
harvest moon
over drought crops
the sun still rises

a crow carries
his morning morsel
no sunrise today
       Susan Farner, USA
 
      the passing
      of a favorite childhood player
      autumn breeze

      a flurry of crows
      in the redwood branches
      autumn wind
              Bruce H. Feingold, USA
 
autumn dusk
all that was left
were footprints

dapit-hapong taglagas
ang tanging natira ay
mga bakas ng paa

winter fog
all of the unwritten
memories

hamog sa taglamig
lahat ng hindi naisulat na
mga alaala
       Nestorio Felerino, Philippines
 
       spawning rout
       the careful angler
       casts elsewhere
                  Jeffrey Ferrara, USA
 
apple bruise
telling mother
i don’t believe

fall colours
the slow revealing
of bird nests
        P.H. Fischer, Canada
 
autumn sun
wrinkles on my father’s face
deepen

jesienne słońce
zmarszczki na twarzy ojca
pogłębiają się 
 
leaving the hospital
on the cheek of the newborn
snowflake

przed szpitalem
na policzku noworodka 
płatek śniegu 
        Małgorzata Formanowska, Poland
 
        swallow song
                in the waves
       drawing a deeper breath

       the wind’s path
       through autumn grass
       an unknown longing

       coming home
       to the pines . . .
       a scent of childhood
                 Jenny Fraser, New Zealand
 
windsong
leaf by leaf stars come out
where we talked
       Peter Free, New Zealand
 
       that time of year –
       the sycamore leaves
       teased into colour

       tillage
       the earth darkening
       with the rain
              Mike Gallagher, Ireland
 
oh! to stay alive –
the stars of Orion
in the silence

ah seguir vivo –
las estrellas de Orión
en el silencio

a tree filled
with oranges and birds –
sunset

un árbol lleno
de naranjas y pájaros –
atardecer
       Rafael Garcìa Bidò, Dominican Republic
 
       a garbage picker
       offers one of his treasures
       morning glory
                Marilyn Gehant, USA
 
autumn chill –
wasps recognize our home
as a nest

есенен хлад –
оси припознават дома ни
като гнездо
        Ivan Georgiev, Bulgaria
 
        All Souls’ Dan
        the scent of walnut leaves
        in the fireplace

       Giorno dei morti
       profumo di foglie di noce
       nel camino
                 Eufemia Griffo, Italy
 
frozen wave . . .
snails curled tight
in their shells
       Lorraine Haig, Australia
 
       reminder
       of impermanence
       autumn eclipse
                 Charles Harmon, USA
 
ancient pine
a bend in the trunk
the wind curls through

slow flowing stream
a bubble floats past
within its own sky

one horse town
crows crack open
songs of dust
       John Hawkhead, UK
 
      poulnabrone dolmen
      i leave my sadness
      on the stone

      your name on the gravestone
      a swallowtail
      catches my breath

      cold autumn morning
      nothing left to remind us
      there were butterflies
                Kerry J Heckman, USA
 
cricket
in the kitchen
silent now
        Ruth Holzer, USA
 
        the rhythm of raindrops duelling pobblebonks
                                 Louise Hopewell, Australia
 
leaf-fall
the thinning
of my family tree

листопад
оредяването
на родословното ми дърво
       Vladislav Hristov, Bulgaria
 
       sickle moon
       tilts and swings across
       the fall sky
                Marilyn Humbert, USA
 
a leaf falls
on the open page
poetry book

o frunză cade
pe pagina deschisă
carte de poezii
       Mona Iordan, Romania
 
       a flock of geese
       each bird turned toward
       the setting sun
                Erica Ison, UK
 
leaves in the wind –
all those words that
hold us together

frunze în vânt –
toate acele vorbe
ce ne ţin împreună
       Dan C. Iulian, Romania
 
       autumn funeral –
       uncle’s violin strains
       in the rustling leaves

      草の音に
      叔父の提琴
      秋の葬
 
      kusa no ne ni 
      oji no teikin
      aki no sō
 
      morning silence –
      autumn chill
      in napping cat’s breath
 
      朝静か猫眠る息に秋寒
 
     asa shizuka  neko nemuru iki ni akisamu
                           Keiko Izawa, Japan
 
leaves turning
in the autumn wind
I lose my place
       Rick Jackofsky, USA
 
       unable
       to chirp the snow away
       winter birds
                Roberta Beach Jacobson, USA
 
the kestrel
barely quivers –
autumn wind
       Christopher Jupp, UK
 
       Harvest moon –
       moving to the window
       my wheelchair

      満月や窓辺に寄せる車椅子
                      Satoru Kanematsu, Japan
 
leaves on the road
to my childhood home
dappled light
      John-Thomas Kelly, USA
 
       leaping salmon
       the shattered surface
       of the moon
                  Taylor Jo Kelly, UK
 
fallen leaf
another memory
mom fails to recall

lá rụng
một ký ức nữa của mẹ
rơi vào quên lãng
       Ngô Bình Anh Khoa, Vietnam
 
       pilgrimage . . .
       the stillness between
       her steps
                 Lori Kiefer, UK
 
sickle moon
a wheat stalk untouched
by the harvesters
        Ravi Kiran, India
 
        leaves carried away
        on this autumn wind
       – funeral procession

       winter silence
       the snowshoe hare
       hops away
                kjmunro, Canada
 
         autumn leaves swept up in the moment

                       late autumn rain
                       the slow drip drip
                       last chemo treatment

                       frosty morning –
                       a gray squirrel snug
                       in the maple’s knothole

                       dad’s white rose
                       in full bloom the fall day
                       we bury him
                                 Kim Klugh, USA
 
       surf hole
       in the mussel shell
       your absence
                  Deborah P Kolodji, USA
 
forgotten promise –
in an autumn puddle
the rising sun

zapomniana obietnica -
w jesiennej kałuży
wschodzące słońce
        Marek Kozubek, Poland
 
        humble shrine
        ants are carrying away
        the pleas

        skromno svetišče
        četa mravelj odnaša
        sledi priprošenj
                  Samo Kreutz, Slovenia
 
in November light
among the wild asters
this honey bee

out here awhile . . .
with this Norway spruce
and full moon
       Jill Lange, USA
 
      clanging rakes
      in the storage shed
      autumn’s return

     washing sunlight
            from the leaves
     autumn rain
                 Barrie Levine, USA
 
pausing on the trail
amid sunlit asters
meadowhawk

Day of the Dead
this butterfly too
late to migrate
        Kristen Lindquist, USA
 
        early leaf fall . . .
        my wife holds me tighter
        even in sleep

        早早落葉 ...
        即使在睡眠中我的妻子
        把我抱得更緊
                 Chen-ou Liu, Canada
 
autumn leaf
the nurse taps a vein
on Mother’s arm

woodpile
I gather the night’s
musings

it’s the clothes
that make the man
scarecrow
        Gregory Longenecker, USA
 
        endless rain
        the garden gnome
        always smiles

        pioggia incessante
        lo gnomo da giardino
        sorride sempre

       winter dawn
       a chirping rises
       I wonder where

      alba d’inverno
      si alza un cinguettio
      chissà da dove
                 Oscar Luparia, Italy
 
a cloud
takes the birdsong
with it
        Heather Lurie, New Zealand
 
        my gingko sheds
        all her leaves at once
        ground turns to gold
                  Mandy Macdonald, Scotland, UK
 
night holiday market –
a mistletoe twig
left behind
        Elena Malec, USA
 
         the full moon absorbs my every shadow

          la luna piena assorbe ogni mia ombra
                                    Maria Malferrari, Italy
 
cirrus sky . . .
unsure strokes
of goodbye

falling leaf . . .
how quietly you
let go

waning crescent . . .
going back to where
I once found you
         Vibha Malhotra, India
 
         the war is over
         I still walk noiselessly
         on the dry leaves

         wojna skończona
        wciąż chodzę bezszelestnie
        wśród suchych liści
                   Urszula Marciniak, Poland
 
for sale
in the autumn wind –
empty cobweb

za prodaju
na jesenskom vjetru
prazna paučina
       Tomislav Maretić, Croatia
 
       autumn morning
       the tarnished mirror
       reminds me that I’m alive

       mattina d’autunno
       lo specchio appannato
       mi ricorda che sono vivo

       autumn awakening
       leaving my shadow
       under the bed

      risveglio autunnale
      lasciando la mia ombra
      sotto al letto
                 Carmela Marino, Italy
 
a stray cat
prowling the fence line
low winter sun

ravens jostle
above the upper branches
late winter squall
       Jo McInerney, Australia
 
                              Orion
                              the space within
                              fills me

                              deep pines
                              my shadow
                              left behind

       paddling the milky way all the way to shore
                                       Tyler McIntosh, USA
 
scent of jasmine
by the glittering sea
lunar silence

luccichio di mare
profumo di gelsomino
nel silenzio lunare
        Rita R Melissano, USA/Italy
 
        The flood
        Drifting downstreet,
        little nothings . . . dreams . . .

        La inundación
        Flotando calle abajo,
        cositas . . . sueños
                  Lìa Miersch, Argentina
 
swirl of leaves
in the wheelchair’s wake
autumn rain

late winter rain
the radiance of rust
on the widow’s gate
        Mark Miller, Australia
 
        autumn moon
        a slight chill around my shoulders
        mother’s scent
                 Hla Yin Mon, Myanmar
 
autumn rain
the unexpected death
of an old friend

falling leaves
I contemplate the road
not taken
        Joanne Morcom, Canada
 
       rusted paperclip
       in my father’s notebook
       foggy Sunday

       graffetta arrugginita
       nel taccuino di mio padre
       nebbiosa Domenica
               Luciana Moretto, Italy
 
wild chicory
along the roadside
circlets of sky
       Wilda Morris, MSA
 
        such hurrying . . .
        the russet and black
        of a woolly bear
                Laurie D. Morrissey, USA
 
all day long
the flicker hammers
I’m here I’m here
        Nika, Canada
 
        starless night
        beyond the street light
        darkness deepens

        noč brez zvezd
        za ulično svetilko
        globlja tema
               Polona Oblak, Slovenia
 
Dad’s grave, All Soul’s Eve
lighting the last candle
from his kitchen drawer
       Sean O’Connor, Ireland
 
       crying today
       for the third time:
       autumn grasses
                our thomas, USA
 
Clair de Lune
in the early dusk
street harper
        Roland Packer, Canada
 
        orchard ladder
        leaning into the tree
        late afternoon light
                John Pappas, USA
 
deep autumn
another friend’s face
on obituary page

winter storm
closing the book before
I reach the end

outside out gate
a day before Diwali*
a brand new hearse
      *Diwali is the biggest festival in India
                Vandana Parashar, India
 
        autumn forest –
        through holes in fog pockets
        a briefly glimpsed crow
                  Alan Peat, UK
 
A fallen tree
spans the creek –
squirrel crossing
        M. R. Pelletier, USA
 
        Failed harvest
        dust clouds wander
        these withered fields
                  Gregory Piko, USA
 
moonbeams –
the silent spider weaves
a sparkling web

rayons de lune –
l’arraignée silencieuse tisse
un fil scintillant
       Nicole Pottier, France
 
       winter nearer
       a jackdaw whispers
       in the scarecrow’s ear

       gaeaf yn agos
       y jac-y-do yn sibrwd
       yng nglust y bwgan brain
 
       woodland moss . . .
       mute swans’ wingbeats
       head for the lough

       mwswm yr allt…
       sŵn yr elyrch dof
      yn hedfan am y llyn
               Thomas Powell, Wales/UK
 
                               children’s parade –
                      the autumn moon festival
                             begins in sunshine
 
                                     festivity
                      beneath the autumn moon
                         white butterfly’s wings
                                       Patricia Prime, New Zealand
 
        mid-autumn chill –
        from the open door
        the cat sniffs the air
                Sally Quon, Canada
 
pulled by stars
geese on their path
leaving winter behind
        Carol Raisfeld, USA
 
        mirrored in paint
        red and yellow leaves
        mirrored in the creek
 
        dried lavender
        in a bowl by the bed
        autumn dreams
 
        the soft whir
        of a passing bird
        autumn in the air
                Dian Duchin Reed, USA
 
leonid shower
we pause a while
to count stars
 
wild berries jam
grandma stirs in
a folksong
        Meera Rehm, UK
 
        Autumn breeze
        the maple surrenders
        its last leaves
                 Carol Reynolds, Australia
 
covered bridge
time flowing
beneath us
        Edward J. Rielly, USA
 
        micro cosmos . . .
        in every dewdrop
        the morning sun
 
        mikrokosmos
        i varje daggdroppe
        morgonsolen
                 Daniela Rodi, Finland/Sweden
 
reaching up
the apple tree
holds a bear
        Aron Rothstein, USA
 
        mourning moon
        fallen leaves settling
        on his For Sale sign
                 Cynthia Rowe, Australia
 
the crickets
chirp me off the porch
to the red moon

cvrčci
odzvrčali me s balkona
na pun mjesec
       D.V. Rozic, Croatia
 
       autumn chill
       an ember-baked potato
       warms my hands
                Agnes Eva Savich, USA
 
mirror lake
a sapling’s
first autumn

killer frost
a childless couple gathers in
the orphaned pumpkins
        Julie Schwerin, USA
 
       westerly . . .
       the lingering scent
       of a peeled orange

       steaming tea . . .
       my eyes
       on the snowscape

       the blind busker
       on a sloping hill . . .
       winter dusk
                Manoj Sharma, Nepal
 
autumn rain
the full absence
of the moon
       Richa Sharma, India
 
       The sun in mountains
       collected day by day
       apples ripen bright

山の日を溜めて色濃く林檎熟る

       Mackerel sky –
       I look up from my house
       recalling the journey

   鰯雲家居に仰ぐ旅の空
                 Kyoko Shimizu, Japan
 
wildflowers bloom
in the unsown fields
battle line

диви цветя цъфтят 
в незасетите ниви
фронтова линия
        Tsanka Shishkova, Bulgaria
 
       A deer pauses
       in the evening glow . . .
       hunter’s moon
                 Keith A. Simmonds, France
 
barn owl screech –
first nibble
off the moon
      Sandra Simpson, New Zealand
 
autumn twilight . . .
a peacock calls
through a hundred eyes

शरद गोधूलि..
एक मोर पुकारता है
सौ आँखों से

old turtle . . .
I too wish to carry
my home

बूढ़े कछुए...  
मैं भी अपना घर
ढ़ोना चाहती हूं

back to earth
by the gardener’s rake . . .
autumn deepens

पृथ्वी पर वापस
माली की रेक से ...
गहराती शरद ऋतु
        Neena Singh, India
 
        October heatwave
        nowhere red and yellow hues
        I still long for fall
                 R J Sobel, USA
 
autumn stars
our children discover
the constellations
        Stephenie Story, USA
 
        still learning
        to find my place . . .
        ghost fossil
                  Debbie Strange, Canada
 
what little wind . . .
fall swirls around the dog
and clings
       Kyle Sullivan, Taiwan
 
       winter gust
       I walk to the scent
       of the past
 
       angin musim dingin
       aku berjalan menuju aroma
       masa lalu
 
       wild thoughts . . .
       the warbler song
       in another chord
 
       pikiran liar . . .
       kicau seekor burung
      dalam nada lain
               Agus Maulana Sunjaya, Indonesia
 
autumn winds –
children pluck
the faded hibiscus
        Aakanksha Tanwar, India
 
        autumn song . . .
        one last slow dance
        during leaf fall
 
       dappled light
       throughout the orchard
       almost ripe pears
             Angela Terry, USA
 
rain song . . .
the vibrato of tree frogs
loosening
 
catfish
ending a dry spell
the shoebill bows
 
thunderheads . . .
the oilbird in the bucket
measures its fate
      R.C. Thomas, UK
 
       warm autumn breeze
       a seasoned couple’s comfort
       in silence
 
      crimson sunset . . .
      the susurration of sorrow
      through the aspens
                Corine Timmer, Portugal
 
leaves fly everywhere
a girl and her father laugh
under the maple tree

Vuelan hojas por todas partes
una niña y su padre
Ríen bajo el arce.
       Daniel Tommasi, Argentina
 
       longest night –
       the moon shines on a raven
       polishing its beak
               Xenia Tran, Scotland
 
the weight of the full moon . . .
chestnuts are rolling down
from the hilltop woods

težina punog mjeseca...
kesteni se kotrljaju
iz šume na brdu
      Silva Trstenjak, Croatia
 
        fallen leaves
        just a little less hope
        in the air

        first snow
        even the robin
        seems surprised

        blackbird in snow
        I search even deeper
        for meaning
                 C.X. Turner, UK
 
saying farewell
the colors of autumn
in full bloom
        Kevin Valentine, USA
 
        forgetting
        he already asked . . .
        autumn leaves
                  Evan Vandermeer, USA
 
stepping stones –
somewhere in the mist
a waterfall roars

stapstenen
ergens in de mist
raast een Waterval
       Joanne van Helvoort, The Netherlands

      forest –
      the nests sprouting
      on the bare branches
 
      Šuma –
      na golim granama
      niču gnijezda
               Gordana Vlašić, Croatia
 
autumn moon
a stone whippet
guards his grave
 
silver mist settles
through a mourning dove’s call
autumn moon
        Marilyn Appl Walker, USA
 
        crumbling log –
        the pond’s reflection
        as still as my mind
 
        autumn again . . .
        a walk in the woods
        with a few old friends
                 Michael Dylan Welch, USA
 
a feather
I cannot identify –
fall migration
        Neal Whitman, USA
 
        turning pages
        of seven decades
        leaves brittle
 
        storm cloud
        how swift my shadow
        dwindles
                 Scott Wiggerman, USA
 
morning chill
she lights a candle
for company
       Tony Williams, Scotland, UK
 
       birds flown south
       left listening
       to myself
 
       the sound of October leaves
       struggling
       to let go
               Valorie Woerdehoff, USA
 
hundred-year rain
the waterfall’s roar
enters my dream
       Susan Yavaniski, USA
 
 
 
 
 

Autumn Moon Haiku Contest 2022

11/10/2022

 
                                                                   First Prize

                                                       fallen red cherry leaf –
                                                       warmth of mother’s hand
                                                       after her last breath
                                     
                                        紅き桜葉おち臨終の母の手ぬくし
                               akaki sakuraba ochi rinjū no haha no te nukushi
                                                                                      Keiko Izawa, Japan
This is a wonderfully poignant haiku, well deserving of this prize.

                                                          Second Prize
   
                                                    an empty corncrib
                                                 cradling moonlight . . .
                                                      the cold wind
                                                                   Susan Yavaniski, USA
Beautifully poetic image and feeling.

                                                                    Third Prize
                                             
                                                     forgotten
                                                     in the scarecrow’s coat
                                                     her baby picture
                                                                 John Pappas, USA
 A tenderly humorous and wistful haiku.

                                                Honorable Mentions (In Alphabetical Order)

moon islet
holding a glimpse
of a dream
          Joanna Ashwell, UK

the second opinion
same as the first
autumn sky
         Alvin B. Cruz, Philippines

moon glow –
the rustle of dried grasses
in the midnight breeze
         elehna de sousa, Canada

harvest moon
in the straw bowl
the song of a cricket

есенна луна
в сламената купа
песен на щурец
          Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria

half moon
wondering
who I am yet to be
          Baisali Chatterjee Dutt, India

fall twilight
all the things
that will never return

crepuscolo d'autunno
tutte le cose
che non torneranno mai più
          Eufemia Griffo, Italy

this brown moth too
struggling to live –
fall dusk
           Ruth Holzer, USA

Distant sky
seen from the sick bed
geese migrating

病床のはるけき空を雁渡る
            Satoru Kanematsu, Japan

leaf-bearing wind
stops to let me know . . .
everything passes
            Srini, India

nuclear war –
a scarecrow not a scarecrow
anymore

nuklearni rat –
strašilo više nije
strašilo
          Aljoša Vuković, Croatia

Best of Volume 5 (5:1 and 5:2)

7/24/2022

 
Haiku Moment Award
 
spring drizzle
becoming fluent in the language
of birds
           Valorie Woerdehoff, USA
This is a unique and poetic haiku moment, making it a prize-winning haiku.
 
Runners-Up (In Alphabetical Order)

walking in snowfall
the lost moments
of my passing life
          John Budan, USA
A great metaphor for how all of nature withers.
 
after the rain
it sails into the unknown
ant on the leaf
 
nakon kiše
plovi u nepoznato
mrav na listu 
           Zvonko Jurcevic, Croatia
A deep poem on the impermanence of life.
 
resting leaf –
the lightness
of mother’s hand
           Laurie D. Morrissey, USA
A finely expressed sensitive haiku.
 
Honorable Mentions (In Alphabetical Order)

drought . . .
in the well of my house
there is no moon

siccità. . .
nel pozzo di casa mia
non c'è la luna
       Vincenzo Adamo, Italy
 
peace agreement –
out of the blue the plum trees
full of flowers

acord de pace –
dintr-odată prunii
se umplu de flori
        Cristina Valeria Apetrei, Romania
 
distant thunder
patting the last seed
into the earth
       Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA
 
meteor shower –
the secrets I kept
from you
        Mona Bedi, India
 
lingering over
the warm copper pan
harvest moon
       Helen Buckingham, UK

autumn
again
this
stillness
hanging
      Jenny Fraser, New Zealand
 
even the smallest leaf connected
                    Charles Harmon, USA
 
in the after-rain
every leaf in the garden
and i breathing in
      Jill Lange, USA
 
tamped into earth
a fragile cutting
homesickness

pressata nella terra
una fragile talea
nostalgia di casa
      Luciana Moretto, Italy
 
full moon
I could walk across the lake
on a strip of light
      Wilda Morris, USA
 
luminescent sea
all the little things
we think we’ll remember
       Samantha Renda, South Africa
 

 


Autumn Moon Haiku Journal 5:2, Spring-Summer 2022

6/17/2022

 
Welcome to the fifth Spring-Summer issue of Autumn Moon Haiku Journal. Some haiku in this issue reflect what the world has been recently going through: pandemic, grief and loss, war, climate change. There is ongoing strong evidence of massive climate change like melting polar ice and burning forests and grasslands. Yet, haiku poets have been able to write serious haiku on these subjects from around the world. The journal is in alphabetical order by author, yet the first and last haiku of this issue are closely connected, coincidentally. There are still a lot of pure nature haiku but the tone overall is more somber; there are some hopeful haiku as well. I congratulate the haiku poets for not giving up and still creating good poems in these times.

Bruce Ross, June 2022



refugees from Kiev –
the roses buried
under the dust

profughi da Kiev –
sepolte le rose
sotto la polvere
       Vincenzo Adamo, Italy
 
                                                                          thunder over
                                                                          creosote flats –
                                                                          flood of petrichor

                                                                          marsh trail
                                                                          the faint rustle
                                                                          of mule deer
                                                                                   Cynthia Anderson, USA
 
peace agreement –
out of the blue the plum trees
full of flowers

acord de pace –
dintr-odată prunii
se umplu de flori

renewing our vows
under the blossoming cherry –
spring dream

vis de primăvară –
reînnoindu-ne jurămintele
sub cireşul înflorit
         Cristina-Valeria Apetrei, Romania
 
                                                                         distant thunder
                                                                         patting the last seed
                                                                         into the earth
                                                                                Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA
 
glimpsing
a golden throat
the release of notes

clover meadow
watercolour rain
deepening

sending
a postcard
ravine light
       Joanna Ashwell, UK
 
                                                                           lilies of the valley
                                                                           and still the grey wrinkling ocean
                                                                           in her heart

                                                                           the day the air shifts
                                                                           at the end of summer –
                                                                           cool, damp and ripe
                                                                                  Meg Arnot, UK
 
dreams
from an old journal . . .
cherry blossoms
        Stewart C Baker, USA
 
                                                                        meteor shower –
                                                                        the secrets I kept
                                                                        from you

                                                                       childhood lake
                                                                       a stone thrown in the water
                                                                       breaks my reverie

                                                                       springtime
                                                                       I share the porch swing with
                                                                       a monarch butterfly
                                                                                Mona Bedi, India
 
red hollyhocks
tall shadows
on a bullet-riddled wall

roses trémières rouges
des hautes ombres contre
un mur criblé de balles

this silence between us
a firefly
dances in the dark

ce silence entre nous
une luciole
danse dans le noir

and yet
here’s evening
with all its stars

et pourtant
voici le soir
avec toutes ses étoiles
         Maxianne Berger, Canada
 
                                                                          the flowers
                                                                          it will never hold
                                                                          vase on my canvas
                                                                                 Daya Bhat, India
 
late raspberries
no moon to walk
the dog under
          Bisshie, Switzerland
 
                                                                          in every cell
                                                                          of my body
                                                                          well water

                                                                          an old master
                                                                          the pandemic landscape
                                                                          of another year

                                                                         sand –
                                                                         the ocean’s way
                                                                         of keeping us humble
                                                                                Marjorie Bruhmuller, Canada
 
petrichor
the neighbor’s cat refreshes
her scent mark
       Stefanie Bucifal, Germany
 
                                                                         wildflowers
                                                                         make a surprise appearance
                                                                         desert shower

                                                                         raven shadow
                                                                         shades the darting lizard
                                                                         midsummer noon
                                                                                 Alanna C. Burke, USA
 
                                  summer time
                                  I catch and release
                                  a horny toad
                                          Claire Vogel Camargo, USA
 
slowly advances
the night with the moon –
owl on the branch

pian piano avanza
la notte con la luna –
gufo sul ramo

crescent moon –
how many bodies buried
without a cross

luna crescente –
quanti corpi sepolti
senza una croce

a goldfinch
on the cherry basket –
sound of wings

un cardellino
sul cesto di ciliegie –
rumore d’ali
        Dennys Cambarau, Italy
 
                                                                           Sparrows hop
                                                                           The faded fence sign:
                                                                           No Tresspa
                                                                                  Mayan Caplan, USA
 
house for sale –
a squirrel in the orchard
inspects the place

casă de vânzare –
în livadă o veveriţă
inspectează locul
        Daniela Lăcrămioara Capotă, Romania
 
                                                                           curve of the wake
                                                                           half the sun
                                                                           not pulled under

                                                                           awakening
                                                                           how angel terns
                                                                           amass sunlight
                                                                                 Matthew Caretti, USA/American Samoa
 
spring afternoon
in its shell a snail waits
for gentle rain

spring afternoon
mother and daughter crowned
with daisy chains
        Liam Carson, Ireland
 
                                                                          watched the sun
                                                                          move across the water –
                                                                          floating leaf
                                                                                  Vernon Chain, USA
 
under the spring moon
spreading the scent –
jasmine blossom
       Ram Chandran, India
 
                                               summer breeze
                                               painting the old pond
                                               I remember mother
                                     
                                       夏の風池の絵を描き母偲ぶ  
                                                              tr. 中野千秋
                                                      Christina Chin, Malaysia
 
blackbird’s song
two old neighbors
talking in sign language

cântecul mierlei
cei doi vecini bătrâni
vorbesc prin semne
       Cezar Ciobîcă, Romania
 
                                                                           Earth Day –
                                                                           all around the virus
                                                                           cannon rumble

                                                                           Ziua Pământului –
                                                                           de jur împrejur virusul
                                                                           bubuit de tun
                                                                                  Mihaela Cojocaru, Romania
 
snowdrops
the wobbly legs
of a newborn lamb

river fog
the returning geese
seen not heard
        Sue Colpitts, Canada
 
                                 resting oriole . . .  the easy sway of the dawn
                                                       martin gottlieb cohen, USA
arranging a burial
the tree full
of cherry buds

organizzando un funerale
l’albero pieno
di boccioli di ciliegio

my father’s grave
an anemone blooming
in the shade

la tomba di mio padre
un anemone fiorisce
nell’ombra

on the highway
with me and you
the Spring sunset

in autostrada
con me e te
il tramonto di primavera
        Maria Concetta Conti, Italy
 
                                                                           a billowing sail
                                                                           of parachute cloth
                                                                           refugees
                                                                                    Bill Cooper, USA
 
spring thaw
a wealth of colour unleashed
from stone

country lane
the cows up to their eyes
in daisies
        Sue Courtney, New Zealand
 
                                                                          shadows on the bed
                                                                          I crawl into
                                                                          a full moon
                                                                                 Ronald K. Craig, USA
 
lost my way
in eucalyptus forest –
grasshopper

night curfew –
behind an abandoned house
mango flowers
        Ashesh Das, India
 
                                                                           it’s all right
                                                                           the cherry trees bloom again
                                                                           it’ll be okay

                                                                           ça va
                                                                           les cerisiers refleurissent
                                                                           ça va aller

                                                                           first date
                                                                           the spring rolls
                                                                           thaw slowly

                                                                           premier rendez-vous
                                                                           les rouleaux de printemps
                                                                           dégèlent lentement
                                                                                  Marie Derley, Belgium
 
late summer tide –
ripened blackberries
with a tang of salt

rain-soaked
pampas grass,
head bent low
         elehna de sousa, Canada
 
                                                                            late afternoon
                                                                            farm auction
                                                                            one horse left

                                                                            shifting winds
                                                                            the nest at the tip
                                                                            of the branch

                                                                           childhood home
                                                                           a monarch egg
                                                                           clings to milkweed
                                                                                    Carmela Dolce, USA
 
                                               lifting fog
                                               swirl of a paintbrush
                                               in water
                                                       Johnette Downing, USA
 
cherry petals rain
nobody’s noticing
the ballerina’s dance

дъжд от черешови листенца
никой не забелязва
танца на балерината
        Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria
 
                                                                           junkyard convertible
                                                                           its driver’s seat occupied
                                                                           by a tumbleweed
                                                                                 John J. Dunphy, USA
 
bread fragrance –
all over the house
grandma’s memory

aroma pâinii –
amintirea bunicii
în toată casa
        Carmen Duvalma, Romania
 
                                                                           a hint of color
                                                                           in the forsythia
                                                                           last day of rehab
                                                                                   Susan Farner, USA
 
spring mayfly
the certain suddenness
of death

gamu-gamong tagsibol
ang tiyak na kabiglaan
ng kamatayan
         Nestorio Felerino, Philippines
 
                                                                          smooth water
                                                                          a hatch of mayflies
                                                                          shakes the surface

                                                                          mackerel sky
                                                                          a boat sits over
                                                                          a school
                                                                                  Jeffrey Ferrara, USA
 
                                              bellbirds
                                              a steady trickling
                                              of coolness
                                                        Lorin Ford, Australia
 
spring
counting the loss
wind through the chimes

out of dark tears
the sun lifting
on seagull wings

high country
silence
walking my thought
       Jenny Fraser, New Zealand
 
                                                                           city sunset
                                                                           the pace of traffic
                                                                           the pace of clouds
                                                                                  Ben Gaa, USA
 
                                              dappled sunlight
                                              the stretch of the box turtle’s
                                              mottled neck
                                                       Joshua Gage, USA
 
                                                                          agrofarm
                                                                          no milkweed for
                                                                          the butterflies

                                                                          housebreaking
                                                                          an errant honeybee
                                                                          finds our orchid
                                                                                  William Scott Galasso, USA
 
from the mist
a heron has come –
no longer seen

desde la niebla
ha venido una garza –
ya no se ve

the present day
it’s full of birds –
come to see

el dìa de hoy
està lleno de pàjaros –
vengan a ver

among the many
birds that sing sings
the chinchilin*

entre las muchas
aves que cantan canta
el chincilìn
     *Quiscalus niger, little bird from the Caribbean islands
                Rafael Garcìa Bidò, Dominican Republic
 
                                                                          bonfire . . .
                                                                          no one is winning
                                                                          in this war

                                                                          lomača . . .
                                                                          nitko ne pobjeđuje
                                                                          u ovom ratu

                                                                          lost generation . . .
                                                                          an old man throws
                                                                          crusts to pigeons

                                                                          izgubljena generacija . . .
                                                                          starac baca
                                                                          kore golubovima

                                                                          fertility clinic –
                                                                          she pushes baby carriage
                                                                          full of cherry petals

                                                                          klinika za plodnost --
                                                                          ona gura dječja kolica
                                                                          puna latica trešnje
                                                                                    Goran Gatalica, Croatia
 
Empty evening
Trapped in amber
Unknown insect

Pusty wieczór
Uwięziony w bursztynie
Nieznany owad

Suddenly sand
Has stopped in between . . .
The old hourglass

Nagle piasek
Zatrzymał się pomiędzy…
Stara klepsydra
        Anna Goluba, Poland
 
                                                                           too many
                                                                           to count in one night
                                                                           lucky stars
                                                                                 Charles Harmon, USA
 
coast path home
my old hound shivers
out of a cloud
      John Hawkhead, UK
 
                                                                           a gentle breeze
                                                                           summer moonlight bends
                                                                           through the palms
                                                                                  Gary Hittmeyer, USA
 
first tulip
you just couldn’t resist
picking it

waxing day moon –
the bald eagle
on her egg

polishing off
what the fox left –
crow couple
          Ruth Holzer, USA
 
                                                                           forest bathing
                                                                           the question mark
                                                                           of a fern frond
                                                                                  Louise Hopewell, Australia
 
                                               stormy weather
                                               the drains garlanded
                                               with blossom
                                                       Erica Ison, UK
 
glorious morn –
in every dewdrop
one sun

răsărit de foc –
în fiecare bob de rouă
câte un soare
       Dan Iulian, Romania
 
                                                                          summer dusk
                                                                          shadows in the crow’s eyes
                                                                          hide and seek
                                                                                 Lakshmi Iyer, India
 
                                                as the crow flies
                                                a butterfly meanders
                                                through a summer day

                            in the wake of the flood a puddle of sunshine
                                                              Rick Jackofsky, USA
 
                                       pine forest a sense of longing
                                                              Roberta Beach Jacobson, USA
 
No encore –
a cicada starts again
the same chirp

アンコール無くまた同じ蝉の声

River breeze –
coupling dragonflies
in tandem

川風や交尾のとんぼ二連結
            Satoru Kanematsu, Japan
 
                                                                           all those shadows
                                                                           were not shadows once
                                                                           childhood home

                                                                           rain wet petals
                                                                           once more the coolness
                                                                           of mother’s touch
                                                                                   Arvinder Kaur, India
 
                                               nearing ninety
                                               day by day
                                               the leaves return
                                                       Bill Kenney, USA
 
childhood garden
roses & irises bloom
between the rocks

searching the sky
for patches of blue
migrating cranes
       kjmunro, Canada
 
                                                                           among the thermals
                                                                           higher and higher . . .
                                                                           a runaway kite
                                                                                  Kim Klugh, USA
 
                                               lakeside sand
                                               a gray buckeye
                                               suns itself
                                                      Deborah P Kolodji, USA
 
night swimming
the young Moon slips out
through her fingers

noćno kupanje
iz ruku joj izmiče
mladi mjesec
         Nina Kovačić, Croatia (Trans. Đurđa Vukelić Rožić)
 
                               sunrise beach tortoise trailing night behind
                                                                          Jeff Kressmann, USA
 
end of the attack
rescued from the ruins
plush elephant

konec napada
rešen izpod ruševin
plišasti slonček
       Samo Kreutz, Slovenia
 
                                                                           noonday sun . . .
                                                                           all these blackbirds
                                                                           in treetops singing

                                                                           on the beach
                                                                           this moonlight patch
                                                                           calls me to dance
                                                                                   Jill Lange, USA
 
sheath of ash
peels off white birch
healing from within
        Douglas J. Lanzo, USA
 
                                                                          library afternoon
                                                                          lost in the silence
                                                                          of myself

                                                                          a cucumber vine
                                                                          drags itself . . .
                                                                          August heat
                                                                                  Barrie Levine, USA
 
ice storm . . .
we salvage maple boughs
to bud inside

shortest night
a glimpse of schooling squid
on the harbor cam
         Kristen Lindquist, USA
 
                                                 drawing hearts
                                                 on her breath-fogged window . . .
                                                 evacuation train

                                                 繪製重疊的心
                                                 在她的霧氣朦朧的窗戶上 ...
                                                 疏散撤離列車
 
                                                 the scent
                                                 of dappled sunlight
                                                 redwood hike

                                                 斑駁陽光
                                                 的氣味
                                                 步行紅木森林
                                                         Chen-ou Liu, Canada
 
I walk slowly . . .
brooding of the blackbird
in the garden bush . . .

cammino piano . . .
nel cespuglio in giardino
cova del merlo

abandoned mill –
the buzz of insects
by the stream

mulino abbandonato –
il ronzio degli insetti
accanto al torrente

lone ascent . . .
the late summer wind
stirs the silence

arrampicata solitaria . . .
il vento di fine estate
mescola il silenzio
         Oscar Luparia, Italy
 
                                                                           white wisteria
                                                                           enough shade for two
                                                                           watching butterflies
                                                                                  Anthony Lusardi, USA
 
blooming sakura –
swans on the pond
carrying petals
        Elena Malec, USA
 
                                                                           cancer
                                                                           a wildflower sprouts
                                                                           from the rock

                                                                           cancro
                                                                           un fiore selvatico
                                                                           spunta dalla roccia
                                                                                   Carmela Marino, Italy
 
old-time waltz
lily-of-the-valley
in her hair

lingering chill
an obituary of one
so much younger
         Marietta McGregor, Australia
 
                                                                           Cool and rainy,
                                                                           such a gray drowsiness . . .
                                                                           One more Monday

                                                                           Fresca y de lluvia,
                                                                           esta modorra gris . . .
                                                                           Un Lunes más
                                                                                   Lía Miersch, Argentina
 
                      filtered sunlight deep in the forest the lyrebird sings
                                                                    Mark Miller, Australia
 
morning of her passing
                     new buds on the dogwood

listening
for the falling close –
song sparrow
         Beverly Acuff Momoi, USA
 
                                                                          late August
                                                                          the sunset
                                                                          in another window

                                                                          almost forgotten
                                                                          plum tomatoes
                                                                          covered by frost
                                                                                 Mike Montreuil, Canada
 
summer dusk
voices in the wind
rise and fall

no stranger
under the cherry tree
wine tasting

falling out
of the poetry book
pink petals
        Joanne Morcom, Canada
 
                                                                           weeding the onions
                                                                           down on my knees
                                                                           thunderclap

                                                                           sarchiando le cipolle
                                                                           piegata sui ginocchi
                                                                           rombo di tuono

                                                                           tamped into earth
                                                                           a fragile cutting
                                                                           homesickness

                                                                           pressata nella terra
                                                                           una fragile talea
                                                                           nostalgia di casa

                                                                           elm pruning . . .
                                                                           the first of no-coat day
                                                                           I wink at the greengrocer

                                                                           potatura dell’olmo
                                                                           primo di’ senza cappotto . . .
                                                                           strizzo l’occhio all’ortolano
                                                                                   Luciana Moretto, Italy
 
                                                full moon
                                                I could walk across the lake
                                                on a strip of light
                                                       Wilda Morris, USA
 
dandelion breeze –
the deadlines I let drift
out of sight

beach roses –
the way she talks her way
down the path
       Laurie D. Morrissey, USA
 
                                                                           a butterfly pauses
                                                                           to drink from the gutter
                                                                           departing summer
                                                                                   Leanne Mumford, Australia
 
                                                cloud watching
                                                elephants and dragons
                                                come and go
                                                        Nika, Canada
 
fading light
the hummingbird returns
to drink its fill

insomnia
the trajectories of stars
become familiar
        Helen Ogden, USA
 
                                                                           not able to hear
                                                                           the skylark’s song –
                                                                           this dead fox

                                                                          cloudy once again –
                                                                          where do bees, butterflies go
                                                                          on mornings like these?

                                                                         last day of the holidays –
                                                                         a juvenile stone chat
                                                                         trills a goodbye
                                                                                 Maeve O’Sullivan, Ireland
 
stars within my palm
dandelions to the wind
couldn’t save it all
         Scott Packer, Canada
 
                                                                         peace lily
                                                                         I move my shadow
                                                                         away from the butterfly
                                                                                  Pravat Kumar Padhy, India
 
                                               first day without her
                                               mother’s empty kettle
                                               heavy in my hand
                                                       Vandana Parashar, India
 
mother’s death . . .
a butterfly settles
on my coffee cup

majčina smrt . . .
na šalicu s kavom
spusti se leptir
         Dejan Pavlinović, Croatia
 
                                                                           death
                                                                           in the family . . .
                                                                           a dried rose
                                                                                 Susan Bonk Plumridge, Canada
 
in the space between
a winter’s shadows
hairy bittercress

winter’s bite
the stonechat’s tangle
of bramble bushes
        Thomas Powell, Wales, UK
 
                                                                           swarm of Mayflies
                                                                           the Vietnam Vet
                                                                           turns 70
                                                                                   Anthony J. Pupello, USA
 
                                                old hut . . .
                                                in a nest of broken pot
                                                fledglings of sparrow
                                                        Milan Rajkumar, India
 
the squirrel’s mouth
stuffed with magnolia bud
spring bursting out

creekful of rain
the egret and I both
spellbound

fireworks
the stars still
the stars
        Dian Duchin Reed, USA
 
                                                                           plum blosssoms
                                                                           repeats of my childhood
                                                                           in dreams

                                                                           passing boat
                                                                           how a moment slips
                                                                           in memory
                                                                                 Meera Rehm, UK
 
luminescent sea
all the little things
we think we’ll remember
       Samantha Renda, South Africa
 
                                                                          a butcherbird
                                                                          pretending not to be
                                                                          a butcherbird
                                                                                 Carol Reynolds, Australia
 
                                               moonlit night
                                               in the mango breeze
                                               the smell of future

                                               spring snow
                                               a child searches
                                               for Santa’s gifts
                                                      Srinivas S, India
 
dying river –
the dog finds a new way
to graveyard

ఎండుతున్న నది--
స్మశానానికి క్రొత్త దారి
కుక్క కనుగొంది 
 
an old snail
at the speed of ferris wheel
on the ferris wheel

ఓ ముసలి నత్త 
రంగుల రాట్నపు  వేగంతో 
రంగుల రాట్నం  పై 
 
fertility center
a bee in the garden
flutters wings

ప్రసూతి కేంద్రం 
తోటలో ఓ తుమ్మెద  రెక్కలు
ఆడిస్తుంది   
         Srinivasa Rao Sambangi, India
 
                                                                           ripe peaches
                                                                           how sweetly she calls out
                                                                           to her brother
                                                                                  Minal Sarosh, India
 
setting sun
fishermen wade back
trailed by their children
         Agnes Eva Savich, USA
 
                                                                           two days
                                                                           to see Paris
                                                                           a pair of cabbage whites

                                                                           holding hands
                                                                           down a pea gravel lane . . .
                                                                           little yellows
                                                                                   Julie Schwerin, USA
 
fireflies . . .
eighteen years
of her silence

जुनकीरी . . .
अठार वर्ष देखीको
उनको मौनता

floating
in the swimming pool
summer moon

तैरिदैछ
स्विमिङ्गपुलमा
असारे जून

ripe mango . . .
I pray another day
of sweetness

पाकेको आँप . . .
म प्रार्थना गर्छु अर्को
मधुर दिन 
         Manoj Sharma, Nepal
 
                                                Spring stars dimmed –
                                                Ukraine at war comes
                                                Into my mind

                                   春の星うるむや胸にウクライナ

                                                The sound of footsteps
                                                 fade away at a slope
                                                 spring hazy night

                                     靴音の消ゆる坂道朧かな
                                                         Kyoko Shimizu, Japan
 
                                                                          on a goat path
                                                                          a boy with a baby goat
                                                                          faded photo

                                                                          по козя пътека
                                                                          момче с малко козленце
                                                                          избледняла снимка
                                                                                  Tsanka Shishkova, Bulgaria
 
dawn birdsong . . .
a leafless branch
springs to life

भोर पंछी गान ..
एक पत्ती-रहित शाखा
जीवन से प्रवाहित

spring breeze
the old dog rolls
on his back

बसंती हवा
वृद्ध कुत्ता लुढ़कता है
अपनी पीठ पर
         Neena Singh, India
 
                                                                           first barbecue
                                                                           a local stray
                                                                           shows us kittens

                                                                           prvi roštilij
                                                                           ulična mačka
                                                                           pokazuje mačiće
                                                                                  Tomislav Sjekloća, Montenegro
 
first kiss –
the forest fills
with fireflies

the magnolia
she planted as a child
last breath
         Stephenie Story, USA
 
                                                                           this path wider
                                                                           at the beginning . . .
                                                                           moonglade
                                                                                   Debbie Strange, Canada
 
                                                monkeys swing tree to tree –
                                                scattered petals
                                                on the river
                                                        Kyle Sullivan, Taiwan
 
Easter egg hunt –
the child picks up
a banana slug

sparrow song
spring suddenly
surrounds us
        Angela Terry, USA
 
                                                                           swirling clouds –
                                                                           mist in a granite cleft
                                                                           furls into the sea

                                                                           where a brook
                                                                           disappears under asphalt
                                                                           fiddlehead ferns
                                                                                    Richard Tice, USA
 
cold rain –
in the swallow’s nest
choir in four voices

ploaie rece –
în cuibul rândunicii
cor pe patru voci

no titmouse –
the first drops of rain fall
on the cracked ground

nici un piţigoi –
primii stropi de ploaie cad
pe solul crăpat
           Maria Tirenescu, Romania
 
                                                                            their own nest
                                                                            between rooftops
                                                                            cherry blossom
                                                                                    Xenia Tran, Scotland, UK
 
misty morning –
the awkward grace
of dancing cranes

first firefly
a child lets
himself go
         Kevin Valentine, USA
 
                                                                          oriole song –
                                                                          I will catch a foul ball
                                                                          for my old neighbor
                                          
                                                                          пісня іволги – 
                                                                          для старого сусіда 
                                                                          спіймаю фаул-бол 
                                                                                    Anna Viazmitinova, Ukraine
 
                                               paper doll
                                               sixty years later
                                               the same smile
                                                      Mary Vlooswyk, Canada
 
daybreak . . .
the cornflowers and the stars
change their places

revărsat de zori . . .
schimbându-şi locul
albăstrele cu stele

when magic is born . . .
a blue dragonfly comes
into your hair

când se naşte magia . . .
o libelulă albastră
ţi se prinde-n păr
          Steliana Cristina Voicu, Romania
 
                                                                           sultry morning
                                                                           the first ripe tomato
                                                                           pecked by a bird
                                                                                    Marilyn Appl Walker, USA
 
Secluded leaf
In the rhythm of the wind
Keeps me still
         Anthony Ward, UK
 
                                                                            not caring
                                                                            that the tree is dead
                                                                            resting ravens
                                                                                    David Watts, USA
 
cherry blossom rain –
my child boosts herself
to the lowest branch

memorial service –
the rain lets up
on the stained-glass windows
         Michael Dylan Welch, USA
 
                                                                           driving through these hills
                                                                           the sun rises the sun sets
                                                                           again and again again
                                                                                   Kelley J. White, USA
 
swans
sailing into the mist . . .
mum and dad

night clouds
the truths
that follow us home
         Tony Williams, Scotland, UK
 
                                                                           summer breeze
                                                                           a butterfly quivers
                                                                           on her fingertip

                                                                           purple clouds
                                                                           bursting with thunder
                                                                           lilacs in the rain
                                                                                    Robert Witmer, Japan
 
                                                spring drizzle
                                                becoming fluent in the language
                                                of birds
                                                         Valorie Woerdehoff, USA
 
dusk moon
a snowy egret bows
before night

one more soldier
a rose in fresh bloom
falls into shadow
         Jann Wright, USA

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 door
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*
             &nbs