<![CDATA[Autumn Moon Haiku Journal - Home]]>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:16:49 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[Special Issue - Remembering Bruce Ross]]>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 18:14:30 GMThttps://www.autumnmoonhaiku.com/home/special-issue-remembering-bruce-ross

My beloved husband and haiku luminary Bruce Ross, the founder of this journal, passed away in January 2026.
I am publishing below a few testimonials of variable length from fellow poets, in this special issue remembering him.
But this great loss as well as more family emergencies happening in my life will delay the publication of the Spring/Summer issue (and the response to your submissions may be delayed until the beginning of June), please be patient.
Astrid Andreescu, March 2026
 
Testimonials:

I was really shocked to receive the news of the death of Mr. Bruce Ross. Kōko Katō and I send our sincerest condolences to you. I remember his soft voice and his speech at the Kō  30th anniversary meeting held in Nagoya 10 years ago. I understand how he loved haiku and the nature of Japan. I inform belatedly that his haiku was awarded by the Nagoya city board of education last November through the selection of Kōko Katō.

The moon smaller
at the top of its arc
autumn begins

You have already succeeded with “Autumn Moon” in his spirit. He must have been very happy with you.
I pray his soul may rest in peace and wish your good health.

Kyoko Shimizu, Editorial Staff, Kō (Japan)

******
It is a summer morning in New Zealand. The sky is blue but there are no sounds when I read an email with the sad news that a writing friend in the US has passed away. Although we never met, Bruce and I  became acquainted through poetry. The natural scene and the details of humanity are the common focus of the haiku poet and draw people together from most parts of the world. It was a pleasure to know Bruce through our poetry and he will be sadly missed by all who knew him.  

Patricia Prime, New Zealand, co-editor of A Vast Sky

******
 I only met Bruce Ross a few times. He was a poet of such attention to what he was sensing, whether a leaf caught in rain, or a spider caught, not just in morning light, but in a specific kind of morning light, a morning teapot light. I was struck by his modesty. There he would be, not putting himself forward, and I’d be thinking But that’s Bruce Ross! He embodied an incredible modesty, this poet whose haiku were so direct, such treasures. I know his work remains, but I will be remembering Bruce as a kind and gentle poet who captured his world so particularly, I could almost look at a group of poems and know which had been written by him. Of course, we will miss him very much here in Canada.

Claudia Coutu Radmore, Canada

******
Bruce’s book, Haiku Moment, opened a door for me when I first began writing haiku. I met him in person at several Haiku Canada conferences, and appreciated his teaching and insights. His haibun workshop inspired me. After reading my 2011 chapbooks, I received a postcard from him saying they were “both from the heart.” That note could only be written by someone living from the heart. Bruce will be deeply missed as poet, educator, and friend.

Philomene Kocher, Canada

******
I never had the pleasure of meeting Bruce in person and our exchanges in the early 90’s were infrequent and brief. That said, they were enough to make a lasting impact on me as he did on English-language haiku. He cared for the form and substance of haiku. In a sea of egos Bruce was a quiet, unassuming force. His poetry simple, unassuming, yet with a rich, deep resonance.

Japanese garden ...
a bamboo staff left
in the bamboo
(haiku by Bruce Ross)

Tony Pupello, New York City, USA

******
The haiku community mourns the passing of Bruce Ross—Past President of the Haiku Society of America, distinguished poet, author, editor, and founder of Autumn Moon Haiku Journal. His work carried both scholarship and stillness, inviting us to see the ordinary moment with awakened eyes.
Bruce’s generosity as an editor was well known; he received haiku submissions with kindness and gave them a home. He created a welcoming space where poets from across the world found learning & encouragement.
Alongside his wife, Astrid, he nurtured a community rooted in attentiveness and haiku aesthetics. His absence is deeply felt, but his legacy shall continue to shine and inspire. 

Neena Singh, India

******
Such sad news: Bruce Ross left us last January, a time conducive to memories, he is on my mind for his poems both simple and profound as successful haiku always are.
Certainly his books and theoretical works will remain in the history of Haiku Poetry.
We have had the opportunity to exchange viewpoints several times over the years about the evolution of this literary genre and I remember that the professor considered e. e. cummings the ultimate innovator within the realm of poetry, in the broad sense. I learned a lot from him. I’m close to Astrid in this hard, distressing moment, but I am sure she can continue the professor’s work . I wish her peaceful days as much as possible.

Luciana Moretto, Italy

******
Bruce Ross had an abiding interest in haiku, haibun, Zen Buddhism and animal rights that focused his life as a teacher, mentor, scholar, poet, writer, editor and author. He was simply caring and intellectually curious with a warmth and indelible fun sense of humor. I met Bruce in the early 1990's at a Haiku Society of America retreat at the Dai Bosatsu Zendo in the Catskills of New York. It was a great pleasure to subsequently meet at other haiku events and I will always be grateful to Bruce for his many contributions to the haiku community and for his bringing sensitivity and awareness to nature and all life through his writing and haiku. He was a much-beloved friend to many and no doubt his light travels far. 

Tom Clausen, USA

******
We met with Bruce Ross many times in Bucharest, organizing together several roundtable discussions regarding trends in contemporary haiku, and we also collaborated on two bilingual Romanian/American anthologies, one of haibun (Travelers through Seasons) and one of senryu (Senryu Therapy). We deeply regret the passing of the poet Bruce Ross, who was a collaborator, a source of inspiration, and a close friend to haiku poets in Romania, and we extend our sincere condolences to his wife, Mrs. Astrid Andreescu, as well as to his entire family.

Valentin Nicoliţov, president of the Romanian Haiku Society and Editor, Haiku Journal

******
I was extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Bruce Ross, a friend, and important figure to me personally and to many in the haiku community. When I first met Bruce in one of his visits to the Boston Haiku Society in the mid-90’s, I was immediately impressed by his erudition and range of literary and philosophical knowledge. Besides his Haiku Moment, An Anthology of Contemporary North American Haiku (1993), and haiku collections, his work in the vanguard of English language haibun had greatest impact on my own writing, and he was always a generous advocate for my work in haibun.
I came to know Bruce better when he presented a Forum on Haibun at the 2001 HNA, which I took part in hosting with Raffael DeGruttola and Karen Klein in Boston. Bruce was a forceful early practitioner, editor, and ambassador of haibun, and I will always be grateful to him for publishing two of my early haibun—probably two of the most personal and emotionally raw pieces I had ever written in any form —in his pathbreaking Journey to the Interior: American Versions of Haibun (1998). With these haibun of mine, written out of grief for the death of my first lover, Bruce was also publishing some of the earliest “queer” haibun and helping open the form to alternate voices. Likewise, Bruce also included one these pieces “Haibun for Dennis” in his How to Haiku (1999, updated in 2022) Guide to writing haiku and related forms. This generous championing of my work was crucial in my focus on haibun as a means of poetic expression to the present.
Later, I often met Bruce for lunch at a vegetarian restaurant in Cambridge, MA, when he would come to town for a Conference on Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy. He was always brimming over with enthusiasm and intellectual ambition, mining the space between Buddhist aesthetics and the western philosophical tradition. I appreciated his cosmopolitanism and curiosity, which was balanced by a gentleness, and care for all of non-human nature, shown in so many of his haiku:

spring thaw
a new spider
in the mailbox

I was reminded of the pleasure with which he offered me a tour of his and his wife Astrid’s beautiful garden in Maine and the carefully placed Buddha statues there, when I recently re-read this haibun:

The Inmost Solution

I have been contemplating the wall in every season. Watching the Buddha statue set on it changing. This cold autumn day has its own clarity.

old stone wall
one of its sunlit rocks
a key to it all
( Haibun Today, Vol. 5, no.4, Dec. 2011)

It feels appropriate to end this personal reflection with Bruce’s own words:

without me
my shoes on the floor
so still
(Terebess Asia Online)

Judson Evans, USA

******
Although we communicated about haiku by email whenever I submitted to Autumn Moon and I was familiar with many of his books, I only met Bruce in person a couple of times. He generously invited me to join him, Astrid, and some other Maine haiku poets for two ginko / haiku walks on the coast. What struck me then was his passion for and deep knowledge of haiku. He gave so much to the haiku community; I often dip into and reference his books when I teach haiku workshops. It’s an honor now to be helping Astrid carry on his legacy with Autumn Moon Haiku Journal. 

Kristen Lindquist, USA,  Co-editor, Autumn Moon Haiku Journal

******
I met Bruce through haiku in 1994 (we were introduced by Liz Fenn, who was friends with my aunt, Romanian haiku poet Manuela Miga, as I was coming to the US as a young Romanian poet), and we have been kindred spirits ever since. I remember his gentle spirit and his unyielding desire to uphold haiku standards. He always carried a tiny book and jotted down at least one if not ten haiku every day, and he would read them all to me in the evening. I miss him, but his spirit remains with me always. For those interested, I am honoring him by reading one of his haiku almost daily on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@tanchomethod
​
Astrid Andreescu, co-editor, Autumn Moon Haiku Journal
 
​
A few favorite haiku by Bruce Ross:

migrating monarchs
cluster along the shoreline.
thousands of wet stones
(from: thousands of wet stones, his first chapbook of haiku, 1980s)

steady spring rain –
a tree takes shape
at dawn

not minding one bit
a loon in the choppy waves
beyond the pier

so brave
the small tree
in the flooded field

spring dusk . . .
two kittens stare out the window
into it

late summer wind –
the shimmering green wings
of the dead dragonfly

morning sprinkles . . .
a whole slug family crosses
the country road

a mallard beak glistens
among floating duckweed –
first October chill
               (from among floating duckweed, 1994)

autumn drizzle –
the slow ticking
of the clock

summer pond –
wild yellow irises lean
in the shadows

a field mouse
on a crinkly elm leaf
breathing

so quiet
by the roadside
Queen Anne’s lace

late afternoon light:
the shadows of pebbles
on the road

spring morning –
a goose feather floats
in the quiet room

silence
the snow-covered rocks
under winter stars
(from Silence collected haiku, 1997)

October daybreak . . .
a leaf on the skylight
brightens

steam rising
from my favorite cup
early spring clouds

old conglomerate
filled with bright pebbles
this sadness

in the dream
my dead friend has to go
winter solstice

a solitary crow
from tree to tree
first snow

spring morning
a bird leaves the pond
leaves the ripples
​
the memorial candle
lasting longer than a day
autumn clouds
(from spring clouds    haiku, 2012)]]><![CDATA[Autumn Moon Haiku Journal Volume 9:1, Autumn/Winter 2025-26]]>Fri, 05 Dec 2025 19:04:43 GMThttps://www.autumnmoonhaiku.com/home/autumn-moon-haiku-journal-volume-91-autumnwinter-2025-26autumn sunset . . .
perched among the last leaves
the restless crow
 
Surely this autumn crow, shared by Bruce Ross in his 1994 chapbook among floating duckweed, is meant to counter Basho’s famous crow: on a withered branch / a crow has settled / autumn evening (translation by David Landis Barnhill). Rather than the bleak, still scene depicted in Basho’s haiku, in Ross’s haiku the almost-bare branches are backlit by the colors of sunset. The “settled” crow has become “restless,” implying pent-up energy and motion. Ross shares a different kind of autumn haiku moment, one that reminds us that the year’s end can be a time of inspiration, when we can see the leafless trees as bleak and bereft, or as hauntingly beautiful. And it’s the space around their empty branches, the visual white space offered by snow and ice, that opens now to give us the room we might need to breath, expand, and create.
 
The haiku in this issue capture beautifully this spectrum of moods and tones that we find in the autumn and winter seasons, from the motion inherent in the migration of birds and butterflies, to the wind’s chilly chaos; from frosts and owls calling in the dark, to the stillness of snowfall, “days of seclusion” and “meditative walk[s].” These are moments in which the interplay of light and darkness takes on new significance, in which our very breath manifests in the cold. We settle and turn inward now, like a hibernating wood frog frozen till spring, and/or we “give the snow globe another shake” and indulge our restless spirit, turning outward to “the vixen’s bark” and the clarity of winter stars. May our readers find some inner fuel for getting through this challenging time of year—and this challenging time in human history—in the depth and emotional resonance of the haiku shared here.
 
Kristen Lindquist
Maine, USA, December 2025
 

 
tumbleweed
claiming the empty dunes
. . . solitude
              Wanda Amos, Australia
 
a girlish twirl
in her tail
long-legged bobcat
              Cynthia Anderson, USA

autumn wind
flights of starlings 
follow the virga
​
labyrinth walk
with each turn
a changing leaf
             Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA

meditative walk 
the fallen leaves swirl 
around my feet 

فکر انگیز واک
گرے ہوئے پتے گھومتے ہیں
میرے پاؤں کے ارد گرد
          Hifsa Ashraf, Pakistan
 
winter hour
the long breath
of darkness
           Joanna Ashwell, UK

courting
a shard of sunlight             
winter willow
          Gavin Austin, Australia

Strings of jasmine
my mother's crumpled aanchal
rests on dad’s shoulder
*aanchal: The loose end or pallu of a sari that drapes over the shoulder
           Laila B, USA

persimmons slicing winterlight
           Michael Battisto, USA

yellow-rumped warblers
in a little waterfall –
gifts of migration
           Jane Beal, USA

alpine winds
the soft timbre
of fresh snow
          Mona Bedi, India

warm spell 
I give the snow globe 
another shake 
           Millicent Bee, USA

dark early . . .
delicata crescents
roasting in the oven
           Brad Bennett, USA

first snowfall
my niece’s laughter
today’s blessing

première neige
le rire de ma nièce
la grâce du jour
           Maxianne Berger, Canada

Salish sea— 
his long prayer
from the death row
          Shiva Bhusal, USA/Nepal

harvest dust settling on now fallow fields

fallen leaves muffle a spring peeper's fall echo
                              Sally Biggar, USA

upland walk
the horsefly and I
stop for a picnic
          Bisshie, Switzerland

eons
on the forest floor 
the autumn sun 
 
dawn moon
a subtle sound 
from the snowy egrets 
          Shawn Blair, USA

autumn storm
competing with my piano
the raindrops

есенна буря
в състезание с моето пиано
дъждовните капки
           Boryana Boteva, Bulgaria
 
      open arms . . .
that old scarecrow's
     a wide perch
             brett brady, USA

autumn migration
a monarch butterfly lands
on her finger
            Nancy Brady, USA

horse pasture -
a fence around 
grazing geese
           Karen Bramblett, USA

parting ways
the river catches
a leaf
           Max Breedlove, USA

there they go
       racing their shadows upriver--
                 fast flying geese!
             John Brehm, USA

home for the holidays
a quiet snow softens
campus streets
           Randy Brooks, USA

late summer rains
the rare red leaves
of autumn aspens

a paint horse
hovers above the pasture
ground fog
           Alanna C. Burke, USA

after rain...
looking down on
the sky
         Marylyn Burridge, USA

the hazy light
of an autumn dawn
wistful memory

relishing 
the joy of remission -
Indian summer 
         Paul Callus, Malta

sunflowers stand
in the blizzard
this struggle for peace 

s'innalzano nella bufera
i girasoli
questa lotta per la pace 

Monday blues 
the sudden choir
of the larks

tristezza del lunedì
improvviso il coro
delle allodole
         Mariangela Canzi, Italy

grandmother's wardrobe –
among the clothes
a few sprigs of dried lavender

dulapul bunicii –
printre haine
câteva fire de lavandă uscată
         Daniela Lăcrămioara Capotă, Romania

fallen seed
the towhees’ first
chewink
        Matthew Caretti, USA/American Samoa

migrating monarchs
grandma waving
a No Kings sign
        Archie G. Carlos, USA

pondering a leaf
placed under
a stone
         Tim Chamberlain, Japan

old garden gloves
the shape of his hand
holding mine
 
lost in thought
I miss the neighbor
waving Issa's radish
         Eleanor Channell, USA

winter wind 
what’s on my mind
missed calls from my mother

         冬 風
     何は 私の心
母からの不在着信

           fuyu kaze
nani wa watashi no kokoro
Haha kara no fuzai chakushin

autumn day 
my mother’s music
in my heart

秋の日
母の音楽
心の中に

 aki no hi 
haha no ongaku 
kokoro no naka ni
            Manasa Reddy Chichili, India

autumn stars
the time between
a cricket's chirps

autumn sun
a cicada shell attached 
in samsara 
           Tom Clausen, USA

moonlight
the dragonfly's wings
fold gentian blue

returning home
between cloud and mountain
the raven adrift
          Ria Collins, Ireland

sun on the sycamore
shadow branches
scale a snowy bank
          Mary Ann Conley, USA
 
no use chatting
massed choir of cicadas
booked the canyon
          Julie Constable, Australia
 
autumn breeze 
a dream that has remained 
closed in the drawer

brezza autunnale 
un sogno rimasto chiuso 
in un cassetto 
         Maria Concetta Conti, Italy

flooded cranberries
a wolf spider halfway up
my thigh
          Bill Cooper, USA

just for a moment
the throb of a thrush’s heart
in my hands

standing tall
in moonlight . . .
a white lily
           Sue Courtney, New Zealand

autumn blues
the busker’s hat
fills with rain
 
lungkot ng taglagas
sombrero ng mang-aawit
napupuno ng ulan
 
the end of visiting hours cold moon
 
ang katapusan ng oras ng pagbisita malamig na buwan 
​            Alvin B. Cruz, The Philippines


autumn tastes
just the same
baked quinces
           Maya Daneva, The Netherlands

playground
the snow angel
with one wing

light snow
the breath of a bison
over its calf
           Pat Davis, USA

delta autumn 
summer lingers
in falling leaves 
          Shyla Davis, USA

walking
where so many have walked
Silk Road
 
marchant
où tant de gens ont marché
Route de la soie
           Marie Derley, Belgium

swirling leaves . . .
     the importance of a solid
           tai chi stance
             Ed Dewar, Canada

daytime moon
leaves form a circle
beneath the dogwood
          Carmela Dolce, USA

winter midday
dragged by a cat’s tail
a sunbeam

зимно пладне
котарак влачи с опашката си
слънчев лъч
           Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria

beachfront property
entering a new home
the hermit crab
          John J. Dunphy, USA

first frost
a dandelion sprouting
through pavement 
         Tim Dwyer, Northern Ireland

brittle branches
beneath the elm
rainless autumn
          Lynn Edge, USA

an old oak
defrosts
the scent of rain . . .
         Adele Evershed, USA

crusted with frost
the bright red crab-apples
grown for jelly 
         Keith Evetts, UK

first snow
a barred owl's
twilight dirge
        Colleen Farrelly, USA

the tilted head
of a titmouse –
morning news
        Barbara Feehrer, USA

first snow
she realizes
how old I am
        Sean Felix, USA

Settlers Bay Cemetery
the shell 
that held me

blue of the bay 
the hills cradle 
an unseen ache
         Jenny Fraser, New Zealand

autumn sunset
a cluster of bees deep
in the goldenrod
          Jay Friedenberg, USA

heart of winter . . .
an arrowslit
lets in the moonlight
          Seth Friedman, USA

the hammock alone
swings –
autumn daybreak

la hamaca sola
se balancea –
mañanita de otoño

winter moon –
in the city a policeman
watches it

luna de invierno –
en la ciudad la mira
un policía
           Rafael Garcìa Bidò, Dominican Republic

winter coldness--
putting my mom
in a nursing home

zimska hladnoća--
stavljajući moju majku
u starački dom
           Goran Gatalica, Croatia

the crow cracks
a walnut in perfect halves
autumnal equinox

 враната чупи
орех на перфектни половинки
есенно равноденствие
           Ivan Georgiev, Bulgaria/Germany

a bear
rolls down the slope
rumble of thunder
          Mark Gilbert, UK

​sliding down the driveway 
street unplowed
we go all day without break
          Andrew Grossman, USA

semester break
my mother's starting
to grow distant

semesterferien
meine mutter beginnt
zu fremdeln
          Alexander Groth, Germany

late winter storm
a rain-soaked deck
covered with plum blossoms
          Johnnie Johnson Hafernik, USA

autumn sky
raking the leaves
I raked yesterday
          Violet Avery Hall, USA

bare trees
   an abandoned squirrel nest
beneath grey sky
 
light snow
   the fox romping
with a boot
          Lev Hart, Canada

dawn choral
a blackbird fills the ivy
with notes of light

tilling the land
the earth turns slowly
under our feet
          John Hawkhead, UK

stick weather
huddling in the brambles
a cardinal's red
           Deborah Burke Henderson, USA

headlights
heading this way!
crow in the rain
           chad henry, USA

outstretched wings
turkey vultures
enlarge the sky
           Jeff Hoagland, USA

cool moonlight
the blackberry bushes
picked clean
           Ruth Holzer, USA

swirl of leaves
a squirrel pats
the earth flat

autumn light
a tiny moth
finds the kitchen
           Frank Hooven, USA

windless night
the koel’s constant calls
muddles our dreams
          Marilyn Humbert, Australia

bare trees the last leaf of the calendar 

copaci golași ultima foaie din calendar

forest bathing 
just the rustle of leaves 
with every step

baie de pădure
doar foșnetul frunzelor
la fiece pas
           Mona Iordan, Romania 

shadows lengthening
longhorns leave
for the outer meadow
           Erica Ison, UK

drawing class
she puts back the brown
crayon for next autumn
          Lakshmi Iyer, India

fig compote
left to cool in the pan 
evening stars

イチジクコンポート冷えゆく夕の星
ichijiku kompōto hieyuku yū no hoshi

yellow ginkgoes 
a community cat
on the old man’s lap

銀杏いろづき老人の膝の猫
ichō irozuki rōjin no hiza no neko 
           Keiko Izawa, Japan

hunger moon shadows crossing a withered field

wandering soul
a butterfly
in the salad bowl
            Rick Jackofsky, USA

forced retirement 
a winter buck
sheds his antlers 
           AJ Johnson, USA

autumn yard walk
scent of night jasmine
mingled with moonlight

शरद आँगन टहल
रात की रानी की सुगंध
चाँदनी से मिली हुई
          Govind Joshi, India

letting go . . .
ripe in the bottle gourd 
a garland of notes
 
जाने देना . . .
लौकी में पकी हुई
सुरों की माला
            Monica Kakkar, India/USA
 
Buzzing faintly
an autumn mosquito . . .
daytime moon                                               

秋の蚊のか細き声や昼の月
 
Arabesque
drawn by withered ivies
on the mud wall

枯蔦の土塀に描きしアラベスク
              Satoru Kanematsu, Japan

fragrant white rose
startled from their dreams
two earwigs
             Deborah Karl-Brandt, Germany

on my window sill
a pair of willy wagtails -
tick tock, tick tock
             Keitha Keyes, Australia

moonlight
the colourlessness
of autumn leaves
             Ravi Kiran, India

Lowering the coffin
to rest, a bee lands
on the wreath.

Mens kista senkes 
i jorda, setter en bie  
seg på kransen.
              Joakim Kjørsvik, Norway (transl. Harry Man)

where the river bends
the s-curve
of a heron's neck
              Kim Klugh, USA

child's squealing . . .
tiny boots drive the sun
out of the puddle
 
cika djeteta . . .
čizmice tjeraju sunce
iz lokvice
             Nina Kovačić, Croatia

snowdrifts -
thyme tea reminds me
there’s a garden below  

závěje –
tymiánový čaj mi připomíná
zahradu pod nimi
            Hynek Koziol, Czech Republic

the last steps
of a little mouse . . .
wingprints in the snow
            Kimberly Kuchar, USA

a step out . . .
into morning darkness
and bird song
            Jill Lange, USA

fallen branch -
autumn leaves
aging in place
            Barrie Levine, USA

winter stars
in the small hours
a low tremor through the rails
           Kathryn Liebowitz, USA

winter fog
heavier than expected
father's ashes
 
冬霧
比預想的更沉重
父親的骨灰
             Chen-ou Liu, Canada

almost melted
this morning’s peninsula
of snow
              Robert Lowes, USA

winter morning –
a curtain of fog behind the glass
and a cold will

zimsko jutro –
zastor magle iza stakla 
i hladna volja
             Brigita Lukina, Croatia

first snow –
from the forest
an owl’s hoot

u užarenoj peći
sagorijevaju cjepanice –
ugođaj doma
             Glorija Lukina, Croatia

a dead leaf
still suspended in mid-air
 - frozen spiderweb

una foglia morta
ancora sospesa a mezz'aria -
ragnatela gelata
            Oscar Luparia, Italy

a stone streaked
with coral fossils . . .
surf after the storm
             Hannah Mahoney, USA

surgery room
the colors all the same . . .
like my fears

sala operatoria 
i colori tutti uguali . . .
come le mie paure 
             Antonio Mangiameli, Italy

autumn silence
the pianist's hands hover 
over the keys
 
jesienna cisza
jeszcze nad klawiszami
dłonie pianisty
 
winter morning
only my face in the shards 
of our mirror
 
zimowy ranek
w naszym stłuczonym lustrze
tylko moja twarz
            Urszula Marciniak, Poland
 
late fall
removing the thorns 
from the rose

fine autunno
togliendo le spine
dalla rosa
            Carmela Marino, Italy

september rain
grandad's wheelchair
becomes lighter

rujanska kiša
djedova kolica
postadu lakša
              Martina Matijević, Croatia
              
rusty chairs
the creak of autumn
folded in 
            Richard L. Matta, USA

snuggled up in bed
rain becomes 
a lullaby
            Mary McCormack, USA

wool tags snagged
on barbed wire
late winter
            Jo McInerney, Australia

this night
without a moon
one small candle
            MJ Mello, USA
 
Steaming greetings
from behind the scarves
Winter Monday
 
Tras las bufandas
humean los saludos
Lunes de invierno
            Lía Miersch, Argentina
 
moonshine
straight from the mason jar
stars in the river 
 
winter solstice
the scent of juniper
cleansing the house
             Rowan Beckett Minor, USA
 
my face
blurred in a reflection . . .
autumn leaves
 
il mio viso 
sfumato in un riflesso . . .
foglie autunnali
              Daniela Misso, Italy
 
September sun
through the cottonwood leaves
a goldfinch's cap
             Katie Montagna, Ireland
 
unhoused –
a blanket of snow 
for warmth

harvest moon –
I see the world
in a new light
           Joanne Morcom, Canada

neither cold nor dark . . .
magic spell
of wintersweet

ne' freddo ne' buio . . .
l' incantesimo
del calicanto d'inverno
           Luciana Moretto, Italy

mittens joined
by a length of yarn –
winter closeness

falling snow –
tailfeathers tipped
with yellow
          Laurie D. Morrissey, USA

sunset trees
with the last light
the owl's eyes

copaci la apus
​cu ultima rază de lumină
ochii bufniţei
           Florian Munteanu, Romania

pale blue sky
crows take the place
of leaves
          Sean Murphy, USA

crossing over
a country stile
winter fog
           Gareth Nurden, Wales, UK

dry creek bed
a dipper bird pecks
the pavement
            Nola Obee, Canada

headlong into a web -
the spider's
eight legs, eight eyes

na glavo v mrežo -
pajkovih
osem nog, osem oči
             Polona Oblak, Slovenia

harvest moon
a buck and his doe
grazing the light
             Helen Ogden, USA

rain-washed sunflowers 
the orbweaver 
rebuilds her world

clouded moon 
the vixen's bark 
turns down our street 
             Ben Oliver, England, UK

a hint of autumn
in goldfinch feathers
waste yarn
             Debbie Olson, USA

paddling
a river of stars
the wild calling of loons
             Nancy Orr, USA

as if on cue
a squirrel scampers through leaves –
haiku workshop
             Maeve O’Sullivan, Ireland

warmth's final notes
echo off the horizon -
prairie wren song 
             Scott Packer, Canada

sunrise
across the pews
slow rainbows
            John Pappas, USA

taliban winter
muffled sound of water
under the ice

predawn mist
a rescue boat turns back
for another round
            Vandana Parashar, India
 
Celtic triskelion
a burial mound gathers
the winter light 
            Marianne Paul, Canada

coyote tracks
around a dead deer -- the urge
to interpret
           M. R. Pelletier, USA

work to do
the spotted thick-knee
feigns injury
            Gregory Piko, Australia

simmering soup
the disappearing sound
of garden magpies

cradling in her arms
an empty nest . . .
bare pin oak
            Madhuri Pillai, Australia

falling snow
rampant plywood horses
in the old pasture
            Andrew Pineo, USA

black Friday . . .
the blind man's cup 
still empty

farewell . . .
the elm's golden leaves
fall into dad's chair
           Marion Alice Poirier, USA

rising tide
the skerry’s last cormorant
heads out into the bay
          Thomas Powell, N. Ireland

first snow –
I hold my mother’s
lace embroidery

prima neve –
serbo i ricami in pizzo
di mia madre
          Maria Cristina Pulvirenti, Italy

70th birthday
crossing over
the monkey bridge

high school reunion
the seaside carousel
spinning too fast
          Tony Pupello, USA
         
           autumn dusk -
    the empty swing
still warm  
 
 
  empty garden -
        a leaf trembles
              in the birdbath sky  
            Vaishnavi Pusapati, India

snowy night
silence settles
into bed beside me

autumn walk
gold leaves drift in and out
of my daydream
           Kristen Radden, USA

feeling a chill
the scarlet maple
spills out of itself

snow came softly
at dawn a neon cardinal
in the blue cedar
           Carol Raisfeld, USA

millipede crossing –
a tailorbird waits
at the weep hole
            Vaishnavi Ramaswamy, India

harvest moon
taste of ripe plums
in our talks
           Bhawana Rathore, India

in the birdbath
a feather and its shadow
falling leaves 

moment of warmth
autumn’s last yellowjacket
sips from the birdbath
           Dian Duchin Reed, USA

the rhythm
of a squirrel's back-and-forth
falling chestnuts
            Meera Rehm, UK /Nepal 
 
loving like I did as a child hoopoes

compassion mantra
that one leafless
September tree
          Sam Renda, South Africa

first frost
our breaths meet
between words
           Valincia Richard, USA

shrine garden
a butterfly takes off                 
–    no time to dream
            Duncan Richardson, Australia
 
empty bench
the winter wind
welcomes us
            Edward J. Rielly, USA
 
cloudy afternoon
bird calls
fill the willow
 
winter rains . . .
out of itself the creek
makes its own way
            Aron Rothstein, USA

a stray dog amidst my pile of leaves

pas skitnica na mojoj hrpi lišća
            D. V. Rozic, Croatia

frosty breath
hangs before my face
wishing to take back those words
 
 
bare branches
above a quilt of leaves
one shriveled peach
           Janet Ruth, USA
 
cracked church wall -
the perfect shapes
in mother’s handwriting
 
Canadian geese migrating at dusk the blur of her name
             Jacob D. Salzer, USA

autumn loneliness hearing the mourning dove out
             Kelly Sargent, USA

goosebumps
floating leaves
quilt together
           Agnes Eva Savich, USA
 
autumn deepens 
an uproar of sandhill cranes
losing habitat

late term
my best bud blossoms to fruit
harvest moon
          Bonnie J Scherer, USA

a wrinkled hand
reaches for a dangling apple
this chilly morning 
          Albert Schlaht, USA

not the same 
as things used to be
falling leaves 

les choses 
ne sont plus comme avant 
chute des feuilles
          Olivier Schopfer, Switzerland

morning prayers
the rooster’s leg lifted higher
in the frosty grass
          Dan Schwerin, USA
 
slant autumn light
a pocket of silence
save for the crow
            Julie Schwerin, USA
 
early light
a sparrow nipping
the teasel frost
 
deep in the hush
of winter . . .
heart of a wood frog
            Paula Sears, USA

winter beach
a fish crow's
lazy walk 
            Manoj Sharma, Nepal

fading light
a moth’s wing rests
on the prayer stone
             Nalini Shetty, India

In a sunny spot
lots of glistening beads -
dew on the grass

日当たりに粒なす光露葎
 
Wild geese in sleep -
pedal boats moving 
through the pond 

鴨浮き寝足漕ぎ舟の動く池
            Kyoko Shimizu, Japan
 
baby in wonder
of the first snowflakes
amazing world

бебе в почуда
от първите снежинки
удивителен свят

starry night
far from the town
Leonids  

звездна нощ
далеч от града
Леониди
            Tsanka Shishkova, Bulgaria

autumn sky
how we’ve changed
over the years

शरद ऋतु का आकाश
. . . इतने सालों में हम
कितने बदल गए
 
twilight river -
the heron’s reflection
takes flight
 
गोधूलि नदी— 
बगुले का प्रतिबिंब 
उड़ान भरे 
            Neena Singh, India
 
only light
in the refugee camp 
autumn moon
            Neha Singh Soni, India
 
his frayed green jacket
slouched on its hook
scent of harvesting fills the house

hospice vigil
sunflower art
covers the wall
            Helen Sokolsky, USA

winter solstice
the old cat circles back
to its sunny spot
            Bob Stewart, USA

falling leaves
missing the company
of old friends

birds in flight
wish I could see
what you see
            Stephenie Story, USA

graveside service
my sister's unmade bed
of snow
             Debbie Strange, Canada

awake at first light morning star
            Sarah Strong, USA

evergreen bough
her darling pearls worn
one last time
            Leon Tefft, USA

autumn dusk . . .
the moment shadow
consumes light

capturing wind song
with autumn's palette
the shape of the sky
             Angela Terry, USA

saltwater taffies
the scent of sea
she never tasted
            Padma Thampatty, USA

two names
carved into one bark
dripping sap

zwei namen
geritzt in eine rinde
tropfendes harz
            Ulrike Titelbach, Austria

autumn fog –
that sense of uncertainty
everywhere

nebbia d'autunno –
quel senso d'incertezza
in ogni dove
            Maria Tosti, Italy

rising moon
we place the salmon's bones
back in the river
           Xenia Tran, Scotland, UK

dusk
the river turns lighter 
than its ice

that hill we climbed last summer
stubble shadows
on snow
            Barbara Ungar, USA

colors of autumn
contemplating the path
not taken

change of season
the realm of memory
begins to shrink
            Kevin Valentine, USA

tired of my head my hat 
has gone to play with the wild wind 
wait for me!
            Mark Valentine, England, UK

lone sunflower
where does it turn to
at night

één zonnebloem
waarheen wendt zij zich
als het nacht is
            Joanne van Helvoort, The Netherlands

winter dusk –
my father’s voice
in the woodpile
            Thomas L. Vaultonburg, USA

milky moon
leaves floating
from me to you

luna lactee
frunze zboară
de la mine spre tine

fall cleanup . . .
a bird is patching its nest
near the traffic light

curățenie de toamnă . . .
o pasăre-și peticește cuibul
lângă semafor
              Steliana Voicu, Romania

stranger asleep
on a rocky beach
seaweed footsteps
              E. C. Voorhis, USA

autumn end
I write . . .
a long silence
              Anirudh Vyas, India

a slight sifting of flour
as i pat the dough . . .
more snow falling

noon thaw
the snowman becomes
a trickle
             Marilyn Appl Walker, USA

wind driven snow
in the deer tracks
a fading memory
            David Watts, USA

weekend cabin
a draft pulls a bird's song
down the chimney
            Joseph Wechselberger, USA

frozen lake
a Canada goose stands
on one leg
            Diane Webster, USA

tide pool
practicing
to vanish

Gezeitenbecken
eine Übung
im Vergehen

empty chair rocking . . .
yellow leaves
cling to their branch

Schaukelstuhl wiegt leer . . .
die gelben Blätter 
hängen noch am Zweig
              Lucas Weissenborn, Norway

the translucence
of lotus petals
floating candles
             Christine Wenk-Harrison, USA

clouds scudding 
above the wind whipped flag 
a lone kestrel 
             Mary White, Ireland

paper votives
the flare of everything
we can’t take with us
            Jane Williams, Australia

a chill tonight
we say goodbye
to the flowers
            Tony Williams, Scotland, UK

a snowy owl
in a fading dream
dementia
            Robert Witmer, Japan

searching for the snooze button
at half-past
woodpecker
            Valorie Woerdehoff, USA

running toward the sun
the winged seeds
I follow
             Alan Yan, USA

wandering dunes
bones of a whale
haunted by wind

days of seclusion 
eating the roots
scars and all
            Susan Yavaniski, USA

apple picking
a soft flush of sunshine
on her face
            John Zheng, USA

​leaves begin to turn
in my palm the softness
of her ash
            J. Zimmerman, USA
]]><![CDATA[Best of Volume 8]]>Fri, 11 Jul 2025 12:19:17 GMThttps://www.autumnmoonhaiku.com/home/best-of-volume-8

Winner, Haiku Moment Award
 
the moment the doe’s gaze meets mine komorebi
                         Polona Oblak, Slovenia
 
Kristen: Learning what komorebi means (Japanese for “sunlight filtering through leaves”) brought this poignant haiku to a whole new level for me. The stated “moment” is lovely in itself, but the conflation, created by the single line, of their shared gaze with the play of light in the forest adds a beautiful and unexpected depth that really makes this poem three-dimensional and almost magical.
 
Astrid: This is a true haiku moment, the term coined by Bruce Ross, an "epiphany." The epiphany of the aliveness, which is of course the same in the doe and the author, the shared moment, the almost mystical "union" in the gaze, that is then highlighted by the komorebi. A very fitting winner for this volume.
 
 
Runners-up (in alphabetical order)
 
an absence of home
the river winding
back into itself
        Joanna Ashwell, UK
 
Kristen: This haiku plays with the paradox of absence as presence (as river) in a way that really makes the reader stop and think about the meaning of “home” and “source.” I had a sense of viewing this at a distance, as on a map on which one can no longer orient themself.
 
Astrid: I thought of "rivers" of refugees, always moving towards a better place, leaving their homes behind and maybe never finding a home where they are going. The safer "holding" of winding back into oneself.
 
 
carried away on the ebb tide a swirl of ash
     Sally Biggar, USA
 
Kristen: I love how understated this haiku is. Someone’s ashes have been tossed into the waves; what’s left of someone loved is merging with the vast energy of the ocean, on a moon-powered tide: a delicate, specific, visual moment that becomes vast and almost cosmic the longer the reader sits with it.
 
Astrid: The ashes (impermanence) and the ebb tide (cycles of nature, of life) make a wonderful juxtaposition. (The author did later share with me these were her mother's ashes, returned to the ocean near a place that she loved).
 
 
white breath
the blackbird’s song
takes shape
      Lev Hart, Canada
 
Kristen: There is something wonderful when breath is made visible by cold, and even more wonderful when that breath is birdsong, taking shape literally and figuratively in a natural synesthesia of sight and sound.
 
Astrid: The breath as a sign and sine qua non of life, made visible in this tiny creature, so alive despite the cold. The author has a gift of keen observation evidenced here.
 
canopy of stars
the magnitude
of not knowing
       Kevin Valentine, USA
 
Kristen: I love how this haiku plays with the language of astronomy, in which “magnitude” refers to the brightness of heavenly bodies like stars, to convey the vast mystery of existence—an unknowingness that, despite all our measurements and probes, is really our only valid response to the night sky.
 
Astrid: The contrast between the infinite vastness of the universe and the infinitesimally tiny humanity  is well expressed in this haiku.
 
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)
 
waiting for rain . . .
the mockingbird’s song
awash with sunset
       Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA
 
twilight murmuration
rearranging
our bucket list
      C. Jean Downer, Canada

mountain lake
the glacial stillness
in a heron’s eye
      John Hawkhead, UK

snowing again
the stray cat asleep
in the greenhouse
       chad henry, USA
 
mountain temple
the untended grave
strewn with chestnuts
     Keiko Izawa, Japan
 
frost-rimed leaves
the blue rake leans
into its shadow
     Kathryn Liebowitz, USA
 
 barren maple
the deer’s carcass
returned to earth
     Rowan Beckett Minor, USA

rotting deeper
into a darkening sky
the rowan’s berries
     Thomas Powell, UK

altocumulus moon
my first words
in coyote
     Joshua St. Claire, USA

bedroom skylight
what the moon knows
of loneliness
     Thomas Smith, USA
 
 clouds changing shape empty chrysalis
     Kevin Valentine, USA]]><![CDATA[Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, Volume 8:2, Spring/Summer 2025]]>Sat, 10 May 2025 14:58:19 GMThttps://www.autumnmoonhaiku.com/home/autumn-moon-haiku-journal-volume-82-springsummer-2025
Welcome to this new Spring/Summer issue of our journal. You will find a lighter tone, overall, rising above the sadness of today’s world, the poets finding beauty in blossoms, birds, nature in general. Some poets deftly express their feelings of loss and grief about the current world issues as well.
Bruce Ross, the founding editor of this journal and my husband, recently celebrated his 80th birthday. As you all know by now, he has stepped down since early 2024 due to advancing illness.
His involvement with haiku has been life long, he has been an early supporter of international haiku and revived interest in haibun. He was president of the Haiku Society of America in the early 1990s. He wrote the seminal anthology Haiku Moment, as well as the haibun anthology Journey to the Interior, which was probably the first of its kind, in the 1990s. He was a co-editor for many years of the yearly American Haibun and Haiga anthology and Contemporary Haibun online journal.
In 1997 and updated in 2022, he published a writing guide to haiku and related forms (How to Haiku, updated to Writing Haiku), which is written with beginners and even children in mind. Because of the focus on a younger audience, this book was misunderstood when it first came out.
 In 2012 he published, together with Kōko Katō, Dietmar Tauchner and Patricia Prime, A Vast Sky, which is probably the largest international haiku anthology to date. The impetus for it arose from yearly Autumn Moon contests, which he founded in the early 2000s and were open to international submissions. A Vast Sky received a few awards and great reviews, but unfortunately it has not sold much, as Bruce had to self-publish it and sell it on Amazon, with very low visibility. After the great reception that A Vast Sky had, Bruce decided, nine years ago, to start this journal that you are reading today.
He has always held his work at a high standard, and also this journal has been kept to his high standard for nature-related haiku. Our selection criteria are therefore quite rigorous. This journal is also meant to be a teaching tool for younger writers.
Here is a spring haiku from one of Bruce’s poetry collections, spring clouds:
                              steam rising
                              from my favorite tea
                              early spring clouds
I will leave the reader to enjoy the haiku moment and nature connection in this meditative haiku.
We have many of Bruce’s books at home, including the ones aforementioned, and I have listed them in the “Announcements; Books by Bruce Ross” section above. Please contact me at tanchopress@gmail.com for more information and if you want to purchase any. It would be very sad to throw these books away when Bruce passes on…  His has been a labor of love, and I am trying to continue it for as long as I am able.
Astrid Andreescu
Maine, USA, May 2025


subdued –
a moth settles on her
old kimono
       Sheikha A., UAE

old pond –
a dragonfly catches
the last light

petal by petal
the apple orchard
snowing
      Jenny Ward Angyal, USA

waiting for rain . . .
the mockingbird’s song
awash with sunset

night owl –
losing her voice
to the prairie wind
      Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA

April heat –
overflowing the bird bath
a flock of sparrows

اپریل کی گرمی 
پرندہ نہان سے چھلکتے ہوئے
چڑیوں کا ایک غول
 
spring in the family haveli
each blossom unfolds
a different memory
   *haveli: traditional townhouse in the Indian subcontinent

خاندانی حویلی میں بہار
ہر پھول کھولتا ہے
ایک مختلف یادداشت
      Hifsa Ashraf, Pakistan

summer garlands
the wishes we plant
in whistle grass
      Joanna Ashwell, UK

last stop
a train car full of
sleeping soldiers

תחנה אחרונה
קרון מלא חיילים
ישנים 

another leap
a toddler stumbles
following a sparrow

דרור מנתר
פעוט מועד
בעקבותיו 
      Adi Assis, Israel
 
birdsong
flickers of blossom
in the wild plum

sunset cools
in cobalt shadows
a currawong’s call
      Gavin Austin, Australia

empty house . . .
cherry trees in bloom
for no one

prazna kuća . . .
trešne u cvatu
ni za koga
      Katica Badovinac, Croatia

tipping marsh reeds
the whistlescents
of red-winged blackbirds
      Jo Balistreri, USA

afternoon rain
i fold my son’s laughter
into paper boats
      Mona Bedi, India

spring gusts –
fresh horseshoe tracks
in the mud

summer birthday
a child’s handmade mobile
of mussel shells
      Brad Bennett, USA

chrysanthemum stone
all the years it can take
to flourish

pierre de chrysanthème
les années que ça peut prendre
pour s’épanouir
      Maxianne Berger, Canada

day lengthening
below the window outside
someone is singing
      Jerome Berglund, USA

semper fidelis
the paired blossoms
of partridgeberry
      Sally Biggar, USA

seeds planted
the day blossoms
into a starling
      Shawn Blair, USA

a slug hides
in a rose tulip
–cool spring day
       Nancy Brady, USA

aviary . . .
a parrot says I love you
to the new bird
      Ed Bremson, USA

wind tossed daffodils
her grown-up smile
under an umbrella
      Randy Brooks, USA

the barter system
water in the birdbath
finch song
      Alanna C. Burke, USA

spring
. . .  and the trees are already
missing water

Frühling
. . . und den Bäumen mangelt es
schon an Wasser
      Pitt Büerken, Germany
​
sharing love poems
in the shelter –
new dawn

condividere poesie d'amore
nel rifugio -
nuova alba
      Mariangela Canzi, Italy

spring wind –
the tree sings
another way

vânt de primăvară –
copacul cântă
altfel

lavender field –
remembering
my mother’s perfume

câmpul de lavandă –
amintindu-mi
parfumul mamei mele
       Daniela Lăcrămioara Capotă, Romania

hullabaloo
all the bulbuls
at dawn
      Matthew Caretti, American Samoa

cherry petals
how quickly the truce
fell apart

hail damage
the roofers
without an accent
      Archie G. Carlos, USA

bulldozers
the pungency of
wild sage
      Bob Carlton, USA

surprised by softness
pulling lupins
through my fingers
      Louise Carson, Canada

even in my dreams
the scent of roses
tucked behind her ear
      Ram Chandran, India

green meadow
spring rain
on a spring frog

spring time
mom’s magic –
cherry blossoms

春
母の魔法
桜

haru
haha no mahō –
sakura
      Manasa Reddy Chichili, India

mountain path –
the sky brighter
in the peony meadow

potecă de munte –
în poiana cu bujori
mai luminos cerul
      Mihaela Cojocaru, Romania

swishing tails
of cattle at the trough . . .
summer breeze
      Ria Collins, Ireland

the thunderstorm
to come
rumour of robins

barn owl’s flight
the field mouse
light as a feather
      Sue Colpitts, Canada

family gathering
the scent
of the first rose

riunione di famiglia
il profumo
della prima rosa
      Maria Concetta Conti, Italy

green flash
the osprey lifting off
ahead of a swell
      Bill Cooper, USA

fertility clinic
the first cherry blossom
unfurls

hospice window
she says she wants to be
that butterfly
      Sue Courtney, New Zealand

blue hydrangea
some cuttings before
mom’s house is sold
      Tina Crenshaw, USA

April rain
how lonely it is
under my umbrella

ulan sa Abril
ang lungkot sa ilalim
ng aking payong

fireflies
for once i forget
there are stars

alitaptap
minsan nakalimutan kong
may mga bituin
      Alvin Cruz, The Philippines

moving through the sky geese moving the sky
      Maya Daneva, Canada

opening night
the glow
of moonflowers
      Pat Davis, USA

writer’s notebook
from 3 lines to 3 lines
a decade of seasons

carnet d’écrivain
de 3 lignes en 3 lignes
une décennie de saisons
      Marie Derley, Belgium

her first sleep over –
all alone in the poplars
a pint sized owl
      Edward Dewar, Canada

less wind
by the morning
the fallen dogwood
      Carmela Dolce, USA

sugar moon
ghosts of magnolia blossom
smudging the night
      Rebecca Drouilhet, USA

family campfire
mosquitoes join
the conversation
      Jane Druzhinina, USA

sky full of kites
the wind brings
home a song
      Baisali Chatterjee Dutt, India

survival –
the last lily
rising again

supravieţuire –
ridicându-se din nou
ultimul crin
      Carmen Duvalma, Romania

bar-b-que shack
wild morning glories
spiral the grill

early spring
redbud bumps
waiting to bloom
      Lynn Edge, USA

popping up
through the morning sun
great crested grebe
      Keith Evetts, UK

spring sunrise
birds gather
on the tin roof
      Susan Farner, USA

moonlit perfume
dusk’s soft light
gone too soon

wangi rembulan
lembayung senja meredup
sirna sekejap
      Nurul Olivia Fathonah, Indonesia

cicada wind
the song
comes and goes
      Bill Fay, USA

inviting
friends to tea
pollinator garden
      Barbara Feehrer, USA

a sandy bottom
the heron wades
without stirring
      Jeff Ferrara, USA

the cruelest month
falling quietly
snow on snowmelt
      Thomas Festa, USA

fragrant rain
falling one by one
acacia petals

pachnący deszcz
spadają jeden po drugim
płatki akacji
      Małgorzata Formanowska, Poland

a witches hat shell on the sand
winter turns
              into spring
      Jenny Fraser, New Zealand

New England barn
a weathervane
rusted South
      Jay Friedenberg, USA

spring breeze
a barefoot woman
begins to dance

gibbous moon
the sliding note
of a guqin
      Seth Friedman, Canada

under the wind
the steady plunk! of maple
into the bucket
      Dennis Owen Frohlich, USA

bitter cold –
not enough hot water
to scald off my guilt
      Joshua Gage, USA

here at last
the saltiness
of our sea

ecco finalmente
la salsedine
del nostro mare
      Barbara Anna Gaiardoni, Italy

spring cleaning
behind the curtain
chrysalis
      Mike Gallagher, Ireland

the gale –
days of Lent
in the village

el ventarrón –
los días de cuaresma
en el villorio

the old man
returns to the battle site –
the same breeze

ya anciano acude
al lugar de la batalla –
la misma brisa
      Rafael García Bidò, Dominican Republic

vanishing star –
no answers
to prayer

nestajanje zvijezde –
nema odgorova
na molitvu
      Goran Gatalica, Croatia

cotton sowing
fragile hopes for bridal gowns . . .
again, gunpowder

сеитба на памук
крехки надежди за булчински рокли
или отново барут
      Ivan Georgiev, Bulgaria/Germany

sepal to sepal
make the spring breeze more drunk
cherries in bloom

کاسبرگ پشت کاسپرک
مست تر می کنند نسیم بهاری را
گیلاس های شکوفه پوش
      Roohallah Ghasemi, Iran

at the slightest touch
the fall
of raspberries
      Mark Gilbert, UK

Lunar craters
Her childhood full of
Memory gaps

Kratery na Księżycu
Jej dzieciństwo pełne
Pamięciowych luk
      Anna Goluba, Poland

lavender stems
her old memories
in a drawer

steli di lavanda
i suoi vecchi ricordi
in un vasetto di lavanda
      Eufemia Griffo, Italy

spring moon clouds
the barred owl
twirls its head

spring rain
rolls down their coats
neighbor and dog
      Andrew Grossman, USA

every moment
a hymn of life –
blue iris in bloom

في كل لحظة
 - ترنيمة حياة
إزهار زهرة السوسن الزرقاء
      Fatma Zohra Habis, Algeria

The cuckoo calls
there is no way
in the wilderness
      Niels Hammer, Sweden

dew-drenched
     waves of frogs spread
from my footsteps
      Lev Hart, Canada

mountain lake
the glacial stillness
in a heron’s eye
      John Hawkhead, UK

problems with sunlight
the inevitable fading
into darkness
      Patricia Hawkhead, UK

moonrise . . .
magnolia buds
hold dew

月亮升起了…
玉兰蓓蕾
含着露水

fox’s cry . . .
moonlight fills
the valley

狐狸的叫声…
月光
满山谷
      David He, China

whispered words
a splash of forsythia
through the mist

fading light
watching a moonflower twirl open
then shut
      Deborah Burke Henderson, USA

collecting
field songs
mockingbird
      Jeff Hoagland, USA

rising from earth
to flitter and wither
this cicada life
      Ruth Holzer, USA

morning dew
a fledgling
at the front door
      Frank Hooven, USA

rain cascades
from the canopy
a nurse log’s many saplings

midday spring stream
all the synonyms
of shimmer
      Lee Hudspeth, USA

zazen . . .
the silence
among moon shadows

summer storm
the flood forges
a new path
      Matilyn Humbert, Australia

serenity
the buds grow quietly
in the moonlight

seninătate
mugurii cresc pe tăcute
la lumina lunii
      Mona Iordan, Romania

beach day . . .
counting the ripples
her steps make
      Samantha Pardo Irigoyen, USA

a long pause
cherry blossom falls
into the silence
      Erica Ison, UK

Central Park
no one talks not even
to their dog

Central Park
niko ne razgovara
ni sa svojim psom

spring whim –
sparrows outshout
the old gossipers

prolećni kapric
vrapci nadvikuju
stare tračare
      Dejan Ivanovic, Serbia

the newborn twins
a million eyes
in the starlit sky
      Lakshmi Iyer, India

first butterfly
my friend visiting
from abroad

初蝶や異国より友きたりけり

hatsuchō ya ikoku yori tomo kitari keri
      Keiko Izawa, Japan

giving a voice
to quietude –
mourning doves

gathering a bouquet
of wildflowers
the bees follow me home
      Rick Jackofsky, USA

Easter weekend
a boy scoops up tadpoles
to set them free
      AJ Johnson, USA

spring rain
the clouds passing
over the moon

a ladybird on a twig
reflecting sunshine
spring morning
      Govind Joshi, India

summer solstice . . .
in sync with temple bell
bellows at sunup

ग्रीष्म अयनांत . . .
मंदिर की घंटी की ताल में
सूर्योदय के समय रंभाहट
      Monica Kakkar, India

Wild roses
over the decayed fence
in full bloom

破れ垣を覆ひ尽くして花茨

Scarlet peonies –
asleep on straw mulch
a black cat

 緋牡丹や眠る黒猫敷き藁に
      Satoru Kanematsu, Japan

the first bees
in the cherry orchard
dancing granddaughter

pierwsze pszczoły
w wiśniowym sadzie
tańcząca wnuczka
      Wiesław Karliński, Poland

in fallen blossoms
sometimes . . .
my lost baby
      Arvinder Kaur, India

sweet scents
this spring morning . . .
blossom sky
      Keitha Keyes, Australia

statue
   of
       liberty
            coming
                  into
                       view
       Noel King, Ireland

rising above
the sandy hole
eyes of a crab
      Ravi Kiran, India

two weeks in
the wren’s eggs
still eggs
      Kim Klugh, USA

silent moth wings . . .
the lighted window divides
two worlds

tiha krila ljiljka . . .
osvijetljen prozor dijeli
dva svijeta

willow catkins –
feeling granny’s palm
on my hair

vrbine mace –
osjećam bakin dlan
na svojoj kosi
      Nina Kovačić, Croatia

distant barking
piercing a tiny hole
in the morning fog
      Jeff Kressmann, USA

gone too soon
his mother’s
bluebonnets
      Kimberly Kuchar, USA

in all these days
of rain and grayness –
the nod of daffodils
      Jill Lange, USA

our relationship
the picnic table’s length
ladybug and i
      Laughing Monkey, USA

shrinking pond searching for the moon
      Barrie Levine, USA

white lilacs
draping the dusk
the loon’s vibrato
      Kathryn Liebowitz, USA

 cherry blossoms
so close to the sky
 in my homeland

цветови трешње
тако су близу неба
у завичају
      Mile Lisica, Serbia

which one to praise?
a field of endless
bluebells
      Robert Lowes, USA

a silent pond
with hundreds of eyes –
lotuses in bloom

occhi a centinaia
nello stagno silenzioso
fiorisce il loto
      Oscar Luparia, Italy

preserved
in a dry tide pool
constellation of sea stars
      Anthony Lusardi, USA

close by
two clay cups
spring breeze
Devoshruti Mandal, India

summer night
the lights of the past
in our present

letnia noc
gwiazdy mrugają do nas
swym dawnym blaskiem
      Urszula Marciniak, Poland

cherry blossom petals . . .
in her last message
a heart still beats

petali di ciliegio . . .
nel suo ultimo messagio
ancora batte un cuore
      Carmela Marino, Italy

pine siskins
explode
sky washed with wings
      Beverly Matherne, USA

nightfall fog
the puffed up sound
of one cricket
      Richard L. Matta, USA

courting parrots
crisscross the maze
forest canopy
      Jo McInerney, Australia

garden stillness
where night begins
moonflower
      MJ Mello, USA

After making love
quiet wash
of new rain
      Jonathan Memmert, USA

There were orchards,
olive and orange trees here
No one remembers

Aquí hubo huertos,
olivos y naranjos
Nadie recuerda
      Lía Miersch, Argentina

my plot
next to father’s grave
moss on the rock

summer solstice
morning sickness
all day long
      Rowan Beckett Minor, USA

toddler
cherry petals
in her wake
      Sarah Mirabile-Blacker, Switzerland

white butterflies
mark the silence
old diary

farfalle bianche
scandiscono il silenzio
vecchio diario

all I need is the wind
in a meadow of anemones –
everything flows

mi basta il vento
in un prato di anemoni –
tutto fluisce
      Daniela Misso, Italy

sunshower
the vocalisations
of a baby crow

ploaie de soare
vocalizele
unui pui de cioară
      Mircea Moldovan, Romania

from hedge to hedge
finches’ repartee
I get out of the way

da siepe a siepe
botta e risposta dei fringuelli
mi tolgo di mezzo
      Luciana Moretto, Italy

a fledgling startled
from the robin’s nest
cell phone camera
      Wilda Morris, USA

short dreams in a long night
the birds begin
without her

first turtles . . .
meeting their sparkle
with mine
      Laurie D. Morrissey, USA

drifting cherry petals
my friend’s funeral
tomorrow
​
a warm wind
fans the palm grove
honking ibis
      Leanne Mumford, Australia

a windless day . . .
deep into the forest’s heart
old railway tracks

o zi fără vânt . . .
vechea cale ferată
în inima pădurii
      Florian Munteanu, Romania

cuckoo’s call
in the still air
a bud opens
      Jiel Narvekar, India

white dogwood
through light fog – a bluebird
preens a ruffled wing
      Arthur Nord, USA

summer road trip
out to the desert
to revisit the old me
      Olivia O, Nigeria

wildflowers
much of my walk spent
standing still
      Nola Obee, Canada

twilight creeps
across the village graveyard
blackbird song

mrak se plazi
čez vaško pokopališče
pesem kosa

school’s over
the buzz
in blooming lindens

šole je konec
brenčanje
v cvetočih lipah
      Polona Oblak, Slovenia

high stepping
in the shallows
blue heron

night rain
the ostrich fern unfurls
in morning light
      Helen Ogden, USA

summer holidays
we part the waves
of skylark song
      Ben Oliver, England, UK

rose bush leaves
I unfurl
into late morning

tapping
into your sweetness
sugar maple
      Debbie Olson, USA

peepers singing
in the marsh
the smell of rain
      Nancy Orr, USA

the robin sings to us
from a flowering blackthorn –
seaside stroll
      Maeve O’Sullivan, Ireland

just enough left
for the ancestors –
vanilla crop
      Scott Packer, Canada

two phoebes
nesting under my deck
rent free
      Jimmy Pappas, USA

holy week
the doxology of
daffodils
      John Pappas, USA

riyaaz
the deep sigh
of our dog
  *Riyaaz: classical Indian music practice
      Vandana Parashar, India

porch rocking chair
the yellow blur
of goldfinches
      M.R. Pelletier, USA

under starlight
two old friends sip tea . . .
white violets
      Marion Poirier, USA

in the meadow
the farmer doesn’t work
cuckoo flowers

snapped twig
a jay’s head appears
amongst the bluebells
      Thomas Powell, N. Ireland

budding birch
             some leaves
still unfallen
      Vishal Prabhu, India

spring mist rises
from the roots of the maple trees
graduation day
      Jude Pultz, USA

brilliant night –
my summer shawl
falls softly

notte splendente –
il mio scialle estivo
scivola lieve
      Maria Cristina Pulvirenti, Italy

slanted sunlight
another stack of books
grows taller

chaos theory . . .
there’s something about
that butterfly
      Tony Pupello, USA

new nest,
          mornings begin early,
                                       at my window.
      Vaishnavi Pusapati, England

before
the blossoms bloom
last breath
      Audrey Quinn, Ireland

summer sun
the tree stump alive
with trumpet flowers
      Carol Raisfeld, USA

by the holy river
a smoking pyre . . .
dawn birdsong
      Meera Rehm, India

a twinge in the knee
that used to just go
late summer grasses
      Sam Renda, South Africa

mile after mile
old stone fences
dividing time
      Edward J. Rielly, USA

mother
nudges her fawn . . .
sun and shadows
      Susan Lee Roberts, USA

I’ll get there
when I get there
summer clouds
      Chad Lee Robinson, USA

without knowing
they are bound to die
blooming lilacs

utan att veta
att te snart ska dö
blommande syrener
      Daniela Rodi, Finland

family reunion –
the weight of stones
and sphagnum moss

tangled roots
under the WWII memorial
unseen graves
      Jacob D. Salzer, USA

family dispute
two herons walk
across the field

కుటుంబ కలహం 
పొలం మధ్యలో నడుస్తున్న 
రెండు కొంగలు 

the star
and I
in the dark

నక్షత్రం
నేను
చీకట్లో 
      Srinivasa Rao Sambangi, India

sunset companion
hanging out in the other boat
a brown pelican

kasamahan sa paglubog ng araw
nakatambay sa kabilang bangka
isang kayumangging pagala
      Ernesto P. Santiago, The Philippines

drum circle
the pulsating rhythm
of heart beats
      Bona M. Santos, USA

night’s dream
on the rim of my coffee mug
waiting for daybreak

রাতের স্বপ্ন
আমার কফি মগের কিনারায়
অপেক্ষা করে প্রভাত সূর্যের
      Jharna Sanyal, India

to live so fully summer sun shower
      Kelly Sargent, USA

daisy petals
the quantum state
of our union
      Agnes Eva Savich, USA

embracing me back –
        the mud
                on my path
      Julie Schwerin, USA

the morning chickadee
practices scales
key of chartreuse
      Ron Scully, USA

day-hatched chicks
in a cardboard box
his favorite flannel
      Paula Sears, USA

cherry petals
the softness
of a baby’s palm
      Manoj Sharma, Nepal

household chores
mom says “hello”
to the money plant
      Richa Sharma, India

old boots
by the open gate –
spring crocus
      Nalini Shetty, India

Early summer breeze –
a big river flows gently
along the castle

 薫風や大河ゆるりと城に沿ひ

In the bamboo grove
the first voice of a warbler
already well-tuned

竹林にはや整へる初音かな
      Kyoko Shimizu, Japan

quaking aspens
spinning leaves
into daydreams
      Michael Shoemaker, USA

storm ends
a crow picks up
last of the daylight

आंधी थमी…
एक कौआ चुनता है
दिन की अंतिम किरण

dusk deepens . . .
a firefly’s glow
brightens the night

गहराती संध्या …
जुगनू की चमक
रात रौशन करे 
      Neena Singh, India

cancer meds
on the kitchen sill –
apple’s gone bad
      Daniel Skach-Mills, USA

rainstorm
a wren’s morning song
quickly forgotten

bedroom skylight
what the moon knows
of loneliness
      Thomas Smith, USA

fire tree
dripping
parched petals

arbol nagtulo
giuhawng
mga gihay
      tea solon, The Philippines

golden hour
the mountain stream
glitters
      Srini, India

altocumulus moon
my first words
in coyote
      Joshua St. Claire, USA

rest area . . .
taking the time to gaze
at the stars

estate sale
bluebonnets blanket
the pasture
      Stephenie Story, USA

we emerge
from hibernation
aspen catkins

fox den
a white feather pinned
to the grass
      Debbie Strange, Canada

cooking his favourite
scrambled eggs . . .
dog’s birthday
      Neha Talreja, India

calculating
the weight of a secret . . .
spring rain

between the end
and the beginning . . .
summer stars
      Angela Terry, USA

hiking companion
for a few seconds
banana slug
      Richard Tice, USA

grandpa is gone –
in the plum tree he planted
a few blossoms

bunicul a plecat –
în prunul plantat de el
câteva flori

grandma’s orchard –
the scent
of freshly mown hay

livada bunicii –
aroma de fân
proaspăt cosit
      Maria Tirenescu, Romania

looking into the mirror
reflections of flowers
alive and dying
      Charles Trammell, USA

fading sun . . .
Buddha’s hand
raised in the distance
      Xenia Tran, Scotland, UK

clouds changing shape empty chrysalis

canopy of stars
the magnitude
of not knowing
     Kevin Valentine, USA

on the path back home
an empty snail shell
filled with rain
      Joanne van Helvoort, The Netherlands

not one crow
stands out
morning assembly
      Sathya Venkatesh, India

exploring new buds . . .
my neighbor’s cat follows me
to my garden

explorând noi lăstari . . .
pisoiul vecinei mă-nsoţeşte
spre grădina mea
      Steliana Cristina Voicu, Romania

patio lunch
my friend’s phone rings
in chickadee

out of the blue
the stilty flamingo
lifts a leg
      Marilyn Appl Walker, USA

fat clouds
a sparrow swells
with song
      Amy Watson, USA

soughing wind
a crane becomes
part of the twilight sky
      Joseph P. Wechselberger, USA

between the leaves
of a Farmers’ Almanac . . .
summer flowers
      Christine Wenk-Harrison, USA

a star falls
upwards in the midnight sky
night flight

retreating tide –
slivers of moonlight
left on the beach
      Richard West, USA

breezes ripple
through the soybeans . . .
school shooting
      Elaine Wilburt, USA

bees in the lavender . . .
my tinnitus
has wings

helter-skelter
             up the mossy trunk . . .
treecreeper
      Tony Williams, Scotland, UK

sunrise –
a flock of redwings
takes flight

fallen petals –
our first spring
without you
      Juliet Wilson, Scotland, UK

cloud gazing
a scissor-tailed flycatcher
cuts the head off a dragon

drying my swimsuit
on the beachhouse railing
double-crested cormorant
      Amber Winter, USA

slowly warming
the ice beneath
a penguin’s egg

sunrise
the river sparkles
in a fawn’s eyes
      Robert Witmer, Japan

creek crossing
our feet find the path
the rocks keep

grocery cart
the warmth
of the last shopper’s hands
      Valorie Broadhurst Woerdehoff, USA

community garden
one raspberry
falling through the fence
      Alan Yan, USA

      dawn stars
gramma wakes us
   with a whisper
      Susan Yavaniski, USA

newborn’s breath
against my cheek
spring breeze
      Nitu Yumnan, UAE

a trace of lava
from the dormant volcano –
my new haiku

ślad lawy
z uśpionego wulkanu
moje nowe haiku
      Eugeniusz Zacharski, Poland
]]><![CDATA[Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, Volume 8:1 Autumn/Winter 2024]]>Sat, 16 Nov 2024 13:48:49 GMThttps://www.autumnmoonhaiku.com/home/autumn-moon-haiku-journal-volume-81-autumnwinter-2024In his essay “The Essence of Haiku,” published in Modern Haiku in 2007, Bruce Ross, the founding editor of this journal, said: “The ‘haiku moment’ might be defined as the conjunction of the particular and the absolute in a moment of time. Haiku is then basically an epiphany… In a haiku moment the mind does not intervene in the essence of things or the synchronicity of things… The greatness in haiku is the revelation of reality just as it is in all its wonder and freedom.” This concept of the haiku moment, of an observation of things as they are, is well exemplified by one of his own haiku, recently published in Ko 39:4:
 
a cat sitting
by the old burnt house
winter sun
 
The straightforward simplicity of this observation enables the reader to step into a moment that is at once particular, and yet also, through the shared feelings the images evoke, absolute.
 
With this issue, in this time of global anxiety and conflict, we celebrate this kind of haiku moment: moments of falling leaves, moonlight, snow, bittersweet, migrating birds... Our hope is that in the process of sharing individual poems whose touchstone is reality—and that thus intersect with the absolute—we help create a community within which we can each find some empathy and understanding.
 
Kristen Lindquist, November 2024

​taking what comes
the great-horned owl
swivels her head
      Cynthia Anderson, USA

windowsill Buddha
same expression
whatever weather
      Aaron Anstett, USA

silent retreat
just enough wind
quaking aspen
      Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA 

an absence of home
the river winding
back into itself
      Joanna Ashwell, UK

soft rain
the magpie’s song
fills with dawn
      Gavin Austin, Australia

new year . . .
the old woman waltzes
on an ocean bluff
      Dyana Basist, USA

woodsmoke
today’s shadows
on yesterday’s snow
      Brad Bennett, USA

in thinning fog
bare branches full
of red birds

but when he laughed –
east wind melts the frost
in the pampas grass
      Deborah A. Bennett, USA

sheets flapping
on the rooftop clothesline
Gran sings her loudest

draps claquant sur
la corde à linge du toit
Mémé chante de son plus fort
      Maxianne Berger, Canada

winter sunset
an old boat estranged
on the shore
      Shiva Bhusal, USA/Nepal

mid-day . . .
frayed cobwebs still
capturing the fog

carried away on the ebb tide a swirl of ash
      Sally Biggar, USA

an old cat
sharing milk
warm autumn sun
      Shawn Blair, USA

late autumn . . .
clouds ribboning
between tree branches
      Nancy Brady, USA

being bothered
the cricket changes its place
without a sound

infastidito
il grillo cambia posto
senza dire “a”
      Maurizio Brancaleoni, Italy

nightfall snow
the horse waiting for me
to giddy-up
      Randy Brooks, USA

the bee’s rapture:
last tumbling blooms
of purple wisteria
      B. L. Bruce, USA

the mouse busy
building up
a winter habitat

die Maus geschäftig
sie baut sich
ein Winterquartier
      Pitt Büerken, Germany

a mountain bluebird
rides the wind-bent juniper
last berries

falling leaves
reveal blank nests
first chill
      Alanna C. Burke, USA

mallards glide
on the lake
dusk stillness

sul lago scivolano
le anatre
silenzio al crepusculo

bombed-out house –
above the ruins
plum flowering

casa bombardata –
sulle rovine
susino in fiore
      Mariangela Canzi, Italy

sea grass
a slow sway
in the girl’s song

winter woods
into the unfullness
old smoke moon
      Matthew Caretti, American Samoa

steaming cup –
the song of tea-pickers
breaks the loneliness

tasse fumante –
le chant des cueilleuses de thé
brise la solitude
      Laurence Cénédèse, France

still, no ceasefire
the praying mantis
turning brown
      Archie G. Carlos, USA

hanging rain clouds . . .
all over the meadow
cowbell songs
      Ram Chandran, India

empty bowl
so many thoughts
singing in my heart
      Manasa Reddy Chichili, India

first snow –
no trace of smoke
from my mother’s house

prima zăpadă –
niciun fuior de fum
din casa mamei
      Mihaela Cojocaru, Romania

the raven’s wingspan
embracing bare branches
dusky evening
      Ria Collins, Ireland

leaving a moon
behind in bare branches
snowy owl

amaryllis bulb
why doesn’t
love always flower
      Sue Colpitts, Canada

the song
of a scarlet tanager
i go off trail
      Bill Cooper, USA

a shard of moonlight
through boarded windows
reflecting on years of bad luck
      evan coram, USA

a mother
hums a lullaby . . .
hibernation
      Sue Courtney, New Zealand

autumn rain
the sound
of crying alone

ulan sa tag-lagas
ang tunog ng pag-iyak
na mag-isa
      Alvin B. Cruz, The Philippines

frozen moon
the power of
a single sentence
      Maya Daneva, Canada

frosty evening . . .
I fold a thousand
paper cranes
      Bipasha Majumder De, India

night rain
looking for a rainbow
in the moonlight

pluie de nuit
chercher un arc-en-ciel
dans le clair de lune
      Marie Derley, Belgium

Mine field –
the wind rustling
through dry grass

Минско поље.
Шуштање ветра
кроз суву траву.
 
Indian summer –
the wounded stork carefully
spreads its wings

Михољско лето.
Рањена рода пажљиво
шири крила.
      Zoran Doderovic, Serbia

winter loneliness
each doll gets
a middle name
      Carmela Dolce, USA

New Year’s morning
amid red cedar boughs
yesterday’s snow
      Janice Doppler, USA

brittle leaf
scant shelter for
a mouse
      Allison Douglas-Tourner, Canada

wee winter hours
the moon silvers
a distant tree
      June Rose Dowis, USA

twilight murmuration
rearranging
our bucket list
      C. Jean Downer, Canada

unhoused person’s shopping cart
its contents hidden
by snow
      John J. Dunphy, USA

winter evening –
through the closed window
icicles on the moon

seară de iarnă –
prin fereastra închisă
ţurţuri în lună
      Carmen Duvalma, Romania

night thunder
rain lilies appear
with first light
      Lynn Edge, USA

puzzle weather . . .
we rise only to forage
for cinnamon sticks
      Anna Eklund-Cheong, France

cold moon
a western screech owl
wakes us all

only until
the morning dew
moonflowers
      Eavonka Ettinger, USA

late afternoon
past the office window
outbound geese
      Keith Evetts, UK

road trip
autumn fills
the ditches
      Susan Farner, USA

autumn pond
just one painted turtle
seeks the sun
      Barbara Feehrer, USA

autumn sun
a plow
turning earth
      Jeff Ferrara, USA

a red-shouldered hawk flies by
how could this
never be enough?

spider silk thread –
my only connection
to fall sunlight
      Thomas Festa, USA

liquidambar in fall
leaving the world
for now

undoing the urgency
winter sun
on the willow
      Jenny Fraser, New Zealand

new year’s eve
a great blue heron
blends into night
      Seth Friedman, Canada

a little wiggle
in the water
sun/fish
      Ben Gaa, USA

a light going on
after the memorial –
autumn dusk
      Jerome Gagnon, USA

autumn wind –
childhood friends
where have they gone

viento de otoño –
los amigos de infancia
dònde se han ido
      Rafael Garcìa Bidò, Dominican Republic

shifting
the garden’s song
autumn leaves
      Nicholas Gentile, USA

our mother
without leaving a will
autumnal equinox

майка ни
без да оставя завещание
есенно равноденствие
      Ivan Georgiev, Bulgaria

red leaves
the farewell song
of a robin

foglie rosse
il canto d’addio
di un pettirosso

end of autumn
the sound of magpies
so near

fine dell’autunno
il suono delle gazze
così vicino
      Eufemia Griffo, Italy

my parents’ home
the old apple tree
cut down

mein elternhaus
der alte apfelbaum
gefällt
      Alexander Groth, Germany

autumn leaves
tossing old cards
from the rolodex
      Charles Harmon, USA

white breath
the blackbird’s song
takes shape
      Lev Hart, Canada

ribbon tide
cold wind knots through the bones
of a whaling station
      John Hawkhead, UK

wing strokes
swallows trace
the elm’s silhouette
      Kathryn Haydon, USA

cold moon . . .
my single neighbour
steps out alone

冷月…
我那单身邻居
一个人出去

deep silence
the moon glows
in a frozen puddle

寂静
在冰封的水窟里
月亮发光
      David He, China

cold night
Milky Way
crickets in my bed
      Janet Ruth Heller, USA

September garden
tendrils of her story
linger
      Deborah Burke Henderson, USA

snowing again
the stray cat asleep
in the greenhouse
      chad henry, USA

beyond
our breath clouds
Geminids
      Jeff Hoagland, USA

winter woods
the sounds of wind and water
drawing me in
      Ruth Holzer, USA

potato harvest
the draft horse
in the sycamore’s shade
      Frank Hooven, USA

snow blizzard
the white eyelashes
of a black horse

снежна виелица
белите мигли
на черен кон
      Vladislav Hristov, Bulgaria

ochre
on our fingertips . . .
slot canyon wall
      Lee Hudspeth, USA

autumn colours
in the sandstone gorge . . .
ochre deposits
      Marilyn Humbert, Australia

rain patter
the crickets are waiting
their turn

ţârâit de ploaie
greierii îşi aşteaptă
rândul
      Mona Iordan, Romania

off the beaten track
woodsmoke drifts
through starlight
      Erica Ison, UK

autumn breeze
i cuddle fairy tales pointing
at the moon and stars
      Lakshmi Iyer, India

mountain temple
the untended grave
strewn with chestnuts

山寺の
人来ぬ墓に
落栗よ

yamadera no hitokonuhaka ni ochiguriyo

typhoon . . .
father’s lost boat still drifting
in my dreams

台風や
父の失せし船
夢を漂う

taifūya chichi no useshifune yume o tadayou
      Keiko Izawa, Japan

shaking snow
from the pine boughs
an owl spreads her wings
      Rick Jackofsky, USA

leaves I never raked
the laughter of children
rolling through autumn
      Peter Jastermsky, USA

rain on plum tree
clinging to bare branches
evening twilight
      Govind Joshi, India

Evening twilight
the time for reminiscence
a bell-cricket’s chirp

黄昏はものおもふとき鉦叩
      Satoru Kanematsu, Japan

fox fire
in the abandoned house
a flicker of light
      Deborah Karl-Brandt, Germany

a blackbird
in the apple tree
first snow
      Emil Karla, France

fallen leaves
bring their own grief
empty porch
      Arvinder Kaur, India

wind gusts –
spirals of conversation
in autumn leaves
      Keitha Keyes, Australia

the slow curve in the road
the long way home
crescent moon

falling away . . .
the soft wing dust
on a fading monarch
      Kim Klugh, USA

winter loneliness . . .
reading coffee grounds
by myself

zimska samoća . . .
proričem si budućnost
iz taloga kave
      Nina Kovačić, Croatia

autumn trail
sharing the sunrise
with a toadstool
      Kimberly Kuchar, USA

picking
perfect pumpkins . . .
for the squirrels
      Jill Lange, USA

snow day . . .
my daughters dancing
in slipper socks
      Barrie Levine, USA

frost-rimed leaves
the blue rake leans
into its shadow
      Kathryn Liebowitz, USA

first day of school
curve after curve of laughter
down a spiral slide

開學第一天
一聲接著一聲歡笑
沿著螺旋滑梯滑下

eviction night
boxes of my immigrant dreams
wrapped in shadows

驅逐之夜
我的移民夢想裝進一堆盒子
籠罩在陰影中
      Chen-ou Liu, Canada

blooming field . . .
on the withered stalks
a light snow

campo in fiore . . .
sugli steli appassiti
neve leggera
      Oscar Luparia, Italy

low tide
the sea glimmers
in a bleached oyster shell
      Malcolm MacClancy, Ireland

only visitor . . .
from a crack of the grave
the weed
      Devoshruti Mandal, India

his retirement
outside the hospice window
such colorful trees

emerytura
kolorwe drzewa za
oknem hospicjum
      Urszula Marciniak, Poland

hawthorn hedge
a catbird
slips out of sight
      Sharon Martina, USA

high wind . . .
the deep low note
of a bronzewing
      Jo McInerney, Australia

if only
for one night . . .
moonflower
      MJ Mello, USA

Going back home
Someone reading poems
at the bus stop

Volviendo a casa
Alguien lee poemas
en la parada
      Lìa Miersch, Argentina

barren maple
the deer’s carcass
returned to earth
      Rowan Beckett Minor, USA

cormorants flying south
just ahead
of their shadows

teetering between
tonight and tomorrow
last leaves
      Katie Montagna, Ireland

raking leaves –
an empty
cicada shell

ratissant les feuilles –
une coquille de cigale
vide
      Mike Montreuil, Canada

falling leaves
the fairy garden
disappears
      Joanne Morcom, Canada

snow-blue twilight . . .
looking for myself
in a darkened mirror

crepuscolo azzuro neve . . .
cerco me stessa
in uno specchio oscurato
      Luciana Moretto, Italy

mid-winter . . .
how the bittersweet
hangs on
      Laurie D. Morrissey, USA

bamboo spout –
the stone basin sunk
with coloured leaves
      Leanne Mumford, Australia

our relationship
blooms after rainfall
desert lily
      Surya Nes, Indonesia

between moonset
and sunrise
larches by the lake

mes luninim zahodom
in sončnim vzhodom
macesni ob jezeru

the moment the doe’s gaze meets mine komorebi

trenutek ko košutin pogled sreča mojega komorebi
      Polona Oblak, Slovenia

glassy sea
the cormorant’s skid
slows to a stop
      Helen Ogden, USA

scrumping apples
from the scrappy farm hedge
mistlethrush eve
      Ben Oliver, UK

snowflakes
our words settle
on a path
      Debbie Olson, USA

the cry
of a loon
autumn chill
      Nancy Orr, USA

city fountain
shut down for the season
coin-tossed wishes
      Roland Packer, Canada

grass still greener
on the other side
–autumn path
      Scott Packer, Canada

night snow the right to remain silent
      John Pappas, USA

morning moon
frost on the breast
of a starling
      M. R. Pelletier, USA

homeless child –
    stolen by the wind
        the kite’s tail

batang palaboy –
    hangin ninakaw buntot
        ng saranggola
      Feddie Peralta, The Philippines

rain
the salty taste
of tears
      Gregory Piko, Australia

rotting deeper
into a darkening sky
the rowan’s berries
      Thomas Powell, UK

frost on the roof
track trodden by a crow
to the sky

oszroniony dach
ślad wrony wydeptany
do nieba
      Krzysztof Przegiętka, Poland

windswept leaves
leaving my harsh voice
behind
      Tony Pupello, USA

a solo goose
loose from his skein
as evening sinks
      Audrey Quinn, Ireland

dark clouds
all my complaints
in a crow’s mouth

Indian summer
coyotes howl
the sun down
      Dian Duchin Reed, USA

soaked through
in the monsoon rain
slow warmth of noodle soup

winter chill
a pine twig shivers
under a sparrow
      Sam Renda, South Africa

early frost
under a blanket the last
of the marigolds
      Edward J. Rielly, USA

climate change
a white Christmas only
in my snow globe

klimaatverandering
een witte kerst alleen
in mijn sneeuwbol
      Marjolein Rotsteeg, The Netherlands

first autumn rain
the forest floor ripples
with the crawl of newts
      Aron Rothstein, USA

first dress after the divorce –
the twirl
of a single apple peel
      Kelly Sargent, USA

alone
with the forest again
pock-marked rocks
      Agnes Eva Savich, USA

between the rain clouds
and the headstones
an amen
      Greg Schwartz, USA

making the most
of our time together . . .
December snowflakes
      Julie Schwerin, USA

snow day . . .
the stray cat’s heartbeat
through her mittens
      Paula Sears, USA

in deep meditation
the bamboo sprouts
a yellow leaf

winter mist
my self-doubt on
a raven’s cry
      Manoj Sharma, Nepal

Crickets chirping –
grasses grow all over
a deserted kiln

虫鳴くや草に覆はる廃れ窯

The first wild duck –
on the tidal river
not a ripple

初鴨や潮入川に波もなく
      Kyoko Shimizu, Japan

snow rainbow
on a diamond anniversary
still a dreamer

снежна дъга 
на диамантена годишнина 
все още мечтател 
      Tsanka Shishkova, Bulgaria

burning
autumn leaves
loneliness
      Michael Shoemaker, USA

cloudless night
one of the stars falls
upwards

bezchmurna noc
jedna z gwiazd spada
w górę
      Daniel Sidorowicz, Poland

sepia photo
father’s finger points to
the book I now hold

सीपिया फोटो 
पिता की ऊँगली का इशारा 
मेरी पकड़ी किताब पर 

autumn dusk
the park bench warm
where you sat

शरद ऋतु धुंधलका 
पार्क बेंच की गर्माइश 
जहाँ तुम बैठे थे 
      Neena Singh, India

first Gulf Coast chill –
a lone white egret
glides to the ground
      Lisa Sparaco, USA

a film of dust
on an old trophy
autumn dusk

afternoon haze
beyond the hills
hints of hills
      Srini, India

maple leaf skeleton
the tributaries of the Susquehanna
frozen solid

cirrus spissatus
the slow fade
of an aster meadow
      Joshua St. Claire, USA

foggy pond –
a family of swans slip
through the silence
      Stephenie Story, USA

flatland rain
a herd of antelope
blurs the horizon
      Debbie Strange, Canada

harvest moon –
a puddle of moonlight
on the drought stricken field
      Angela Terry, USA

rock-hugging moss
a sudden softness
in mother’s voice
      Corine Timmer, Portugal

mountain village –
snowy stack of wood
at the old fence

cătun de munte –
stivă ninsă de lemne
la gardul vechi
      Maria Tirenescu, Romania

feminicide –
under a dark moon
another cry

femminicidio –
sotto una luna nera
un altro grido
      Maria Tosti, Italy

moonlight
on the train’s roof
a thousand acorns

scattering ashes
how your stars
follow the stream
      Xenia Tran, Scotland, UK

nowhere else to be but a mountain lake
      C. X. Turner, UK

October sun –
monarchs leaf
the sacred firs
      Kevin Valentine, USA

early winter chill
on the mantlepiece
a shaken snow globe
      Tuyet Van Do, Australia

wildflower grove
the mowed path winds
into twilight
      Evan Vandermeer, USA

Harvest Moon –
from my garden to my terrace
a raccoon

Luna Recoltei –
din grădină pe terasă
un raton
      Steliana Cristina Voicu, Romania

windless day
a butterfly’s wing
on the leaf pile

clear dusk
a moonlight trail
behind the slug
      Amy Watson, USA

January morning
slivers of glass snow
shatter the sky
      Diane Webster, USA

        after
New Year fireworks
     the new year
      Michael Dylan Welch, USA

acorn shower
the number it takes
to make a tree
      Christine Wenk-Harrison, USA

fog furling
over the ditch
things unsaid

first frost
a fox dashes across
felled spruce
      Mary White, Ireland

​windswept beach
the time when life was
so easy
      Ernest Wit, Poland

letting go
she twirls in delight
autumn leaves
      Robert Witmer, Japan

verge of winter
he cannot hear
the village bell

fringe of ice
a lone swan drifts
down the wide river
      Susan Yavaniski, USA

late winter storm
a pair of antlers caught
in the thicket
      Nitu Yumnan, India

peeling cabbage leaves
the discussion shifts
to atom’s interior

obieranie kapusty z liści
dyskusja przenosi się
do wnętrza atomu
      Eugeniusz Zacharski, Poland

autumn moon
a web weaved
on the window
      John Zheng, USA

first snow
enveloping
the Jizo
*Jizo: patron deity of children and travelers
      J. Zimmerman, USA
]]><![CDATA[Best of Volume 7 (7:1 & 7:2)]]>Tue, 02 Jul 2024 18:31:04 GMThttps://www.autumnmoonhaiku.com/home/best-of-volume-7-71-72Judges: Astrid Andreescu and Kristen Lindquist
 
Haiku Moment Award 2024 (Best of Volume 7)
 
this longing
to hold my baby . . .
ghost apples
      Rowan Beckett, USA
 
Comments: (Astrid): It’s rare that a haiku is so strongly poignant and artistic at the same time. Definitely the winner!
(Kristen): This moving haiku demonstrates the perfect marriage of a fresh and evocative nature image with a deep-felt human emotion.
 
Runners-Up (in alphabetical order)
 
the subtle curl
of a cormorant’s wing tip
 – gathering dusk
      Maxianne Berger, Canada
 
Comments: (Astrid): A beautiful nature haiku observing a minute detail that produced a haiku moment in the author.
(Kristen): The detail of the black wingtip juxtaposed with “gathering dusk” gives this a delicate ambiguity.
 
almost breaking
a vow of silence
first snow
      Shawn Blair, USA
 
Comments: (Astrid): The silence of snow is a bit of a cliché, but this haiku breaks the cliché beautifully!
(Kristen): Is the viewer or the falling snow almost breaking the silence? A resonant moment to linger in.
 
this long journey
to healing . . .
cactus blossoms
 
mahabang paglalakbay
patungo sa paghilom . . .
bulaklak ng cactus
     Alvin B. Cruz, Philippines
 
Comments: (Astrid): The author deftly conveys the suffering of an illness and the joy of healing, finally.
(Kristen): Flowers offer such welcome if infrequent beauty in the desert—a lovely image to evoke a return to health after the long “dry spell” of recovery.
 
late winter storm
the duck’s neck bends
to her wing
      Lynn Edge, USA
 
Comments: (Astrid): Another classic nature haiku with fine observation by the author.
(Kristen): The duck’s bent neck is an image of such vulnerability here we can’t help but empathize.
 
 
 
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
 
wild violets
the deer trail deeper
into spring
     Jenny Ward Angyal, USA
 
 
sunflowers lean
towards the sky
this urge for peace
 
i girasoli s’innalzano
verso il sole
questo bisogno di pace
    Mariangela Canzi, Italy
 
no home
to go back to
spring stars
 
nessuna casa
dove tornare
stelle primaverili
    Concetta Conti, Italy
 
 
a little boy steps
into his father’s shoes
first snow
 
ang hakbang ng bata
sa sapatos ng ama
unang nyebe
      Alvin Cruz, The Philippines
 
 
her voice
in full-throated song
the river at dusk
      Seth Friedman, Canada
 
the glow
of a distant star . . .
her last departure
 
il bagliore
di una stella lontana . . .
la sua ultima partenza
     Eufemia Griffo, Italy
 
 
winter seaside
an empty shell welcomes
my solitude
 
mare d’inverno
una conchiglia vuota accoglie
la mia solitudine
      Oscar Luparia, Italy
​
kingfisher
just enough stream
for a song
     Matthew Markworth, USA
 
starless night
reading bedtime stories
to dad again
 
তারাহীন রাত
ঘুমপাড়ানি গল্প শোনাই
বাবাকে আবার
     Jharna Sanyal, India
 
cherry blossom
the hidden shape
of a birdsong
 
kersenbloesem
de verborgen vorm
van een vogelliedje
     Joanne van Helvoort, The Netherlands
 
morning star
my prayer for peace
inaudible
     Susan Yavaniski, USA
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
]]><![CDATA[Autumn Moon Haiku Journal 7:2, Spring-Summer 2024]]>Fri, 10 May 2024 16:04:46 GMThttps://www.autumnmoonhaiku.com/home/autumn-moon-haiku-journal-72-spring-summer-2024Welcome to the Spring/Summer issue of Volume 7 of Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, now in its 7th year. Many haiku in this issue bring happy feelings, which we all need.
A sad announcement: Bruce Ross has stepped down as editor due to illness. This journal has been a labor of love for him, with only the satisfaction of publishing wonderful nature haiku as his reward.
I have helped Bruce with editing his and others’ work for the past 30 years or so, and will try to carry forward his vision of supporting poets who are still writing in the spirit of Bashō, Issa or Shiki, for example. I also have enlisted a haiku friend as advisor, Kristen Lindquist, whose poems have appeared in our journal and in many other publications.
I would like in each issue to highlight a poem by Bruce that has been well-liked by other poets or even award-winning. For this issue, I will feature a spring haiku by Bruce Ross:
                                    abandoned house –
                                    the lilacs just as bright
                                    this spring
Also, please check the updated guidelines for submission under that heading. We will keep the yearly “Haiku Moment Award” for best of Volume 7, which will be announced in the summer.
Astrid Andreescu
Maine, USA

​thought-by-thought
following the footprints
twilight moon
​
spring afternoon
a sparrow hops
upon its own shadow
     Ishan Anagh, India

nesting hollow
high in the palm
the barn owl’s face
     Cynthia Anderson, USA

wild violets
the deer trail deeper
into spring
     Jenny Ward Angyal, USA

March winds
a crocus hides
in winter-dried grass
     Emma Alexander Arthur, Norway

sugar maple
dancing in a nor’easter
I join you
     John Arthur, USA

mending fences
the wild violets’ scent
of forgiveness
     Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA

daydreaming
a way into sky
cotton burrs

spring equinox
a widening sky
of moon
     Joanna Ashwell, UK

flocking galahs
the pink and grey
of twilight clouds
     Gavin Austin, Australia

the fallen oak
offers a resting place
trillium breeze
     Jo Balistreri, USA

outgrowing
our first apartment
weeds after winter
     Rowan Beckett, USA

aging ivy
still climbing
bucket list
     Millicent Bee, USA

the subtle curl
of a cormorant’s wing tip
 – gathering dusk

la courbe subtile
des rémiges d’un cormoran
 – le soir se pose
     Maxianne Berger, Canada

night stroll
a lamp post outshining
the full moon
     Shiva Bhusal, USA/Nepal

on the clock
listening
to the snow melt
     Shawn Blair, USA

barn swallows dip and dive
for damselflies
 – summer evening
     Nancy Brady, USA

homestead gate
blackberry brambles hold on
to the fence
     Randy Brooks, USA

mating season
thousands of melodies
from birds’ throats

Paarungszeit
tausende Melodien
aus Vogelkehlen
     Pitt Büerken, Germany

the finch
recites her entire language
close to the nest
     Alanna C. Burke, USA

night of rain
the darkness pooling
in our eyes
     Sam Calhoun, USA

sunflowers lean
towards the sky
this urge for peace

i girasoli s’innalzano
verso il sole
questo bisogno di pace

gorse buds
on her grave –
new start

boccioli di ginestra
sulla sua tomba –
nuovo inizio
     Mariangela Canzi, Italy

waiting for rain
a teacup under the stars
lyrids
     John Paul Caponigro, USA

morning on the river –
nibbling the sunrise
a few storks

dimineaţa pe fluviu –
ciugulind răsăritul
câteva berze

barbed wire border –
a dragonfly
leaves it behind

graniţă din sârmă ghimpată –
o libelulă
o lasă în urmă
     Daniela Lăcrămioara Capotă, Romania

tidal pool
just a bit of moon
rubbed away
     Matthew Caretti, USA/American Samoa

cherry petal breeze
more refugees
adrift
     Archie G. Carlos, USA

blackberry trellis
in the hands of my daughter
pea vines fixing soil
     Seán Carlson, Ireland

black birds shoot sideways
against a white sky
the coming rain
     Louise Carson, Canada

long after sunrise,
the persisting fragrance
of night jasmine
     Ram Chandran, India

solar eclipse
in my cat’s eyes
two moons thinning

天狗吞日
在我家猫的眼里
两个月亮渐渐瘦去
 
caught a spring fish
full of eggs
the mother lets it go

捉到一条春鱼
充满了鱼籽
母亲放了它
     Chen Jie, China/Canada

a leaky faucet in the shower
sorrow of spring

シャワーの蛇口の水漏れ春愁ひ
tr. Anikó Papp 

flying off with old grass
a nesting bird

古草と飛び立ちにけり巣立鳥
tr. Nagata Mitunori 
     Christina Chin, Malaysia

a tadpole hatches
the old pond
ripples anew
     Carissa Coane, USA

flowers by the path –
the dandelions reminding me
of mother’s tea

flori lângă potecă
păpădiile amintindu-mi
de ceaiul mamei
     Mihaela Cojocaru, Romania

calf’s first steps
dotting the pasture
yellow cowslips
     Sue Colpitts, Canada

April breeze
the robin’s grasp
on a bobbing branch
     Mary Ann Conley, USA

no home
to go back to
spring stars

nessuna casa
dove tornare
stelle primaverili

dreaming alone
all that’s left
of cherry blossoms

sognando da sola
tutto ciò che rimane
dei fiori di ciliegio
     Concetta Conti, Italy

before sunrise
the orange breast
of the robin
     Corey Cook, USA

the echo
of a barred owl
bamboo
     Bill Cooper, USA

moonbow
over the sand dunes . . .
a child’s gaze
     Sara Cosgrove, USA

lingering drought
dust hangs over
our conversation

stopping to smell
the apple blossom
white butterfly
     Sue Courtney, New Zealand

one half world . . .
the cat stares
into the mirror
     David Cox, China

summer fullness . . .
in search of the
perfect blackberry
     Tina Crenshaw, USA

strawberry moon
my childhood pictures
missing

presang buwan
mga nawawalang larawan
ng aking pagkabata

this long journey
to healing . . .
cactus blossoms

mahabang paglalakbay
patungo sa paghilom . . .
bulaklak ng cactus
     Alvin B. Cruz, Philippines

morning sparrow
answering with a whistle
I scare it away

moineau du matin
lui répondant en sifflant
je le fais fuir
     Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont, Belgium

cleansing breaths
the inhale and exhale
of ocean air
     Carmela Dolce, USA

all-day fog
the great blue heron
folds its neck
     Janice Doppler, USA

leaving too soon
we bury the sparrow
under the oak
     C. Jean Downer, Canada

children giggle
full of cherry blossom
the scarecrow’s hat

детски кикот
пълна с вишнев цвят
шапката на плашилото
     Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria
 
vernal equinox                                                                     
the dog cocks his head
toward the first peepers
     M F Drummy, USA

sunset
spring garden stripped
of its colors
     Jane Druzhinina, USA

ruined house –
from the cracked wall
the first bud

casă-n ruină
din peretele crăpat
primul mugure
     Carmen Duvalma, Romania

not yet, daffodils!
tricked by apricity
we’re both unprepared
     Anna Eklund-Cheong, France

spring dawn
the chance to make
different mistakes
     Keith Evetts, UK

sultry day
all the cattle
under one tree
     Bill Fay, USA

it helps
to hold the dune
a little shell
     Jeffrey Ferrara, USA

affective disorder
the scent of tarragon
in cut grass
     Thomas Festa, USA

La Niña rains –
a beetle rides a gum leaf
                                 downriver

tip-toeing
toward a water lily
a water spider
     Lorin Ford, Australia

breath in
and breath out
lilac blossoms

wdech
i wydech
kwitną lilaki
     Małgorzata Formanowska, Poland

inhaling the force
of a wave
scent of the wild

watching ripples
come and go
I become a pool
     Jenny Fraser, New Zealand

a sky streaked with pink . . .
fading footprints
at the end of the dock
     Seth Friedman, Canada

Sacramento valley
emerald green hue
of summer rice fields
     Diane Funston, USA

patio morning
somewhere a towhee urges
drink      your      tea
     Bob Gaebler, USA

golden childhood
the licorice fragrance
of helichrysum

infanzia dorata
l’elicriso profumato
di liquirizia
     Barbara Anna Gaiardoni, Italy

evening light –
birds and insects
sing at the same time

luz del ocaso –
pàjaros e insectos
cantan a la vez

Santo Domingo –
the yellow oaks
this brilliance

Santo Domingo –
los robles amarillos
en su fulgor
     Rafael Garcìa Bidò, Dominican Republic

deep in the wadi
a Bedouin shepherd
lambing
     John S Green, Jordan

the glow
of a distant star . . .
her last departure

il bagliore
di una stella lontana . . .
la sua ultima partenza
     Eufemia Griffo, Italy

staircase in the woods
the kid crawls towards
the sky

Waldtreppe
der Kleine krabbelt
dem Himmel entgegen
     Alexander Groth, Germany

even in bloody trenches stars still shining
                    Charles Harmon, USA

a southern song
at our full feeder –
yellow-winged blackbird
     Richard D. Hartwell, USA

pet cemetery
a broken dreamcatcher
spills the wind
     John Hawkhead, UK

quiet lake . . .
I fix my eyes
on the moon

湖水静悄悄…
我的双眼
盯着月亮
 
a dog barks
against the wind
cold moonlight

狗狗
逆风叫
月光寒
     David He, China
 
shades of pink
on every gnarled branch
blossoming light
     Deborah Burke Henderson, USA

riverside trail
flooded
with bluebells

crescent day moon
an osprey
hangs in the air
     Ruth Holzer, USA

sea wind
a flock the shape
of the dunes
     Frank Hooven, USA

three wallabies sip
moonshine from a puddle
summer shower
     Marilyn Humbert, Australia

a peony
bent under the weight
of a leaden sky
     Erica Ison, UK

wading in moonlight
her child counts the stars
summer breeze

spring drizzles
i gently thank
my aged mother
     Lakshmi Iyer, India

spring rain –
under the ramen shop eaves
two stray cats

春雨や麺屋軒下の猫二匹

harusameya menya
nokishitano nekonihiki
     Keiko Izawa, Japan

summer rain
clinging to the screen door
a tiny tree frog
     Rick Jackofsky, USA

spring morning
waking up to a birdsong
on the plum tree
     Govind Joshi, India

filigree of fronds . . .
rāga Basant rhapsody
sending off the spring

तालपत्रों की तारकशी . . .
राग बसंत रैप्सोडी से
वसंत को विदाई
*Basant or Vasant means spring in the Sanskrit language. Rāga Basant is a very old rāga dating back to the 8th century. It denotes the changing of seasons, and is the only rāga to use all 12 notes of the scale.
       Monica Kakkar, India/USA
 
Evening Venus –
having sunk in the grass
all butterflies

太白やてふてふ草にみな沈み

taihaku ya chou chou kusa ni mina shizumi

Letting it go –
a swallowtail’s emerged
in the insect cage

放ちやる籠で羽化せし揚羽蝶

hanachi yaru kago de uka seshi agehachou
     Satoru Kanematsu, Japan

soaked
by a summer shower
for no reason
     Emil Karla, France

adding a new name
to the calendar
pregnancy test
     Deborah Karl-Brandt, Germany

along the pond
with each step
frog jump

wzdłuż stawu
z każdym krokiem
żabi skok
     Wiesław Karliński, Poland

despite
this world of deceit
plum blossoms
     Arvinder Kaur, India

watermelon harvest
the weight of a thought
sinks into the soil
     Nicholas Klacsanzky, USA

lifting fog
the loon’s laugh
also rises
     Kim Klugh, USA

the longest day
granny retelling again
last night’s dream

najduži dan
baka mi prepričava
njen noćašnji san

desert rose –
she learns the ancestors’
dead language

pustinjska ruža –
ona uči izumirli
jezik predaka
     Nina Kovačić, Croatia

today . . .
a fawn in the yard
tasting trumpet vines
     Jill Lange, USA

lily mound . . .
this urge to dig
and replant

spring showers
the koi pond
spattered in silver
     Barrie Levine, USA

bridge of stars
a bobcat saunters past
the trail cam

Sunday drive
smoke from the sugar shack
mingles with mist
     Kristen Lindquist, USA

forest bathing
this silence in the sound
of redwoods

森林浴
紅木之聲
的寂靜
 
snowdrop trail
I hold my sick wife’s hand
tight and tighter

雪花蓮小徑
我握著生病妻子的手
越來越緊
     Chen-ou Liu, Canada
 
balcony porch
the spider from the attic
comes down to say hello

veranda
il ragno del piano di sopra
scende a salutarmi
     Oscar Luparia, Italy

spring rain –
son and grandson
airing the summer house
     Malcolm MacClancy, Ireland

Turtles sunning
On flat limerock
Blackfly season
     A. D. MacDonald, Canada

starry night
a desire has aged
with me

cielo stellato
con me è invecchiato
un desiderio

spring snow
grandma hugs me
in a dream

neve primaverile
mi abraccia in sogno
la nonna
     Carmela Marino, Italy

kingfisher
just enough stream
for a song
     Matthew Markworth, USA

river rainbow
a roseate spoonbill
sketches a chord
     Richard L. Matta, USA

May rain
on a deserted beach
winter lingers

pluie de mai
sur la plage déserte
l’hiver s’attarde
     Françoise Maurice, France

wildfire summer
a periodical cicada’s
glowing eyes
     Marietta McGregor, Australia

misting rain . . .
the promontory drifts
out of sight

deep afternoon
a yellow robin’s cry
in the shadows
     Jo McInerney, Australia

House for sale
In the ownerless garden,
weeds . . . jonquils

La casa en venta
En el jardín sin dueño,
yuyos . . . junquillos
     Lía Miersch, Argentina

Sunset . . .
I begin to settle
into myself
     Joanna C. Migdal, USA

summer afternoon
the clay crumbles
between my fingers

pomeriggio estivo
l’argilla si sbriciola
tra le mie dita

day moon
a white butterfly
on the shore

luna diurna
una farfalla bianca
sulla battigia
     Daniela Misso, Italy

onset of spring
weeding a row of peas
soft shrieks

inizio di primavera
sarchiando un filare di piselli
grida sommesse

red sand on my
windowsill . . . rest
after a long journey

sabbia rossa
sul davanzale . . .riposo
dopo un lungo viaggio
     Luciana Moretto, Italy

zigzag flight
of the spangled fritillary . . .
all my uncertainties

I still wish
for invisible wings
blue damselfly
     Wilda Morris, USA

a swamphen
running across lily pads
spring breeze

the cloudy sky
streaked with pink –
first cicadas
     Leanne Mumford, Australia

high desert silence
broken by whispered wingbeats
raven heading home
     Tim Murphy, USA

walking
from stream to river
two songs

​spring morning
below the birdfeeder
sunflowers
     David Oates, USA

dawn
behind venetial blinds
birdsong

zora
za žaluzijami
ptičja pesem

cul-de-sac
garbage cans covered
in cherry petals

slepa ulica
smetnjaki prekriti
s češnjevim cvetjem
     Polona Oblak, Slovenia

summer’s eve . . .
silk from a ballooning spider
catches the light

the slow meander
of a pollen-dusted queen
river willow
     Ben Oliver, England, UK

forsythia bursting into spring goldfinches
                           Debbie Olson, USA

Holy Monday drive:
the Wicklow Mountains festooned
with flowering gorse
      Maeve O’Sullivan, Ireland

driftwood . . .
a beachcomber
combing dusk
      Roland Packer, Canada

late blossoms –
we gave each other
our youth
     Scott Packer, Canada

spring morning
the flock of herons
with a piece of sky
     Pravat Kumar Padhy, India

Breaking camp
before dawn –
startled mourning doves
     M.R. Pelletier, USA

fluid light
a moon that answers
to every name
     petro c.k., USA

worker bees
we plant some more
blue flowers
     Gregory Piko, Australia

age-old hedgerows
and now and then
the yellowhammer’s song

feeding the first
with lungwort pollen
carder bee queen
     Thomas Powell, N. Ireland

cedar bough
a wish turns sky
ward
     Vishal Prabhu, India

hurricane watch
the aging boomer
flies a kite
     Tony Pupello, USA

dog days
praying for the skies
to open

cloud burst . . .
in this land
we fear rain
     Audrey Quinn, Ireland/Mexico

first green
the groundhog and I
share the field
     Bryan Rickert, USA

spring afternoon
the last bark
of my dog
     Edward J. Rielly, USA

one by one
dandelions bounce . . .
wake of a bee
     Aron Rothstein, USA

arid soil
where nothing will grow
hollyhocks!

dorre bodem
waar niets wil groeien
stokrozen!

evening walk
somewhere in the distance
a cuckoo calls

avondwandeling
ergens in de verte
roept een koekoek
     Marjolein Rotsteeg, The Netherlands

planting spring peas
his spirits rise
from underground
      Janet Ruth, USA

day moon
out of the blue sky
blooming jacaranda
     Bona M. Santos, USA

starless night
reading bedtime stories
to dad again

তারাহীন রাত
ঘুমপাড়ানি গল্প শোনাই
বাবাকে আবার
     Jharna Sanyal, India

summer solstice dusk
spreading the blackberry jam
to the edges
     Kelly Sargent, USA

trying to give
advice to my daughter
wild rose bushes
     Agnes Eva Savich, USA

summer sunset
the kernel inside
the apricot stone

crépuscule estival
l’amande a l’intérieur
du noyau de l’abricot
     Olivier Schopfer, Switzerland

dandelion seed . . .
a cloud’s pace
through June
     Julie Schwerin, USA

lift of the leaf
relieved of the starling
left soundless
     Ron Scully, USA

blue mimosa –
his memoir
in the wind
     Manoj Sharma, Nepal

deep river . . .
I shelter
the unsaid
     Richa Sharma, India

Growing bigger
a peony bud like an orb
after a rainfall

 牡丹の宝珠膨らむ雨上り

bōtan no hōju hukuramu ame agari

An old cherry tree
blooming over the roof
so many years passed

老桜屋根にかぶさる月日かな

oi zakura yane ni kabusaru tsukihi kana
     Kyoko Shimizu, Japan

glass flowers
the crystal vase
awaits spring

कांच के फूल
क्रिस्टल फूलदान
बसंत की प्रतीक्षा में
     Neena Singh, India

sunflower husks
on the garden Buddha
dhyana mudra
     George Skane, USA

sunrise to sunset
on the monk’s face
the same smile
     Srini, India

the blue ridge
shifts in and out of reality
rain squalls
     Joshua St. Claire, USA

mother’s wanderings
the smooth grooves of raindrops
on the clay cliffs
     Sandra St-Laurent, Canada

summer breeze
rose petals fall gently
upon her rocker
     Stephenie Story, USA

flute song
a hermit thrush
reveals itself
     Debbie Strange, Canada

spring wind
the foster care door
opens
     Neha Talreja, India

wild roses . . .
those hidden thorns
of memory
     Angela Terry, USA

premature spring
a pink-lipped tulip
retracts

just out of reach
summer’s first mulberries
flicker in moonlight
     Shelly Reed Thieman, USA

armchair nap . . .
the cat on a windowsill
in sunlight
     Richard Tice, USA

opening the door –
a bunch of poppies
and a smile

deschizând uşa –
un mănunchi de maci
şi un zâmbet
     Maria Tirenescu, Romania

first light –
this time my scan says
the thinkable

hare in the grass –
he catches my gaze
where the wind changes
      Xenia Tran, Scotland, UK

in the park
filled with sunlight
acorn cup

flash flood . . .
waiting for the stars
to fall too
     C. X. Turner, UK

summer stars
a family of elf owls
in the birdbath
     Kevin Valentine, USA

cherry blossom
the hidden shape
of a birdsong

kersenbloesem
de verborgen vorm
van een vogelliedje
     Joanne van Helvoort, The Netherlands

watching butterflies
his call to ask me
what i’m doing
     Marilyn Appl Walker, USA

first sighting
a baby lizard catches
my eye
     Christine Wenk-Harrison, USA

bee silence
total solar
eclipse

somewhere in my memory
sound
of a mountain stream
     Kelley J. White, USA

midsummer
neither a tadpole
nor a frog
     Tony Williams, Scotland, UK

childhood garden
when the rhubarb
was sweet

ogród dzieciństwa
kiedy rabarbar
był słodki
     Ernest Wit, Poland

summer ends
a smooth pebble
in a child’s hand

spring
new leaves push free
the New Year’s kite
     Robert Witmer, Japan

solar eclipse
opening the window to hear
silence
     Valorie Broadhurst Woerdehoff, USA

ephemerals
another message
of condolence
     Susan Yavaniski, USA

mango seed
mother’s share
after everyone
     Nitu Yumnam, India

breath of spring
the scarecrow’s cap
in the air

wiosenny poryw
czapka stracha na wróble
leci w górę
     Eugeniusz Zacharski, Poland

scent of dawn –
the lime tree
has just bloomed

​parfum de l’aube –
le citronnier vient de
fleurir
     Elena Zouain, France
]]><![CDATA[Autumn Moon Haiku Journal 7:1, Autumn/Winter 2023-24]]>Sun, 05 Nov 2023 00:30:43 GMThttps://www.autumnmoonhaiku.com/home/autumn-moon-haiku-journal-71-autumnwinter-2023-24Welcome to Volume 7, Autumn/Winter issue of this journal. This year as well, the world has been going through wars, intense climate change, divisiveness, despair, but also here and there signs of  hope and unity. Our issue also reflects feelings of sadness and despair, perhaps as nature "dies" during autumn and winter, as well as some lighter haiku. Again, there are many excellent nature haiku in this issue. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did!
The editors
Hampden, Maine, USA
​November 2023


drizzle . . .
memories return
of an unborn child

pioviggina . . .
di un bambino mai nato
tornano i ricordi
         Vincenzo Adamo, Italy

thinning sun
the faded
painted ladies
         Cynthia Anderson, Australia

autumn light
how the aster unbends
when the bee has gone
         Jenny Ward Angyal, USA

harvest moon
the smell of burning
from neighboring country

buwan ng ani
ang amoy ng pagsusunog
mula sa kapitbansa
        Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo, The Philippines

grandma mends
the broken wing
snow angel
        Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA

autumn drizzle
singing the lullaby
back to mom

خزاں کی بوندا باندی
ماں کی لوری
ماں کے لئےگاتے ہوئے
       Hifsa Ashraf, Pakistan

letting go
of daylight
all that I know
      Joanna Ashwell, UK

bare hawthorn
morning light catches
on barbs of frost
      Gavin Austin, Australia

this longing
to hold my baby . . .
ghost apples
      Rowan Beckett, USA

deep autumn
old friends compare
their laugh lines
      Mona Bedi, India

out of these clouds
a blossom that has no name--
first autumn rain
      Deborah A. Bennett, USA

the scent
of fresh-cut hay
shhh!

l’odeur
du foin frais coupé
chhhut!
      Maxianne Berger, Canada

hidden doe
the snap of a twig
betrays her
      Sally Biggar, USA

under the tree
with no fruits
the same shadow

sous l’arbre
qui n’a pas de fruits
la même ombre
      Daniel Birnbaum, France

sunrise
blanketed by fog . . .
invisible city
      Gwen Bitti, Australia

almost breaking
a vow of silence
first snow
      Shawn Blair, USA

autumn deepens . . .
mourners walk
to the grave site
      Nancy Brady, USA

mussel shells
the pearly insides
hold moonlight
      Randy Brooks, USA

new grey
at your temples
evening mist
      B. L. Bruce, USA

sprayed grafitti
on petroglyphs
an elder weeps
      John Budan, USA

a chickadee
pecks at the birdbath
below zero
      Alanna C. Burke, USA

Birdsong
Another name for hope
In the morning
      Sarah Mahina Calvello, USA

lifting mist . . .
among the rubble
wild flowers

si dirada la foschia . . .
tra le macerie
fiori selvatici
      Mariangela Canzi, Italy

first light
the banyan chants
in birdsong
     Matthew Caretti, USA/American Samoa

silvergrass--
the long neck
of a lone crane

autumn moon--
taking me to my childhood
this cuckoo’s song
      Ram Chandran, India

jungle mist
a gibbon’s hoop
joins the chorus

ジャングルの霧コーラスに手長猿　千秋

letting go
of the bamboo leaf
a dew drop

竹の葉をするりと抜けて露雫　千秋
      Christina Chin, Malaysia

moons
come and go
what month is this?
      Sue Colpitts, Canada

autumn web
          holding a curled leaf
                          holding a spider
      Julie Constable, Australia

autumn
the story I share
with everything

autunno
la storia che condivido
con tutto

autumn solitude
one more star
in the Milky Way

​solitudine autunnale
una stella in più
nella Via Lattea
      Maria Concetta Conti, Italy

winter tea
a kinglet sips
loblolly pine
      Bill Cooper, USA

autumn leaves . . .
the changing hue
of my hair

cold moon
the hunter rises
at dawn
      Sue Courtney, New Zealand

autumn moonlight
at every stop
last train home

liwanag ng buwan
sa bawat hinto
ng huling tren

a little boy steps
into his father’s shoes
first snow

ang hakbang ng bata
sa sapatos ng ama
unang nyebe
      Alvin Cruz, The Philippines

woodland funeral . . .
I put mom’s urn under
this early budding tree

горско погребение...
под това твърде рано напъпило дърво
полагам урната на мама
      Maya Daneva, Canada/The Netherlands/Bulgaria

winter dawn
wild turkeys startle
the stillness
      Pat Davis, USA

freezing cold
Valentine’s bouquets
at half-price

froid glacial
les bouquets de Valentin
à mi-prix
      Marie Derley, Belgium

colder
with each distant bark
each distant star
      Jan Dobb, Australia

colors of autumn
on a hedgehog’s back
a yellow leaf

Боје јесени.
На јежевим леђима
жути лист.
       Zoran Doderović, Serbia

buried acorns
no one knows my side
of the story
      Carmela Dolce, USA

in this autumn
I seek my space--
bitter cocoa

in questo autunno
cerco il mio spazio--
cacao amaro
      Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo, The Netherlands/Italy

one by one I let go . . . autumn rain
      Fred Donovan, USA

the stars disappear one by one
in the fishing net
daybreak

една по една потъват звездите
в мрежата на рибаря
зората
      Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria

the child talks
to a pinned butterfly--
summer’s gone

copilul vorbeşte
cu un fluture din insectar--
vara a trecut
      Ana Drobot, Romania

a kaleidoscope of stars winter sky and I
       Rebecca Drouilhet, USA

autumn days--
the sun rising slower and slower
on the cold wall

zile de toamnā--
tot mai încet soarele
pe zidul rece
      Carmen Duvalma, Romania

winter winds
the quilter’s coffin draped
with a lone star

late winter storm
the duck’s neck bends
to her wing
      Lynn Edge, USA

wind in the woods
    the dialects
   of our breaths
     David Kāwika Eyre, Hawaii, USA

a song sparrow
struts by my chair
autumn coolness
      Susan Farner, USA

the cold--
snails sleep
through it

more light
on a penguin huddle--
            winter moon
       Lorin Ford, Australia

letting weariness go
wings
of a gull

blackbird notes
dusk deepens
           the silence
       Jenny Fraser, New Zealand

autumn twilight
a rusty wheelbarrow
on a rutted road

her voice
in full-throated song
the river at dusk
      Seth Friedman, Canada

rippling clouds
the broken crescent
of the moon
      Mike Gallagher, Ireland

lingering
to view the clear moon
the traveler

se ha detenido
ante la luna clara
el caminante
      Rafael Garcia Bidò, Dominican Republic

pedestrian crosswalk
some comply some don’t
windblown leaves
      LeRoy Gorman, Canada

sliding off
the back of the bay
cicada chorus
     Michael Buckingham Gray, Australia

across
the Judaean morning sky
church bells and prayers
       John S. Green, Jordan

misty woods
the invisible color
of elderberry leaves

boschi nebbiosi
il colore invisibile
delle foglie di sambuco
      Eufemia Griffo, Italy

a searchlight
across the border
our shared moon
      John Hawkhead, UK

day moon
in the hospital window
Gran’s smile

昼之月
医院窗口
姥姥的微笑
      David He, China
 
shipyard lights
reflecting on the water
new year’s eve
       Kerry J Heckman, USA

ground fog
clings to the lowlands
slow-flying kestrels
      Deborah Burke Henderson, USA

heavy snow--
in the window
my buried name
      Robert Hirschfield, USA

the peppery scent
of sun-dried tomatoes
lingering heat
      Ruth Holzer, USA

winter sky
the warmth
of a wooden bench
      Frank Hooven, USA

windflowers
silently dancing
fall wind

outback sunset
of embers to ash
his last campfire
      Marilyn Humbert, Australia

an ancient yew
the night drawn into
its heart
      Erica Ison, UK

waiting room
the rain flows quickly
down the drainpipes

čekaonica
kiša brzo protiče
kroz oluke
      Dejan Ivanovic, Serbia

mother stops to hum
with her son’s homecoming
the silent moon
      Lakshmi Iyer, India

rain ends
the foghorn I hear
from the hill

雨やんで坂道で聴く霧笛かな

ame yande sakamochi de kiku mutekikana
         Keiko Izawa, Japan

autumn rain
filling a canoe
with wild rice
      Rick Jackofsky, USA

autumn evening
a house cricket joins
the ticking of time
      Govind Joshi, India

deepening autumn wind
how we’re all encouraged
to sing

war news
again I stand
with the wildflowers
      Elmedin Kadric, Sweden

newly strung sitār
accompanies the drop-in--
autumn butterfly

नया ताना हुआ सितार
मेहमान का साथ देता है--
शरद की तितली
      Monica Kakkar, India/USA

harvest moon--
night not so long as it was
once
       Kanya Kanchana, India

Winter clear day--
polished fire engines
standing by

寒晴れや磨き上げたる消防車
       Satoru Kanematsu, Japan

late autumn
dew drops heavy
on grass blades

Spätherbst
Schwere Tautropfen
auf den Gräsern
       Deborah Karl-Brandt, Germany

autumn chill
the breeze opens a page
from war and peace
      Arvinder Kaur, India

fall foliage . . .
the missing letters 
in my surname
      Nicholas Klacsanzky, USA

fall nocturne
she adds bright shades
on a canvas

jesenji nokturno
ona dodaje na platno
svijetle nijanse
       Nina Kovačić, Croatia

no sign of remission--
a woman dancing under snowfall
in the hospital yard

nici un semn de regres--
femeie dansând prin ninsoare
pe alei de spital
      Lavana Kray, Romania

Northern Lights
painting the sky
with our yearnings
      Jeff Kressmann, USA

who we were
before the fall
cicada shells
      Beni Kurage, USA

middle of the night
first snow falling . . .
little fawn here alone
      Jill Lange, USA

running in circles endlessly refugee children at play
         Douglas J. Lanzo, USA

last tomato on the sill
so faintly the turn
to snow
      Suzanne Leaf-Brock, USA

     an owl’s sweep
through snowfall—the
         distance
between train whistles
          kathryn liebowitz, USA

cold snap
turkey tracks spangle
the river ice
       Kristen Lindquist, USA

Chinatown night stroll . . .
a childhood song uncurls
from his erhu

夜逛唐人街 ...
從他的二胡音樂聲中
一首兒時歌曲展開來
      Chen-ou Liu, Canada
 
autumn sunrise
the folded white
of a bindweed

alba d’autunno
il bianco ripiegato
di un convolvolo

winter seaside
an empty shell welcomes
my solitude

mare d’inverno
una conchiglia vuota accoglie
la mia solitudine
      Oscar Luparia, Italy

a small pond
the headwaters of the Tuolumne
. . .  we scatter father’s ashes
       paul m, USA

pale petals . . .
many unspoken words pressed
between the pages
      Bipasha Majumder (De), India

still clouds . . .
trying to go further
with my thoughts

ancora nuvole . . .
provando ad andare oltre
con i pensieri
      Antonio Mangiameli, Italy

All Souls’ Day
the first autumn rain
has fallen

giorno dei morti
la primera pioggia autunnale
è caduta
       Carmela Marino, Italy

geese roosting
the lake misty
with morning
      Sharon Martina, USA

farmstead gate
the smell of a mailbag
stiff with frost

black rain
sheens a raven
deepening winter
      Marietta McGregor, Australia

night tide
a young dog splashes
luminescence
       Jo McInerney, Australia

Autumn afternoon
Under a yellow-bound ginko,
empty chairs

Tarde de otoño
Bajo un ginko en sus ocres,
sillas vacías
       Lía Miersch, Argentina

twilight
chatter of magpies
in the stone pine 
 
crepuscolo
chiacchiericcio di gazze
nel pino domestico 
      Daniela Misso, Italy

winter fragrance
my niece writes to me
on a misty window

mirosul iernii
nepoata îmi scrie
pe-o fereastră aburită

falling walnuts
in the hospital courtyard
rainy season

cad nucile
în curtea spitalului
sezonul ploilor
       Mircea Moldovan, Romania

falling leaves
the white-haired couple
arm in arm

winter night
the smell of mulled wine
fills the house
      Joanne Morcom, Canada

folding a flannel
sheet together . . .
apple pie fragrance

piegando insieme
un lenzuolo di flanella--
profumo di torta di mele
      Luciana Moretto, Italy

the snapping turtle
only its head sticking out
through the mud
late autumn in the wetlands
      Wilda Morris, USA

northern lights--
reaching for a hand
that isn’t there

the sound
of falling dreams
autumn rain
      Laurie D. Morrissey, USA

harvest moon . . .
my slumbering soul
awakens
      Veronika Novak, Canada

indian summer
all the turtle’s limbs
at full stretch

indijansko poletje
vsi želvini udi
iztegnjeni do konca
       Polona Oblak, Slovenia

winter gravel pit
the thrum of waterfowl
settling down to sleep
       Ben Oliver, UK

early autumn
a juvenile cardinal
becomes his color
      Debbie Olson, USA

frost burnt moon--
deeper hues induced
by struggle
      Scott Packer, Canada

cloudless blue
as if everything
was forgiven
      John Pappas, USA

indifferent
to whatever is dying
autumn sky
      Vandana Parashar, India

mom’s scent
leaving for a dinner out
cherries in the snow
      petro c. k., USA

sparkling snow
in the afternoon sunlight
a deer lifts its gaze
      Gregory Piko, Australia

autumn wind--
the distant memory
of a caress

vento d’autunno--
il ricordo lontano
di una carezza
       Cinzia Pitingaro, Italy

snow drifting
into my dreams
sideways wind
      Ruth Powell, Canada

drifting mist
a brown-lipped snail
deep amongst dunes

shingle berm
a mussel shell once home
for barnacles
      Thomas Powell, N. Ireland

last leaves
the faded spine
of an old chapbook
       Tony Pupello, USA

cold, clear night--
the silence
between the stars
       Sally Quon, Canada

morning walk
autumn’s crisp breath
on every leaf
       Carol Raisfeld, USA

nightfall
into one nothingness
maples and weed flowers
      Meera Rehm, UK

calm water
a fisherman pulls up his catch
between clouds
      Samantha Renda, South Africa

autumn or winter
the liquidambar
still deciding
      Carol Reynolds, Australia

the crane
folding itself
autumn night
      Bryan Rickert, USA

autumn cleanup
homeless people again
take down their tents
      Edward J. Rielly, USA

by pumpkin’s light
a lonely corner
of a little town
      Chad Lee Robinson, USA

a dead butterfly
on the beach--
sudden fall

en död fjäril
på stranden--
plötslig höst
      Daniela Rodi, Finland
​
sun, clouds and rain
alternate
I contemplate life

zon, wolken, regen
wisselen elkaar af
‘k overdenk ‘t leven
      Marjolein Rotsteeg, The Netherlands

first frost tonight
grasshopper launches into
the sound of absence
      Janet Ruth, USA

a long journey . . .
in mother’s clothing
the scent of snow
      Jacob D. Salzer, USA

spilled seed packet. . .
blackbirds burst
from the field
      Julie Schwerin, USA

dusk . . .
blackbirds peck
at the last sunflowers
      Paula Sears, USA

autumn--
all the times I had
to let go
      Debarati Sen, India

winter solstice
the tall shadow
of the mountain
      Manoj Sharma, Nepal

evening moon
one lives, one dies
in the greeting card
      Richa Sharma, India

October mountain
what is the use of wanting
this moment to last?
      Noga Shemer, USA

Buddha image
lying with half-open eyes
autumn deepens

 半眼に横たふ仏秋深む

Long autumn rains--
boats rolling heavily
the muddy river

秋霖や舟大揺れに濁り河
      Kyoko Shimizu, Japan

a trout
ripples the moon
in the flowing river

एक ट्राउट
चाँद को तरंगित करे
​बहती नदी में

misty morning
a sunbeam flits
distant birdsong

धुंधली सुबह
सूरज की किरण छितराये
दूर पक्षी का संगीत
      Neena Singh, India
​
wavering rain
the polysyllabic language
of wood thrush
      Joshua St. Claire, USA

autumn morning
dew glistens the flowers
in grandma’s garden
      Stephenie Story, USA

moonlit path
silver seed gourds
begin to wander
      Debbie Strange, Canada

autumn deepens
so many wounds . . .
starless night
       Angela Terry, USA

ripe persimmons
we put a sale sign
by mother’s home
      Richard Tice, USA

stack of old letters
in grandfather’s drawer--
leafless trees

teanc de scrisori vechi
în scrinul bunicului--
pomi fără frunze
      Maria Tirenescu, Romania

autumn wind
loose roof tiles
quietly clatter

lockere dachshindeln
im herbstwind--
ein leises scheppern
      Ulrike Titelbach, Austria

just watercolours--
in the middle of the winter
branches of roses

solo acquerelli--
nel mezzo dell’inverno
rami di rose
      Maria Tosti, Italy

winter sun . . .
he promises where
he’ll scatter my ashes
       Xenia Tran, Scotland, UK

winter lake
my gradual slide
into shadows
       C.X. Turner, UK

late autumn
waiting for the juncos
to arrive
      Kevin Valentine, USA

first frost
a cricket shell
sung empty

eerste vorst
de huls van een krekel
leeggezongen
      Joanne van Helvoort, The Netherlands

lonesome moon
the mourning dove’s call
one coo short

winter rain
i find a scrap of the dress
mom was buried in
       Marilyn Appl Walker, USA

steaming chowder--
a long phone call
from the old country
      Michael Dylan Welch, USA

snow squall
my grandson’s
first steps
      Kelley J. White, USA

snail summiting
an unpicked pumpkin
chill in the air
      Mike White, USA

autumn drought--
in the old pack-horse track
tales long forgotten
      Neal Whitman, USA

the right time
to settle down
autumn leaves
     Robert Witmer, Japan

we could too –
if the sparrows
survive this winter
     Tony Williams, Scotland, UK

autumn solitude
a salmon-belly sunset
on the cold river

jesienna pustka
łososiowy zachód słońca
nad zimną rzeką

the voice
of the unsayable
wind in yellow reeds

głos
niewypowiedzianego
wiatr w żółtych trzcinach
      Ernest Wit, Poland

saying goodbye
to a close friend . . .
rain from a cloudless sky
      Valorie Broadhurst Woerdehoff, USA

morning star
my prayer for peace
inaudible
     Susan Yavaniski, USA
]]><![CDATA[Best of Volume 6 (6:1 and 6:2)]]>Fri, 04 Aug 2023 14:06:00 GMThttps://www.autumnmoonhaiku.com/home/best-of-volume-6-61-and-62
Haiku Moment Award

wildflowers
a butterfly pollinates
my dreams
            Vincenzo Adamo, Italy

Runners Up (in alphabetical order)

spring morning
I sing to a world
in birdsong
       Shawn Blair, USA

autumn rain
the moment the blossom
becomes fruit
       Sue Courtney, New Zealand

teach me
to accept light
early daffodil

научи ме
да приемам светлина
ранен нарцис
       Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria
 
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)

hollow tree trunk
attuning to the sound
of emptiness
       Hifsa Ashraf, Pakistan

spring morning
a toddler’s smile
full of light
      Mona Bedi, India

country road
there was a time she sang
with skylarks
      John Hawkhead, UK

falling leaf . . .
how quietly you
let go
      Vibha Malhotra, India

crying today
for the third time:
autumn grasses
       our thomas, USA

spring dawn
my dad tunes his flute
to the birds’ song

пролетно утро
баща ми настройва флейтата си
за песента на птиците
        Tsanka Shishkova, Bulgaria
 
dandelion clocks . . .
with a breath
I am become
         Kyle Sullivan, Taiwan
]]><![CDATA[Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, Volume 6:2, Spring/Summer 2023]]>Sat, 03 Jun 2023 14:01:37 GMThttps://www.autumnmoonhaiku.com/home/autumn-moon-haiku-journal-volume-62-springsummer-2023 Welcome to this Spring/Summer issue of the journal. After the last few years of pandemic and wars, although many things in the world are still problematic, it seems that there is a lighter mood in the air and in the haiku of this issue. There are still a number of powerful haiku about death and loss, but also some lighthearted ones, and as usual, many sensitive nature haiku. Hope you enjoy the selection!
Bruce Ross, Maine, USA
wildflowers
a butterfly pollinates
my dreams
       Vincenzo Adamo, Italy

spring snow
plucking pear blossoms
from baby’s ringlets
       Farah Ali, UK

guidelines
through dragonfly wings
my open journal
       Michelle V. Alkerton, Canada

no older
than I’ve ever been . . .
snow pea blossom
       Cynthia Anderson, USA

mountain hike
caressed by the scent
of wild lavender
        Emma Alexander Arthur, Norway

frost warning
a curled bud
clings to itself

morning pause
the pulse of sap
in the maple
       Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA

taking off
a dreamer’s sky
of geese

just for you
I leave a leaf
for humanity
       Joanna Ashwell, UK

chasing
a memory
moon tide
        Susan B. Auld, USA

spring morning
a toddler’s smile
full of light

not sure
what the future holds
vernal equinox
      Mona Bedi, India

Ursa Major
an old spruce forest
also points

in my garden clog
a tiny spider weaves
I go barefoot
       Millicent Bee, USA

burnished sunset
a little girl’s wish
utters itself

crépuscule redoré
le désir d'une fillette
s'énonce lui-même
       Maxianne Berger, Canada

so sudden
how a marsh hawk’s shadow
scatters ducks
       Sally Biggar, USA

spring morning
I sing to a world
in birdsong
       Shawn Blair, USA

summer afternoon
the honeybee attracted
to her sunflower pin
       Nancy Brady, USA

inchworm
inching up a thread
ripe raspberries
      Randy Brooks, USA

mountain violet
the sunrise
and I
      B.L. Bruce, USA

a grasshopper flits
over a train track
my faraway dreams
       John Budan, USA

mexican hats tremble
under the weight of bees
deep summer
       Alanna C. Burke, USA

midnight moon
in the mango tree
fruit bat prattle
       Matthew Caretti, USA/American Samoa

her dahlias
blooming red by the road
empty house
       Louise Carson, Canada

path to my hut
a robin song
from the thickets of bamboo
       Ram Chandran, India

beside the whitewater
a faint fluttering
in the ferns
      Tom Clausen, USA

dad’s grave
spring scents mingle
in the air

la tomba di papà
i profumi primaverili
si mescolano nell’aria
       Maria Concetta Conti, Italy

Cranes flying –
I bend my paper into
a thousand folds.
       Sophia Conway, Canada

a cricket sings
through a leaf hole
rising gibbous
       Bill Cooper, USA

the place
no one wants
dandelions bloom

insistent
the knock
of a woodpecker
       Evan Coram, USA

spring tide
a fisherman catches
the moon
       Sue Courtney, New Zealand

no trespassing –
wild honeysuckle climbs
over the sign
      Tina Crenshaw, USA

saying goodbye –
a drop of rain rolls down
the orange leaf
      Ashesh Das, India

back at night
the frogs’ voices lead us
in the dark

retour de nuit
les crapauds nous guident
sur le chemin
      Marie Derley, Belgium

morning breeze
between lemon branches
an empty nest
       Tuyet Van Do, Australia

heirloom seeds
placing a few extra
in each hole
       Carmela Dolce, USA

waiting in silence
the humpback whales
release their breath

broken promise
the ocean and sky
become one
      C. Jean Downer, USA

teach me
to accept light
early daffodil

научи ме
да приемам светлина
ранен нарцис
      Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria
 
reincarnated Zen gardener
now raking patterns in
his litter box
     John J. Dunphy, USA
 
end of summer –
raising their wings
stork chicks
 
sfârşitul verii –
înălţând aripile
puii de barză
     Carmen Duvalma, Romania
 
riverside trail . . .
still leafless enough to see
all the new nests
       Anna Eklund-Cheong, France
 
bright birdsong
binding the broken cup
kintsugi gold
       Jonathan English, USA
 
the many winds
  back again in
breath of words
 
nā kini makani
  eia hou ana i
 ka hanu ‘ōlelo
       David Kāwika Eyre, Hawai’i/USA
 
soaring hawk . . .
a piece of sunshine
between each feather
      Bill Fay, USA
 
the song
of my boyhood . . .
spring peepers
      Jeffrey Ferrara, USA
 
the dancing lights
of Sumatran fireflies –
coda to my dream
 
all thought sinks
to the well’s dark bottom
a sweltering nigh
      Lorin Ford, Australia
 
deep breath
the fragrance of bird cherry
on a rainy day

głęboki oddech
zapach czeremchy
w deszczowy dzień

recovery
behind my mom’s ear
a daisy flower

powrót do zdrowia
za uchem mojej mamy
kwiat stokrotki
       Małgorzata Formanowska, Poland
 
back to breath
on an earthen path
wind through the reeds

beat
of gannet wings
dusk taking me deeper
       Jenny Fraser, New Zealand

her dementia . . .
resembling
the robin song

la sua demenza . . .
ricorda la canzone
del pettirosso
      Barbara Anna Gaiardoni, Italy

full moon
picking out the rims
of distant hills

leaping
through pools of light
a squirrel
      Mike Gallagher, Ireland

Summer is coming –
a little foal named
Tobias

Llega el verano –
un potrillo llamado
Tobìas
      Rafael Garcia Bidò, Dominican Republic

taking a new road
field upon field
of cherry blossoms
       Marilyn Gehant, USA

abandoned gravestones
mothers’ old prayers
whispered by the wind

lapidi abbandonate
vecchie preghiera delle madri
susurrate dal vento

almost dawn
a commuter follows the trail
of a lone star

quasi l’alba
un pendolare segue la scia
di una stella solitaria
       Eufemia Griffo, Italy

lichen on bricks
how to tell children
who’s winning
       Charles Harmon, USA

windless air
the nature of a tree
also in silence

country road
there was a time she sang
with skylarks
      John Hawkhead, UK

buttering toast
mom tells me how to spread
her ashes
     Kerry J Heckman, USA

effortlessly
an iceberg falls into the sea
disappears

難なく
氷山が落ちる
なくなる
 
nan’naku
Hyōzan ga ochiru
nakunaru
       Judith Hishikawa, USA
 
a light
at the end of the day
first firefly
 
camellia
knowing
when to fall
      Ruth Holzer, USA
 
summer cattails
a small girl
releases a frog
      Frank Hooven, USA
 
fresh lime
colors the canopy
daylight buds
     Deborah Burke Henderson, USA
 
the old bull
stands his ground
jackrabbit
       Lee Hudspeth, USA
 
spring breeze
susurration of mitchell grass
beneath a sickle moon
       Marilyn Humbert, Australia
 
gentle breeze
pink petals dripping
out of the blue
 
boare uşoară
picurînd din senin
petale roz
       Mona Iordan, Romania
 
red grains
I hold a cracked pomegranate
in my hand

crvena zrnca
držim u ruci
raspukli nar
       Dejan Ivanovic, Serbia
 
rice rain –
simmering in the pot
the porridge for her
 
粥煮ゆる音のやさしき穀雨かな
 
kayu niyuru oto no yasashiki kokuwu kana
       Keiko Izawa, Japan
 
letting go –
a butterfly folds and unfolds
the scent of colours
      Lakshmi Iyer, India
 
spring tide –
the Sea of Tranquility
keeps me up all night
     Rick Jackofsky, USA
 
summer evening
children playing hide and seek
in the sugarcane field
      Govind Joshi, India
 
Evening moon –
tadpoles a kid forgot
in the bucket
 
宵の月子の忘れたる桶の蝌蚪
      Satoru Kanematsu, Japan
 
salt marshes . . .
rainbow droplets bloom
on water
       Deborah Karl-Brandt, Germany
 
evening sun
the fire
of robinsong
       kj munro, Canada
 
the stuttered hoot of an owl
through the silence
a melancholy echo
       Kim Klugh, USA
 
summer downpour
mom unties the ribbon
from her hair bun
 
ljetni pljusak
majka razvezuje
traku iz punđe
       Nina Kovacic, Croatia
 
         desert window
a coyote seems to have heard
         tonight’s dreams
                  Jeff Kressman, USA
 
pruning . . .
a lock of her son’s hair
that she keeps
 
obrezovanje . . .
ta pramen sinovih las
ki ga še hrani
       Samo Kreutz, Slovenia
 
darkness
missing you
silver moon
 
this robin
outside my window
wishing me awake
        Jill Lange, USA
 
a chink in the rain
where light slips in
blue chicory
       Kathryn Liebowitz, USA
 
scudding clouds
a flock of waxwings shreds
the cherry blossoms
       Kristen Lundquist, USA
 
the sky dappled
with cotton candy clouds . . .
summer fair
 
天空佈滿
棉花糖形狀的雲彩 ...
夏季博覽會
       Chen-ou Liu, Canada
 
spring
I lose track of the sun’s
comings and goings
      Gregory Longenecker, USA
 
rebuilding . . .
twigs and sunbeams intertwined
in the swallows’ nests
 
ricostruzione . . .
ramoscelli e raggi di sole intrecciati
nei nidi delle rondini
 
scentless flowers
the smell of sun
in my hands
 
fiori senza profumo
l’odore del sole
tra le mie mani
       Oscar Luparia, Italy
 
raking wet leaves . . .
remembering what made
the old scar
      Anthony Lusardi, USA
 
summer solstice
the dry riverbed face of
my grandfather
       Bipasha Majumder (De), India
 
spring cleaning
those long love letters
into pieces now
       Devoshruti Mandal, India
 
Holy Week
my caterpillar becomes
chrysalis
 
settimana santa
il mio bruco diventa
crisalide
        Carmela Marino, Italy
 
a crow’s caw
lost in flight . . . such fog
on the distant shore
       Richard L. Matta, USA
 
Birds are drinking
from a dripping tap
Times of drought
 
Beben los pàjaros
de un grifo que gotea
Tiempo de seca
        Lìa Miersch, Argentina
 
wind dies down
the solo of a cricket
somewhere
 
il vento si placa
l’assolo di un grillo
da qualche parte
       Daniela Misso, Italy
 
fiddleheads
so insistent
the baby’s grasp
       Beverly Acuff Momoi, USA
 
the rain pares rose
petals down to nothing –
memory fading
 
la pioggia riduce a nulla
i petali di rosa
dissolvenza della memoria
       Luciana Moretto, Italy
 
siblings
in the plantain grove
hand-in-hand
       Suraj Nanu, India
 
perhaps
in the next life . . .
sakura
 
twilight . . .
a fawn sipping
silence
        Veronika Zora Novak, Canada
 
magnolia blossoms
the mute swans’
courtship dance
 
cvet magnolije
labodov grbcev
dvoritveni ples
 
unfolding
from the river mist
elderflower scent
 
odvija se
iz rečne megle
vonj bezgovega cvetja
       Polona Oblak, Slovenia
 
gathered seeds
the growing wildness
of my garden
 
seacliff daisies
just beyond reach
spring tide
        Helen Ogden, USA
 
step stones
the fragile curve
of her spine
 
August afternoon
shimmering on stone
crescent suns
        Debbie Olson, USA
 
its trunk glossier
in the spring evening rain –
Himalayan birch
       Maeve O’Sullivan, Ireland
 
magpie songs –
the space between
dream and dawn
       Scott Packer, Canada
 
cemetery gates
the caretaker shows me
the way forward
 
first light
bending to the brook
doe shadow
       John Pappas, USA
 
March rain
just for a day the same
winter gloom
      Vandana Parashar, India
 
Blue damselflies –
   dancing lights
   in the woods
 
Hiking at sunrise . .
   black-tailed deer
   in canyon mist
        M.R. Pelletier, USA
 
sycamore sapling
a hooded crow calls
high in the trees
 
blackcap song . . .
ripples from the mist
reach the lough’s shore
       Thomas Powell, N. Ireland
 
country clothesline –
the afternoon
unfolding
      Tony Pupello, USA
 
butterfly wings
silent silhouettes
on the shade
      Carol Raisfeld, USA
 
water beads
roll off mint sherbet
homecoming
       Kavita Ratna, India
 
workday over
the evening lit
by daffodils
      Dian Duchin Reed, USA
 
the quiet house
 . . . almost hearing
my dead dog bark
       Edward J. Rielly, USA
 
within the brush pile
downed magnolia branches
blossom
      Aron Rothstein, USA
 
memorial service
her voice breaking
on the word joy
      Agnes Eva Savich, USA
 
longest day
canoeing until we become
silhouettes
      Julie Schwerin, USA
 
raft of ducks
dawdle the hours away
no plans either
      Ronald Scully, USA
 
even the egret
lingers longer
summer solstice
      Paula Sears, USA
 
sudden rain
looking for some shelter
a butterfly enters

afternoon tea
I contemplate sakura
in each sip
       Manoj Sharma, Nepal
 
cherry blossoms
he needs more time
to come home
       Richa Sharma, India
 
Peonies fallen
the fragrance still spreading
on the ground
 
散りてなほ地に香をひろぐ牡丹かな
        Kyoko Shimizu, Japan
 
spring dawn
my dad tunes his flute
to the birds’ song
 
пролетно утро
баща ми настройва флейтата си
за песента на птиците
       Tsanka Shishkova, Bulgaria
 
a trout disappears
in the tree’s shadow –
flowing river
 
एक ट्राउट लुप्त 
वृक्ष की छाया में—
बहती नदी
       Neena Singh, India
 
railroad station
my father closes
his eyes
       Joshua St. Claire, USA
 
sweet tea day
her apron swaddles
picked flowers
 
pink amaryllis
the journey of life
in her songs
       Stephenie Story, USA
 
sun salutation
a thimbleful of dew
in each buttercup
 
thawing lake
the hockey net catches
a trout
       Debbie Strange, Canada
 
dandelion clocks . . .
with a breath
I am become
 
new leaf to new leaf . . .
the butterfly
he’ll never be
       Kyle Sullivan, Taiwan
 
cherry blossoms
whilst all the snowflakes
turn to snow
       Herb Tate, UK
 
little waves
bottom up to shore
the old turtle
      Andrew Terrell, Australia
 
filling up
the squeaky clean sky
spring starlight
      Angela Terry, USA
 
May Day
the sparrows sing
a little louder
 
May Day
burung gereja berkicau
lebih nyaring lagi
        Elisa Theriana, Indonesia
 
beachcombing
among the shell fragments
mermaid tears
       Richard Tice, USA
 
shutters closed –
over the mountain village
storm clouds
 
obloane închise –
peste satul de munte
nori de furtună
        Maria Tirenescu, Romania
 
mountain village
a chimney sweeper moth
flits through the grass
        Xenia Tran, Scotland UK
 
grounding
myself in simpler times
wood anemones
       C.X. Turner, UK
 
greening forest
longed for songs return
to the trees
       Kevin Valentine, USA
 
her absence
the spaces between
raindrops
 
in the attic
a forgotten childhood
aroma of heat
        David Watts, USA
 
mulberry harvest
the first and the last
of the cedar wax wings
       Christine Wenk-Harrison, USA
 
Turkish delight
the pink perfume
of a summer dawn
       Tony Williams, Scotland, UK
 
crescent moon –
the first blackbird-song
of the year
       Juliet Wilson, UK
 
spring flowers
the garden gnomes
play hide and seek
      Robert Witmer, Japan
 
peeling away layers
the sycamore
and me
       Valorie Broadhurst Woerdehoff, USA
 
spring offering –
she places another mushroom
in her basket
      Wai Mei Wong, Canada
 
spring snow
my father’s steps
faltering
        Susan Yavaniski, USA
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