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

12/13/2020

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

              
autumn trees –
the village market
on its off day

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

                                                                                                                                  wind again . . .
                                                                                                                                  alchechengi lantern
                                                                                                                                  on my doorstep

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

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

                                                                                                                                   lockdown
                                                                                                                                   the face of the moon
                                                                                                                                   still shining

                                                                                                                                   carantină
                                                                                                                                   chipul lunii
                                                                                                                                   încă sclipind
                                                                                                                                                Cristina Apetrei, Romania

                                                                                           twilight tracks
                                                                                           from the homeless shelter
                                                                                           hunger moon

                                                                                          western wind
                                                                                          rearranging the pattern
                                                                                          fallen leaves
                                                                                                          Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA

unraked leaves –
life on the verge
of annihilation

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

                                                                                                                                  deep winter
                                                                                                                                  the intimacy
                                                                                                                                  of stars

                                                                                                                                  there
                                                                                                                                  in this silence
                                                                                                                                  with leaves
                                                                                                                                               Joanna Ashwell, UK

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

windstorm . . .
a soutane hanging
on a minaret

ìjì ńlá . . .
sùtánà sokọ́
sóri asóró

autumn wind . . .
an olive tree falls
by half

atẹ́gùn ọyẹ́ . . .
igi ólífì ṣubú
dá méjì

rustling leaves –
the intermittent sound
of father’s newspaper

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

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

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

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

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

                                                          rain dropping all pretense
                                                                                       Aaron Barry, Canada

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

                                                                                                                                  Lauds
                                                                                                                                  through the abbey windows
                                                                                                                                  black-capped chickadees

                                                                                                                                  trimming beans
                                                                                                                                  I count
                                                                                                                                  my blessings
                                                                                                                                                   Maxianne Berger, Canada

dark grass
on the spider’s web
frost hardens

dunkles Gras
auf dem Spinnennetz
härtet Frost aus
                   Bisshie, Switzerland

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

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

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

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

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

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

sudden thunder . . .
jumping here and there
pomegranate grains

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

quiet chattering
of yellowed leaves . . .
empty benches

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

                                                                                knowing how clouds
                                                                                move along mountains
                                                                                 this place called home

                                                               cicadas become september rain
                                                                                                                Matthew Caretti, USA

a dream
I want to remember
morning’s chai tea

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

                                                                                                                                  trails in the snow
                                                                                                                                  in each enough room
                                                                                                                                  for the moonlight

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

                                                                                                                                  a bright spark
                                                                                                                                  wanders in her eyes
                                                                                                                                   harvest moon

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

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

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

autumn moon
the grasshopper left
by the harvester

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

                                                                                    barefoot
                                                                                    waiting for a spider to leave
                                                                                    the stepping stone

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

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

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

autumn equinox
just enough breeze
to turn a page

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

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

me and the silence
the last leaf is about
to fall

io e il silenzio 
l’ultima foglia 
sta per cadere

a certainty
of finding nothing
sudden storm

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

                                                                                                                                   arms outstretched
                                                                                                                                   baby gathers in
                                                                                                                                   the harvest moon

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

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

                                                                                                                                   mom’s urn
                                                                                                                                   my cosmos
                                                                                                                                   in suspense

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

autumn lockdown
a family gathering
of mushrooms
           Tracy Davidson, UK

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

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

first logs
in the hearth the sound
of cicadas

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

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

                                                                                                                                  late winter . . .
                                                                                                                                  a light rain
                                                                                                                                 wets the roses

                                                                                                                                  fine inverno . . .
                                                                                                                                  una pioggia sottile
                                                                                                                                  bagna le rose
                                                                                                                                            Rosa Maria Di Salvatore, Italy

far peak
a tad of snow glints
on, glints off

impossible to count
all the falling yellow leaves
six parrots in the elm
              Jan Dobb, Australia

                                                                                                                                  in a wolf’s eyes
                                                                                                                                  trapped in the cage –
                                                                                                                                  the autumn moon

                                                                                                                                  U očima vuka
                                                                                                                                   zarobljen u kavezu –
                                                                                                                                   jesenji mesec
                                                                                                                                                Zoran Doderović, Serbia

                                                                                           rustling leaves
                                                                                           my joints grow
                                                                                           a little stiffer
                                                                                                         Carmela Dolce, USA

end of summer
in the old caravan remain
only the stars

края на лятото
в старата каравана остават
само звездите
          Radostina A. Dragostinova, Bulgaria

                                                                                                                                    warm colours
                                                                                                                                     in the old photo –
                                                                                                                                     autumn

                                                                                                                                     culori calde
                                                                                                                                     în fotografia veche –
                                                                                                                                     toamna

                                                                                                                                    autumn moon –
                                                                                                                                    my first ink
                                                                                                                                    painting

                                                                                                                                    luna de toamnă –
                                                                                                                                    prima mea pictură 
                                                                                                                                    în cerneală 
                                                                                                                                                   Ana Drobot, Romania

                                                                                        meditation garden
                                                                                        Buddha’s statue rings
                                                                                        from a fallen acorn
                                                                                                      John J. Dunphy, USA

loneliness –
through the closed window
an autumn message

singurătate –
prin fereastra închisă
mesaj de toamnă

melancholy –
under golden leaves
crickets’ song

melancolie –
sub frunzele de aur
cântec de greieri
            Carmen Duvalma, Romania

                                                                                                                                  moonlight
                                                                                                                                   hallelujah
                                                                                                                                   hallelujah
                                                                                                                                         David Käwika Eyre, USA

their argument
more like music
juncos
           Seren Fargo, USA

                                                                                                                                   a crow calls
                                                                                                                                   through the mist
                                                                                                                                   autumn chill
                                                                                                                                              Susan Farmer, USA

autumn mourning
inside my hands
words left unsaid
          Marisa Fazio, Australia

                                                                                                                                  the buck and I
                                                                                                                                  share the same moon
                                                                                                                                  autumn path
                                                                                                                                            Bruce H. Feingold, USA

arbor moon
the last grape
on the vine

scattered farms
connected
by a crow
             Jeffrey Ferrara, USA

                                                                                           wind sweeping
                                                                                           leaves from the pavement
                                                                                           leftover cough

                                                                                           wiatr zmiata
                                                                                           liście z chodnika
                                                                                           pozostał kaszel
                                                                                                        Agnieszka Filipek, Ireland/Poland

full moon
I am here and you are there
together

pełnia księżyca
ja tu a ty tam
razem
 
full moon
did my daughters turn off
the bedside lamps?
 
pełnia księżyca
czy moje córki zgasiły
nocne lampki?
 
in deep silence . . .
over my grandmother’s grave
autumn butterfly
 
głęboka cisza
nad grobem mojej babci
jesienny motyl
 
cold morning
in the newspaper
my professor’s obituary
 
chłód
w porannej gazecie
nekrolog mojego profesora
          Małgorzata Formanowska, Poland
 
                                                                                                                                  wind chimes –
                                                                                                                                  hanging patiently
                                                                                                                                  indoors
                                                                                                                                               B.A. France, USA

her gold rimmed fan –
autumn light falls through
a blackbird’s wing

Sunday winter noon
I slip
into grace
           Jenny Fraser, New Zealand

                                                                                                                                  setting sun
                                                                                                                                  i brush the leaves
                                                                                                                                  off her headstone
                                                                                                                                               Jay Friedenberg, USA

November
just a mistletoe left
on a birch tree

studeni
na brezi ostala
tek imela
        Željko Funda, Croatia

                                                                                                                                  ice moon
                                                                                                                                  i become the silence
                                                                                                                                  of the pond

                                                                                                                                  moonrise
                                                                                                                                  the white tops
                                                                                                                                  of toadstools
                                                                                                                                               Ben Gaa, USA

crickets . . .
leaf by leaf,
the evening shadows
          Joshua Gage, USA

                                                                                                                                  sheltering in place
                                                                                                                                  on a bed of pine needles –
                                                                                                                                  sleeping kitten
                                                                                                                                                 Jerome Gagnon, USA

 winter beach
 this young man’s dreams
 gone with the wind
              William Scott Galasso, USA

                                                                                                                                      fuchsia
                                                                                                                                      petals hanging on
                                                                                                                                      for first frost

                                                                                                                                       that time of year –
                                                                                                                                       the sycamore leaves
                                                                                                                                       teased into colour
                                                                                                                                                    Mike Gallagher, Ireland

                                                                                          autumn night –
                                                                                 where the street ends
                                                                                            oh fireflies

                                                                                       noche de otoño –
                                                                                    donde acaba la calle
                                                                                         oh cucubanos

                                                                                               fall rain –
                                                                                    in the pine forest
                                                                                         the old house

                                                                                     lluvia de otoño –
                                                                              en el bosque de pinos
                                                                                        la casa vieja

                                                                                           an acorn
                                                                                  is what I found –
                                                                                       winter field

                                                                                         una bellota
                                                                         es lo que he encontrado –
                                                                                    campo invernal
                                                                                                      Rafael García Bidó, Dominican Republic

His name
Still engraved so deeply . . .
Dandelion in the wind

Jego imię
Wciąż wyryte tak głęboko...
Dmuchawiec na wietrze
           Anna Goluba, Poland

                                                                                                                                   she takes another
                                                                                                                                   anxiety pill to sleep
                                                                                                                                   frost moon
                                                                                                                                                John S Green, USA

rescuer’s hand
in the autumn sky
earthquake rubble

güz semasında
kurtarıcının eli
deprem enkazı
          Engin Gülez, Turkey
 
                                                                                                                                  autumn sunshine
                                                                                                                                  walking through
                                                                                                                                  the maple leaves
                                                                                                                                                Dorna Hainds, USA
 
autumn breeze
turning through the leaves
the last butterfly
 
autumn sunset
so difficult to write
about happiness
 
late autumn frost
spider webs string together
a necklace of stars
              John Hawkhead, UK
 
                                                                                                                                 corn moon
                                                                                                                                 a cobbled path
                                                                                                                                 to the harvest
                                                                                                                                     Diane Allen Hemingway, USA
 
momentary
snow feathers
on the skylight
 
isshun
yuki no hane
tenmado ni
 
一瞬
雪の羽
天窓に
 
aluminum pie pans
still scare the crows
empty cornfield
 
arumi paipan
mada carasu o odokasu
kara no tomorokoshibatake
 
アルミ パイパン
まだ 烏 を 脅かす
空 の ともろこし畑
                 Judith Hishikawa, USA
 
                                                                                                                                  becoming
                                                                                                                                  the wind
                                                                                                                                  starlings
                                                                                                                                              Jeff Hoagland, USA
 
 
autumn sky
a green leaf cradled
on the streambed
               Frank Hooven, USA
 
                                                                                                                                 still dawn
                                                                                                                                 a kayaker’s paddle
                                                                                                                                 swirls fog
 
                                                                                                                                 outside my window
                                                                                                                                 a spider weaves gold
                                                                                                                                 winter sun
                                                                                                                                              Louise Hopewell, Australia
 
 
beyond my window
Sirius tracks down the moon
covid isolation
 
crowded mall
shoppers eyes smiling
behind masks

fallen leaves
crackle on the track
covid restrictions ease

water runnels
over mossy stones
the silence
             Marilyn Humbert, Australia
 
 
                                                                                                                                  autumn moon
                                                                                                                                  testing the thickness
                                                                                                                                  of cloud cover
 
                                                                                                                                  above
                                                                                                                                  a swathe of low-lying mist
                                                                                                                                  the morning star
                                                                                                                                                Erica Ison, UK
 
 
stormy sea –
into the old lighthouse
only the full moon
 
mare-n furtună –
în vechiul far mai urcă
doar luna plină
              Dan Iulian, Romania
 
                                                                                                                                   autumn diary
                                                                                                                                   the weight of her old age
                                                                                                                                   in her loneliness
                                                                                                                                                   Lakshmi Iyer, India
 
 
drifting by
the autumn moon
a red canoe
 
sprouting
from leafless branches
blackbirds
         Rick Jackofsky, USA
 
 
                                                                                                                                  keeping up
                                                                                                                                  with the stars
                                                                                                                                  skipping stones
                                                                                                                                                Elmedin Kadric, Sweden
 
 
                                                                                        Sharing a night
                                                                                        the light switched off
                                                                                         with crickets
 
                                                            灯を消してちちろと夜を共にせり
                                                    hi wo keshite chichiro to yoru o tomoni seri
 
                                                                                        Evening rain
                                                                                        not enough to quell
                                                                                insects’ voices
 
                                                                虫の声鎮めぬほどの雨の夕
                                               mushi no koe shizumenu hodo no ame no yu
                                                                                                                             Satoru Kanematsu, Japan
 
 
fresh cement –
the fallen leaf
falling forever
 
autumn wind –
did you get stronger
since last year?
          Skylar Kay, Canada
 
 
                                                                                                                                   dead end
                                                                                                                                   where the woods
                                                                                                                                   begin
 
                                                                                                                                   beads of rain
                                                                                                                                   on a leafless branch
                                                                                                                                   my morning prayer
                                                                                                                                                Bill Kenney, USA
 
 
hot day in autumn
one turkey vulture soaring
above another
 
forest morning
spots on a fawn
not yet faded
 
regarding the bird
through its shadow
autumn ramble
             Craig Kittner, USA
 
 
                                                                                                                                    harvest moon
                                                                                                                                    twisting half a peach
                                                                                                                                    from its stone
 
                                                                                                                                  ice crystals
                                                                                                                                  the swaying of pine trees
                                                                                                                                  in low winter sun
 
                                                                                                                                  winter hike –
                                                                                                                                  the smell of woodsmoke
                                                                                                                                  at trail’s end
                                                                                                                                                kjmunro, Canada
 
 
As the days grow short
And the rush of man persists
The yellow leaf falls
 
Dani prolaze
Ljudska žurba nastavlja
Žuti list je pao
          Valentino Klarić, Croatia
 
                                                                                                                                   city lights
                                                                                                                                   from separate hilltops
                                                                                                                                   you and I
 
                                                                                                                                   storm front
                                                                                                                                   the way your voice quivers
                                                                                                                                   when you care
 
                                                                                                                                   winter grave
                                                                                                                                   a handful of frozen
                                                                                                                                   carnations
                                                                                                                                            Deborah P Kolodji, USA
 
 
autumn moonlight –
a homeless man falls asleep
on his own shadow
 
jesienny blask księżyca –
bezdomny zasypia
na własnym cieniu
          Marek Kozubek, Poland

                                                                                                                                  deepening sky
                                                                                                                                  each falling leaf
                                                                                                                                  adding blue

                                                                                                                                   winter bus stop
                                                                                                                                   the breaths of strangers
                                                                                                                                   one cloud
              
                                                                                                                                   autumn dusk
                                                                                                                                   just enough light
                                                                                                                                   to see geese cross the sky
                                                                                                                                                  Jeff Kressman, USA

huge house
not high enough to stop
a leaf in the wind

listič med letom
niti ogromna zgradba
ga ne zaustavi

snowy path
I pause to inhale
the tranquility

zasnežena pot
nebrzdano vdihujem
spokojnost sveta
             Samo Kreutz, Slovenia

                                                                                                                                    autumn
                                                                                                                                    caressed by the sun
                                                                                                                                    the last rose

                                                                                                                                     jesen
                                                                                                                                     suncem pomilovana
                                                                                                                                     zadnja ruža
                                                                                                                                                    Gordana Kurtović, Croatia

                                                                               acorn caps –
                                                                               she counts her collection
                                                                               into the honey jar

                             grandfather’s armchair facing the backyard . . . winter nesting
                                                                                                                                Barrie Levine, USA

                                                                                                                                 January thaw . . .
                                                                                                                                 a mallard sails free
                                                                                                                                 of an eddy
                                                                                                                                             Kristen Lindquist, USA

window display
the blush of autumn sunset
on her masked face

櫥窗陳列
在她戴面罩的臉上
秋天的夕陽紅

a tow truck
pulling another
first snowfall

一輛拖車
費力拖著另一輛
首次降雪
          Chen-ou Liu, Canada

                                                                                                                                   will I still be here
                                                                                                                                   when next spring comes
                                                                                                                                   reddening leaves
                                                                                                                                                 Amy Losack, USA
 
 
under the roof
the swallows nest filled –
a family of sparrows

spodi krova
gnezdo laste spunila –
obitel vrapcov     
           
pod krovom
lastino gnijezdo popunila –
obitelj vrabaca      
           Vladimir Ludvig, Croatia
 
                                                                                                                                  late rise . . .
                                                                                                                                  the moon above
                                                                                                                                  the prison wall
                                                                                                                                                Ajaya Mahala, India
 
 
still remembering
childhood homecoming
grandma’s chestnuts crackling
 
ainda me lembro
regresso a casa da infância
as castanhas da avó a crepitar
            Mónica Margaride, Portugal
 
 
                                                                                                                                   how much the earth
                                                                                                                                   still to be trampled on?
                                                                                                                                   autumn clouds
 
                                                                                                                                   quanta la terra
                                                                                                                                   ancora da calpestare?
                                                                                                                                   nubi d'autunno 
                                                                                                                                                 Carmela Marino, Italy
 

Midnight
On my horse’s back
The autumn moon
           Amy Marshall, New Zealand

                                                                                                                                  acorn caps
                                                                                                                                  for cups
                                                                                                                                  her first tea
                                                                                                                                              Scott Mason, USA

The mice,
Circumspect in their searching,
A perfect moonlight
             Trelise McEwan, New Zealand

                                                                                                                                    unusually late
                                                                                                                                    outside with the neighbors
                                                                                                                                    as a comet blazes
                                                                                                                                                   Robin Mayhall, USA

Fireworks
An old war veteran
hugs his dog

Fuegos de artificio
Un viejo veterano de guerra
abraza a su perro
              Lía Miersch, Argentina

                                                                                                                                  scarlet firethorn . . .
                                                                                                                                  the fluted notes
                                                                                                                                  of the hermit thrush

                                                                                                                                  street market
                                                                                                                                  all the colours of autumn
                                                                                                                                  in the pumpkin-seller’s stall
                                                                                                                                                   Mark Miller, Australia

late autumn –
a golden leaf
on the wedding ring

toamnă târzie –
o frunză aurie
pe verighetă
          Mihai Moldoveanu – Mirco, Romania
 

                                                                                                                                   October light
                                                                                                                                   everywhere
                                                                                                                                   ghost pumpkins
 
                                                                                                                                   colorless nights
                                                                                                                                   no longer hearing
                                                                                                                                   the insects cry
                                                                                                                                                Beverly Acuff Momoi, USA
 
 
                                                                                           harvest fair
                                                                                           corn dollies for sale
                                                                                           arms beckoning
                                                                                                        Joanne Morcom, Canada
 
 
turning up the collar
of my quilted jacket . . .
low hangs the moon
 
alzo il bavero
della giacca imbottita
pende bassa la luna
            Luciana Moretto, Italy
 
 
                                                                                                                                  winter light
                                                                                                                                   the permanence
                                                                                                                                   of longing
 
                                                                                                                                   last year’s fruit
                                                                                                                                   weighted by snow
                                                                                                                                   winter robins
                                                                                                                                                Laurie D. Morrissey, USA
 
 
autumn migration
a whale fluke enters
the rising moon
           Ron Moss, Australia
 
 
                                                                                                                                  the sound of the treadle
                                                                                                                                  from Nonna’s sewing machine
                                                                                                                                  autumn rain
                                                                                                                                            Angela Naccarato, Canada
 
 
                                                                                            hunter’s moon
                                                                                            on the widow’s porch
                                                                                            a stray tom
                                                                                                       Nika, Canada
 
autumn hill –
a monk tears another page
in his diary
 
Òkè ìgbà ìwọ́wé –
Àlùfáà jà awẹ́ míràn
nínú ìwé-iranti
             Tolulope Ogedengbe, Nigeria
 
 
                                                                                                                                 emptiness
                                                                                                                                 can be divided
                                                                                                                                 winter plovers
                                                                                                                                                 our thomas, USA
 
 
                                                                                      frozen creek
                                                                                      a memory lingers
                                                                                      on the kissing bridge
                                                                                                          Roland Packer, Canada
 
dirt road drive
drenched in silence –
autumn moon
 
midnight frost
upon the prairie grass
the endless starlight
 
magpies pick
the last red tree fruit –
harvest moon
            Scott Packer, Canada
 
 
                                                                                         clear cut
                                                                                         a woodpecker forages
                                                                                         sideways
                                                                                                    Lorraine A. Padden, USA
 
                                                                                                                                 my soft footfalls
                                                                                                                                 on the library floor
                                                                                                                                 Mid-October
                                                                                                                                             Melissa Patterson, USA
 
 
grave visiting
a dash separates
the same dates
 
posjet groblju
crtica razdvaja
iste datume
           Sanela Pliško, Croatia 
 
 
                                                                                                                                   behind the mountain
                                                                                                                                   the moon slowly disappears –
                                                                                                                                   monk deep in prayer

                                                                                                                                   derrière la montagne
                                                                                                                                   la lune s’évanouit lentement –
                                                                                                                                   moine en prière
                                                                                                                                                   Nicole Pottier, France
 
equinox sun . . .
an orb-weaver
reaches its centre
 
haul y gyhydnos…
y corryn yn cyrraedd
canol y we

clifftop path
my breath a breeze
from here to there
            Thomas Powell, Wales
 
 
                                                                                                                                  my need
                                                                                                                                   to meditate
                                                                                                                                   autumn moon
 
                                                                                                                                   evening silence
                                                                                                                                   the autumn moon
                                                                                                                                   closer than ever
                                                                                                                                                   Patricia Prime, New Zealand
 
across the field
pieces of scarecrow
spin in the wind

autumn chill
the fly dressed
in spider silk
            Carol Raisfeld, USA
 
 
                                                                                                                                  growing
                                                                                                                                  day by day your absence . . .
                                                                                                                                   scent of drying leaves
                                                                                                                                                 Milan Rajkumar, India
 
brown dragonfly
on a dried grass stem
autumn begins
             Dian Duchin Reed, USA
 
                                                                                                                                  raking leaves
                                                                                                                                  my neighbor and I wave
                                                                                                                                   keeping our distance
 
                                                                                                                                   winter whiteout
                                                                                                                                   not seeing where we’re going
                                                                                                                                   where we have been
 
                                                                                                                                   silence
                                                                                                                                   before the snowstorm
                                                                                                                                   deepening
                                                                                                                                                  Edward J. Rielly, USA
 
autumn is passing –
all is said in a letter
that does not arrive
 
jesen odmiče –
u pismu što ne stiže
sve je rečeno
         Dragan Ristić, Serbia
 
                                                                                                                                  tender moon
                                                                                                                                  a threadbare butterfly
                                                                                                                                  in baby’s cradle
                                                                                                                                              Cynthia Rowe, Australia
 
COVID coexistence –
to wash and disinfect
full harvest moon
 
suživot s koronavirusom -
oprati i dezinficirati
puni jesenji mjesec
         Đurđa Vukelić Rožić, Croatia

                                                                                                                                   a great log
                                                                                                                                   in the river rolls over . . .
                                                                                                                                   autumn moon
                                                                                                                                                 Timothy Russell, USA

autumn full moon
a child wonders why
it doesn’t fall

rustle of leaves . . .
no point remembering
the old songs
              Srinivas S, India

                                                                                                                                   crow’s footprints
                                                                                                                                   the wind slowly
                                                                                                                                   shifts the sand

                                                                                                                                    in the fall
                                                                                                                                    the weight
                                                                                                                                    of a raindrop
                                                                                                                                            Srinivasa Rao Sambangi, India

mid-day sun
winter mountains
unravel slowly
          Bona M. Santos, USA

                                                                                                                                  day moon
                                                                                                                                  deep in the milkweed
                                                                                                                                   monarch eggs
                                                                                                                                               Agnes Eva Savich, USA

definite darkness . . .
the porch light’s swaying
to uncertain direction

gelap pekat ...
lampu beranda berayun
arah tak tentu
           Ken Sawitri, Indonesia

                                                                                           falling leaf . . .
                                                                                           for the briefest moment
                                                                                           it soars
                                                                                                         Greg Schwartz, USA

                                                                                                                                   row of hayrounds
                                                                                                                                   the one that lifts
                                                                                                                                   into the night sky

                                                                                                                                  covering her perennials
                                                                                                                                  against the frost
                                                                                                                                  All Saint’s Day
                                                                                                                                           Julie Schwerin, USA

blessings
in mother’s smile –
Dashain festival*
*national Nepalese autumn festival celebrated by receiving blessings from elders

winter dusk . . .
the fading sound
of temple bells
            Manoj Sharma, Nepal

                                                                                                                                  west to east
                                                                                                                                   this autumn moon
                                                                                                                                   an enso
                                                                                                                                             Lakshmi Sheth, Dubai

                                                                                      A full moon
                                                                                      lighting every house
                                                                                      on the zenith

                                                                     どの家も照らす満月天心に    
                                                          dono ie mo terasu mangetsu tenshin ni

                                                                                     Fallen ginkgo nuts –
                                                                                     a male ginkgo tree stands
                                                                                     at a short distance

                                                                    銀杏落つ少し離れて雄株立つ   
                                                              ichyo otsu sukosi hanarete okabu tatsu
                                                                                                               Kyoko Shimizu, Japan

footbridge
covered with autumn leaves
water lily pond

пешеходен мост
покрито с есенни листа
езеро с лилии

sunny afternoon
on a bench facing the sun
autumn leaves

слънчев слеобед
на пейка обърната към слънцето
есенни листа

snowstorm
in the apple tree
chanting bells

снежна буря
на ябълковото дърво
звънтят камбанки
               Tsanka Shishkova, Bulgaria

                                                                                     last night’s rain,
                                                                               the first light of day
                                                                                      on the drops.

                                                                                 Lluvia de anoche,
                                                                            la primera luz del día
                                                                                   sobre las gotas.
                                                                                                Leticia Sicilia, Spain

                                                                                                                                   autumn noon
                                                                                                                                   the light and shadow
                                                                                                                                   of birdsong

                                                                                                                                   autumn dusk
                                                                                                                                   a cricket’s love trill
                                                                                                                                   in fading light
                                                                                                                                                   Neena Singh, India

twilit garden –
the gauzy wings
of a mosquito

bare branches . . .
a spider launches itself
into the storm

roadside weed –
its seedheads point
to the stars
           Barbara Strang, New Zealand

                                                                                                                                  ashfall
                                                                                                                                  the missing river
                                                                                                                                  of heaven

                                                                                                                                  the emptiness
                                                                                                                                  of a mermaid’s purse . . .
                                                                                                                                  rusted hull
                                                                                                                                                 Debbie Strange, Canada

                                                                                        last year’s struggles . . .
                                                                                        just one breath
                                                                                        rights the bug
                                                                                                      Kyle Sullivan, Taiwan

breaking dawn
two pairs of sandals
on the mosque steps

menjelang fajar 
dua pasang sendal 
di tangga masjid 

mother’s last words
fallen snow
on maple leaves

ucapan terakhir ibu 
butiran salju 
di atas daun maple 
           Agus Maulana Sunjaya, Indonesia


                                                                                                                                  autumn moon
                                                                                                                                  shaky gossamer traps
                                                                                                                                  from twig to twig
                                                                                                                                               Barbara A. Taylor, Australia

early fall –
the sunlit centers of
purple asters

October wind –
leaf shadows on the wall
of the empty house

autumn leaves
without a whisper
of wind song
           Angela Terry, USA

                                                                                                                                  turning into
                                                                                                                                  and out of ice
                                                                                                                                  winter pond
                                                                                                                                               Jennifer Thiermann, USA

year’s end –
the temple bell
in a slow fade

bristlecone pine –
shapes of wind frozen
in layered snow
           Richard Tice, USA

                                                                                                                                  what’s the use
                                                                                                                                  of the rush . . .
                                                                                                                                  city moon

                                                                                                                                  untuk apa
                                                                                                                                  tergesa . . .
                                                                                                                                  bulan di atas kota
                                                                                                                                               Elisa Theriana, Indonesia

 a curving beach
 one crab’s raised pincers
 pierce autumn fog
          Carrie Ann Thunell, USA

                                                                                                                                  first frost –
                                                                                                                                  popping pumpkin seeds
                                                                                                                                  in mother’s frypan

                                                                                                                                  eerste vorst –
                                                                                                                                  ploffende pompoenpitten 
                                                                                                                                  in moeders bakpan
                                                                                                                                     Corine Timmer, Portugal/The Netherlands

stormy rain –
the lullaby by Mozart
on the radio

ropot de ploaie –
cântec de leagăn de Mozart
la radio

Snowstorm in the village –
grandma spins the wool
murmuring a song

Furtună de zăpadă în sat –
bunica toarce lână
murmurând un cântec
          Maria Tirenescu, Romania

                                                                                                                                   all souls’ night
                                                                                                                                   my great-grandparents
                                                                                                                                   play in the snow
                                                                                                                                             Xenia Tran, Scotland

autumnal stars
the unexpected pleasure
of a nightingale

harvesting light
one memory at a time
autumn moon
          Kevin Valentine, USA

                                                                                                                                    sleepless night
                                                                                                                                    the stream rocks a pebble
                                                                                                                                     back and forth

                                                                                                                             slapeloze nacht
                                                                                                                                    de stroom wiegt een steentje
                                                                                                                                    heen en weer
                                                                                                                                           Joanne van Helvoort, The Netherlands

missing you in ways
I never thought I would
blue moon
          Christine L. Villa, USA

                                                                                                                                  evening walk
                                                                                                                                  a young deer rustles
                                                                                                                                  between stray thoughts

                                                                                                                                   changing seasons
                                                                                                                                   a blue heron on a rock
                                                                                                                                   going nowhere
                                                                                                                                                 Mary Vlooswyk, Canada

pumpkin cupcakes . . .
in grandma’s recipe book
a stain still full of flavor

brioșe cu dovleac . . .
o pată încă aromată
în rețetarul bunicii
          Steliana Cristina Voicu, Romania

                                                                                                                                  sun through icicles
                                                                                                                                  the spirit of my brother
                                                                                                                                  in a blue jay’s call

                                                                                                                                  scent of pine
                                                                                                                                  the fire’s long shadows
                                                                                                                                  spinning the dreidel
                                                                                                                                            Althea Rowe Watson, USA

mist rises
weight of moonlight on the wetlands
deep autumn
          David Watts, USA

                                   autumn mountains touching the limitless blue sky
                                                                                       Elaine Wilburt, USA

a leaf falls
past an open window
first day of school

clouds of breath
a winter sun burns away
the eulogy

late winter
an icicle drips
on an empty mailbox
           Robert Witmer, Japan

                                                                                                                                  tree limb
                                                                                                                                  encased in ice
                                                                                                                                  what I keep to myself
                                                                                                                                          Valorie Broadhurst Woerdehoff, USA

peace
earth embraces
a leaf

memorial
an acorn found
with her jewelry

another autumn
the moon moves its way
through the dark

zen garden
the storm wears away
some stone
         Jann Wright, USA

                                                                                                                                  moon at the bottom
                                                                                                                                  of the swift and gurgling stream
                                                                                                                                  shines as a coin

                                                                                                                                  månen längst ner 
                                                                                                                                  av den snabba och gurglande strömmen 
                                                                                                                                  lyser som ett mynt 
                                                                                                                                              Konstantin Yakimchuk, Sweden

a golden leaf . . .
reminds me of
his hazel eyes
 
ورقةٌ ذهبيّةٌ . . .
تُذكِّرُني
بعينيهِ العسليتينِ
 
une feuille dorée . . .
me fait penser à
ses yeux noisette 
           Hassane Zemmouri, Algeria

                                                                                                                                  scooping water
                                                                                                                                  moonlight drips off
                                                                                                                                  her fingers
                                                                                                                                             John Zheng, USA

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    Bruce Ross


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    ​Art: Murray David Ross


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