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In his essay “The Essence of Haiku,” published in Modern Haiku in 2007, Bruce Ross, the founding editor of this journal, said: “The ‘haiku moment’ might be defined as the conjunction of the particular and the absolute in a moment of time. Haiku is then basically an epiphany… In a haiku moment the mind does not intervene in the essence of things or the synchronicity of things… The greatness in haiku is the revelation of reality just as it is in all its wonder and freedom.” This concept of the haiku moment, of an observation of things as they are, is well exemplified by one of his own haiku, recently published in Ko 39:4: a cat sitting by the old burnt house winter sun The straightforward simplicity of this observation enables the reader to step into a moment that is at once particular, and yet also, through the shared feelings the images evoke, absolute. With this issue, in this time of global anxiety and conflict, we celebrate this kind of haiku moment: moments of falling leaves, moonlight, snow, bittersweet, migrating birds... Our hope is that in the process of sharing individual poems whose touchstone is reality—and that thus intersect with the absolute—we help create a community within which we can each find some empathy and understanding. Kristen Lindquist, November 2024 taking what comes the great-horned owl swivels her head Cynthia Anderson, USA windowsill Buddha same expression whatever weather Aaron Anstett, USA silent retreat just enough wind quaking aspen Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA an absence of home the river winding back into itself Joanna Ashwell, UK soft rain the magpie’s song fills with dawn Gavin Austin, Australia new year . . . the old woman waltzes on an ocean bluff Dyana Basist, USA woodsmoke today’s shadows on yesterday’s snow Brad Bennett, USA in thinning fog bare branches full of red birds but when he laughed – east wind melts the frost in the pampas grass Deborah A. Bennett, USA sheets flapping on the rooftop clothesline Gran sings her loudest draps claquant sur la corde à linge du toit Mémé chante de son plus fort Maxianne Berger, Canada winter sunset an old boat estranged on the shore Shiva Bhusal, USA/Nepal mid-day . . . frayed cobwebs still capturing the fog carried away on the ebb tide a swirl of ash Sally Biggar, USA an old cat sharing milk warm autumn sun Shawn Blair, USA late autumn . . . clouds ribboning between tree branches Nancy Brady, USA being bothered the cricket changes its place without a sound infastidito il grillo cambia posto senza dire “a” Maurizio Brancaleoni, Italy nightfall snow the horse waiting for me to giddy-up Randy Brooks, USA the bee’s rapture: last tumbling blooms of purple wisteria B. L. Bruce, USA the mouse busy building up a winter habitat die Maus geschäftig sie baut sich ein Winterquartier Pitt Büerken, Germany a mountain bluebird rides the wind-bent juniper last berries falling leaves reveal blank nests first chill Alanna C. Burke, USA mallards glide on the lake dusk stillness sul lago scivolano le anatre silenzio al crepusculo bombed-out house – above the ruins plum flowering casa bombardata – sulle rovine susino in fiore Mariangela Canzi, Italy sea grass a slow sway in the girl’s song winter woods into the unfullness old smoke moon Matthew Caretti, American Samoa steaming cup – the song of tea-pickers breaks the loneliness tasse fumante – le chant des cueilleuses de thé brise la solitude Laurence Cénédèse, France still, no ceasefire the praying mantis turning brown Archie G. Carlos, USA hanging rain clouds . . . all over the meadow cowbell songs Ram Chandran, India empty bowl so many thoughts singing in my heart Manasa Reddy Chichili, India first snow – no trace of smoke from my mother’s house prima zăpadă – niciun fuior de fum din casa mamei Mihaela Cojocaru, Romania the raven’s wingspan embracing bare branches dusky evening Ria Collins, Ireland leaving a moon behind in bare branches snowy owl amaryllis bulb why doesn’t love always flower Sue Colpitts, Canada the song of a scarlet tanager i go off trail Bill Cooper, USA a shard of moonlight through boarded windows reflecting on years of bad luck evan coram, USA a mother hums a lullaby . . . hibernation Sue Courtney, New Zealand autumn rain the sound of crying alone ulan sa tag-lagas ang tunog ng pag-iyak na mag-isa Alvin B. Cruz, The Philippines frozen moon the power of a single sentence Maya Daneva, Canada frosty evening . . . I fold a thousand paper cranes Bipasha Majumder De, India night rain looking for a rainbow in the moonlight pluie de nuit chercher un arc-en-ciel dans le clair de lune Marie Derley, Belgium Mine field – the wind rustling through dry grass Минско поље. Шуштање ветра кроз суву траву. Indian summer – the wounded stork carefully spreads its wings Михољско лето. Рањена рода пажљиво шири крила. Zoran Doderovic, Serbia winter loneliness each doll gets a middle name Carmela Dolce, USA New Year’s morning amid red cedar boughs yesterday’s snow Janice Doppler, USA brittle leaf scant shelter for a mouse Allison Douglas-Tourner, Canada wee winter hours the moon silvers a distant tree June Rose Dowis, USA twilight murmuration rearranging our bucket list C. Jean Downer, Canada unhoused person’s shopping cart its contents hidden by snow John J. Dunphy, USA winter evening – through the closed window icicles on the moon seară de iarnă – prin fereastra închisă ţurţuri în lună Carmen Duvalma, Romania night thunder rain lilies appear with first light Lynn Edge, USA puzzle weather . . . we rise only to forage for cinnamon sticks Anna Eklund-Cheong, France cold moon a western screech owl wakes us all only until the morning dew moonflowers Eavonka Ettinger, USA late afternoon past the office window outbound geese Keith Evetts, UK road trip autumn fills the ditches Susan Farner, USA autumn pond just one painted turtle seeks the sun Barbara Feehrer, USA autumn sun a plow turning earth Jeff Ferrara, USA a red-shouldered hawk flies by how could this never be enough? spider silk thread – my only connection to fall sunlight Thomas Festa, USA liquidambar in fall leaving the world for now undoing the urgency winter sun on the willow Jenny Fraser, New Zealand new year’s eve a great blue heron blends into night Seth Friedman, Canada a little wiggle in the water sun/fish Ben Gaa, USA a light going on after the memorial – autumn dusk Jerome Gagnon, USA autumn wind – childhood friends where have they gone viento de otoño – los amigos de infancia dònde se han ido Rafael Garcìa Bidò, Dominican Republic shifting the garden’s song autumn leaves Nicholas Gentile, USA our mother without leaving a will autumnal equinox майка ни без да оставя завещание есенно равноденствие Ivan Georgiev, Bulgaria red leaves the farewell song of a robin foglie rosse il canto d’addio di un pettirosso end of autumn the sound of magpies so near fine dell’autunno il suono delle gazze così vicino Eufemia Griffo, Italy my parents’ home the old apple tree cut down mein elternhaus der alte apfelbaum gefällt Alexander Groth, Germany autumn leaves tossing old cards from the rolodex Charles Harmon, USA white breath the blackbird’s song takes shape Lev Hart, Canada ribbon tide cold wind knots through the bones of a whaling station John Hawkhead, UK wing strokes swallows trace the elm’s silhouette Kathryn Haydon, USA cold moon . . . my single neighbour steps out alone 冷月… 我那单身邻居 一个人出去 deep silence the moon glows in a frozen puddle 寂静 在冰封的水窟里 月亮发光 David He, China cold night Milky Way crickets in my bed Janet Ruth Heller, USA September garden tendrils of her story linger Deborah Burke Henderson, USA snowing again the stray cat asleep in the greenhouse chad henry, USA beyond our breath clouds Geminids Jeff Hoagland, USA winter woods the sounds of wind and water drawing me in Ruth Holzer, USA potato harvest the draft horse in the sycamore’s shade Frank Hooven, USA snow blizzard the white eyelashes of a black horse снежна виелица белите мигли на черен кон Vladislav Hristov, Bulgaria ochre on our fingertips . . . slot canyon wall Lee Hudspeth, USA autumn colours in the sandstone gorge . . . ochre deposits Marilyn Humbert, Australia rain patter the crickets are waiting their turn ţârâit de ploaie greierii îşi aşteaptă rândul Mona Iordan, Romania off the beaten track woodsmoke drifts through starlight Erica Ison, UK autumn breeze i cuddle fairy tales pointing at the moon and stars Lakshmi Iyer, India mountain temple the untended grave strewn with chestnuts 山寺の 人来ぬ墓に 落栗よ yamadera no hitokonuhaka ni ochiguriyo typhoon . . . father’s lost boat still drifting in my dreams 台風や 父の失せし船 夢を漂う taifūya chichi no useshifune yume o tadayou Keiko Izawa, Japan shaking snow from the pine boughs an owl spreads her wings Rick Jackofsky, USA leaves I never raked the laughter of children rolling through autumn Peter Jastermsky, USA rain on plum tree clinging to bare branches evening twilight Govind Joshi, India Evening twilight the time for reminiscence a bell-cricket’s chirp 黄昏はものおもふとき鉦叩 Satoru Kanematsu, Japan fox fire in the abandoned house a flicker of light Deborah Karl-Brandt, Germany a blackbird in the apple tree first snow Emil Karla, France fallen leaves bring their own grief empty porch Arvinder Kaur, India wind gusts – spirals of conversation in autumn leaves Keitha Keyes, Australia the slow curve in the road the long way home crescent moon falling away . . . the soft wing dust on a fading monarch Kim Klugh, USA winter loneliness . . . reading coffee grounds by myself zimska samoća . . . proričem si budućnost iz taloga kave Nina Kovačić, Croatia autumn trail sharing the sunrise with a toadstool Kimberly Kuchar, USA picking perfect pumpkins . . . for the squirrels Jill Lange, USA snow day . . . my daughters dancing in slipper socks Barrie Levine, USA frost-rimed leaves the blue rake leans into its shadow Kathryn Liebowitz, USA first day of school curve after curve of laughter down a spiral slide 開學第一天 一聲接著一聲歡笑 沿著螺旋滑梯滑下 eviction night boxes of my immigrant dreams wrapped in shadows 驅逐之夜 我的移民夢想裝進一堆盒子 籠罩在陰影中 Chen-ou Liu, Canada blooming field . . . on the withered stalks a light snow campo in fiore . . . sugli steli appassiti neve leggera Oscar Luparia, Italy low tide the sea glimmers in a bleached oyster shell Malcolm MacClancy, Ireland only visitor . . . from a crack of the grave the weed Devoshruti Mandal, India his retirement outside the hospice window such colorful trees emerytura kolorwe drzewa za oknem hospicjum Urszula Marciniak, Poland hawthorn hedge a catbird slips out of sight Sharon Martina, USA high wind . . . the deep low note of a bronzewing Jo McInerney, Australia if only for one night . . . moonflower MJ Mello, USA Going back home Someone reading poems at the bus stop Volviendo a casa Alguien lee poemas en la parada Lìa Miersch, Argentina barren maple the deer’s carcass returned to earth Rowan Beckett Minor, USA cormorants flying south just ahead of their shadows teetering between tonight and tomorrow last leaves Katie Montagna, Ireland raking leaves – an empty cicada shell ratissant les feuilles – une coquille de cigale vide Mike Montreuil, Canada falling leaves the fairy garden disappears Joanne Morcom, Canada snow-blue twilight . . . looking for myself in a darkened mirror crepuscolo azzuro neve . . . cerco me stessa in uno specchio oscurato Luciana Moretto, Italy mid-winter . . . how the bittersweet hangs on Laurie D. Morrissey, USA bamboo spout – the stone basin sunk with coloured leaves Leanne Mumford, Australia our relationship blooms after rainfall desert lily Surya Nes, Indonesia between moonset and sunrise larches by the lake mes luninim zahodom in sončnim vzhodom macesni ob jezeru the moment the doe’s gaze meets mine komorebi trenutek ko košutin pogled sreča mojega komorebi Polona Oblak, Slovenia glassy sea the cormorant’s skid slows to a stop Helen Ogden, USA scrumping apples from the scrappy farm hedge mistlethrush eve Ben Oliver, UK snowflakes our words settle on a path Debbie Olson, USA the cry of a loon autumn chill Nancy Orr, USA city fountain shut down for the season coin-tossed wishes Roland Packer, Canada grass still greener on the other side –autumn path Scott Packer, Canada night snow the right to remain silent John Pappas, USA morning moon frost on the breast of a starling M. R. Pelletier, USA homeless child – stolen by the wind the kite’s tail batang palaboy – hangin ninakaw buntot ng saranggola Feddie Peralta, The Philippines rain the salty taste of tears Gregory Piko, Australia rotting deeper into a darkening sky the rowan’s berries Thomas Powell, UK frost on the roof track trodden by a crow to the sky oszroniony dach ślad wrony wydeptany do nieba Krzysztof Przegiętka, Poland windswept leaves leaving my harsh voice behind Tony Pupello, USA a solo goose loose from his skein as evening sinks Audrey Quinn, Ireland dark clouds all my complaints in a crow’s mouth Indian summer coyotes howl the sun down Dian Duchin Reed, USA soaked through in the monsoon rain slow warmth of noodle soup winter chill a pine twig shivers under a sparrow Sam Renda, South Africa early frost under a blanket the last of the marigolds Edward J. Rielly, USA climate change a white Christmas only in my snow globe klimaatverandering een witte kerst alleen in mijn sneeuwbol Marjolein Rotsteeg, The Netherlands first autumn rain the forest floor ripples with the crawl of newts Aron Rothstein, USA first dress after the divorce – the twirl of a single apple peel Kelly Sargent, USA alone with the forest again pock-marked rocks Agnes Eva Savich, USA between the rain clouds and the headstones an amen Greg Schwartz, USA making the most of our time together . . . December snowflakes Julie Schwerin, USA snow day . . . the stray cat’s heartbeat through her mittens Paula Sears, USA in deep meditation the bamboo sprouts a yellow leaf winter mist my self-doubt on a raven’s cry Manoj Sharma, Nepal Crickets chirping – grasses grow all over a deserted kiln 虫鳴くや草に覆はる廃れ窯 The first wild duck – on the tidal river not a ripple 初鴨や潮入川に波もなく Kyoko Shimizu, Japan snow rainbow on a diamond anniversary still a dreamer снежна дъга на диамантена годишнина все още мечтател Tsanka Shishkova, Bulgaria burning autumn leaves loneliness Michael Shoemaker, USA cloudless night one of the stars falls upwards bezchmurna noc jedna z gwiazd spada w górę Daniel Sidorowicz, Poland sepia photo father’s finger points to the book I now hold सीपिया फोटो पिता की ऊँगली का इशारा मेरी पकड़ी किताब पर autumn dusk the park bench warm where you sat शरद ऋतु धुंधलका पार्क बेंच की गर्माइश जहाँ तुम बैठे थे Neena Singh, India first Gulf Coast chill – a lone white egret glides to the ground Lisa Sparaco, USA a film of dust on an old trophy autumn dusk afternoon haze beyond the hills hints of hills Srini, India maple leaf skeleton the tributaries of the Susquehanna frozen solid cirrus spissatus the slow fade of an aster meadow Joshua St. Claire, USA foggy pond – a family of swans slip through the silence Stephenie Story, USA flatland rain a herd of antelope blurs the horizon Debbie Strange, Canada harvest moon – a puddle of moonlight on the drought stricken field Angela Terry, USA rock-hugging moss a sudden softness in mother’s voice Corine Timmer, Portugal mountain village – snowy stack of wood at the old fence cătun de munte – stivă ninsă de lemne la gardul vechi Maria Tirenescu, Romania feminicide – under a dark moon another cry femminicidio – sotto una luna nera un altro grido Maria Tosti, Italy moonlight on the train’s roof a thousand acorns scattering ashes how your stars follow the stream Xenia Tran, Scotland, UK nowhere else to be but a mountain lake C. X. Turner, UK October sun – monarchs leaf the sacred firs Kevin Valentine, USA early winter chill on the mantlepiece a shaken snow globe Tuyet Van Do, Australia wildflower grove the mowed path winds into twilight Evan Vandermeer, USA Harvest Moon – from my garden to my terrace a raccoon Luna Recoltei – din grădină pe terasă un raton Steliana Cristina Voicu, Romania windless day a butterfly’s wing on the leaf pile clear dusk a moonlight trail behind the slug Amy Watson, USA January morning slivers of glass snow shatter the sky Diane Webster, USA after New Year fireworks the new year Michael Dylan Welch, USA acorn shower the number it takes to make a tree Christine Wenk-Harrison, USA fog furling over the ditch things unsaid first frost a fox dashes across felled spruce Mary White, Ireland windswept beach the time when life was so easy Ernest Wit, Poland letting go she twirls in delight autumn leaves Robert Witmer, Japan verge of winter he cannot hear the village bell fringe of ice a lone swan drifts down the wide river Susan Yavaniski, USA late winter storm a pair of antlers caught in the thicket Nitu Yumnan, India peeling cabbage leaves the discussion shifts to atom’s interior obieranie kapusty z liści dyskusja przenosi się do wnętrza atomu Eugeniusz Zacharski, Poland autumn moon a web weaved on the window John Zheng, USA first snow enveloping the Jizo *Jizo: patron deity of children and travelers J. Zimmerman, USA Comments are closed.
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Editorial Staff:
Founder (emeritus): Bruce Ross Editors: Astrid Andreescu Kristen Lindquist Art: Murray D. Ross Archives
May 2025
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