Autumn Moon Haiku Journal
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Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, Volume 8:2, Spring/Summer 2025

5/10/2025

 

Welcome to this new Spring/Summer issue of our journal. You will find a lighter tone, overall, rising above the sadness of today’s world, the poets finding beauty in blossoms, birds, nature in general. Some poets deftly express their feelings of loss and grief about the current world issues as well.
Bruce Ross, the founding editor of this journal and my husband, recently celebrated his 80th birthday. As you all know by now, he has stepped down since early 2024 due to advancing illness.
His involvement with haiku has been life long, he has been an early supporter of international haiku and “revived” interest in haibun. He was president of the Haiku Society of America in the early 1990s. He wrote the seminal anthology Haiku Moment, as well as the haibun anthology Journey to the Interior, which was probably the first of its kind, in the 1990s. He was a co-editor for many years of the yearly American Haibun and Haiga anthology and Contemporary Haibun online journal.
In 1997 and updated in 2023, he published a writing guide to haiku and related forms (How to Haiku, updated to Writing Haiku), which is written with beginners and even children in mind. Because of the focus on a younger audience, this book was misunderstood when it first came out.
 In 2012 he published, together with Kōko Katō, Dietmar Tauchner and Patricia Prime, A Vast Sky, which is probably the largest international haiku anthology to date. The impetus for it arose from yearly Autumn Moon contests, which he founded in the early 2000s and were open to international submissions. A Vast Sky received a few awards and great reviews, but unfortunately it has not sold much, as Bruce had to self-publish it and sell it on Amazon, with very low visibility. After the great reception that A Vast Sky had, Bruce decided, nine years ago, to start this journal that you are reading today.
He has always held his work at a high standard, and also this journal has been kept to his high standard for nature-related haiku. Our selection criteria are therefore quite rigorous. This journal is also meant to be a teaching tool for younger writers.
Here is a spring haiku from one of Bruce’s poetry collections, spring clouds:
                              steam rising
                              from my favorite tea
                              early spring clouds
I will leave the reader to enjoy the haiku moment and nature connection in this meditative haiku.
We have many of Bruce’s books at home, including the ones aforementioned, and I have listed them in the “Announcements; Books by Bruce Ross” section above. Please contact me at [email protected] for more information and if you want to purchase any. It would be very sad to throw these books away when Bruce passes on…  His has been a labor of love, and I am trying to continue it for as long as I am able.
Astrid Andreescu
Maine, USA, May 2025
 

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

old pond –
a dragonfly catches
the last light

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

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

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

April heat –
overflowing the bird bath
a flock of sparrows

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

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

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

last stop
a train car full of
sleeping soldiers

תחנה אחרונה
קרון מלא חיילים
ישנים 

another leap
a toddler stumbles
following a sparrow

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

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

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

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

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

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

spring gusts –
fresh horseshoe tracks
in the mud

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

chrysanthemum stone
all the years it can take
to flourish

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

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

semper fidelis
the paired blossoms
of partridgeberry
      Sally Biggar, USA

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

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

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

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

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

spring
. . .  and the trees are already
missing water

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

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

spring wind –
the tree sings
another way

vânt de primăvară –
copacul cântă
altfel

lavender field –
remembering
my mother’s perfume

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

hullabaloo
all the bulbuls
at dawn
      Matthew Caretti, American Samoa

cherry petals
how quickly the truce
fell apart

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

bulldozers
the pungency of
wild sage
      Bob Carlton, USA

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

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

green meadow
spring rain
on a spring frog

spring time
mom’s magic –
cherry blossoms

春
母の魔法
桜

haru
haha no mahō –
sakura
      Manasa Reddy Chichili, India

mountain path –
the sky brighter
in the peony meadow

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

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

the thunderstorm
to come
rumour of robins

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

family gathering
the scent
of the first rose

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

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

fertility clinic
the first cherry blossom
unfurls

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

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

April rain
how lonely it is
under my umbrella

ulan sa Abril
ang lungkot sa ilalim
ng aking payong

fireflies
for once i forget
there are stars

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

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

opening night
the glow
of moonflowers
      Pat Davis, USA

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

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

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

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

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

family campfire
mosquitoes join
the conversation
      Jane Druzhinina, USA

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

survival –
the last lily
rising again

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

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

early spring
redbud bumps
waiting to bloom
      Lynn Edge, USA

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

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

moonlit perfume
dusk’s soft light
gone too soon

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

cicada wind
the song
comes and goes
      Bill Fay, USA

inviting
friends to tea
pollinator garden
      Barbara Feehrer, USA

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

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

fragrant rain
falling one by one
acacia petals

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

undoing the urgency
spring sun
on the willow

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

New England barn
a weathervane
rusted South
      Jay Friedenberg, USA

spring breeze
a barefoot woman
begins to dance

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

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

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

here at last
the saltiness
of our sea

ecco finalmente
la salsedine
del nostro mare
      Barbara Gaiardoni, Italy

spring cleaning
behind the curtain
chrysalis
      Mike Gallagher, Ireland

the gale –
days of Lent
in the village

el ventarrón –
los días de cuaresma
en el villorio

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

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

vanishing star –
no answers
to prayer

nestajanje zvijezde –
nema odgorova
na molitvu
      Goran Gatalica, Croatia

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

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

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

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

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

Lunar craters
Her childhood full of
Memory gaps

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

lavender stems
her old memories
in a drawer

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

spring moon clouds
the barred owl
twirls its head

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

every moment
a hymn of life –
blue iris in bloom

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

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

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

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

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

moonrise . . .
magnolia buds
hold dew

月亮升起了…
玉兰蓓蕾
含着露水

fox’s cry . . .
moonlight fills
the valley

狐狸的叫声…
月光
满山谷
      David He, China

whispered words
a splash of forsythia
through the mist

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

collecting
field songs
mockingbird
      Jeff Hoagland, USA

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

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

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

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

zazen . . .
the silence
among moon shadows

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

serenity
the buds grow quietly
in the moonlight

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

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

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

Central Park
no one talks not even
to their dog

Central Park
niko ne razgovara
ni sa svojim psom

spring whim –
sparrows outshout
the old gossipers

prolećni kapric
vrapci nadvikuju
stare tračare
      Dejan Ivanovic, Serbia

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

first butterfly
my friend visiting
from abroad

初蝶や異国より友きたりけり

hatsuchō ya ikoku yori tomo kitari keri
      Keiko Izawa, Japan

giving a voice
to quietude –
mourning doves

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

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

spring rain
the clouds passing
over the moon

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

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

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

Wild roses
over the decayed fence
in full bloom

破れ垣を覆ひ尽くして花茨

Scarlet peonies –
asleep on straw mulch
a black cat

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

the first bees
in the cherry orchard
dancing granddaughter

pierwsze pszczoły
w wiśniowym sadzie
tańcząca wnuczka
      Wiesław Karliński, Poland

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

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

statue
   of
       liberty
            coming
                  into
                       view
       Noel King, Ireland

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

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

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

tiha krila ljiljka . . .
osvijetljen prozor dijeli
dva svijeta

willow catkins –
feeling granny’s palm
on my hair

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

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

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

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

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

shrinking pond searching for the moon
      Barrie Levine, USA

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

 cherry blossoms
so close to the sky
 in my homeland

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

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

a silent pond
with hundreds of eyes –
lotuses in bloom

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

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

close by
two clay cups
spring breeze
Devoshruti Mandal, India

summer night
the lights of the past
in our present

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

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

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

pine siskins
explode
sky washed with wings
      Beverly Matherne, USA

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

courting parrots
crisscross the maze
forest canopy
      Jo McInerney, Australia

garden stillness
where night begins
moonflower
      MJ Mello, USA

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

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

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

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

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

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

white butterflies
mark the silence
old diary

farfalle bianche
scandiscono il silenzio
vecchio diario

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

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

sunshower
the vocalisations
of a baby crow

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

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

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

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

short dreams in a long night
the birds begin
without her

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

twilight creeps
across the village graveyard
blackbird song

mrak se plazi
čez vaško pokopališče
pesem kosa

school’s over
the buzz
in blooming lindens

šole je konec
brenčanje
v cvetočih lipah
      Polona Oblak, Slovenia

high stepping
in the shallows
blue heron

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

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

rose bush leaves
I unfurl
into late morning

tapping
into your sweetness
sugar maple
      Debbie Olson, USA

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

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

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

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

holy week
the doxology of
daffodils
      John Pappas, USA

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

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

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

in the meadow
the farmer doesn’t work
cuckoo flowers

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

budding birch
             some leaves
still unfallen
      Vishal Prabhu, India

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

brilliant night –
my summer shawl
falls softly

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

slanted sunlight
another stack of books
grows taller

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

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

before
the blossoms bloom
last breath
      Audrey Quinn, Ireland

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

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

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

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

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

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

without knowing
they are bound to die
blooming lilacs

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

family reunion –
the weight of stones
and sphagnum moss

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

family dispute
two herons walk
across the field

కుటుంబ కలహం 
పొలం మధ్యలో నడుస్తున్న 
రెండు కొంగలు 

the star
and I
in the dark

నక్షత్రం
నేను
చీకట్లో 
      Srinivasa Rao Sambangi, India

sunset companion
hanging out in the other boat
a brown pelican

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

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

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

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

to live so fully summer sun shower
      Kelly Sargent, USA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 薫風や大河ゆるりと城に沿ひ

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

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

quaking aspens
spinning leaves
into daydreams
      Michael Shoemaker, USA

storm ends
a crow picks up
last of the daylight

आंधी थमी…
एक कौआ चुनता है
दिन की अंतिम किरण

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

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

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

rainstorm
a wren’s morning song
quickly forgotten

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

fire tree
dripping
parched petals

arbol nagtulo
giuhawng
mga gihay
      tea solon, The Philippines

golden hour
the mountain stream
glitters
      Srini, India

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

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

estate sale
bluebonnets blanket
the pasture
      Stephenie Story, USA

we emerge
from hibernation
aspen catkins

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

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

calculating
the weight of a secret . . .
spring rain

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

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

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

bunicul a plecat –
în prunul plantat de el
câteva flori

grandma’s orchard –
the scent
of freshly mown hay

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

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

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

clouds changing shape empty chrysalis

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

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

not one crow
stands out
morning assembly
      Sathya Venkatesh, India

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

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

patio lunch
my friend’s phone rings
in chickadee

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

fat clouds
a sparrow swells
with song
      Amy Watson, USA

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

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

a star falls
upwards in the midnight sky
night flight

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

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

bees in the lavender . . .
my tinnitus
has wings

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

sunrise –
a flock of redwings
takes flight

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

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

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

slowly warming
the ice beneath
a penguin’s egg

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

creek crossing
our feet find the path
the rocks keep

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

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

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

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

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

ślad lawy
z uśpionego wulkanu
moje nowe haiku
      Eugeniusz Zacharski, Poland

Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, Volume 8:1 Autumn/Winter 2024

11/16/2024

 
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

Best of Volume 7 (7:1 & 7:2)

7/2/2024

 
Judges: Astrid Andreescu and Kristen Lindquist
 
Haiku Moment Award 2024 (Best of Volume 7)
 
this longing
to hold my baby . . .
ghost apples
      Rowan Beckett, USA
 
Comments: (Astrid): It’s rare that a haiku is so strongly poignant and artistic at the same time. Definitely the winner!
(Kristen): This moving haiku demonstrates the perfect marriage of a fresh and evocative nature image with a deep-felt human emotion.
 
Runners-Up (in alphabetical order)
 
the subtle curl
of a cormorant’s wing tip
 – gathering dusk
      Maxianne Berger, Canada
 
Comments: (Astrid): A beautiful nature haiku observing a minute detail that produced a haiku moment in the author.
(Kristen): The detail of the black wingtip juxtaposed with “gathering dusk” gives this a delicate ambiguity.
 
almost breaking
a vow of silence
first snow
      Shawn Blair, USA
 
Comments: (Astrid): The silence of snow is a bit of a cliché, but this haiku breaks the cliché beautifully!
(Kristen): Is the viewer or the falling snow almost breaking the silence? A resonant moment to linger in.
 
this long journey
to healing . . .
cactus blossoms
 
mahabang paglalakbay
patungo sa paghilom . . .
bulaklak ng cactus
     Alvin B. Cruz, Philippines
 
Comments: (Astrid): The author deftly conveys the suffering of an illness and the joy of healing, finally.
(Kristen): Flowers offer such welcome if infrequent beauty in the desert—a lovely image to evoke a return to health after the long “dry spell” of recovery.
 
late winter storm
the duck’s neck bends
to her wing
      Lynn Edge, USA
 
Comments: (Astrid): Another classic nature haiku with fine observation by the author.
(Kristen): The duck’s bent neck is an image of such vulnerability here we can’t help but empathize.
 
 
 
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
 
wild violets
the deer trail deeper
into spring
     Jenny Ward Angyal, USA
 
 
sunflowers lean
towards the sky
this urge for peace
 
i girasoli s’innalzano
verso il sole
questo bisogno di pace
    Mariangela Canzi, Italy
 
no home
to go back to
spring stars
 
nessuna casa
dove tornare
stelle primaverili
    Concetta Conti, Italy
 
 
a little boy steps
into his father’s shoes
first snow
 
ang hakbang ng bata
sa sapatos ng ama
unang nyebe
      Alvin Cruz, The Philippines
 
 
her voice
in full-throated song
the river at dusk
      Seth Friedman, Canada
 
the glow
of a distant star . . .
her last departure
 
il bagliore
di una stella lontana . . .
la sua ultima partenza
     Eufemia Griffo, Italy
 
 
winter seaside
an empty shell welcomes
my solitude
 
mare d’inverno
una conchiglia vuota accoglie
la mia solitudine
      Oscar Luparia, Italy
​
kingfisher
just enough stream
for a song
     Matthew Markworth, USA
 
starless night
reading bedtime stories
to dad again
 
তারাহীন রাত
ঘুমপাড়ানি গল্প শোনাই
বাবাকে আবার
     Jharna Sanyal, India
 
cherry blossom
the hidden shape
of a birdsong
 
kersenbloesem
de verborgen vorm
van een vogelliedje
     Joanne van Helvoort, The Netherlands
 
morning star
my prayer for peace
inaudible
     Susan Yavaniski, USA
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Autumn Moon Haiku Journal 7:2, Spring-Summer 2024

5/10/2024

 
Welcome to the Spring/Summer issue of Volume 7 of Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, now in its 7th year. Many haiku in this issue bring happy feelings, which we all need.
A sad announcement: Bruce Ross has stepped down as editor due to illness. This journal has been a labor of love for him, with only the satisfaction of publishing wonderful nature haiku as his reward.
I have helped Bruce with editing his and others’ work for the past 30 years or so, and will try to carry forward his vision of supporting poets who are still writing in the spirit of Bashō, Issa or Shiki, for example. I also have enlisted a haiku friend as advisor, Kristen Lindquist, whose poems have appeared in our journal and in many other publications.
I would like in each issue to highlight a poem by Bruce that has been well-liked by other poets or even award-winning. For this issue, I will feature a spring haiku by Bruce Ross:
                                    abandoned house –
                                    the lilacs just as bright
                                    this spring
Also, please check the updated guidelines for submission under that heading. We will keep the yearly “Haiku Moment Award” for best of Volume 7, which will be announced in the summer.
Astrid Andreescu
Maine, USA

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

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

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

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

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

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

daydreaming
a way into sky
cotton burrs

spring equinox
a widening sky
of moon
     Joanna Ashwell, UK

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

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

outgrowing
our first apartment
weeds after winter
     Rowan Beckett, USA

aging ivy
still climbing
bucket list
     Millicent Bee, USA

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

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

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

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

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

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

mating season
thousands of melodies
from birds’ throats

Paarungszeit
tausende Melodien
aus Vogelkehlen
     Pitt Büerken, Germany

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

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

sunflowers lean
towards the sky
this urge for peace

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

gorse buds
on her grave –
new start

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

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

morning on the river –
nibbling the sunrise
a few storks

dimineaţa pe fluviu –
ciugulind răsăritul
câteva berze

barbed wire border –
a dragonfly
leaves it behind

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

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

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

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

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

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

solar eclipse
in my cat’s eyes
two moons thinning

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

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

a leaky faucet in the shower
sorrow of spring

シャワーの蛇口の水漏れ春愁ひ
tr. Anikó Papp 

flying off with old grass
a nesting bird

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

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

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

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

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

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

no home
to go back to
spring stars

nessuna casa
dove tornare
stelle primaverili

dreaming alone
all that’s left
of cherry blossoms

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

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

the echo
of a barred owl
bamboo
     Bill Cooper, USA

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

lingering drought
dust hangs over
our conversation

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

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

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

strawberry moon
my childhood pictures
missing

presang buwan
mga nawawalang larawan
ng aking pagkabata

this long journey
to healing . . .
cactus blossoms

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

morning sparrow
answering with a whistle
I scare it away

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

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

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

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

children giggle
full of cherry blossom
the scarecrow’s hat

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

sunset
spring garden stripped
of its colors
     Jane Druzhinina, USA

ruined house –
from the cracked wall
the first bud

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

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

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

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

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

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

La Niña rains –
a beetle rides a gum leaf
                                 downriver

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

breath in
and breath out
lilac blossoms

wdech
i wydech
kwitną lilaki
     Małgorzata Formanowska, Poland

inhaling the force
of a wave
scent of the wild

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

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

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

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

golden childhood
the licorice fragrance
of helichrysum

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

evening light –
birds and insects
sing at the same time

luz del ocaso –
pàjaros e insectos
cantan a la vez

Santo Domingo –
the yellow oaks
this brilliance

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

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

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

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

staircase in the woods
the kid crawls towards
the sky

Waldtreppe
der Kleine krabbelt
dem Himmel entgegen
     Alexander Groth, Germany

even in bloody trenches stars still shining
                    Charles Harmon, USA

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

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

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

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

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

riverside trail
flooded
with bluebells

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

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

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

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

wading in moonlight
her child counts the stars
summer breeze

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

spring rain –
under the ramen shop eaves
two stray cats

春雨や麺屋軒下の猫二匹

harusameya menya
nokishitano nekonihiki
     Keiko Izawa, Japan

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

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

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

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

太白やてふてふ草にみな沈み

taihaku ya chou chou kusa ni mina shizumi

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

放ちやる籠で羽化せし揚羽蝶

hanachi yaru kago de uka seshi agehachou
     Satoru Kanematsu, Japan

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

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

along the pond
with each step
frog jump

wzdłuż stawu
z każdym krokiem
żabi skok
     Wiesław Karliński, Poland

despite
this world of deceit
plum blossoms
     Arvinder Kaur, India

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

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

the longest day
granny retelling again
last night’s dream

najduži dan
baka mi prepričava
njen noćašnji san

desert rose –
she learns the ancestors’
dead language

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

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

lily mound . . .
this urge to dig
and replant

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

bridge of stars
a bobcat saunters past
the trail cam

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

forest bathing
this silence in the sound
of redwoods

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

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

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

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

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

starry night
a desire has aged
with me

cielo stellato
con me è invecchiato
un desiderio

spring snow
grandma hugs me
in a dream

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

kingfisher
just enough stream
for a song
     Matthew Markworth, USA

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

May rain
on a deserted beach
winter lingers

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

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

misting rain . . .
the promontory drifts
out of sight

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

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

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

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

summer afternoon
the clay crumbles
between my fingers

pomeriggio estivo
l’argilla si sbriciola
tra le mie dita

day moon
a white butterfly
on the shore

luna diurna
una farfalla bianca
sulla battigia
     Daniela Misso, Italy

onset of spring
weeding a row of peas
soft shrieks

inizio di primavera
sarchiando un filare di piselli
grida sommesse

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

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

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

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

a swamphen
running across lily pads
spring breeze

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

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

walking
from stream to river
two songs

​spring morning
below the birdfeeder
sunflowers
     David Oates, USA

dawn
behind venetial blinds
birdsong

zora
za žaluzijami
ptičja pesem

cul-de-sac
garbage cans covered
in cherry petals

slepa ulica
smetnjaki prekriti
s češnjevim cvetjem
     Polona Oblak, Slovenia

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

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

forsythia bursting into spring goldfinches
                           Debbie Olson, USA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

cedar bough
a wish turns sky
ward
     Vishal Prabhu, India

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

dog days
praying for the skies
to open

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

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

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

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

arid soil
where nothing will grow
hollyhocks!

dorre bodem
waar niets wil groeien
stokrozen!

evening walk
somewhere in the distance
a cuckoo calls

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

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

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

starless night
reading bedtime stories
to dad again

তারাহীন রাত
ঘুমপাড়ানি গল্প শোনাই
বাবাকে আবার
     Jharna Sanyal, India

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

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

summer sunset
the kernel inside
the apricot stone

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

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

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

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

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

Growing bigger
a peony bud like an orb
after a rainfall

 牡丹の宝珠膨らむ雨上り

bōtan no hōju hukuramu ame agari

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

老桜屋根にかぶさる月日かな

oi zakura yane ni kabusaru tsukihi kana
     Kyoko Shimizu, Japan

glass flowers
the crystal vase
awaits spring

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

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

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

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

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

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

flute song
a hermit thrush
reveals itself
     Debbie Strange, Canada

spring wind
the foster care door
opens
     Neha Talreja, India

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

premature spring
a pink-lipped tulip
retracts

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

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

opening the door –
a bunch of poppies
and a smile

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

first light –
this time my scan says
the thinkable

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

in the park
filled with sunlight
acorn cup

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

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

cherry blossom
the hidden shape
of a birdsong

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

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

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

bee silence
total solar
eclipse

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

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

childhood garden
when the rhubarb
was sweet

ogród dzieciństwa
kiedy rabarbar
był słodki
     Ernest Wit, Poland

summer ends
a smooth pebble
in a child’s hand

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

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

ephemerals
another message
of condolence
     Susan Yavaniski, USA

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

breath of spring
the scarecrow’s cap
in the air

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

scent of dawn –
the lime tree
has just bloomed

​parfum de l’aube –
le citronnier vient de
fleurir
     Elena Zouain, France

Autumn Moon Haiku Journal 7:1, Autumn/Winter 2023-24

11/4/2023

 
Welcome to Volume 7, Autumn/Winter issue of this journal. This year as well, the world has been going through wars, intense climate change, divisiveness, despair, but also here and there signs of  hope and unity. Our issue also reflects feelings of sadness and despair, perhaps as nature "dies" during autumn and winter, as well as some lighter haiku. Again, there are many excellent nature haiku in this issue. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did!
The editors
Hampden, Maine, USA
​November 2023


drizzle . . .
memories return
of an unborn child

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

thinning sun
the faded
painted ladies
         Cynthia Anderson, Australia

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

harvest moon
the smell of burning
from neighboring country

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

grandma mends
the broken wing
snow angel
        Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA

autumn drizzle
singing the lullaby
back to mom

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

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

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

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

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

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

the scent
of fresh-cut hay
shhh!

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

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

under the tree
with no fruits
the same shadow

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

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

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

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

mussel shells
the pearly insides
hold moonlight
      Randy Brooks, USA

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

sprayed grafitti
on petroglyphs
an elder weeps
      John Budan, USA

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

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

lifting mist . . .
among the rubble
wild flowers

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

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

silvergrass--
the long neck
of a lone crane

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

jungle mist
a gibbon’s hoop
joins the chorus

ジャングルの霧コーラスに手長猿 千秋

letting go
of the bamboo leaf
a dew drop

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

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

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

autumn
the story I share
with everything

autunno
la storia che condivido
con tutto

autumn solitude
one more star
in the Milky Way

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

winter tea
a kinglet sips
loblolly pine
      Bill Cooper, USA

autumn leaves . . .
the changing hue
of my hair

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

autumn moonlight
at every stop
last train home

liwanag ng buwan
sa bawat hinto
ng huling tren

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

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

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

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

winter dawn
wild turkeys startle
the stillness
      Pat Davis, USA

freezing cold
Valentine’s bouquets
at half-price

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

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

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

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

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

in this autumn
I seek my space--
bitter cocoa

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

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

the stars disappear one by one
in the fishing net
daybreak

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

the cold--
snails sleep
through it

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

letting weariness go
wings
of a gull

blackbird notes
dusk deepens
           the silence
       Jenny Fraser, New Zealand

autumn twilight
a rusty wheelbarrow
on a rutted road

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

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

lingering
to view the clear moon
the traveler

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

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

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

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

misty woods
the invisible color
of elderberry leaves

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

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

day moon
in the hospital window
Gran’s smile

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

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

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

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

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

windflowers
silently dancing
fall wind

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

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

waiting room
the rain flows quickly
down the drainpipes

čekaonica
kiša brzo protiče
kroz oluke
      Dejan Ivanovic, Serbia

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

rain ends
the foghorn I hear
from the hill

雨やんで坂道で聴く霧笛かな

ame yande sakamochi de kiku mutekikana
         Keiko Izawa, Japan

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

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

deepening autumn wind
how we’re all encouraged
to sing

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

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

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

harvest moon--
night not so long as it was
once
       Kanya Kanchana, India

Winter clear day--
polished fire engines
standing by

寒晴れや磨き上げたる消防車
       Satoru Kanematsu, Japan

late autumn
dew drops heavy
on grass blades

Spätherbst
Schwere Tautropfen
auf den Gräsern
       Deborah Karl-Brandt, Germany

autumn chill
the breeze opens a page
from war and peace
      Arvinder Kaur, India

fall foliage . . .
the missing letters 
in my surname
      Nicholas Klacsanzky, USA

fall nocturne
she adds bright shades
on a canvas

jesenji nokturno
ona dodaje na platno
svijetle nijanse
       Nina Kovačić, Croatia

no sign of remission--
a woman dancing under snowfall
in the hospital yard

nici un semn de regres--
femeie dansând prin ninsoare
pe alei de spital
      Lavana Kray, Romania

Northern Lights
painting the sky
with our yearnings
      Jeff Kressmann, USA

who we were
before the fall
cicada shells
      Beni Kurage, USA

middle of the night
first snow falling . . .
little fawn here alone
      Jill Lange, USA

running in circles endlessly refugee children at play
         Douglas J. Lanzo, USA

last tomato on the sill
so faintly the turn
to snow
      Suzanne Leaf-Brock, USA

     an owl’s sweep
through snowfall—the
         distance
between train whistles
          kathryn liebowitz, USA

cold snap
turkey tracks spangle
the river ice
       Kristen Lindquist, USA

Chinatown night stroll . . .
a childhood song uncurls
from his erhu

夜逛唐人街 ...
從他的二胡音樂聲中
一首兒時歌曲展開來
      Chen-ou Liu, Canada
 
autumn sunrise
the folded white
of a bindweed

alba d’autunno
il bianco ripiegato
di un convolvolo

winter seaside
an empty shell welcomes
my solitude

mare d’inverno
una conchiglia vuota accoglie
la mia solitudine
      Oscar Luparia, Italy

a small pond
the headwaters of the Tuolumne
. . .  we scatter father’s ashes
       paul m, USA

pale petals . . .
many unspoken words pressed
between the pages
      Bipasha Majumder (De), India

still clouds . . .
trying to go further
with my thoughts

ancora nuvole . . .
provando ad andare oltre
con i pensieri
      Antonio Mangiameli, Italy

All Souls’ Day
the first autumn rain
has fallen

giorno dei morti
la primera pioggia autunnale
è caduta
       Carmela Marino, Italy

geese roosting
the lake misty
with morning
      Sharon Martina, USA

farmstead gate
the smell of a mailbag
stiff with frost

black rain
sheens a raven
deepening winter
      Marietta McGregor, Australia

night tide
a young dog splashes
luminescence
       Jo McInerney, Australia

Autumn afternoon
Under a yellow-bound ginko,
empty chairs

Tarde de otoño
Bajo un ginko en sus ocres,
sillas vacías
       Lía Miersch, Argentina

twilight
chatter of magpies
in the stone pine 
 
crepuscolo
chiacchiericcio di gazze
nel pino domestico 
      Daniela Misso, Italy

winter fragrance
my niece writes to me
on a misty window

mirosul iernii
nepoata îmi scrie
pe-o fereastră aburită

falling walnuts
in the hospital courtyard
rainy season

cad nucile
în curtea spitalului
sezonul ploilor
       Mircea Moldovan, Romania

falling leaves
the white-haired couple
arm in arm

winter night
the smell of mulled wine
fills the house
      Joanne Morcom, Canada

folding a flannel
sheet together . . .
apple pie fragrance

piegando insieme
un lenzuolo di flanella--
profumo di torta di mele
      Luciana Moretto, Italy

the snapping turtle
only its head sticking out
through the mud
late autumn in the wetlands
      Wilda Morris, USA

northern lights--
reaching for a hand
that isn’t there

the sound
of falling dreams
autumn rain
      Laurie D. Morrissey, USA

harvest moon . . .
my slumbering soul
awakens
      Veronika Novak, Canada

indian summer
all the turtle’s limbs
at full stretch

indijansko poletje
vsi želvini udi
iztegnjeni do konca
       Polona Oblak, Slovenia

winter gravel pit
the thrum of waterfowl
settling down to sleep
       Ben Oliver, UK

early autumn
a juvenile cardinal
becomes his color
      Debbie Olson, USA

frost burnt moon--
deeper hues induced
by struggle
      Scott Packer, Canada

cloudless blue
as if everything
was forgiven
      John Pappas, USA

indifferent
to whatever is dying
autumn sky
      Vandana Parashar, India

mom’s scent
leaving for a dinner out
cherries in the snow
      petro c. k., USA

sparkling snow
in the afternoon sunlight
a deer lifts its gaze
      Gregory Piko, Australia

autumn wind--
the distant memory
of a caress

vento d’autunno--
il ricordo lontano
di una carezza
       Cinzia Pitingaro, Italy

snow drifting
into my dreams
sideways wind
      Ruth Powell, Canada

drifting mist
a brown-lipped snail
deep amongst dunes

shingle berm
a mussel shell once home
for barnacles
      Thomas Powell, N. Ireland

last leaves
the faded spine
of an old chapbook
       Tony Pupello, USA

cold, clear night--
the silence
between the stars
       Sally Quon, Canada

morning walk
autumn’s crisp breath
on every leaf
       Carol Raisfeld, USA

nightfall
into one nothingness
maples and weed flowers
      Meera Rehm, UK

calm water
a fisherman pulls up his catch
between clouds
      Samantha Renda, South Africa

autumn or winter
the liquidambar
still deciding
      Carol Reynolds, Australia

the crane
folding itself
autumn night
      Bryan Rickert, USA

autumn cleanup
homeless people again
take down their tents
      Edward J. Rielly, USA

by pumpkin’s light
a lonely corner
of a little town
      Chad Lee Robinson, USA

a dead butterfly
on the beach--
sudden fall

en död fjäril
på stranden--
plötslig höst
      Daniela Rodi, Finland
​
sun, clouds and rain
alternate
I contemplate life

zon, wolken, regen
wisselen elkaar af
‘k overdenk ‘t leven
      Marjolein Rotsteeg, The Netherlands

first frost tonight
grasshopper launches into
the sound of absence
      Janet Ruth, USA

a long journey . . .
in mother’s clothing
the scent of snow
      Jacob D. Salzer, USA

spilled seed packet. . .
blackbirds burst
from the field
      Julie Schwerin, USA

dusk . . .
blackbirds peck
at the last sunflowers
      Paula Sears, USA

autumn--
all the times I had
to let go
      Debarati Sen, India

winter solstice
the tall shadow
of the mountain
      Manoj Sharma, Nepal

evening moon
one lives, one dies
in the greeting card
      Richa Sharma, India

October mountain
what is the use of wanting
this moment to last?
      Noga Shemer, USA

Buddha image
lying with half-open eyes
autumn deepens

 半眼に横たふ仏秋深む

Long autumn rains--
boats rolling heavily
the muddy river

秋霖や舟大揺れに濁り河
      Kyoko Shimizu, Japan

a trout
ripples the moon
in the flowing river

एक ट्राउट
चाँद को तरंगित करे
​बहती नदी में


misty morning
a sunbeam flits
distant birdsong

धुंधली सुबह
सूरज की किरण छितराये
दूर पक्षी का संगीत

      Neena Singh, India
​
wavering rain
the polysyllabic language
of wood thrush
      Joshua St. Claire, USA

autumn morning
dew glistens the flowers
in grandma’s garden
      Stephenie Story, USA

moonlit path
silver seed gourds
begin to wander
      Debbie Strange, Canada

autumn deepens
so many wounds . . .
starless night
       Angela Terry, USA

ripe persimmons
we put a sale sign
by mother’s home
      Richard Tice, USA

stack of old letters
in grandfather’s drawer--
leafless trees

teanc de scrisori vechi
în scrinul bunicului--
pomi fără frunze
      Maria Tirenescu, Romania

autumn wind
loose roof tiles
quietly clatter

lockere dachshindeln
im herbstwind--
ein leises scheppern
      Ulrike Titelbach, Austria

just watercolours--
in the middle of the winter
branches of roses

solo acquerelli--
nel mezzo dell’inverno
rami di rose
      Maria Tosti, Italy

winter sun . . .
he promises where
he’ll scatter my ashes
       Xenia Tran, Scotland, UK

winter lake
my gradual slide
into shadows
       C.X. Turner, UK

late autumn
waiting for the juncos
to arrive
      Kevin Valentine, USA

first frost
a cricket shell
sung empty

eerste vorst
de huls van een krekel
leeggezongen
      Joanne van Helvoort, The Netherlands

lonesome moon
the mourning dove’s call
one coo short

winter rain
i find a scrap of the dress
mom was buried in
       Marilyn Appl Walker, USA

steaming chowder--
a long phone call
from the old country
      Michael Dylan Welch, USA

snow squall
my grandson’s
first steps
      Kelley J. White, USA

snail summiting
an unpicked pumpkin
chill in the air
      Mike White, USA

autumn drought--
in the old pack-horse track
tales long forgotten
      Neal Whitman, USA

the right time
to settle down
autumn leaves
     Robert Witmer, Japan

we could too –
if the sparrows
survive this winter
     Tony Williams, Scotland, UK

autumn solitude
a salmon-belly sunset
on the cold river

jesienna pustka
łososiowy zachód słońca
nad zimną rzeką

the voice
of the unsayable
wind in yellow reeds

głos
niewypowiedzianego
wiatr w żółtych trzcinach
      Ernest Wit, Poland

saying goodbye
to a close friend . . .
rain from a cloudless sky
      Valorie Broadhurst Woerdehoff, USA

morning star
my prayer for peace
inaudible
     Susan Yavaniski, USA

Best of Volume 6 (6:1 and 6:2)

8/4/2023

 

Haiku Moment Award

wildflowers
a butterfly pollinates
my dreams
            Vincenzo Adamo, Italy

Runners Up (in alphabetical order)

spring morning
I sing to a world
in birdsong
       Shawn Blair, USA

autumn rain
the moment the blossom
becomes fruit
       Sue Courtney, New Zealand

teach me
to accept light
early daffodil

научи ме
да приемам светлина
ранен нарцис
       Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria
 
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)

hollow tree trunk
attuning to the sound
of emptiness
       Hifsa Ashraf, Pakistan

spring morning
a toddler’s smile
full of light
      Mona Bedi, India

country road
there was a time she sang
with skylarks
      John Hawkhead, UK

falling leaf . . .
how quietly you
let go
      Vibha Malhotra, India

crying today
for the third time:
autumn grasses
       our thomas, USA

spring dawn
my dad tunes his flute
to the birds’ song

пролетно утро
баща ми настройва флейтата си
за песента на птиците
        Tsanka Shishkova, Bulgaria
 
dandelion clocks . . .
with a breath
I am become
         Kyle Sullivan, Taiwan

Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, Volume 6:2, Spring/Summer 2023

6/3/2023

 
 Welcome to this Spring/Summer issue of the journal. After the last few years of pandemic and wars, although many things in the world are still problematic, it seems that there is a lighter mood in the air and in the haiku of this issue. There are still a number of powerful haiku about death and loss, but also some lighthearted ones, and as usual, many sensitive nature haiku. Hope you enjoy the selection!
Bruce Ross, Maine, USA
wildflowers
a butterfly pollinates
my dreams
       Vincenzo Adamo, Italy

spring snow
plucking pear blossoms
from baby’s ringlets
       Farah Ali, UK

guidelines
through dragonfly wings
my open journal
       Michelle V. Alkerton, Canada

no older
than I’ve ever been . . .
snow pea blossom
       Cynthia Anderson, USA

mountain hike
caressed by the scent
of wild lavender
        Emma Alexander Arthur, Norway

frost warning
a curled bud
clings to itself

morning pause
the pulse of sap
in the maple
       Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA

taking off
a dreamer’s sky
of geese

just for you
I leave a leaf
for humanity
       Joanna Ashwell, UK

chasing
a memory
moon tide
        Susan B. Auld, USA

spring morning
a toddler’s smile
full of light

not sure
what the future holds
vernal equinox
      Mona Bedi, India

Ursa Major
an old spruce forest
also points

in my garden clog
a tiny spider weaves
I go barefoot
       Millicent Bee, USA

burnished sunset
a little girl’s wish
utters itself

crépuscule redoré
le désir d'une fillette
s'énonce lui-même
       Maxianne Berger, Canada

so sudden
how a marsh hawk’s shadow
scatters ducks
       Sally Biggar, USA

spring morning
I sing to a world
in birdsong
       Shawn Blair, USA

summer afternoon
the honeybee attracted
to her sunflower pin
       Nancy Brady, USA

inchworm
inching up a thread
ripe raspberries
      Randy Brooks, USA

mountain violet
the sunrise
and I
      B.L. Bruce, USA

a grasshopper flits
over a train track
my faraway dreams
       John Budan, USA

mexican hats tremble
under the weight of bees
deep summer
       Alanna C. Burke, USA

midnight moon
in the mango tree
fruit bat prattle
       Matthew Caretti, USA/American Samoa

her dahlias
blooming red by the road
empty house
       Louise Carson, Canada

path to my hut
a robin song
from the thickets of bamboo
       Ram Chandran, India

beside the whitewater
a faint fluttering
in the ferns
      Tom Clausen, USA

dad’s grave
spring scents mingle
in the air

la tomba di papà
i profumi primaverili
si mescolano nell’aria
       Maria Concetta Conti, Italy

Cranes flying –
I bend my paper into
a thousand folds.
       Sophia Conway, Canada

a cricket sings
through a leaf hole
rising gibbous
       Bill Cooper, USA

the place
no one wants
dandelions bloom

insistent
the knock
of a woodpecker
       Evan Coram, USA

spring tide
a fisherman catches
the moon
       Sue Courtney, New Zealand

no trespassing –
wild honeysuckle climbs
over the sign
      Tina Crenshaw, USA

saying goodbye –
a drop of rain rolls down
the orange leaf
      Ashesh Das, India

back at night
the frogs’ voices lead us
in the dark

retour de nuit
les crapauds nous guident
sur le chemin
      Marie Derley, Belgium

morning breeze
between lemon branches
an empty nest
       Tuyet Van Do, Australia

heirloom seeds
placing a few extra
in each hole
       Carmela Dolce, USA

waiting in silence
the humpback whales
release their breath

broken promise
the ocean and sky
become one
      C. Jean Downer, USA

teach me
to accept light
early daffodil

научи ме
да приемам светлина
ранен нарцис
      Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria
 
reincarnated Zen gardener
now raking patterns in
his litter box
     John J. Dunphy, USA
 
end of summer –
raising their wings
stork chicks
 
sfârşitul verii –
înălţând aripile
puii de barză
     Carmen Duvalma, Romania
 
riverside trail . . .
still leafless enough to see
all the new nests
       Anna Eklund-Cheong, France
 
bright birdsong
binding the broken cup
kintsugi gold
       Jonathan English, USA
 
the many winds
  back again in
breath of words
 
nā kini makani
  eia hou ana i
 ka hanu ‘ōlelo
       David Kāwika Eyre, Hawai’i/USA
 
soaring hawk . . .
a piece of sunshine
between each feather
      Bill Fay, USA
 
the song
of my boyhood . . .
spring peepers
      Jeffrey Ferrara, USA
 
the dancing lights
of Sumatran fireflies –
coda to my dream
 
all thought sinks
to the well’s dark bottom
a sweltering nigh
      Lorin Ford, Australia
 
deep breath
the fragrance of bird cherry
on a rainy day

głęboki oddech
zapach czeremchy
w deszczowy dzień

recovery
behind my mom’s ear
a daisy flower

powrót do zdrowia
za uchem mojej mamy
kwiat stokrotki
       Małgorzata Formanowska, Poland
 
back to breath
on an earthen path
wind through the reeds

beat
of gannet wings
dusk taking me deeper
       Jenny Fraser, New Zealand

her dementia . . .
resembling
the robin song

la sua demenza . . .
ricorda la canzone
del pettirosso
      Barbara Anna Gaiardoni, Italy

full moon
picking out the rims
of distant hills

leaping
through pools of light
a squirrel
      Mike Gallagher, Ireland

Summer is coming –
a little foal named
Tobias

Llega el verano –
un potrillo llamado
Tobìas
      Rafael Garcia Bidò, Dominican Republic

taking a new road
field upon field
of cherry blossoms
       Marilyn Gehant, USA

abandoned gravestones
mothers’ old prayers
whispered by the wind

lapidi abbandonate
vecchie preghiera delle madri
susurrate dal vento

almost dawn
a commuter follows the trail
of a lone star

quasi l’alba
un pendolare segue la scia
di una stella solitaria
       Eufemia Griffo, Italy

lichen on bricks
how to tell children
who’s winning
       Charles Harmon, USA

windless air
the nature of a tree
also in silence

country road
there was a time she sang
with skylarks
      John Hawkhead, UK

buttering toast
mom tells me how to spread
her ashes
     Kerry J Heckman, USA

effortlessly
an iceberg falls into the sea
disappears

難なく
氷山が落ちる
なくなる
 
nan’naku
Hyōzan ga ochiru
nakunaru
       Judith Hishikawa, USA
 
a light
at the end of the day
first firefly
 
camellia
knowing
when to fall
      Ruth Holzer, USA
 
summer cattails
a small girl
releases a frog
      Frank Hooven, USA
 
fresh lime
colors the canopy
daylight buds
     Deborah Burke Henderson, USA
 
the old bull
stands his ground
jackrabbit
       Lee Hudspeth, USA
 
spring breeze
susurration of mitchell grass
beneath a sickle moon
       Marilyn Humbert, Australia
 
gentle breeze
pink petals dripping
out of the blue
 
boare uşoară
picurînd din senin
petale roz
       Mona Iordan, Romania
 
red grains
I hold a cracked pomegranate
in my hand

crvena zrnca
držim u ruci
raspukli nar
       Dejan Ivanovic, Serbia
 
rice rain –
simmering in the pot
the porridge for her
 
粥煮ゆる音のやさしき穀雨かな
 
kayu niyuru oto no yasashiki kokuwu kana
       Keiko Izawa, Japan
 
letting go –
a butterfly folds and unfolds
the scent of colours
      Lakshmi Iyer, India
 
spring tide –
the Sea of Tranquility
keeps me up all night
     Rick Jackofsky, USA
 
summer evening
children playing hide and seek
in the sugarcane field
      Govind Joshi, India
 
Evening moon –
tadpoles a kid forgot
in the bucket
 
宵の月子の忘れたる桶の蝌蚪
      Satoru Kanematsu, Japan
 
salt marshes . . .
rainbow droplets bloom
on water
       Deborah Karl-Brandt, Germany
 
evening sun
the fire
of robinsong
       kj munro, Canada
 
the stuttered hoot of an owl
through the silence
a melancholy echo
       Kim Klugh, USA
 
summer downpour
mom unties the ribbon
from her hair bun
 
ljetni pljusak
majka razvezuje
traku iz punđe
       Nina Kovacic, Croatia
 
         desert window
a coyote seems to have heard
         tonight’s dreams
                  Jeff Kressman, USA
 
pruning . . .
a lock of her son’s hair
that she keeps
 
obrezovanje . . .
ta pramen sinovih las
ki ga še hrani
       Samo Kreutz, Slovenia
 
darkness
missing you
silver moon
 
this robin
outside my window
wishing me awake
        Jill Lange, USA
 
a chink in the rain
where light slips in
blue chicory
       Kathryn Liebowitz, USA
 
scudding clouds
a flock of waxwings shreds
the cherry blossoms
       Kristen Lundquist, USA
 
the sky dappled
with cotton candy clouds . . .
summer fair
 
天空佈滿
棉花糖形狀的雲彩 ...
夏季博覽會
       Chen-ou Liu, Canada
 
spring
I lose track of the sun’s
comings and goings
      Gregory Longenecker, USA
 
rebuilding . . .
twigs and sunbeams intertwined
in the swallows’ nests
 
ricostruzione . . .
ramoscelli e raggi di sole intrecciati
nei nidi delle rondini
 
scentless flowers
the smell of sun
in my hands
 
fiori senza profumo
l’odore del sole
tra le mie mani
       Oscar Luparia, Italy
 
raking wet leaves . . .
remembering what made
the old scar
      Anthony Lusardi, USA
 
summer solstice
the dry riverbed face of
my grandfather
       Bipasha Majumder (De), India
 
spring cleaning
those long love letters
into pieces now
       Devoshruti Mandal, India
 
Holy Week
my caterpillar becomes
chrysalis
 
settimana santa
il mio bruco diventa
crisalide
        Carmela Marino, Italy
 
a crow’s caw
lost in flight . . . such fog
on the distant shore
       Richard L. Matta, USA
 
Birds are drinking
from a dripping tap
Times of drought
 
Beben los pàjaros
de un grifo que gotea
Tiempo de seca
        Lìa Miersch, Argentina
 
wind dies down
the solo of a cricket
somewhere
 
il vento si placa
l’assolo di un grillo
da qualche parte
       Daniela Misso, Italy
 
fiddleheads
so insistent
the baby’s grasp
       Beverly Acuff Momoi, USA
 
the rain pares rose
petals down to nothing –
memory fading
 
la pioggia riduce a nulla
i petali di rosa
dissolvenza della memoria
       Luciana Moretto, Italy
 
siblings
in the plantain grove
hand-in-hand
       Suraj Nanu, India
 
perhaps
in the next life . . .
sakura
 
twilight . . .
a fawn sipping
silence
        Veronika Zora Novak, Canada
 
magnolia blossoms
the mute swans’
courtship dance
 
cvet magnolije
labodov grbcev
dvoritveni ples
 
unfolding
from the river mist
elderflower scent
 
odvija se
iz rečne megle
vonj bezgovega cvetja
       Polona Oblak, Slovenia
 
gathered seeds
the growing wildness
of my garden
 
seacliff daisies
just beyond reach
spring tide
        Helen Ogden, USA
 
step stones
the fragile curve
of her spine
 
August afternoon
shimmering on stone
crescent suns
        Debbie Olson, USA
 
its trunk glossier
in the spring evening rain –
Himalayan birch
       Maeve O’Sullivan, Ireland
 
magpie songs –
the space between
dream and dawn
       Scott Packer, Canada
 
cemetery gates
the caretaker shows me
the way forward
 
first light
bending to the brook
doe shadow
       John Pappas, USA
 
March rain
just for a day the same
winter gloom
      Vandana Parashar, India
 
Blue damselflies –
   dancing lights
   in the woods
 
Hiking at sunrise . .
   black-tailed deer
   in canyon mist
        M.R. Pelletier, USA
 
sycamore sapling
a hooded crow calls
high in the trees
 
blackcap song . . .
ripples from the mist
reach the lough’s shore
       Thomas Powell, N. Ireland
 
country clothesline –
the afternoon
unfolding
      Tony Pupello, USA
 
butterfly wings
silent silhouettes
on the shade
      Carol Raisfeld, USA
 
water beads
roll off mint sherbet
homecoming
       Kavita Ratna, India
 
workday over
the evening lit
by daffodils
      Dian Duchin Reed, USA
 
the quiet house
 . . . almost hearing
my dead dog bark
       Edward J. Rielly, USA
 
within the brush pile
downed magnolia branches
blossom
      Aron Rothstein, USA
 
memorial service
her voice breaking
on the word joy
      Agnes Eva Savich, USA
 
longest day
canoeing until we become
silhouettes
      Julie Schwerin, USA
 
raft of ducks
dawdle the hours away
no plans either
      Ronald Scully, USA
 
even the egret
lingers longer
summer solstice
      Paula Sears, USA
 
sudden rain
looking for some shelter
a butterfly enters

afternoon tea
I contemplate sakura
in each sip
       Manoj Sharma, Nepal
 
cherry blossoms
he needs more time
to come home
       Richa Sharma, India
 
Peonies fallen
the fragrance still spreading
on the ground
 
散りてなほ地に香をひろぐ牡丹かな
        Kyoko Shimizu, Japan
 
spring dawn
my dad tunes his flute
to the birds’ song
 
пролетно утро
баща ми настройва флейтата си
за песента на птиците
       Tsanka Shishkova, Bulgaria
 
a trout disappears
in the tree’s shadow –
flowing river
 
एक ट्राउट लुप्त 
वृक्ष की छाया में--
बहती नदी
       Neena Singh, India
 
railroad station
my father closes
his eyes
       Joshua St. Claire, USA
 
sweet tea day
her apron swaddles
picked flowers
 
pink amaryllis
the journey of life
in her songs
       Stephenie Story, USA
 
sun salutation
a thimbleful of dew
in each buttercup
 
thawing lake
the hockey net catches
a trout
       Debbie Strange, Canada
 
dandelion clocks . . .
with a breath
I am become
 
new leaf to new leaf . . .
the butterfly
he’ll never be
       Kyle Sullivan, Taiwan
 
cherry blossoms
whilst all the snowflakes
turn to snow
       Herb Tate, UK
 
little waves
bottom up to shore
the old turtle
      Andrew Terrell, Australia
 
filling up
the squeaky clean sky
spring starlight
      Angela Terry, USA
 
May Day
the sparrows sing
a little louder
 
May Day
burung gereja berkicau
lebih nyaring lagi
        Elisa Theriana, Indonesia
 
beachcombing
among the shell fragments
mermaid tears
       Richard Tice, USA
 
shutters closed –
over the mountain village
storm clouds
 
obloane închise –
peste satul de munte
nori de furtună
        Maria Tirenescu, Romania
 
mountain village
a chimney sweeper moth
flits through the grass
        Xenia Tran, Scotland UK
 
grounding
myself in simpler times
wood anemones
       C.X. Turner, UK
 
greening forest
longed for songs return
to the trees
       Kevin Valentine, USA
 
her absence
the spaces between
raindrops
 
in the attic
a forgotten childhood
aroma of heat
        David Watts, USA
 
mulberry harvest
the first and the last
of the cedar wax wings
       Christine Wenk-Harrison, USA
 
Turkish delight
the pink perfume
of a summer dawn
       Tony Williams, Scotland, UK
 
crescent moon –
the first blackbird-song
of the year
       Juliet Wilson, UK
 
spring flowers
the garden gnomes
play hide and seek
      Robert Witmer, Japan
 
peeling away layers
the sycamore
and me
       Valorie Broadhurst Woerdehoff, USA
 
spring offering –
she places another mushroom
in her basket
      Wai Mei Wong, Canada
 
spring snow
my father’s steps
faltering
        Susan Yavaniski, USA

Volume 6:1, Autumn/Winter 2022-23

12/4/2022

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

        potatura –
        si specchiano nel fiume
        i cambiamenti

       Autumn leaves
       it sails in the fog
       the depression

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

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

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

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

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

autumn wind
fanning the dying embers
in her eyes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

early haze
mom calls my daughter
by my name

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

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

morsche Parkbank
eine Krähe
erklärt mir den Winter

bird of passage
I surrender myself
to the wind

Zugvogel
ich überlasse mich
dem Wind

thaw
my father’s footprints
vanish

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

есенна луна
в сламената купа
песен на щурец

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

с дни рисува
цвета на очите й
първи есенен дъжд

almost autumn
in the thrush beak
a sunbeam

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

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

autumn twilight
heavy dew mantles
this overgrown lawn

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

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

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

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

winter fog
all of the unwritten
memories

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

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

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

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

       the wind’s path
       through autumn grass
       an unknown longing

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

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

ah seguir vivo –
las estrellas de Orión
en el silencio

a tree filled
with oranges and birds –
sunset

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

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

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

slow flowing stream
a bubble floats past
within its own sky

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

      your name on the gravestone
      a swallowtail
      catches my breath

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                       late autumn rain
                       the slow drip drip
                       last chemo treatment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

woodpile
I gather the night’s
musings

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

        pioggia incessante
        lo gnomo da giardino
        sorride sempre

       winter dawn
       a chirping rises
       I wonder where

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

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

falling leaf . . .
how quietly you
let go

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

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

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

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

       autumn awakening
       leaving my shadow
       under the bed

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

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

                              deep pines
                              my shadow
                              left behind

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

winter storm
closing the book before
I reach the end

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

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

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

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

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

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

       steaming tea . . .
       my eyes
       on the snowscape

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

山の日を溜めて色濃く林檎熟る

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

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

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

शरद गोधूलि..
एक मोर पुकारता है
सौ आँखों से

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

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

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

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

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

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

        first snow
        even the robin
        seems surprised

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

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

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

Autumn Moon Haiku Contest 2022

11/10/2022

 
                                                                   First Prize

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

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

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

                                                Honorable Mentions (In Alphabetical Order)

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

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

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

harvest moon
in the straw bowl
the song of a cricket

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

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

fall twilight
all the things
that will never return

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

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

Distant sky
seen from the sick bed
geese migrating

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

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

nuclear war –
a scarecrow not a scarecrow
anymore

nuklearni rat –
strašilo više nije
strašilo
          Aljoša Vuković, Croatia

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

7/24/2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 


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