.
lovebirds -
coming through their vent
scent of jasmine rice
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: vent
.
lovebirds -
coming through their vent
scent of jasmine rice
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: vent
NaHaiWriMo prompt: #21 umbrella
.
silk umbrella
how this butterfly hovers
over your head
..
NaHaiWriMo prompt: #20 talus
.
gravity
a landslide settles into a scree
on her jowls
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt #19 sandals
.
hung out to dry
on the clothesline
Hermes’ winged sandals
.
skipping stones -
a walnut rattles
downhill
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: rattle
.
food queue biting its tail around the block
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: queue
.
fighting for space
in our childhood rockpools -
sea anemones
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: pool
.
near the stage
the illusion fades –
moth moon
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: opera
.
between folding
and unfolding -
a dove
.
bottle rockets, #26, February 2012
.
wearing white
at the moon party –
moonflower
.
Haiku Bandit Society, Moon Viewing Party, February 2012: My haiku got a Dottie Dot Award! Thank you, Dottie!
.
almond blossom
my neighbor pounding cloth
all night
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: laundry
.
ice house
storing her gall
for all seasons
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: ice
.
longitude
east by degrees too numerous
to measure
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: grief
.
freeze frame-
the snowman at my door
speaks
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: frame
.
breakfast-
a hen gathers her chicks
under her wings
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: egg
.
cold snap -
a stray dog bares his teeth
at the wind
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: dog
.
waxing gibbous
this catfish stays
in the deepest pool
NaHaiWriMo prompt: catfish.
.
quay dawn
twelve cats waiting
for the fishing boat
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: boat
.
bare tree
in its core dreams
of apples
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: apple
Today is the beginning of the second year of NaHaiWriMo! I look forward to another year of writing one haiku (and more) a day! Gratitude to Michael Dylan Welch and all the people in the Fb Community for making it possible.
.
lime-scented
a gentle breeze blows through
syllables
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: nahaiwrimo (!)
.
white sails
her billowing
skirt
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: wind
.
chicks hatching
if only we knew
the time…
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: birth/death
.
spring rain –
a smile I cannot
forget
.
.
silent evening
I lift the cover off
the water butt
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: water
In March I will be hosting the Language/Place blog carnival on the theme “Locating the Senses in Language / Place.” Submissions of poetry, fiction and non-fiction are open from February 1 – March 10, 2012.
My own contribution will be in haiku; here’s why. When I first came across haiku, I was puzzled by its brevity, and, given the size, the disproportionate impact it had on me. There was something in this form that attracted me in mysterious ways, enough to start me reading it and, much later, trying my hand at writing it.
Then in January 2011, I joined the small stones project (A River of Stones, then), focusing, noting, and writing down an immediate experience from my day; in February 2011, the National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo for short), and felt I had found something precious, an area of writing and thinking that with study, practice and discipline would be rewarding to me.
And so it proved to be. This coming together of daily attending to my sensory experience of the world, and putting it into words, shaping it to the short form of haiku, became both an invaluable experience and a developmental practice, a sort of daily meditation on a material, physical input. The essence of this experience was not in the mind (where I lived for many, many years), but in this lived moment where, for me, both the work and the rewards were found.
So I didn’t need to think twice when it came to choosing a theme for the blog carnival Language / Place, #14. My contribution will be in the form of haiku. Yours might be in the form of a short story, a flash, a non-fiction piece, a travelogue, a recipe, an image.
Listen, taste, feel the weight, and lightness of the world and share this experience with us. Does a place associate in your mind with a smell, an image, a sound? Does a taste, say of aniseed, of olives, of papaya define a place for you? Do bird song, drumming, waves move you? Where do you stand on body odor? And how do you react as a writer? Do you have a voice recorder, notepad, or the back of your hand on the ready for recording your experience? Is the result a ‘small stone,’ a flash, or haiku? Do you have a Proustian gene in you? Perhaps a non-fiction piece detailing a sensation-awakened memory? Tell me. Tell us. I can’t wait to hear from you!
If you have already written something on this theme, great. Please submit your link(s). If not, and you are looking for inspiration, then have a look at The Haiku Foundation website: lots of (haiku) moments to inspire you, including Per Diem: Daily Haiku. In March, my selection of sense-based, mainly non-visual haiku will appear, illustrating not only how good these sense-based poems can be, but also how the senses interconnect, each one stimulating one or more of the others. There is a digital library on the site with free books to download and enjoy, discussion boards, calendars of events and contests and more.
There is the ‘official’ NaHaiWriMo coming up in February once again, too. Perhaps you might like to join and write a haiku a day. Michael Dylan Welch has set up this site with iinformation about haiku and the NaHaiWriMo facebook community. I joined last year doubting I could keep it up. Well, I haven’t. I have been writing not one but several haiku a day! (FB community site here)
If you didn’t join the January Small Stones project, no need to worry! You can keep your senses alert with a little help from Fiona Robyn and Kaspalita Thompson’s Writing our Way Home
Fiona and Kaspalita’s blog is full of ideas on how to record polished moments of experience. You could start from here:
Other contributions, not restricted to this theme are, of course also welcome. Submissions will open on the 1st of February and close on the 10th of March.
For information on how to submit your links to you posts see here
The blog roll of those taking part in the blog carnival so far can be read on Dorothee Lang’s BluePrint blog site.
.
white rose –
a falling petal catches
the light
This poem is the result of two prompts:
1: NaHaiWriMo, Annie Juhl’s prompt: metaphor
2: Katherine Gallagher, writers’ workshop prompt: ‘one petal in a full-blown rose’
.
still swaying last year’s eucalyptus
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: one-line haiku
.
spring clean -
in the dragon’s gullet
moon dust
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: dragon
A Happy New Year of the Dragon!
Delighted that my tanka “bending light” appears in Issue 5, Fall/Winter 2011-2012 of Moonbathing: A Journal of Women’s Tanka. A wonderful journal of tanka! I am honored to be included in such company. Many thanks to Pamela A. Babusci, editor of “Moonbathing.”
Also, “Gray morning (haiku),” in the notebook of the Asahi Haikuist Network, edited by Prof David McMurray, here.
.
dark moon
balanced finish of a wine
long forgotten
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: taste
.
shooting stars
all you need to know about
sciatica
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: pain
.
eating alone -
I measure the distance
to the moon
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: food/eating
.
song of the earth
a blackbird sings
the first notes
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: music/song
.
moist earth
a simple gadfly knows what’s best
for its eggs
.
Posted on FB site Joys of Japan
The International Capoliveri Haiku Contest 2011 has announced the names of the authors selected to be included in their anthology 2011. Winners of the Contest will be selected from the authors included in their list, by March 2012.
According to the announcement, the winning poets will be granted a 7 day stay for two people in Capoliveri (on the Elba) and will attend an awards ceremony in May 2012. I feel honored to be amongst those chosen for the anthology. Now please cross your fingers for me to go to the next phase, I’d love to visit Elba.
The list of the anthology selections of international haiku poets can be seen here.
And if you are wondering what and where is Capoliveri, you could start from this site here.
I am looking forward to the anthology!
.
moon flower
I wrap my dreams
in furoshiki
.
What on earth is furoshiki? Please visit Gabi Greve’s Daruma Museum to find out! Wonderful patterns on the cotton cloth wrappers too. And don’t forget to scroll down the page to find my haiku.
(First shared on Fb group Joys of Japan wall)
.
wintersweet -
shifting my weight
to the other foot
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: narrowing focus.
.
before the rain -
the air fills with the scent
of rain
.
before the rain the scent of rain
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: scent/smell
.
salmon roe
he rubs his wife’s
pregnant belly
.
.
handiwork -
snowball by snowball
we receive winter
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: hands
Delighted to find out today that my haiku received Honorable Mention in The 15th Mainichi Haiku Contest!
‘fish kites’ can be found on page 13 of the PDF announcement See here
.
1
daydream
frost flower
garden
2
foot mirage -
trickling water from the hot
water bottle
3
daydream
how time
flies!
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: daydreaming
time and time again
clocks render me
speechless
.
time piece
a kitten knows when it’s time
to eat
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: here and now (time)
.
flowering only
in soft moonlight—
dragon fruit
.
In anticipation of the year of the dragon, a delightful collection of dragon haiku edited by Aubrie Cox, of Yay Words! The language of Dragons is heart-warming, playful, witty, and wonderful. I am delighted that one of my own dragon haiku made it there. The entire collection can be downloaded as PDF from Aubrie’s site, here.
old calendar
the writing on the wall
illegible
.
November / December 31, 2011 “old calendar” Kukai, Sketcbook, 6th place, tied.
.
old calendar
the sum of my hopes
fading
.
in my old calendar
you came first
seedlings
.
November / December 31, 2011 “old calendar” Kukai, Sketchbook, 10th place, tied.
.
candlelight
how pale the moon
looks
.
Choice haiku, Karina Klesko, US, Sketchbook, “Light a candle”
Choice Haiku, John Daleiden, Sketchbook, “Candle in the Wind”
.
power cuts
in this wind a candle burns
too fast
.
Choice haiku, Karina Klesko, US, Sketchbook, “Light a candle”
.
electric candles—
so, I record
my prayer
.
Choice haiku, Karina Klesko, US, Sketchbook, “Light a candle”
.
prayer candle—
she puts her lips
to the icon
.
Choice haiku, Karina Klesko, US, Sketchbook, “Light a candle”
Choice Haiku, John Daleiden, US, Sketchbook, “Candle in the Wind”
.
diamonds
sparkle in your eyes
candle flame
.
Choice Haiku, John Daleiden, US, Sketchbook, “Candle in the Wind”
.
All Choice Haiku poems can be seen here and here
1
long after you left
your warmth on the feather
cushion
2
after the rain –
a ball of fur on
the sunlit sill
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: fur/feather
.
at my door
singing out of tune
three kings
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: January first week
1
all the way
across three generations
Forget-me-nots
2
silver clouds -
on the second day
we argue
3
singing the alphabet
on the way home
good-luck cat
4
nature programme
my kitten searches for birds
behind the telly
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: family / friends
It is January and time for noticing, for paying attention to, well, whatever attracts our attention on a daily basis and writing a small poem, sentence, something about it – what is called a small stone. It is not difficult, believe me. The world calls to us all the time; in the words of Mary Oliver,
“The world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-“
From Wild Geese, Mary Oliver’s poem in Wikipedia
Let‘s not be deaf to it this year. Let’s start small, noticing one thing at a time, writing a small stone.
If you’d like to join in, take a look at the founding fathers, ooops, founding couple: Fiona and Kaspa’s site here They explain everything… And you can even get a lovely badge from their site for your blog. I will be getting one soon myself…
.
Oh yes, I almost forgot, here is the distillation of today’s noticing in the form of a haiku:
.
first day
the rootedness
of everything
.
See also NaHaiWriMo prompt: New Year’s day/beginnings
.
one year older
I learn to notice blades
of grass
.
1
New Year‘s walk
pampas grass plumes
rustle
2
so much is clear
this year too in my purse
the tides tables
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: New Year resolution/review
1
packing tackle
the fishing line teasing
the cats
.
Inspired by Jane Reichhold’s ‘frayed rope’
.
2
a shape no other
than the humble horseshoe
four-leaf clover
.
Based on Cherie Hunter Day’s ‘a skull no bigger‘
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: Influence (another poet/haiku) This is the prompt:
Write a haiku based on/influenced by another poet’s haiku. I know, I know, we are always under someone’s influence, but still! Anything goes, except ‘old pond’
If you are stuck for choice, have a look at the link below, the Haiku Foundation’s Montage Archive, where the work of haiku poets is juxtaposed in relation to a theme, for instance, The Little Truths or any other comparative haiku piece. Or, pull on the ‘frayed rope’ here
See you there!
.
against loss
sewn into the mattress
gold coins
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: gold/silver/coins
.
what might have been
but for frangipani blooms
December evening
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: taking stock
.
oiling
the wheel of fortune
horseshoe
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: oil
.
peace and joy -
on the Christmas tree
a red felt heart
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: Good-wishes-ku

Happy Christmas and a Merry, Healthy and Joyous New Year!
.
This haiga, using my haiku, was created by renowned haiga artist Kuniharu Shimizu. Kuni-san is also priest of Tenrikyo, advisor to the World Haiku Association, and judge of their haiga contests. I feel most honored that one of my snowman haiku was included in his current series of Snowman haiga.
The haiga is accompanied by a lovely commentary on his own blog, seehaikuhere. Click and see.
.
1
tree of life
a stray gene from
Andromeda
2
olive tree
as blessed as it is
humble
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: Tree
December 23 prompt: All about trees. From frankincense trees, to olive and fig trees, Eucalyptus, Jacaranda, cinnamon, Christmans trees, take your pick!
I saw this piece of news re frankincense tree
.
cosmic cushion –
pulling the darkness out
pin by pin
.
moment of stillness
just before the light changes
direction
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: solstice. The actual prompt ran like this:
Solstice (what else?), cosmic time, longest/shortest day, cosmic light… .
.
A haiku I love by Svetlana Marisova:
.
incoming tide …
the writing fills
both sides
..
More of her poems in the recently created page here (The link takes you to the Haiku Foundation page with several of Svetlana’s poems. Go and see!)
.
1
funicular inner monologue bursting out in laughter (ku-ku)
2
snow storm
all the pigeons become
doves
(cuckoo-ku)
.
My haiku plays with the misperception that pigeons are grey and doves white. I came across a site with pictures that corrected me (at least) for good: here
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt runs as follows:
December 21 Prompt: Let’s have some serious fun. Pick a genre from Michael’s essay „ku-ku: Because You Can’t Have Enough Haiku“ and write a haiku in that genre. Please indicate which one you’ve picked, eg chai-ku.
See here
.
count-down to solstice
two cormorants dry their wings
in the sun
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: numbers
.
sheltering
under your wings
fly
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: refuge
.
melting
the snowman on the patio
now kneels
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: knee
.
avalanche
the sound comes before
the fury
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: snow
.
winter forest work
a hairdresser clips
his bonsai
.
In Gabi Greve’s World Kigo Database, under Ikebana/Bonsai (scroll down)
(first appearance in FB page: Joys of Japan)
.
layer after layer
the same old stink -
onion
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt (by Yours, truly): onion (s)
.
frosted camelia
the dancers‘ skirt
higher and higher
.
In Gabi Greve’s Haiku and Happiness. The photo is beautiful, have a look!
.
wild winter roses
the impersonal color
in your cheeks
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: Haiku involving color
I’d like to share a haiku I read today on the Haiku Foundation site Archive (HaikuNow! winning poem, First Prize for 2011):
.
Indian summer
mother dyes her graying hair
the color of straw
.
—Tom Painting (USA)
For more winning Haiku and an excellent analysis see the Haiku Foundation Archive
.
pines along the shore
and the sea unfolding -
so cold this winter
.
I hope this poem conveys something of the difficult situation that Greece is facing…
.
Today’s NaHaiWriMo prompt (by Yours truly) as follows:
You are/were on holiday in Greece and this is how your haiku senses sing about /remember it…
By the way, you may know Shamrock, #17 had a Greek focus, with several haiku translated by its editor, Anatoly Kudryavitsky. You can find it here:
From the same issue, I copy a haiku by Giorgos Seferis, transl. Anatoly Kudryavitsky.
empty chairs
the statues returned
to another museum
.
.
winter gusts
again the broken window
rattles
.
I copy below today’s prompt for NaHaWriMo that I posted earlier on their FB site. It occurs to me that I should have collected the prompts as I posted them over there in this site too – it is so exciting and an honor to be doing this! Anyway, at least today’s:
December 13 prompt: Write a haiku that tells a story…
Issa:
.
mopping sweat–
at his tomb I tell my story
then go
.
Trans. David Lanoue. See more here
Also, if you have the time, you might like to have look here
Curious? Interested? Wondering about tomorrow’s prompt? See here.
.
reading room
the soft tapping
of laptop keys
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: Book(s)/reading
.
dissecting her heart
they find the sea and the crater
of an old volcano
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: heart
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
.
driving rain
through the porthole
sight of land
.
painting by Maria Pierides (www.mariapierides.co.uk)
haiku by Stella Pierides
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: weather/painting by Maria Pierides: Driving rain
.
one-breath poem
cut short
by a cough
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: breath/air
.
a branch of pine
broken in the storms
Christmas tree
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: gift
.
lighthouse -
on the way we observe
the inner light
.
false log beams
I wonder who is holding up
the ceiling
.
NaHaiWriMo prompts (by Stella Pierides, by the way!) lighthouse/beam
.
suckling
at the mouth of the river
ocean
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: tongue, mouth
.
advent wreath –
wax spreading on the table
counts down the days
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: garland or wreath
.
slow stream
a heron stretches his beak
towards the sky
.
soft rain
how benevolence
works
.
I am very pleased that these two haiku were included in the inaugural issue of A Hundred Gourds, alongside contributions by many fine poets. A Hundred Gourds is a new international journal for haiku, haibun, haiga and more, edited by Lorin Ford and a team of distinguished poets. Congratulations to everyone on the team, and many happy returns!
.
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: carpet
.
soft afternoon light -
from behind open curtains
purr of a kitten
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: a 5-7-5 haiku
.
dance studio -
learning to ignore
wrong moves
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: dance
.
crisp
autumn
leaves
musical
chairs
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: write a five-word haiku in five lines
.
in synchrony -
only now her silver thimble
fits my finger
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: heirloom/antique tool
.
ten-week-old kitten
how the world calls out
to you!
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: relationships
Living in Germany and England, while having Greek roots, I thought I could lay claim to an international outlook!
Then came the call from the hostess of Language\Place #12, Linda Hofke, to produce work on the theme of food. Armed with my ‘search’ button, I looked for my food haiku and found too many to mention in one post! I mean hundreds … My choice here is limited to (gulp) 17. Some of them either published, or posted on my or other poets’ blogs. But there was a surprise in this for me. The ingredients in the haiku are not that diverse, not that varied! Perhaps I am less international than I’d like to claim. What do you think?
1
celery crunch -
I always knew you threw
the dice
2
beets -
and he wonders how he got
kidney stones
3
pumpkin -
the car park attendant scoffs
at my car
4
in this rain
even the eggplant weeps -
billowing clouds
(These haiku appeared in Sketchbook 6-3, May/June 2011, in the Haiku thread/Editor’s Choice).
5
tomato -
sometimes even stars are not
enough
Featured in Melissa Allen’s Red Dragonfly: Across the Haikuverse no 20
6
through the fog -
mountains of orange
pumpkins
7
mushroom garden -
in the damp, dark corner
full moon
8
magic mushrooms -
under the duvet I find
stars
Nos 7 and 8 featured by Melissa Allen, of Red Dragonfly, together with other haiku, in her blog post ‘Mushroom Harvest.’
9
pale moon -
sugar crystals travelling
south
Featured in Melissa Allen’s Red Dragonfly: Across the Haikuverse, no 23
10
ruby wine -
the song of a canary
on my tongue
11
wild goose chase -
even the duvet tries
to fly south
12
summer cool -
the blossom lingers
in the cherry
13
vesper bell
on the tree so many
pomegranates
14
chamomile –
drinking the fields
from my teacup
15
so here is the tree
of the liquid gold Homer spilt
so liberally—
between epic verses and
bare rocks it grows its olives
Greece
Olea europea
in Atlas Poetica Special Feature From Lime Trees to Eucalypts: A Botany of Tanka, poem #20, (26 August 2011) [tanka]
16
full moon tea
my book of beasts
lies open
Featured in Aubrie Cox’s Yay Words‚ Tea with Trolls
.
I guess after all this food the next haiku is a must:
17
super moon 2034
robotic arm
brushes my teeth
.
.
breaking bread
the sound of glass clinking
against glass
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: thanksgiving
.
grilled sardines
beyond the pines
whispering sea
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: holiday food
.
knowing how we fail
I keep my eye on the ball
pilgrims
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: ball games
.
off the isle of Skye -
two whales break
the surface
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: joyous event
.
kindness -
collecting the acer
from the grass
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: weekend activity
.
once again
she inverts the hourglass –
Cinderella
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: deadlines
.
late grapes –
birds making a meal
of the vine
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: feeding birds
.
moving house –
my mother’s tea plates clink
inside the box
.
(I am finally moving house tomorrow! I did wrap those plates in extra paper!)
.
siesta
my sister and I peep through
half-closed shutters
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: childhood memory.
.
lunch
a fishbone swims down
my throat
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: bad luck
.
running along
the rim of the crater –
old soldier
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: veterans
.
weeping meadow -
every time love loses
its dream
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: scene from a movie
.
Inspired by Theo Angelopoulos’ film The Weeping Meadow (watch the trailer)
.
volcanic ash -
the taste of the market
fallout
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: natural disasters
.
Mars swallows –
we beam them down
for winter
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: scifi ku
.
dark moon–
at the foot of the Parthenon
last throw of the dice
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: gambling
.
flowering–
on your face the ghost
of a smile
.
@CuentoMag #165, 5 November 2011
.
changing gear –
instead of inscribing
I tweet
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: social media
.
Rosetta Stone -
a life
in three languages
.
(Why is this not a senryu? It is, too!)
NaHaiWriMo prompt: ancient Egypt
.
cactus needle –
loneliness turned
inside out
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: tactile
.
under the red maple
red maple –
autumn’s harvest
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: autumn foliage
.
full moon tea
my book of beasts
lies open
.
tea leaves —
a fate worse than
cuticles
.
kallikantzaroi—
drinking tea they forget
the World tree
.
Three haiku included in Aubrie Cox’s collection Tree with Trolls, in her blog Yay Words. Twenty seven poets saying, in their own unique way, Happy Halloween! And thank you Aubrie!
.
ant lines -
weaving a pine needle
necklace
.
NaHaiWriMo extension; prompts this month by Carlos Colon: sweet indulgence
.
.
no-go area –
her recipe-book
on the top shelf
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: secret
.
on her tombstone dove
two snails
mating
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: cemetery
.
telegraph wires –
swallows too are waiting
for your news
.
Nahaiwrimo extension 2011; prompt: migrating birds
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charred blankets -
the doll
still smouldering
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: consequences of war
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chill wind -
remembering
the things I forget
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: frightening
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winter’s beginning –
last year’s coat
two sizes larger
.
Or,
winter’s beginning –
last year’s coat
two sizes too big
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: beginning
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when you blush -
the faintest shade of pink
above the horizon
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: dawn
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squall –
learning to blow
against the wind
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: windstorm
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as if the word for peace were war cloudy skies
.
cloudy lens –
looking without
seeing
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: peace
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curling
against your warmth
ebb tide
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: place of peace
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perfume wars -
her statement still lingers
in my study
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: scent
bee hive
where the workers never
strike
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Sketchbook 6-4, Editor’s Choice Haiku, John Daleiden: Life in the Mostly Unexamined World (scroll down)
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eternal life
only the roaches
come close
.
in my salad
a green caterpillar—
life lesson
.
Sketchbook 6-4, Guest Editor’s Choice Haiku, Bernard Gieske : A Glimpse into the Past (scroll down)
and Editor’s Choice Haiku, John Daleiden: Life in the Mostly Unexamined World (scroll down)
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gut feeling –
blinking
the third eye
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: belly
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nightfall -
losing the certainty
of youth
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: dusk
Two one-line haiku
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the unrelenting waves under your pillow
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portentous below the belt oracles
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: one-line haiku
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hairline -
wading on the riverbank
terns
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: baldness
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never too late -
listening to the silence
of the moon
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: late/too late
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such innocence
the soft curve
of your lip
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: innocence
Delighted! My haiku “starry night” came second (tied) in the July/August 2011 Sketchbook Kukai (peer-reviewed contest).
Here it is:
starry night—
growing old
together
Delighted also that several of my fellow haijin from NaHaiWriMo did so well, esp Terri Hale French (1st), Michelle Harvey, Cara Holman, and others…
Two other haiku I submitted received no votes! Food for thought, of course.
The entire thread can be read by clicking here
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last kiss
i unplug
the telephone
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: kiss
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rose-tinted clouds
in Broadstairs -
marshmallows
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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missing you -
on the ocean floor
conch shells
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: telephone.
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on this spot
the sun has been –
moonshine
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: loss
.
balance -
perched on a wire a dove
and a crow
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt Pris Campbell: beauty
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out of Ithaca –
a poem about
life
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: journey
.
moving house –
a snail and the same old
me
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: home
.
bamboo screen -
not a single
butterfly
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: butterflies
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gnarled olive
the tenderness of human
love
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: courtship etc
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coming home -
the garden has forgotten
my hand
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: sabi
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sunrise -
the singular beauty
of a rose petal
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011. New prompter, Pris Campbell, prompt: awe
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crocus-
cutting your first
tooth
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: beginnings
.
making ends meet –
I sew an extra button
on my waistband
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: ends
So pleased that my haibun ‘Drawings’ was accepted by Contemporary Haibun Online!
‘Drawings’ is now online on Contemporary Haibun Online, ’The Quarterly Journal of Contemporary English language Haibun.’ My piece can be read here
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harvest festival
the last apples before
the Fall
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: celebration.

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harvest -
so much food for
the soul
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: harvest.
September challenge 19 Planets.
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autumn circus -
keeping all her juggling-balls
in the air
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; prompt: circus
.
so many bees
on the Autumn Joy…
Octoberfest
.
Autumn Joy = one of the sedum family (flower)
Oktoberfest: oh well…
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011, prompt: autumn flowers.
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school science?
the teacher insists on
cutting up a frog
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011; Prompt: children.
….
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setting sun -
I too let go of
attachments
.
.
.#.
Thinking about this haiku, hm, it seems better without the ‘my’. I’ve made the change in the haiku, but not in the haiga.
photo: Hermann Mueller; haiku: Stella Pierides.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011 prompt: sunset
Taking part in Rick Daddario’s 19 Planets September challenge (almost there!)
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repose-
riding
not riding
.
long after we’ve gone
this girl will be riding
her whale
.
watching poets
come and go
come and go
.
.
peace offering
I check her
age
.
The sculpture, the little lake girl, maybe mermaid, riding the whale, in the Kurparkschloesschen, in Herrsching am Ammersee, is by artist Hilde Grotewahl. It can be seen on the promenade, opposite the Schloesschen. More work by this artist in her website here.
(Original title in German: Die kleine Seejungfrau)
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Taking part in Rick Daddario’s 19 Planets September challenge.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: Peace
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growing up -
I learn to live
with the tides
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011, prompt: beach.
Taking part in Rick Daddario’s 19 Planets September challenge.
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011: animals
Taking part in Rick Daddario’s 19 Planets September haiga challenge.
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your patience -
the way a river
cuts through rock
.
NahaiWriMo extension 2011. Prompter: Johnny Baranski, prompt: river(s).
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Taking part in Rick Daddario’s 19 Planets September challenge: A haiga a day … or so…
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what I know
each lake has its own
full moon
.
This haiku was written in response to a prompt for a haiga using Margaret Rosenberg’s artwork. You can see the whole artworld + haiku (haiga) in here
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through the fog -
mountains of orange
pumpkins
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011: mountains
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summer -
this bee
gets lost again
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011: Haynaku
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in this asphalt jungle
money grows on trees -
blood moon
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011: prompt ‘asphalt jungle’
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lucky charm -
on the crest of the wave
sound bubbles
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011: luck
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laying nets they beat
olives from the trees
merciful moon
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this old city
a river runs through
its heart
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Taking part in Rick Dadario’s 19 Planets September Challenge: A Haiga a day, or every few days … .
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angel
meeting the endless
light
.
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Taking part in Rick Daddario’s 19 Planets September Challenge: A Haiga a day, or every few days …
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blue moon
which came first the fall
or the apple?
.
(Leaving Ammersee)
Taking part in Rick Daddario’s 19 Planets September Challenge: A Haiga a day, or every few days …
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waiting for the tide -
fishing boats line
the harbour
…
I was thinking of Wells-next-the-Sea, but please feel free to supply your own harbour …
NaHaiWriMo: vacation memories
.
school days -
counting sparrows
in the yard
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011: school days
waiting
for the fish to be caught
frying pan
.
The artwork in this haiga was originally a photograph taken by Hermann Mueller in Diessen am Ammersee, a small town on the shores of the lake. Diessen is famous for its Baroque gem of a Church, its community of artists and craftsmen, its yearly world-famous ceramic market, and its fish. Fish nurseries have been flourishing for a number of years here. The couple in the picture is a wood-carved sculpture on the lane leading to the lake promenade (I hope to find out the name of the artist or at least the owner of the sculpture and will be posting it here).
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Taking part in Rick Daddario’s 19 Planets September Challenge: A Haiga a day, or every few days …
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apple orchard –
on the picnic blanket
spilt wine
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011: picnic.
.
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plain sailing?
once again we run into
trouble
NaHaiWriMo: games. Leaving Ammersee.
Taking part in Rick Daddario’s 19 Planets September Challenge: A Haiga a day, or every few days …
.
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between us -
this sunset is also
a sunrise
.
NaHaiWriMo prompt: sunrise
Taking part in Rick Daddario’s 19 Planets September Challenge: A Haiga a day, or every few days …
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NaHaiWriMo prompt: weekend. Lake Ammersee.
Taking part in Rick Daddario’s 19 Planets September Challenge: A Haiga a day, or every few days …

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Having lived by the lake Ammersee for ten years, we are now moving further inland. These photos with haiku/haiku within a photo (haiga) are our way of capturing our last autumn walks by the lake.
(I will be posting them on Flickr too, set: ‘leaving Ammersee.’)
Inspiration also through NaHaiWriMo extension prompt: weekend.
Taking part in Rick Daddario’s 19 Planets September Challenge: A Haiga a day, or every few days …
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September drizzle -
on my wall calendar
the page for August
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011/prompt: calendar
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leaving a trail
of crumbs for the way back
history lesson
.
Prompt: photo of wine cellar, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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shower of sparks
last year‘s pine cones
giving up the ghost
.
Prompt: campfire. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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rice fields after the harvest caesium
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refusing to draw
the plow, water buffalo –
caesium fields
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Prompt: environmental concerns haiku. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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just because
the sky is navigable –
thistledown
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Prompt: just because. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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baring his teeth
the hobbling dog –
harpsichord
.
This month’s prompter, Terri Hale French, suggested we use a randomly generated haiku by the haiku generator (a JavaScript Haiku application) to work on our own haiku. I did. The result is the haiku above. You can see the original, software generated haiku below:
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harpsichord sickens
dense snowstorms hobbling dogs
wailing, formless
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car boot sale -
on schoolyard tables
grown-up divorce
.
Prompt: second hand. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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Aegean heat -
in the animal shelter
an eery silence
.
Prompt: natural disasters. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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a goldfinch
lines her nest
thistledown
.
Prompt: Photo of thistle with cicadas. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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glacial
the silence of space
against glass
.
In escarp, the ‘ selective, twitter-based review of brief poetry and prose’, posted on 20 August 2011. (#8)
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wireless
the quiet certainty of
old love
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011: radio
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flying saucer
the wind carries away
my hat
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NaHaiWriMo extension 2011: flying
All you ever wanted to know about dragonflies … in haiku…in Melissa Allen’s blog Red Dragonfly.
It is a dream of a post with amazing poems, images/artwork. (Don’t miss the video of the dying dragonfly.) The links to the poets and their sites/work is an extra bonus, and I know it is much appreciated.
So, go over there and read! (Delighted that two of my own haiku are included! Thank you, Melissa!)
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mushroom garden
mushroom garden–
in the damp, dark corner
full moon
.
magic mushrooms
magic mushrooms—
under the duvet I find
stars
.
from the primordium
dark cloud–-
from the primordium
a billowing mushroom
.
In Red Dragonfly, Mushroom Harvest, July 2011
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star gazing
I leave my shadow
behind
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011. Prompt: bad haiku (so, how can I write a good haiku without my shadow?)
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teeth skin
hanging loose
a meta-ku
.
s
.. ku
i
n
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Prompt: Experimental haiku, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
For an introduction to experimental haiku, Terri Hale French, this month’s prompter for NaHaiWriMo, suggested George Swede‘s article in Simply Haiku.
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this moussaka
I taste the tomatoes
still ripening
.
NaHaiWriMo:humour.
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all that’s left
after the garage sale–
snow blanket
.
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011/snow
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wallflower—
slowly getting to know
your sense of humor
.
Prompt: walls, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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full moon—
a meteor flies past
incognito
.
Prompt: space. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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fireflies–
reflected in her eyes
my childhood
.
Prompt: daughters. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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this heart urchin shell half-buried in the sandbed
.
Prompt: Write a one line haiku.
Terri Hale French, this month’s prompter for NaHaiWriMo extension 2011, suggested an article from Simply Haiku, to help us orient ourselves. Really helpful article, by William Higginson, can be read here.
For images of heart urchins click here. Pages and pages of them…
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on my doorstep–
this old city in flames
licking its wounds
.
Well, even though I am not in London at present, as I live there for part of the year… a ku from my watching the news.
Prompt: front porch. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011
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frayed at the edges
this sunflower had too much
sun
.
Prompt: sunflower. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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pale moon—
sugar crystals travelling
south
.
Prompt: tired/sleep. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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Hot dog
when hunger gets the better
of me
.
Prompt: dog. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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ruby wine—
the song of a canary
on my tongue
.
Prompt: beverage. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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ebb and tide—
our holiday against
the horizon
.
Prompt: driftwood haiga. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011. Written for photo by Terry Hale French.
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sun-kissed Aegean
gulls swoop where the boat
has been
.
Prompt: journey. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
I have been reading an article published in Notes from the Gean, The Intentional Ellipses: Haiku and its Relationship to Space, by Tracy Koretsky, and so experimenting with space in this haiku. While not a new article – it was first published in Triplopia, the excellent internet journal no longer available online – it had escaped me first time round. I am so glad Notes from the Gean published it now. I am going back to reading and trying out more space haiku…
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life’s journey
I count the years
in my neck
.
Prompt: journey. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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beach combing–
amongst pebbles a muddy
Drachma
.
Prompt: coins. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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corn silk—
still searching for the face
under all this hair
.
Prompt: child/childhood. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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letters
learning the abc
of thanking you
.
Prompt: gratitude. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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mockingbird
still I kept the Athenian
accent
.
Mockingbird: Mimus polyglottos!
You can hear this amazing bird mimic other birds, squeaky gates, machines etc here
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olive press—
how else do you write your
haiku?
.
Prompt: trees. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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spring morning–
bluebird, is that my hair
in your nest?
.
Prompt: birds. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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cat nap–
on my desk the mouse still
on the mouse mat
.
Prompt: cat NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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spring ephemerals—
now my roots need colour
often
.
Prompt: spring ephemerals. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
Where can I find mushrooms, some of my readers have been asking me. A strange question, especially since I am allergic to mushrooms. I think they may have been smelling Melissa Allen’s mushroom garden, across the haikuverse. If you too are interested in mushrooms, you are invited to visit and even pick some. Please scroll down to find mine! The link? Here it is
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waiting for the peach
I miss the blue of the sky—
summer harvest
.
Prompt: soft fruit. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
vernal pool—
they trend on Twitter all
morning
.
Prompt: pool, puddle. NahaiWriMo extension 2011.
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Aegean moon—
still hot the pebble shifts with
the tide
.
Prompt: moon. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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wild goose chase—
even the duvet tries
to fly south
.
Prompt: quilt. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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gale force winds—
I steer my desk through a dark
ink swell
.
Prompt: wind/stillness. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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pins and needles—
sparkling stars
in my finger tips
.
Prompt: stars. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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crisp snow—
I dream of a hunted
deer
.
Prompt: Snow. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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word-smith—
on the anvil a haiku
slowly takes shape
.
Prompt: haiku, writing, word. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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Cretan knife—
picking wild mushrooms she pricks
her finger
.
Prompt: indigenous/groups. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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Lainbach—
the river sculpts a garden
in stone
.
Prompt: Garden. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
For photographs of the haiku walk, and of course, the river, see my Scrapbook here
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Ammersee—
where the heavens look
in the mirror
.
reflecting the skies
lake Ammersee forgets
itself
.
Ammersee–
looking in the mirror
the clouds long for home
.
sundown—
the clouds lose their
perspective
.
sunset—
golden light anoints
the world
.
I wrote this haiku responding to two prompts: the NaHaiWriMo extension prompt, “ mirror,” set by Susan Delphine Delaney; and the call for submissions by Walter Bjorkman. Susan is setting the prompts for July for the wonderful facebook community of haiku poets, NaHaiWriMo. Walter is hosting the blog carnival Language/Place, on the theme of “Poetry of Place.” Submissions of links to Walter on this theme are open till the 20th of July.
The photograph of the lake Ammersee was taken one evening this summer.
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flow tide
hoarse through the fog
terns‘ cries
.
Prompt: Fog. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
From the Sketchbook Kukai, May/June 2011 Vol. 6, No.3 (peer review poetry contest)
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rainbow—
all that remains of
your smile
.
Sketchbook May/June 2011 Kukai 6th place, tie.
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rainbow weaving—
this spider runs out of
silk
.
Sketchbook May/June 2011 Kukai 7th place, tie.
+
Haiku in the Sketchbook May/June Editor’s Choices
.
beets—
and he wonders how he got
kidney stones
.
Sketchbook May/June 2011, one of Editor’s Choices
.
celery crunch—
I always knew you threw
the dice
.
Sketchbook May/June 2011, one of Editor’s Choices
.
growing old–
that pink sky twice removed
now returning
.
Prompt: First light. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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neon lights
a lonely glow worm’s
mate
.
Prompt: Fireflies/Glow worms. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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two doves fighting–
who‘ll perch higher
on the olive tree
.
Prompt: Doves. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
fireworks—
forgetting the taste
of cherries
.
Prompt: Fireworks. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
summer cool–
the blossom lingers
in the cherry
.
Prompt: Blossoms. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
larva and silkworm-
once upon a time
there was a girl
.
Prompt: Butterflies, bugs. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
cuckoo affair–
thrown out of its nest
a baby robin
.
Prompt: Birds. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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reggae—
in the book of life my name
in beats
.
Prompt: reggae. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
snake road—
on a haze-wrapped stone
moulted skin
.
Prompt: Road/travel. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
June heat–
by the pond
the shed skin of a snake
.
Prompt: music. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011. I took the prompt to its limit; my haiku is full of silence and absence.
.
good morning–
the rough feel of the bread roll
on the round plate
.
Prompt: deaf/blind. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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roller coaster ride—
I learn to hold my heart
still
.
Prompt: Fairs. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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Adam and Eve—
we keep mowing
their lawn
.
Prompt: Indigenous people – my haiku is a long shot!
NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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home for strays—
her vacant eyes
stare through me
.
Prompt: dogs/pets. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
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marathon—
beyond the wall
dandelion
.
Prompt: Sport. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
summer heat–
on school benches
bleeding hearts
.
Prompt: School. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
shortest night—
all day she misses her beauty
sleep
.
Prompt: Solstice. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
on the sands–
a lost whale’s silent
song
.
Prompt: Beach. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
father’s day–
he fills the cracks
in the wall
.
Prompt: Father’s day. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011
.
poppy fields–
the roar of the sea
a murmur now
.
Prompt: Noise, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
dark spring—
he dreams of sunflower seeds
on the moon
.
Prompt: Freedom. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
on the road—
train drives over
poppies
.
Unprompted, while travelling.
.
full moon
and magnolia scent—
fish kites
.
Fish kites as a symbol of good luck, in the case of this haiku my good luck: seeing the full moon and sitting under the summer-flowering magnolia!
For a thorough description of fish kites and the symbolism involved see the best site there is for kigo, put together by the tireless Dr. Gabi Greve, the World Kigo Database.
Today’s prompt: Full moon, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
holding the flag high
they march taller than
trees–
the heady aroma
of summer magnolias
Today I read a post about appreciating and writing tanka in Red Dragonfly’s blog. It should have carried a health warning, something like, Read it at your peril: you will be tempted to write tanka for the rest of your day(s); or, Read and risk tanka obsession! Something like that to warn its readers of adverse effects. My own first reaction was to write my daily haiku – which I write participating in the Facebook community’s NaHaiWriMo project extension – as my first ever tanka! The day’s prompt had been ‘flags.’ I got carried away, you see. Tongue in cheek, I posted it in the NaHaiWriMo facebook site for the good folks there to see! I only hope Melissa doesn’t see my first attempt!
If you like living dangerously though, do read the post about tanka. It is a tanka beginners’ dream: informative and with a number of good links. So, tanka? I’ll try to do that!
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empty flagpole–
a dove loses its
way
.
Prompt: Flags. NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
magpie—
down the road my purse grows
wings
.
Prompted: Crime, NHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
old people’s home—
she insists on making her own
bed
.
Prompt: independence, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
tzitzikas—
the millennia-old rustling
of the pines
.
tzitzikas is Greek for cicada http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
wet June—
the marchers stop to listen
to the laterna
.
laterna: barrel organ. For a picture of the laterna click here
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
Cinderella–
turning into a pumpkin
was the easy part
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension2011.
.
tomato—
sometimes even stars are not
enough
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
crimes against peace-
a mosquito buzzes
in my ear
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
June winds—
on sober sands
frothing waves
.
(Kingsgate Bay. (Klick for the wiki photo.This wiki photo shows the bay in its calm mood!!!)
.
chill wind—
the boy now beyond
the daffodils
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
stars—
red carpet to
the milky way
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
dream space—
yoking the bear we plough
galaxies
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
midsummer-
losing the tug of war
once again
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
medicine bag—
pine needles, sage and crystal
against missing you
.
.
full moon–
in the pine forest
shadows
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo 2011.
.
between glances
a question mark—
butterfly noon
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
word by word
we burned
our bridges
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
reed beds—
all that remains of
a lost village
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
(Playing with Basho’s haiku here, using it as a ‘template’.)
.
first butterfly –
a piece of the sky in
my cat’s mouth
.
.
mountain mist-
all through the rain
the cuckoo calls
.
Prompted NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
vesper bell
on the tree so many
pomegranates
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
Olympus -
reaching for the sky again,
Gaia?
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
when the colors sing –
an onion dome between
my teeth
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011
This haiku refers to Kandinsky’s ideas about color and its use in painting; and my own novel in progress of the same title.
See also about synaesthesia here
.
spring wind on the lake–
in the sound of the waves
the might of the ocean
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
spring tides –
more regular than
some birds
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
spring tides –
searching the sands for a
lucky stone
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011
Three of the haiku I wrote for the 2011 NaHaiWriMo and its extension during the following months, were picked and translated into French by Vincent Hoaru in La Calebasse: ‘geranium’, ‘wrong season(ing)’, and ‘have you thought’. Vincent’s blog is highly original and I am indeed honored to be included. You can find the three haiku by scrolling down here.
For one more of my haiku translated into French see my earlier post here
.
granny’s attic –
brushing my hair
spider web
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
receding tide
a broken chair
in the river bed
.
A version of this poem appeared in 7X20 in March 2011. This version was posted on NaHaiWriMo fb page. Many thanks to Pris Campbell for her suggestion.
.
olive branch –
let our barque glide through
smooth water
.
Prompted NaHaiWriMo extension 2011
.
white daisies …
to her a necklace
of pearls
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011.
.
between
my ego and yours
a butterfly
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011
.
spring clean
shredded in the compost heap
newspapers
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo 2011 extension
.
lilac sprays
though my birthday is
in the summer
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011
.
fruit bowl
a bee in and out of
the sunlight
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011
.
lilac flower
first through the school gates
a bee
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension 2011, see facebook page here
.
April frost
I never meant to let you
go so early
.
Prompted, NaHaiWriMo extension fb page here
.
chamomile –
drinking the fields
from my teacup
.
Prompted, on NaHaiWriMo fb wall here
.
small mercies
windswept hair and the sea
on my lips
.
Deck Chair
Prompted, posted on the NaHaiWriMo extension April 2011 here The prompt was: Trees.
(The photo is from Wikipedia! I really like this deckchair!)
.
firing clay –
once again playing
gods
.
Prompted, posted on fb NaHaiWriMo extension 2011 here
.
spring horse—
the robot rides without
a smile
.
Prompted, posted on fb page of NaHaiWriMo extension here
.
egg tooth–
chipping away at the shell
of this haiku
.
What is an egg tooth? Accrding to Wikipedia ‘ the egg tooth is a small, sharp, cranial protuberance used by offspring to break or tear through the egg’s surface during hatching.’ See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_tooth
This is a prompted haiku, posted on the fb page of the NaHaiWriMo extension 2011
.
.
earth to earth–
half the garden under
my fingernails
.
Prompted, on Earth Day 2011. See also here
.
for your eyes only–
cherry blossom lit by
the full moon
.
This haiku, prompted, was posted on NaHaiWriMo’s facebook page here
.
garden fence –
weeding round her narcissi
my neighbour
.
.
tree of life
an olive branch was never
enough
.
.
old people’s home –
she looks for her cherry tree
again and again
.
.
boxed in
the nightjar flaps its wings
in vain
.
.
Thames mist—
street lights join
the Milky Way
.
.
tin cry–
tired of bending, always
bending
.
“When a bar of tin is bent, a crackling sound known as the ‘ tin cry’ can be heard due to the twinning of the crystals.”
.
.
dream boat—
still waters and
a silent moon
.
.
my diary –
more plum pudding
than plum fairy
.
.
wind chimes –
at the garden gate
the ode to joy
.
.
for the journey –
a sprig of thyme
between his teeth
.
This haiku refers to the custom of placing thyme on or inside the coffin. It is supposed to give courage to the departed and facilitate the journey to the other world. See Wikipedia here.
Of course, thyme, being an aromatic herb with antiseptic properties, has a variety of culinary and medicinal uses: For instance it is a major ingredient in mouthwash! I mainly cook fish with it!
(Prompted NaHaiWriMo extension April 2011)
.
fairytale –
one thousand and one nights
breathe in this haiku
.
The Arabian nights, the original collection of stories with roots in ancient and medieval times, originate from all over the Middle East and further. The basic story-telling frame involves Scheherazade telling a story a night to Shahryar the King who, disappointed in love, executes a succession of his brides after their first night together. In an attempt to keep herself alive, Sheherazade begins a tale without finishing it, so that the King, enthralled, spares her life in order to hear the rest of the story. If this rings a bell with writers who have been told to make their stories exciting to survive/avoid rejection, then so be it. In the end, we all have to survive to tell the tale.
In addition to the fairy tale, one other association is to Ai Weiwei’s 2007 exhibition in Kassel, Germany, named “Fairytale.” Ai Weiewei exhibited 1001 antique Chinese chairs, on which 1001 volunteers from China sat, and a structure made of 1001 antique Chinese doors salvaged from Ming and Qing Dynasty houses that had been built-over in times of rapid development. As he is reportedly held by police at present, I hope he finds enough tales to tell his captors.
This haiku was written in response to a prompt set by Melissa Allen during the April extension of NaHaiWriMo.
.
iron of heaven –
Mars or Venus
round my neck
.
Egyptian hieroglyphs… refer to meteorites as the “iron of heaven.”
Meteorite from Venus: extremely rare, debatable whether any meteorites from Venus could ever find their way to a necklace…
See also http://nyti.ms/ejDgzE
This haiku was writen responding to the prompt set by Melissa Allen, NaHaiWriMo (continued into April 2011).
.
old cat –
fluttering in her mouth
a dragonfly
.
.
who do you think
you are fooling, crescent moon?
even frogs grow old
.
leaping leopard –
tamed now, his meow
melting hearts
.
.
.
skinny dipping –
over the lake sickle moon
and zillion stars
.
swallows -
coat and gloves
sent to the attic
“Swallows”, the haiku I wrote responding to a prompt in the Facebook NaHaiWriMo, was one of several picked to be featured for March (2011) by Vincent Hoarau in his sparkling site La Calebasse. I am both honoured and delighted – especially since he translated it into French! This is my first haiku translated into French, indeed another language, and I must say I love the sound of it. Thank you, Vincent!
Vincent’s site is well worth visiting. He generously collects and translates other poets’ work, presenting it alongside his own. His work and collection were recently commended by Melissa Allen of Red Dragonfly, a must-read blog for haiku enthusiasts.
(To find my Swallows on La Calebasse, you need to scroll down the page here to find it – towards the end. I hope you will enjoy all the haiku featured there, they are delicious.)
.
fish wife
stooped over the laptop keys
scaling words
.
( Delighted to have this poem in Cuento Magazine, #73, 30 March 2011 – writing is a bit like that, isn’t it?
)
.
breaking waves –
walking by the shore
she steps on seashells
.
.
crushed chamomile
an army tank points at
the chicken coop
.
.
all those swallows
and no calendar
in sight
.
.
earth report –
besides love, caesium
in water and in the air
.
Following the news on the BBC that “leaking water at reactor 2 has been measured at 1,000 millisieverts/hour – 10 million times higher than when the plant is operating normally.”
.
.
Adam and Eve –
smell of apple blossom
on the breeze
.
.
no prompt –
the sound of melting chocolate
without the taste
.
.
director’s chair –
granny moves it out of
the sun
.
.
harvest –
picking basil leaves
for mother‘s salad
.
London to Munich.
cherry tree blossom
deja vue
.
.
night train –
her shipboard romance
out of steam
.
.
super moon 2034
robotic arm
brushes my teeth
.
.
For the heroes risking their lives to avert meltdown in the Fukushima nuclear complex.
See article here
.
Aegean shores
meltemi brings salt
to your lips
.
.
radiation test
will frogs jump into our pond
next spring?
.
.
stepping on catfish
once again we sit
under open blooms
.
Thanks to Gabi Greve for her link on the catfish quake deity.
.
spring quake
ahead of a boat, a house
sails out to sea
.
Reflecting the horrendous destruction of the quake, this also associates to the news about a survivor picked up 9 miles out in the sea from the floating roof of his house!
.
.
white silk kimono
on the shrine floor sake
on cherry blossoms
…
The horrendous violence of nature unfolding in Japan, and its effects on people and ‘things,’ made me wonder how words could reduce it to human scale; make it somehow comprehensible to me.
Haiku 11a was an attempt to reduce/freeze the violent, fulminant images I saw on TV to a simple, quiet one: a wedding at the shrine interrupted by the tsunami, the wedding sake spilled, the silk white kimono worn at weddings on the floor…
.
Zorro, open air –
dad cracks pumpkin seeds
with his teeth
.
.
moon shadows –
you let too many petals
fall softly
.
.
swallows
coat and gloves
sent to the attic
..
This haiku was one of several picked by Vincent Hoarau to be featured in his blog La Calebasse, in a set of fantastic spring haiku he shared here.
.
hidden
gurgling down the rain pipe
a waterfall
.
.
conference room:
one way or another
we scale the fish
.
.
churchyard yew –
smoke rings hover above
teens’ heads
.
.
stranded on the mudflats
mother ewe with two lambs –
sound of rushing tide
.
.
under the laptop keys
long after my cat died
her hair
.
Also posted on Stella’s Stones
.
gazing
at the full moon I forgot
all about its hare
.
Also Posted on Stella’s Stones
.
against the fence
a forgotten willow broom
buds
.
Posted on Stella’s Stones
Participating in NaHaiWriMo February 2011
.
white dove!
you bring an olive branch
to my heart
.
Posted on Stella’s Stones
Participating in NaHaiWriMo February 2011
.
over the school gates
marble owl –
twelve times table
.
Posted on Stella’s Stones
Participating in NaHaiWriMo February 2011
.
growing up –
from my daughter’s room
the sound of bongos
.
Posted on Stella’s Stones
Participating in NaHaiWriMo February 2011
.
vacant stare
through the bars
a lost world
.
(echoes Rilke’s The Panther)
Posted on Stella’s Stones and Facebook.
Participating in NaHaiWriMo February 2011
.
spring mist:
suspended over the lake
cotton balls
.
Posted on Stella’s Stones and Facebook.
Participating in NaHaiWriMo February 2011
.
alarm bells disturb
haiku in progress –
burning sardines
.
Posted on Stella’s Stones and Facebook.
Participating in NaHaiWriMo February 2011
.
cherry blossom–
old cat smiles at the blackbird
eating her food
.
Posted on Stella’s Stones and Facebook.
Participating in NaHaiWriMo February 2011
.
at the traffic lights
selling mountain rose:
boy with arrow
.
Posted on Stella’s Stones and Facebook.
Participating in NaHaiWriMo February 2011