EarthRise Rolling Collaborative Haiku 2017
Welcome to the largest collaborative poem on the internet. The United Nations has designated 2017 as the Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. We didn’t think this is a particularly apt theme for EarthRise, and so, in this time of political animus, we’ve selected Reconciliation as our topic. Plan to share one poem or many in the world’s largest collaborative poem. Please add your poem(s) in the Comment box below, ideally at dawn at your location, but any time that you are able. The timeline for this begins at 12:01 A.M. on April 17 on the International Date Line (which is why it seems to have started the day before, for many of us). Your poem(s) can respond to the “seed” poem:
perfuming the man who broke its branch — plum blossoms — Chiyo-Ni (1701 – 1775)
or to any of the poems posted in the Comment box, or you can even start a new thread. You may participate as often as you like. All we ask is that you respond to the theme of reconciliation.
Enjoy!
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white swan & sable
necks caressed in the shape
of the heart
the human condition
in the shape
of the heart
**
Michael (MV)
wedding quilt
contrasting squares
patched up
(The World Haiku Review, June 2016)
His presence beyond strong
with just the need for Him
healed & back home free
**
Michael (MV)
reconciliation
our pot of Darjeeling
more aromatic
windowpane web
anchored
moving freely
Judith Hishikawa, West Burke, Vermont
all that remains
after the rain
a hint of remorse
skyscraper …
in the autumn breeze
shadows sway
mgc,
city
season
soul
*
*
*
Michael (MV)
Tr(i)ump(h) in the multiverse more (b)om(b)s
—
– Lorin
Nice one, especially the Om, and I didn’t vote for him, honest!
night by the sea. . .
lights of the bridge and stars
touching each other
stars and fireflies
twinkling in unison –
midsummer night
a sales lady
her eyes in colour of iris
selling iris to me
a razed house –
cherry in bloom is all that’s left
of my granny’s dowry
earthquake ruins –
a battered cherry tree
blossoming
the pear’s petal
fluttering softly
ruffled the whole lake
rainy day
the scent of spring enters
my room
stellar bridge
spans to cherries. . .
the Milky Way
where roads end the Milky Way
A Hundred Gourds 2:2 March 2013
apple in blossom
connecting me with my father
and grandfather
murmuring stream
a blossoming almond bough
sails under the bridge
Black and White
put the past behind them…
peace and harmony
roaring stream –
caught in the whirlpool
a spray of cherry blossom
village pond
guava blossoms drift
as foam
A Hundred Gourds 5:3 June 2016, haibun titled, “Fool Moon.”
roped to a house
cherry in bloom waves to me
with a clean laundry
low rays of sunset
in the blossoming almond –
song of the fisherman
the seagull’s call
from invisible heights
louder then the storm
Luka Tomic,
Thanks, “invisible heights” led me to compose:
from wuthering
to invisible heights
Heaven
**
Michael (MV)
fickle wind-
looking at my snowdrops
in my neibhgour’s yard
out of hospital. . .
sticks in the stork’s nest
budding on the pole
after chemo
glimpsing the full moon
in the first crescent
Under the Basho Autumn 2013
an old mill upstream
with its ever groaning wheel,
storks’ nest on the roof
breeze through the curtains
smiley face
on the breakfast tray
Look at you.
The muse.
On time again
Jan
slavery no more –
African-American
Museum opens
— My Haiku Pond, September 2016 – 100,000 Poets for Change
in position
he pulls the trigger
trophy room
— My Haiku Pond, September 2016 – 100,000 Poets for Change
debate
bare-knuckle
words
— Failed Haiku, November 2016
spreading towels
on the rug and sofa
muddy paws
—- Brass Bell, January 2017
stitching up
the streams two shores
butterfly flight
warming Spring
the days before time
matters
fortress ruin
where war cries once echoed
the bush warblers sing
petrol station
letting the car with: “Save Our Earth”
jump the queue
sky burial
the final offerings
to the vulture guardians
a TGIRF* diptych
trees stand crucIfIed
crucified to a
upside down t
*** Thank God it’s Righteous Friday
Michael (MV)
Easter service
the philosopher
left at home
Ha, a zero gravity reconciliation!
Turning the topic onto itself, Like That Steve.
Jan
migrant birds
always return home…
Easter reunion
squares of light
in the moonless darkness…
homecoming
Yes, Steve Smolak, I related to this one –
the poet(the heart) & the philosopher(the head)
cannot occupy the same space at the same time (Keatsean)
and, too, I hear “a man cannot serve two masters”
Easter dawn
the philosopher sleeps in
the poet rises
and I add one from my portfolio:
from the start
the heart already
by-passing the headstone
**
Michael (MV)
preemies–
early daffodils
fold into earth
(Small Canyons, 2014)
daffodils
all over no man’s land…
Easter truce
Spring rain
silent conversation
under our umbrella
Moonset 4(2) Fall 2008
Primera nevada…
Perro y gato juntos
cerca del fuego
First snow…
Dog and cat together
near the fireplace
asleep
on a torn prayer flag
a stray puppy
Kikakuza Haibun Contest 2011, Za Prize haibun, titled Last Journey
a homeless drunk
talking to a stray dog
cold moon above
***
sounds of autumn
outside the homeless shelter…
an old dog waiting
freed…
the feel of earth
beneath his paws
spinning tops
dad’s favorite one
rests on grave
Beneath the Willow Tree
2007
hot bitter coffee
frosty hospital window
waiting for sunrise
Valley Voices, Fall 2006
dusting doll
daughter’s last visit
last girl’s day
Asahi Haikuist Network
Mar 17, 2007
reading
Ensui’s Girls’ Day haiku
I mourn the child we lost
Asahi 16 March 2012
long-stemmed rose
pricks finger
and healing heart
Asahi Haikuist Network
Feb. 14, 2006
packed homeless shelter
Silent Night sung after meal
silent tears sparkle
8th Mainichi Haiku Contest
2004
lighting butter lamps, butter lamps light up tears
Kikakuza Haibun Contest 2011, Za Prize haibun, titled Last Journey
stone wall
a chipmunk pilfers
from both sides
on both sides
of the stone wall
same sunshine
.
Billy Antonio
one moon for all –
it will rise over his home
at daybreak here
peace vigil
a sliver of moon
glows with earthshine
peace vigil
ylang-ylang scent
fills the air
.
Billy Antonio
peace vigil
shadows of leaves
follow the wind
one by one
the butter lamps go out
night of the vigil
Spring in North West Texas
Fire, unquenching rain,
thunder, twister, lightning, hail,
carpets of wild blooms.
Bluebonnet carpets
reflecting sky. Pink evening
primrose. Are clouds green?
Birds fly north to nest.
The dry wind sends good reports
Of fireflies and worms
Drab, green goldfinches
turn bright. South wind Sunlight pours
On unfurling grass.
Black butterflies
swarm redbud blooms
Hill Country spring
Published Small Canyons 7, 2012
mom’s hair
tied in a chignon…
candles lit
for refugees
*
*
Jan Benson
Path to Peace Anthology, September 2016
Very moving. Thank you for sharing, Jan.
Sonam
Glad for your read, Sonam.
Jan
A soft and lovely image, and sentiment.
Thanks, Steve.
Jan
fat tuesday wears
a masque of feathers
wednesday wears ash
*
*
Jan Benson
Small Canyon 7 Anthology, 2012, Page 14
Blue Planet Enterprises
cello moon
son’s first christmas card
from prison
*
*
Waco WordFest Anthology
October 2016
removing the fitbit
today she walks
in memory of mom
*
*
100 Thousand Poet’s for Change 2016
her palms
bruising cardamom seeds
the subtleties of chai
*
*
Blithe Spirit, 26.4, Page 7
thanksgiving dinner
half-measures of dna
at the table
*
*
Sonic Boom Issue 7
December 2016
fragrant blossoms
we whisper under cones
of moon light
*
*
British Haiku Society
2016 Member’s Anthology
the paring
of stone fruit
hinged amity
*
*
The Haiku Foundation: Workplace Haiku,
Theme – The Mentor
https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/2017/02/22/haiku-in-the-workplace-the-mentor/
An original slant on the theme.
Enjoyed this, Jan.
Sonam
Thanks for your kind words, Sonam.
Jan
sweeping winter
from the corners
early crocus
*
*
Brass Bell
February 2017
http://brassbellhaiku.blogspot.com/
easter morn
the cross-town camber
of change bells
*
*
Spring/Summer Wild Plum 2017, pg 51
Link: https://wildplumhaiku.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/wild-plum-spring-summer-2017.pdf
Love that cross-town camber!
Thanks, Steve
Married the moves of a race track with change bells.
Glad it works for you.
Jan
change ringing
the silence between us
https://youtu.be/lxTxfnD8W1E
the old rescue
as unconditional
as that
stazione centrale –
sul braccio della ragazza
il Grande Carro
central station –
on the girl’s arm
the Big Dipper
published on the fb group “gendai haiku”
Easter Sunday – / everyone offers the sign of peace / small parish
Easter ceasefire –
the field kitchen busy
in refugees’ camps
juggling
a pen and a feeding spoon –
the baby’s laughter
.
International Women’s Festival, Inner Voices, 2017
Stella Pierides,
Beautiful!
and admirable the skillful synecdoche in haiku synecdoche
Recalls to me 3 that I’m sharing from the archive of my portfolio:
a few weeks old
and too new to know
sun from moon
a bubble bath
in the sink
for baby
dandelion &
baby breath:
new dentures
***’
Michael (MV)
Great touch…Like how this can go both ways on the haiku/senryu scale.
dandelion
in bloom –
the silence of
two landlords
mending the fence
a tree in white
back at new housing estate
there was a village
your mother returns to life
watering the house plants
you’ve neglected
how can one return to life
when life is
never really departed
how can one return
when one never really
departs from life
Michael (MV)
just visiting the earth
vacationing before vacating
“to Thy kingdom come”
left after
spring rain
sparrow’s call
cutting reeds
piece by piece
the backwater turns blue
Sharpening the Green Pencil 2016
http://sharpeningthegreenpencil.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_30.html?showComment=1459537250486
refugee child–
folding and unfolding
his paper boat
.
Sharpening the Green Pencil, 2017
Lovely
I like this.
Stunning!
Jan
ars haiku-poetica
haiku
not sweet 16
suite 17
Michael (MV)
turn in the weather…
a house sparrow sings
like buddha
.
Alan Summers
‘Amaravati Poetic Prism 2016’, an International Multilingual Poetry Anthology published by the Cultural Centre of Vijayawada and Amaravati (CCVA – a CSR arm of the Malaxmi Group)
I see what you did there.
Clever use of “like”.
Jan
Thanks Jan!
.
The word ‘like’ can often close a haiku down, and can similes in any short length poetry. I wanted to show that it can work on occasion. And after all, using the general term of buddha, aren’t we all buddha, all the animal species, and all the non-animal species too?
.
Alan
new home
she promises me the world
in a lilac tree
.
Alan Summers
Hedgerow #99 (Homecomings sequence)
https://hedgerowpoems.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/hedgerow-99-edited-by-caroline-skanne.pdf
derelict church
the moon showing
its bomb damage
.
Alan Summers
Hedgerow #100 (2016)
Love this Alan. It brings to mind E. Dickinson’s A Certain Slant Of Light-
the two poems different of course. This poem is so telling in the showing. Thanks for being a haiku poet 😁
Thanks Steve!
.
Emily Dickinson certainly influenced me over the years and with my book Does Fish-God Know. My hometown of Bristol (England) showed a lot of bomb damage during my childhood, and that church is now a permanent memorial to WWII.
.
There’s a certain Slant of light
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/theres-certain-slant-light-258
.
Churches and cathedrals and other religious places can be symbols of both war and survival, and reconciliation:
.
I was born in London but moved to Bristol at the age of 11 months (with help from adoptive parents):
other names for rain
the birth city of London
grips a cathedral
.
Alan Summers
Publication Credit: Hedgerow #99 December 9, 2016
Homecomings sequence
https://hedgerowpoems.wordpress.com/2016/12/09/99/
.
And
.
the low slant
of winter light
cathedrals
.
Alan Summers
Award Credit: Semi-Finalist, Shambhala Times First Annual Midwinter Haiku Contest 2014
Delighted this one did so well and selected by Guest Judge Patricia Donegan!
.
Wangdiphodrang dzong –*
the full moon fills holes
in the charred walls
*Wangdiphodrang dzong (Pron. ZONG) is a monastery-fort built in 1638 by the founder of Bhutan, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (1594-1651). It was burnt down on 24-25th June 2012.
A Hundred Gourds: 2:1 December 2012
eating paperclips
this attempt to be ready
for the office manager
.
Alan Summers
Haiku in the Workplace: The Post-Holiday Season (Jan 2017)
Harmless bugs –
rescuing them while cleaning
the swimming pool
Following other “Easter Monday” haiku-poems
composed for this annual thread – a reunion of my brothers & sisters of haiku poetry – Creativity –
the class
of creativity
united forever
Easter Monday lunch
eating cabbage
the rabbits didn’t munch
***
Michael (MV)
still she asks me
be my brother
of the moon
Gold Rush boiler
parting the willows
to take the shot
kjmunro
Autumn’s leaves decay
Willing sacrifice of life
For more future life
Nature’s very own
Circle of life stated well
Spread among us all
old mule track
where we used to meet
covered in forget-me-nots
Stunning!
Jan
Thank you, Jan.
the new tub
prepared for the day lily
is now the birds’ mud bath
Sitting alone when
A knock asks me to open
To eyes that are mine
Reflection of self
From the inspection of self
Imagination
14-month stint
with every intention
to return to you
While others waited
Anticipating return
And your reunion
Newly grafted branch
The distance between my step sister
And I
fallen blossoms
apologies unheard
behind the walls
Newly grafted branch;
The distance between my step sister
And I.
all round the earth
enjoying colors and perfumes
I feel at home
working together
for the common good
the covenant
Christmas truce
cigarettes exchanged
across No Man’s Land
a handshake
and a pat on the back
peace offering
teardrops like raindrops
tasked to define a home
land with no trouble
beetle in the water:
the reed to save your soul
withered and broken
spring cleaning
a long line to
the confessional
spring chill —
queue at the noodle bar
goes round the bend
A Hundred Gourds:1:3 June 2012
natural bridge
the graceful arc
of his hand
moonlight-
step by step on the snow
in the silence
sharp wind
a V of geese
recombines
sharp wind
scatters the V
of geese
Michael (MV) in response to John Hawk’s haiku-poem
sharp wound
the V of geese
drops one
*
*
Jan Benson
Unpublished
In response to the thread of
John Hawk, Michael Virga
catching up
with a girlfriend
summer clouds
-Brass Bell, March 2017
Nicely Done, Agnes!
new flux of refugees . . .
hand to hand passing out
welcome bags
.
NaHaiWriMo 2017
a bee and I
on both sides of my window
in the same rhythm
a fly on the pane on the bobbing bamboo
Haibun Today, in Haibun titled “Mapping”, Volume 4, Number 4, December 2010
stolen property
I question what
is really mine
Bravo, Michael Stinson!
strong, very strong
viva the human consciousness that is alive in these 3 lines
viva the haiku
***
Michael (MV(
Thank you, Michael Virga!
I think I may edit it to:
a missing ladder
I question
what is mine
Belfast campus blast
I sift through the remains
of my neutrality
Second Place in Guest Judge Selection: “History, Story, Narrative”
IAFOR Vladimir Devidé Haiku Award 2017
Congratulations Nicely Done
Perfectly Placed HERE!
dazed eyes
of the new prisoners of war . . .
their parents’ eyes
Asahi Haikuist Network, April 2003
lost cities drift away—
strangers reach out
to strangers
written for Pray for Japan 2011
youngest child
heeding his mother’s pleading
for the first time
someone to depend on . . .
a birch entwined
by maple branches
edible words
using horseradish
to point to them
.
Alan Summers
unpublished
I like this one Alan,
Having just celebrated Pesach, where horseradish has its own function.
Timely.
Jan Benson
Hi Jan,
.
I thought I should write a few haiku on the day, and release them, though often they rest for days, sometimes months or even years.
.
I celebrated original Ostara which entails eggs, hares, and the goddess of dawn. 🙂
.
For me birdsong lends promise to a better world, were we do not have to reconcile ourselves to the venality of politicians and their war mongering puppet masters:
.
.
war moon
the flickering of humans
at birdsong
.
Alan Summers
.
.
Publication Credit: Asahi Shimbun (Japan 2015)
the blood moon issue, Oct 2 for the eclipse of 9/28
.
.
Anthology Credits: Heart Breaths: Book of Contemporary Haiku ed. Jean LeBlanc
ISBN: 9789385945038
.
.
Under the Basho Poets’ Personal Best (November 2015)
http://underthebasho.com/2015-issue/poets-personal-best/1595-alan-summers.html
.
.
Anthology Credit: Heart Breaths: Book of Contemporary Haiku ed. Jean LeBlanc
ISBN: 9789385945038
.
.
And as science fiction is often an allegory for past, current, and future transgressions, this haiku appeared as the last haiku in the Nova Normandy 3044 haibun published in the Prune Juice : Journal of Senryu, Kyoka, Haibun & Haiga Scifaiku feature Issue 21: March, 2017 ed. Steve Hodge
https://prunejuice.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/pj-21-revised.pdf
.
.
I like to think everything is reconciled, that there is global reconciliation every dawn, every birdsong, every new start of a day.
.
Alan
And of course ‘radish’ and pointing was a deliberate allusion to Issa’s haikai verse written in 1814:
.
.
.大根引大根で道を教へけり
.
daiko hiki daikon de michi wo oshie keri
.
.
the man pulling radishes
points the way
with a radish
Issa
.
trans. Robert Hass
.
.
common ground
pink tulips bloom
among weeds
Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
(Akisame – Issue 38 – May 15, 2016)
fearless stories,
an exploding nova sigh
from a dying star
words
unfurling on a maple branch
spring
bright breeze
a sighted person fingers
the statue’s eyes
.
Alan Summers
tinywords (2007); Moonset Vol. 3 Issue 2 (Moonset Literary newspaper llc. 2007)
Anthology: City: Bristol Today in Poems and Pictures (Paralalia 2004)
ISBN 10: 0954811704 ISBN 13: 9780954811709
all my mistakes
each click of the pen
the robin moves
.
Alan Summers
Earlier version Presence #24 (2004)
Anthology: “D’un ciel a l’autre” Anthologie de haiku de l’Union Europeenne
(Edition de l’Association francaise de haiku 2006)
baby photos
from my birth mother…
how do I say hello to me
.
Alan Summers
The Heron’s Nest (Vol XIV, No. 2: June, 2012)
mulled wine
my mother’s voices
move within me
.
Alan Summers
1st January 2016 Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
So good!
Thanks!
.
My mom would holler so much at me that her voice resonated even when I lived in different cities. 🙂
.
steak & mushroom pie
my new-found uncle insists
I call him brother
.
Alan Summers
Blithe Spirit vol. 19 no. 4 (2009)
London pubs
all claiming to serve
the best pies
Oh, it’s got to be either anywhere but London, as London pies makes me think of Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett: https://www.thedungeons.com/london/en/press/44/mrs-lovett-opens-her-pie-shop-for-hysterically-horrible-halloween-sleepovers.aspx
.
Best try a pie from the South West of England, Midlands, or the North of England to be safe and sure. 🙂
.
Alan
*
reservation footbridge
the colours of the sky and river
so similar
red wine sauce
I celebrate history
with humble pie
.
Alan Summers
Easter Monday
I reconcile myself
to telling
.
Alan Summers
unpublished
revving up the engine
despite the rain
because of it
In Haibun Today Vol. 11, No. 1, March 2017
apologies
a basket of berries
on the porch steps
Hi Terri French,
on the porch steps
an apology
in a basket of berries
Michael Virga, in Birmingham
the beggar’s hand
stretched under Christmas lights
collecting raindrops
(from Chrysanthemum #13)
A Rainbow of Rivulets…
Jan
from the old copse
rook calls rake the evening
gathering shadows
green again
the half of the willow
not felled by a storm
barren tree
for a naive artist
an easy escape
barren oak
the raven sits on a branch
watching the sunset
shooting star–
a raindrop slides
down the window
broken boats
the coastline tagged
with shearwaters
.
Alan Summers
Presence #56 (October 2016) issn 1366-5367
Nice one, Alan. I like to watch shearwaters. Following yours:
—
snapper catch
the shearwater pair
reunite
—
– Lorin
Thank you! 🙂
.
It was after the horrific disasters where Devon became separated from England due to the storms and the rail connection being destroyed. So many broken boats and yet the birds make them homes, and beautiful once again. It’s the same with snow when it covers the ugliness of a city.
.
Alan
.
Dawlish, Devon:
UK storms destroy railway line and leave thousands without power
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26062712
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/storm-frank-train-battered-giant-7092152
.
Devon and Cornwall storm causes ‘devastation’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26044323
.
Karen and myself went to St Ives, even though it was a bitterly cold Winter, to stay in the resort and give our tourist dollars to the region.
.
Alan
a teaspoon of spice
crows bottle the wind in caws
and then release it
.
Alan Summers
8th Yamadera Bashō Memorial Museum English Haiku Contest Selected Haiku Collection
July 2016
those who stop —
ducks taking colour
from the river
.
Alan Summers
Publication credit: brass bell: a haiku journal curated by Zee Zahava (January 2017)
homebound train
I correct
my wife’s eyebrow
.
Alan Summers
Publication Credit:
low sky ed. Eric Burke
Right Hand Pointing Issue 107
http://www.righthandpointing.net/haiku-2017
summer heat –
the little girl spots an oasis
in the clouds
IRIS 2015
narrow crevice
between two rocks
a blade of grass
city living
wattle blooms
beside graffiti
FreeXpression – December 2012
on both sides
of a barbed fence
soft moonlight
Oh, I like this, Barbara.
Jan Benson
So easy to forgive
now that
he’s dead
anniversary . . .
the perfidious joy
of field flowers
Contemporary Haibun Online, July 2014, vol 10 no. 2
hate
is a strong word
loathe is better
grave side
what we failed to say
the last time
mourning dove
in mother’s guava tree
who are you calling?
Acorn Spring 2016
measured steps
on a tightrope
peace talks
– Billy Antonio
Laoac, Philippines
Easter Monday…
wild strawberries grow
and you with them
Dedicated to my son, 7 years old today.
Beautiful dedication.🙏🏽
spilt milk
the noise
of my ghosts
.
Alan Summers
Publication Credit: Narrow Road first issue April 2017 from ‘Articulating hot cocoa…’
Narrow Road, A Literary Magazine from India showcasing Flash Fiction, Poetry and Haibun
https://issuu.com/narrowroad.mag/docs/narrow_road_innaugral_issue_apr_201
Ha, yes,
Self reconciliation … Oft times the most difficult
Yes, I went through a long tract of self-reconciliation not realising that I had inherited the black dog from my birth mother. It was great to finally find her and meet her and put her mind at rest that she had done no wrong. 🙂
Banquo here,,, How do?
P.S. Truly nice poems!
Thanks! Ah, MacBeth, and our ghosts. 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banquo
Easter Monday
the making of amends
to other selves
.
Alan Summers
unpublished
mountain clouds
the birth of the moon
out of a river bed
.
nuvole di montagna
fuori dal letto di un fiume
la nascita della luna
.
Italian translation: Lucia Fontana
.
Haiku by Alan Summers
Publication credit: World haiku poetry day Ensamble 2017
Di chanokeburi 15 aprile 2017
http://chanokeburi.it/chanokeburis-haiku-ensamble-celebrating-the-international-haiku-poetry-day-2017-april-17th/
Fuji blossom
I dust the last ash
from my boots
Under the Basho (2016)
black lava sand
crunching underfoot
the fragrance of Mount Etna broom
speaking his language
the outer space
above us
after the thunderstorm
between the broken daffodils
our renewed promise
an old man sings:
“love is lovelier…”
on a full moon
at the end of the line their good vibes
dancing alone
I embrace
my flaws
brass bell journal, October 2016
sleeping crows
under the milky way
nightingale’s echo
they end it up
in mutual understanding
divorce proceedings
daily grind
a stork pair picking
worms
answers to prayers
I did not know to pray
verses of Psalms
*
strength for the iris
while waiting to bloom
daylily
*
heart peace
and mind at rest
clear night sky
*
sun reaches trees
also old pine wood
in the house
*
family daffodils
bloom once more
reconciled to loss . . .
*
silk peonies for the graves in another place
*
colorful tulips
on a cold day
unconditional love
colorful tulips
on a cold day
unconditional love
another cold spell
still, the Wind Horse prayer flags
winging blessings
Rain drops fall
On fresh spring petals
A bird sails with the clouds
embracing
her win-win offer
sakura night
his embrace mending the broken pieces
his many ways
of melting the ice…
peace talk
peace offering
yet the smoke signals
are unclear
a lady’s retouch
of her countenance…
forgiveness
the first violets –
I resist the temptation
to pick them
spring flowers
the temptation to pick up
sunshine
(DailyHaiga: October 7, 2015)
coppice wood
the innocence
of anemones
Awakening Anthology (2015)
Felixstowe Cafe Poets
chiming in with Marina, and Olivier:
sun light
touching petals
nothing like the real thing
Michael (MV)
nice thread
rewatering
an old seed of friendship
hospice sunshine
a seed
inside the peach stone…
the secret you hide from me
(Mainichi Haiku Contest 2015,
honorable mention)
withdrawing
the restraining order
family reunion dinner
family reunion
we all zero in on
the surprise bread
(Failed Haiku, A Journal of English Senryu, Volume 1, Issue 2)
in UniSon with Anthony, and Olivier:
the real celebration
waiting for us all
Heaven
Michael (MV)
plum blossoms the weight of an unspoken word
the unspoken word
in each other’s eyes
rainy day ends
unanswered question
hovering in the sunlight
dust particles
(Acorn No.36, Spring 2016)
ten yellow roses…
the unspoken question
in the florist’s eyes
.
(A Hundred Gourds 1.2)
Shloka:
Deftly written.
the tension is palpable.
Jan
rolling back to the beginning dry leaves
– Wild Plum, spring 2016
it takes time
to figure out
what really happened
rain on the windowpane
.
Englyn #2 April 2016
only real
really occurs
sans figuring
Michael (MV) responding to Mark Gilbert’s haiku-poem
a million fragments
each one labelled
with a memory
.
Thanks Michael
spin cycle
it’s your turn
to apologise
bitter dispute
the washer goes into
its spin-dry cycle
(Failed Haiku, A Journal of English Senryu, Volume 1, Issue 4, April 2016)
wild violets
in bloom
–
both sides
of the fence
virgin snow
the first time I wear
his shirt
*
Frogpond 39.2
reunion
the trees around us
made of paper
Passion Week—
letting the wild garlic
grow
echolocation . . .
the loves we have lost
and found
Zatsuei Haiku of Merit, Vanguard
World Haiku Review, January 2017
***
mending fences
the scent of sagebrush
on your fingers
Hon. Mention, Shintai
World Haiku Review, June 2016
Debbie Strange (Canada)
Shine on!
evening rain…
scent of sagebrush
along the garden path
(Presence 51, December 2014)
Beautiful poems, Debbie.
Thank you for sharing.
Sonam
Hi Debbie Strange,
I love what you & your haiku have created with echo-location
Thanks for sharing
Michael (MV)
Echolocation !
———-
mending fences… Great haiku prosody!
Alliteration that does not trip on itself. . .
Jan
inner city a meadow of wildflowers
‘A Fine Line’, NZPS, May, 2013
first blossoms—
the carpenter bee and I
work out our differences
(Haiku Invitational, 2015)
daisy wreath
each flower
he loves me loves me loves me
Veteran’s Day…
the silence
of white stones
Hi Nancy,
and Thanks
your excellent haiku-poem
reminds me of my visit to the cemetery yesterday,
and prompts me to compose:
cemetery
alien land
to me
“don’t seek the living among the dead”
Michael (MV) son of Virginia Ruth
on earth as it is in Heaven
I find her expecting me There, too
in the nursery of Our Father
Hi Michael,
Your haiku is very moving, Michael.
Easter…
the empty tomb
in the garden
WEB revivals –
long lost feelings
are back
wild violets
in blossom
both sides
of the fence
the linnet sits upon a fence
and sings to all of Ireland
in peacetime
the reefs whiten —
how to reconcile
with coal mining?
—
– Lorin
passing tugboat
the smell of blossoms
foot bridge
a water rat sniffs
my shadow
rope bridge
a lammergeier crossing
the ravine
autumn dusk
a red haired boy twirls
with the leaves
Brooklyn Navy Yard
the sounds from a playground
across the river
tinywords 16 October 2002
mountain lake
the night air fills the loon’s call
.
Tinywords 27 August 2007
after thirty winters
daffodils
on her grave
scathing summer,
amongst the ashes
green fronds
quake toppled temple
where the Lotus-born Guru stood
wild roses bloom
March campus
two snow angels
melt together
new and old battles
the horse chestnut seedcases
green to the river
.
Alan Summers
Publication Credit: Blithe Spirit 27.1 2017
the buddleia
and the butterfly…
vanishing stars
.
Alan Summers
Publication Credit: Presence #57
counting tadpoles
the six year old
saves the world
.
Alan Summers
From the Nova Normandy 3044 haibun
Publication Credit: Prune Juice : Journal of Senryu, Kyoka, Haibun & Haiga Scifaiku feature Issue 21: March, 2017 ed. Steve Hodge
https://prunejuice.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/pj-21-revised.pdf
wet path
in my shadow
spring fragrance
Shamrock Issue 34, 2016
farmed…
their hidden
tears
wooden fence
on the other side
a neighbor smiles
old beard…
trimming it the way
she likes it
the glass child
sometimes just being held
as winter arrives
.
Alan Summers
Publication Credit: is/let islet ed. Scott Metz (January 2017)
https://isletpoetry.wordpress.com/2017/01/21/947/
resolving to sin no more swatted fly
we shift and turn
the migrating clocks
fallen leaves
.
Alan Summers
Publication Credit: Right Hand Pointing 2017
http://www.righthandpointing.net/haiku-2017
Passport
global citizen
planet Earth
border control
the yellow-eyed babblers sing
both sides of the checkpoint
moonlight
lapping on the shore
yours and mine
claw, paw, foot prints
the sea washes them all
fragrances
she stepped on
daffodils…
losing the way
to the hilltop shrine
the scent of rhododendron
above borders butterfly migration
extended family 7.5 billion
branches in bloom
grandma whispers
a prayer
reconciling
with non family member
a spotted hyena
and who would hear
the sound of the sea…
reed ears
the freedom to choose
which toilet to use
a new Dawn
[For Meg Halls]
almost spring
the neighbour’s ball still
in the garden
British haiku 1st place 2016
Blue fly
in a lens of dew
what of your maggoty past
-Patrick
“in lens of dew” is inspired!
The fly too wants a good rebirth.
prayers at dawn
a fly traces the letters
of the Heart Sutra
World Haiku Review August 2013
mending fences
the neighbours
speaking again
a haiku-diptych Easter 2017:
trees stand He is risen
crucified so we never
upside down lie again
***
Michael (MV)
winter years
we agree to disagree
elderly cat
love this ku Christina
Thank you, Maureen! Love your “mending fences” too.
by the grove . . .
a painter captures wood ducks
in their love dance
melting snow…
this pressing need
to confess
the white lily’s
pollen-covered anthers…
time to confess
(Modern Haiku 46.2, Summer 2015, & Haiku Commentary: July 1, 2016)
the truth
has to be precious
Nelson Mandela
only Truth
is believable
and priceless
not a bargain; a reality
no magic; just miracles
ever notice Truth
is created
with r u t h
How can son be ruthless
Mother was given
the middle name Ruth
Michael Virga
everything
we have in common…
plum blossom rain
.
(The Heron’s Nest XIII.3)
candlemas
little fingers pulling
the wishbone
.
Alan Summers
Publication credit: Brass Bell (April 2017)
an intercessory prayer to endless blue string
.
Alan Summers
Publication credit: Blithe Spirit 26.3 haibun: Growing Pains Of The Fairy Tale Train
what’s there to say
the minivet now mimics
a chain saw
dry village pond …
the baked earth
smells of fish
Under the Basho, 2016 Issue
roadside ditch –
under the thin layer of ice
first kingcups
alone again
the river ice cover
thickens
(Modern Haiku 47.3, Autumn 2016)
forgiveness
I add his photo back
to the album
lending umbrella
to ex husband—
winter rain
spring raindrops
playing ping
pong on my umbrella
perfuming the man
who broke its branch —
plum blossoms
— Chiyo-Ni (1701 – 1775)
sheltering
the Rufous-bellied woodpecker –
old cedar
shaking off the rain
the old man watches
a crow
……
(otata January 2017 issue)
power walking at dawn
leopards crisscross the road
the smell of old white
everything is replicated
in me
.
Alan Summers
Publication Credit: Prune Juice : Journal of Senryu, Kyoka, Haibun & Haiga Scifaiku feature Issue 21: March, 2017 ed. Steve Hodge
https://prunejuice.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/pj-21-revised.pdf
.
Responding to:
.
perfuming the man
who broke its branch —
plum blossoms
.
— Chiyo-Ni (1701 – 1775)
fireflies perfumed
in the wet scent
of cut grass
*
Michael (MV) responding/adding to those by Chiyo-Ni & Alan Summers
Michael (MV) with another another olfactory response:
Stevie Nicks:
perfumed in costumes
as colorful as Colette
all for the warmth of an unending love afftair
Michael (MV) with another another olfactory response:
Stevie Nicks:
perfumed in costumes
as colorful as Colette
all for the warmth of an unending love afftair
Easter Sunday
a For Sale sign leans
into birdsong
Alan Summers
Publication Credit: tinywords ISSUE 16.1
http://tinywords.com/2016/03/25/21263/
cracked earth
the dry lips
of the water-girl
“mind the gap”
a woman applies balm
to her lips
(Failed Haiku, A Journal of English Senryu, Volume 1, Issue 9, September 2016)
rainless month
waking early
to fill the bird bath
Quite appropriately placed.
Like seeing your work here, Sonam.
Lovely to see you 😊, Jan.
Thank you for the thumbs up.
new neighbour
nesting in the compost heap
a pit viper
sprinkled sage, whispered prayer
Tachi Yokut tears of regret…relief
a cradleboard returned
the moon smiled
bathed young lovers aglow
ebon skies abated
Earth Day—
the poplars on the avenue
beginning to green
new growth
on evergreens
dinner with old friends
*
Ellen Grace Olinger
*
SMILE, 2010
birdsong before
first light
new mercy every morning
the world inside
waiting for wildflowers
to break ground
responding to Billy’s – serendipitous – recalling to me one I wrote last Friday (the 7th) while attending a discussion in the Asian gallery at the museum:
hatching from the shell
of muddy water
the lotus blossom
* * *
Michael (MV)
the faded image
of Yasser Arafat
on a sunbaked wall
Garry Eaton,
a topical-ku
a topiku
a photo-journalistic -ku
a docu-ku
*
Michael (MV)
winter over,
we kneel together
pulling weeds and singing hymns
Solid earth and sun warmth
Branches and blossoms
Civilization and reconciliation
Twins of words – where’s the bridge?
new cherry blossoms
and many forgotten times –
how many loves gone
beginnings
and endings
cherry blossoms
(Stardust Haiku 3, March 2017)
first light skating a razor edge
almost touching
our fingertips
stretch over the miles
although the seas
somehow the strength
of this big family
estranged mother . . .
the river still flows
under the ice
estranged friend
a boulder by the creek
entwined with roots
(Modern Haiku 44.3)
the porridge
is just right
forgiveness
Mr. Gilbert
just right to find this golden egg this Easter afternoon
Thanks
Michael (MV)
MV Best wishes
you see the light
I see darkness
yet we marvel
at the same moon
the time between
realisation
and acceptance
full moon
(Chrysanthemum 19, April 2016)
January thaw . . .
letting go
of old heartaches
*
Ellen Grace Olinger
*
A Splash of Water: Haiku Society of America Members’ Anthology 2015; Catherine J.S. Lee, Editor
snowmelt
you say you want
to be free again
(Frogpond 39:1, Winter 2016)
you are white
he is black… we live
on the same
solid earth
butterfly flutters
between our worlds
commonality of wonder
mixed couple
drinking pints of
pale and dark ale
(Failed Haiku, A Journal of English Senryu, Volume 1, Issue 8, August 2016)
Thanks, Olivier,
your haiku-poem prompts me to celebrate the marriage of my parents:
opposites do attract
mixed parents (but not mixed up)
make me
***
Michael (MV)
Sun warmth drapes my skin,
Breeze flies indolent heart-thoughts
To your cold city
classroom writing
waiting for the teacher to speak
then I write
falling blossoms –
the old couple engrossed
in conversation
peace conference
outside the window
petals on concrete
cease fire . . . .
if only the petals
could fly back into the tree
neighbour’s ripe plums
the same amount
on both sides of fence