HAIKU DIALOGUE – Poet’s Choice – pathway
Welcome to Poet’s Choice!
Let’s talk about haiku! You are invited to respond to photographs – I will share a photo each week as a prompt for your writing…
For this series, each poet may send one haiku on the week’s theme, and it will be included in the blog post. There is no selection process. The haiku appear in the order in which we received them.
Submit an original unpublished poem via our Contact Form by Saturday midnight on the theme of the week, including your name as you would like it to appear, and place of residence. (If you send more than one poem, only the first one will be posted.)
Please note that by submitting, you agree that your work may appear in the column – neither acknowledgment nor acceptance emails will be sent. All communication about the poems that are posted in the column will be added as blog comments.
next week’s theme:
The deadline for this theme is midnight Pacific Time, Saturday 14 September 2019.
I look forward to reading your submissions.
Poet’s Choice: pathway
Here are the submissions for this week:
sticks & stones I learn to compartmentalize
Robin Anna Smith
how far
I’ve come
cobbled roadJean Holland
step by step
stone by stone
autumn lightMaria Concetta Conti
following
mom’s footsteps
pebble roadJackie Chou
Pico Rivera CA USA
illusory
the cobble stones
triggers her vertigoChristina Chin
waiting to be
picked up…
footprintsLakshmi Iyer
burning fields…
puddles of spring water
in the desertFrancesco Palladino
weeds through the cracks
some of my regrets
lingerStephen A. Peters
the road less traveled
led me to where
I was meant to bedianne moritz
wearing them quite effortless
filling them…not so much
father’s shoesAnjali Warhadpande
today’s last stop oh, the texture of this journey
Risë Daniels
step by step
the mosaic
of my lifeAljoša Vuković
Šibenik, Croatia
white matter disease
the neural pathways it takes
to tie shoesAutumn Noelle Hall
stone garden
each raindrop
another colorGuliz Mutlu
poems in motion
hop skipping corners
of path wayRadhamani sarma
decisions afoot
stone stop signs surrounding squares
urban wildernessSherrod Taylor
green shoots
between the stones
a new journeyXenia Tran
dementia
between the stones
a little greenMarilyn Ashbaugh
thin leather
contained steps
on cobblenancy liddle
after midnight
weaving down the walk
on spike heelsBarbara Tate
so many gone…
a crooked x
marks the spotMarietta McGregor
morning light
my mind pause
in the hopscotchNeni Rusliana
Indonesia
shoe bite…
we don’t know what others
are going throughVandana Parashar
spring leaf
a sheet memoir
of his lifeEva Su
path of stones –
new shoes
unknown footprintsvincenzo adamo
lollypop
my shoe stuck
to the quayPris Campbell
contemplating
the cobblestones –
my thought patternsSari Grandstaff
rocky horizon
hanging on the laundry line
everything we ownBabs McGrory
stepping stones across the pond the stars
john hawkhead
stones laid
end to end
my life’s pathMichele L. Harvey
warm hands –
the smell of each stone
becomes homeCarmela Marino
sound of footsteps
cutting through the fog
weathered memoriesSD Desai
walking shoes
his geometric path
her quilted quipsChristina Pecoraro
do these shoes
look okay with these pants?
not more weeds!joel
next step…
pebbles smooth beneath
my feetAnitha Varma
someone sat on
cobbled path, plants grown between –
shoes on legsAju Mukhopadhyay
clip-clop
clip-clop
cobblestonesOlivier Schopfer
Switzerland
that song in her head
she dances carefully
across the laneRehn Kovacic
wandering –
the pilgrim wears
the perfumes of the worldgirovagando –
il pellegrino indossa
i profumi del mondoAngela Giordano
Italy
walking alone…
memories of ancient steps
on those pebblesRosa Maria Di Salvatore
ah perfect
let’s play
hopscotchPaul Geiger
Sebastopol CA
the wall of illusion –
my quest of a good haiku
at wit’s endM.S.Chintak
Soba hotela
Jutarnje Sunce stvara
rasvjetnu scenuHotel room
The morning sun creates
the lighting sceneZrinko Šimunić
Fighting for its life
Amidst stop signs made of stone
The brave grass survivesMargie Gustafson
path of pebbles
leaving behind
silenceKumarendra Mallick
noon breeze
between cracks in the pavement
a moth carcassAgus Maulana Sunjaya
dental surgery –
the missed opportunity
to brushRobert Kingston
burdock hooks
on the moccasins
dandelion rosettessimonj
UK
sacred spaces
who knows who lies below
no shoes hereVishnu Kapoor
dandelion sprouts
between the cobblestones
Diagon AlleySusan Bonk Plumridge
patriarchal shadow overstepping my double helix
Hifsa Ashraf
Pakistan
matching the patterns
cut from different cloths
wedding quiltLaurie Greer
green weeds
on stone pavement
counted passersSlobodan Pupovac
Zagreb, Croatia
stone walkway
the softness
of old shoesSteve Tabb
old sidewalk
fresh twigs lead
me homeSudebi Singha
narrow territories
how I let the light
inNeelam Dadhwal
cobblestone pathaway
he did mind about the gap
between my teethSanela Pliško
old town path
flowers grow and survive
between paversTsanka Shishkova
damn weeds!
caused one ugly OCD
episodeFranjo Ordanic
loose stones
three millennia of dust
between my toesPeggy Hale Bilbro
Alabama, USA
bumpy road
jumping in with both feet
will I ever learnKaren Harvey
crossing the street
you stand in awe –
some patternsAdrian Bouter
altair design
the patience required
to fill in the patternsIngrid
Macedonia
empty honeycombs
dad always notices
solely my faultsRadostina Dragostinova
those missing pieces in life’s jigsaw puzzle catch-22
Madhuri Pillai
a long pathway –
jacaranda blossoms fall
on mother’s footprintsarvinder kaur
Chandigarh, India
bumpy path
beginning and end
of the lifeLjiljana Dobra
Sibenik Croatia
each word a stone
set to save the world
green grows throughKath Abela Wilson
Pasadena, CA
sunlight –
a grass without a name
among the pebblesMaria Teresa Piras
chipped moon
even the cemetery stones
are patchworkwendy c. bialek
each painstaking pebble
perfectly placed he lives
in fear of a growth spikeHelen Buckingham
symmetries:
another step and our eyes
will meet againElisa Allo
Vrbnik wheel
step by step I’m learning
curved Glagolitic(Note: Vrbnik wheel made of sea pebbles, teaches the old Croatian alphabet called glagolitic script. The rosette is a circle divided into eight identical fields. All glagolitic letters can be derived in them.)
Dubravka Šćukanec
Zagreb, Croatia
distracted by weeds
journey’s first steps
follows directionsKathleen Mazurowski
liar steps:
I pick up the silence of the days from the groundpassi bugiardi:
raccolgo da terra il silenzio dei giorniGiuliana Ravaglia
seeds of protest
finding the cracks
in the systemMargaret Walker
flagstone path
between my toes
the scent of thymeAstrid Egger
birds drop seeds
in the smallest places
a bit of greenCarmen Sterba
rocks cracks green cracks rocks
rocks cracks roots cracks rocks
rocks rocks earth rocks rocksJohn S Green
stepping on gray stones
through the labyrinth I walk
practicing patienceTrilla Pando
Houston, USA
another one
for the monument
the god of liliesAlan Summers
Rockhampton, England
forgotten path…
out of the blue the scent
of childhoodcezar ciobîcă
walking,
the autumn
on tiptoecamminando,
l’autunno
in punta di piediAngiola Inglese
Not in line
nor a perfect oval
just a humanNadejda Kostadinova
summer job
the weight of
father’s shoesRoberta Beary
County Mayo Ireland
dappled sunlight
trying to fit together
like and unlikeClaire Vogel Camargo
counting stones
he never makes
eye contactNancy Brady
tiny pawprints
between cobblestones…
gibbous moonTheresa A. Cancro
Wilmington, Delaware, USA
bent shadow –
the slow journey
no crowdsLemuel Waite
just before
he advances
the bishop pausesSusan Rogers
Los Angeles, CA USA
through the door
to fairyland
ancient paths
for young feetGreer Woodward
Kamuela, HI
Katherine Munro lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and publishes under the name kjmunro. She is Membership Secretary for Haiku Canada, and her debut poetry collection is contractions (Red Moon Press, 2019).
This Post Has 49 Comments
Comments are closed.
I enjoyed all of the haiku this week very much.
I was drawn to how the diamond shaped stone patterns looked like the markings on a chessboard and the feet looked like they were about to move diagonally, like a bishop on a chessboard. Then the more I thought about the bishop moving forward, I felt another layer of ambiguity under the idea of “advance” and how advances can be unwarranted. It was interesting how there were so many different interpretations of the patterned stones in this image.
I liked the simplicity of
sticks & stones I learn to compartmentalize
Robin Anna Smith
I like how the light filters into the frame for this haiku
step by step
stone by stone
autumn light
Maria Concetta Conti
This haiku evoked an image I thought of too, the weeds coming up through the cracks. Nice how the persistent weeds evoke regrets.
weeds through the cracks
some of my regrets
linger
Stephen A. Peters
Cool use of the term mosaic here and I like how the design represents a life.
step by step
the mosaic
of my life
Aljoša Vuković
Šibenik, Croatia
I really like how this haiku connects the stones and the green to a mind…the stones being the opaque, hard to remember places in our memory and the green being the living remembrance. Nicely done.
dementia
between the stones
a little green
Marilyn Ashbaugh
The complexity and intricacy of our thoughts…beautifully evoked here.
contemplating
the cobblestones –
my thought patterns
Sari Grandstaff
This one catches me. The stars are beyond the frame in this image, but then they are indeed beyond the frame of our earthbound pathways. I also like how the haiku leaps from stone to stars in one line.
stepping stones across the pond the stars
john hawkhead
cool cacophony!
clip-clop
clip-clop
cobblestones
Olivier Schopfer
Switzerland
I can just imagine the ancient steps…nice haiku.
walking alone…
memories of ancient steps
on those pebbles
Rosa Maria Di Salvatore
Love the levity here. And the invitation to play.
ah perfect
let’s play
hopscotch
Paul Geiger
Sebastopol CA
How interesting and unexpected, the moth carcass left behind. I love the focus and the detail here.
noon breeze
between cracks in the pavement
a moth carcass
Agus Maulana Sunjaya
Love this one. Narrow and brief yet luminous.
narrow territories
how I let the light
in
Neelam Dadhwal
I like the story suggested here. So much more is hinted at in the space between. The gap connects the pathways.
cobblestone pathaway
he did mind about the gap
between my teeth
Sanela Pliško
Love the optimism of the green that grows and saves despite the stones.
each word a stone
set to save the world
green grows through
Kath Abela Wilson
Pasadena, CA
Even though the sunlight illumines the grass, it is still humble and unknown. Ahhh the anonymity of grass..
sunlight –
a grass without a name
among the pebbles
Maria Teresa Piras
I like the juxtaposition of the chipped moon, an almost stone-like moon, and the patchwork stones. Nice use of “patchwork”
chipped moon
even the cemetery stones
are patchwork
wendy c. bialek
Wow. This haiku carries a linguistic history lesson. I never heard of a Vrbnik wheel. Or even Glagolitic letters. How wonderful the wheel is made of stones and divided into patterns or fields.
Vrbnik wheel
step by step I’m learning
curved Glagolitic
(Note: Vrbnik wheel made of sea pebbles, teaches the old Croatian alphabet called glagolitic script. The rosette is a circle divided into eight identical fields. All glagolitic letters can be derived in them.)
Dubravka Šćukanec
Zagreb, Croatia
Something captivating in the simple repetition of these words. Words like stones repeated on patterned pathways. Hypnotic. Like a mantra.
rocks cracks green cracks rocks
rocks cracks roots cracks rocks
rocks rocks earth rocks rocks
John S Green
Avoiding the cracks perhaps? I like the idea of walking on tiptoe.
walking,
the autumn
on tiptoe
camminando,
l’autunno
in punta di piedi
Angiola Inglese
I like the like and unlike here…And the dappled sunlight is beautiful.
dappled sunlight
trying to fit together
like and unlike
Claire Vogel Camargo
I can see the door open. It does seem like this could be a mystical path to another dimension.
through the door
to fairyland
ancient paths
for young feet
Greer Woodward
Kamuela, HI
Thank you, Susan, for your kind words!
Thank you Susan! Very thoughtful commentaries.
Thank you Susan for noticing my haiku, where I tiptoe along with the autumn that comes forward ….
Thanks for including miné, Susan, and so happy you saw the open door. Alice had the coolest way of getting Somewhere Else with the rabbit hole. To my way of thinking, another dimension is always right next to you: all you have to do is put your arm around its shoulder.
Susan – I enjoyed your descriptive commentaries this week. Debbie
Thank you Susan Rogers for your wonderful comments on my submission:
I like the juxtaposition of the chipped moon, an almost stone-like moon, and the patchwork stones. Nice use of “patchwork”
chipped moon
even the cemetery stones
are patchwork
wendy c. bialek
Thanks, Susan. Comments are always highly appreciated. Did you notice my intention to make it look like a weed bursting through the rocky terrain and the paved surface?! Your comments were a surprise but I agree with the mantra feel…
I love all the haiku presented. I was struck by Elisa Allo’s “geometry of life” … a very deep haiku
symmetries:
another step and our eyes
will meet again
it’s still …
dementia
between the stones
a little green
Marilyn Ashbaugh
così vero…
I didn’t contribute this week as I struggled to get what I was trying to create on paper, but enjoyed the reading as always.
*
seeds of protest
finding the cracks
in the system
*
Margaret Walker
*
Needs no commentary as it says it all.
*
chipped moon
even the cemetery stones
are patchwork
*
wendy c. bialek
*
A lovely poetic image.
*
cobblestone pathaway
he did mind about the gap
between my teeth
*
Sanela Plisko
*
Intriguing story here.
*
stone garden
each raindrop
another color
*
Guliz Mutlu
*
Loved the garden reference and color.
*
white matter disease
the neural pathways it takes
to tie shoes
*
Autumn Noelle Hall
*
So true and clever use of the prompt.
*
sticks and stones I learn to compartmentalize
*
Robin Anna Smith
*
Double meaning when I remember the old childhood saying.
Debbie –
Thank you so much for the kind words! I will look forward to reading your entry for the coming week.
Thank you for including my poem, Debbie–I hope the paper Universe opens to your creations!
Autumn
thanks Debbie for the recognition you have given to my submission:
chipped moon
even the cemetery stones
are patchwork
*
wendy c. bialek
*
A lovely poetic image.
Wow! Each week the time to read gets longer.
Thank you everyone for the journeys.
I picked these solely based on connection.
.
Thank you for the KJ for the photo.
.
.
sticks & stones I learn to compartmentalize
.
Robin Anna Smith
.
.
burning fields…
puddles of spring water
in the desert
.
Francesco Palladino
.
.
white matter disease
the neural pathways it takes
to tie shoes
.
Autumn Noelle Hall
.
.
stone garden
each raindrop
another color
.
Guliz Mutlu
.
.
after midnight
weaving down the walk
on spike heels
.
Barbara Tate
.
.
so many gone…
a crooked x
marks the spot
.
Marietta McGregor
.
.
morning light
my mind pause
in the hopscotch
.
Neni Rusliana
Indonesia
.
.
lollypop
my shoe stuck
to the quay
.
Pris Campbell
.
.
contemplating
the cobblestones –
my thought patterns
.
Sari Grandstaff
.
.
stepping stones across the pond the stars
.
john hawkhead
.
.
stones laid
end to end
my life’s path
.
Michele L. Harvey
.
.
sound of footsteps
cutting through the fog
weathered memories
.
SD Desai
.
.
clip-clop
clip-clop
cobblestones
.
Olivier Schopfer
Switzerland
.
.
walking alone…
memories of ancient steps
on those pebbles
.
Rosa Maria Di Salvatore
.
.
ah perfect
let’s play
hopscotch
.
Paul Geiger
Sebastopol CA
.
noon breeze
between cracks in the pavement
a moth carcass
.
Agus Maulana Sunjaya
.
.
patriarchal shadow overstepping my double helix
.
Hifsa Ashraf
Pakistan
.
.
matching the patterns
cut from different cloths
wedding quilt
.
Laurie Greer
.
.
stone walkway
the softness
of old shoes
.
Steve Tabb
.
.
a long pathway –
jacaranda blossoms fall
on mother’s footprints
.
arvinder kaur
Chandigarh, India
.
.
Vrbnik wheel
step by step I’m learning
curved Glagolitic
.
(Note: Vrbnik wheel made of sea pebbles, teaches the old Croatian alphabet called glagolitic script. The rosette is a circle divided into eight identical fields. All glagolitic letters can be derived in them.)
.
Dubravka Šćukanec
Zagreb, Croatia
.
.
another one
for the monument
the god of lilies
.
Alan Summers
Rockhampton, England
Thank you, Robert!
Thanks for appreciating Robert !
Thank you, Robert. Glad you connected!
This group of haiku gave me room for thought.
.
step by step
the mosaic
of my life
.
Aljoša Vuković
Šibenik, Croatia
.
counting stones
he never makes
eye contact
.
Nancy Brady
.
contemplating
the cobblestones –
my thought patterns
.
Sari Grandstaff
Thank you, Carmen!
Thank you Carmen.
There are so many thoughtful haiku this week. Some are playful, too. Well done all.
Even more good ku than ever this week, to my mind – well done everyone. The two that really stand out for me though are – Robin Anna Smith’s:
.
sticks and stones I learn to compartmentalize
.
what a great opening to the set!
.
and, yet again, Roberta Beary managed to touch a deeply embedded nerve with:
.
summer job
the weight of
father’s shoes
I enjoyed reading this collection. So many perspectives!
lollipop
my shoe stuck
to the quay
Pris Campbell
I loved this one. I had to look again at the photo – but then I “saw” it. Great eye, Pris!
………
contemplating
the cobblestones –
my thought patterns
Sari Grandstaff
Definitely one to which I could relate!
……..
dementia
between the stones
a little green
Marilyn Ashbaugh
Poignant and far too true!
………
clip-clop
clip-clop
cobblestones
Olivier Schopfer
Like some nursery rhymes – it is simply fun to read aloud!
The formatting separating each line did not work. So sorry. Makes it difficult to separate the haiku from the comments!
Thank you for kind comments Margaret!
Thanks, Margaret!
Thank you, Margaret!
Nice goings on. A title of the photograph beforehand is welcome.
“sticks & stones I learn to compartmentalize”
Robin! Wow! This is pure nitro. Love it.
Among these seemingly effortless haiku I would mention Hifsa Ashraf’s intriguing
.
patriarchal shadow overstepping my double helix
.
and Olivier Schopfer’s atmospheric
.
clip-clop
clip-clop
cobblestones
.
– a rare example of onomatopoeia in poetry.
Thank you, Mark. So glad you liked my poem!
Dear Kathy, warm greetings. Delighted to see mine here, thanking you for including mine here, in this wonderful platform
this week, my favorite of so many . A practical observation well portrayed here.
dental surgery –
the missed opportunity
to brush
Robert Kingston
Thank you Radhamani Sarma for your kind words.
Best wishes
Rob
Enjoyed each one.
Special appreciation to:
.
patriarchal shadow overstepping my double helix
.
Hifsa Ashraf
Pakistan
.
and
.
matching the patterns
cut from different cloths
wedding quilt
.
Laurie Greer
.
My mind was exploring current and former paths without yielding a haiku, yours did. Thank you.
There’s something wonderfully warm and cozy about a wedding (or any other) hand-sewn quilt. The love, thought and effort put into a patchwork quilt, either a project on your own, or as a group endeavour, brings back for me some lovely, convivial memories:
.
matching the patterns
cut from different cloths
wedding quilt
Laurie Greer
These all made for good thoughtful reading. This is my favorite:
patriarchal shadow overstepping my double helix
Hifsa Ashraf
Pakistan
Great compilation! I will read further when time allows. I am especially taken with Roberta Beary’s and Michele Harvey’s haiku.
stones laid
end to end
my life’s path
Michele L. Harvey
*****
summer job
the weight of
father’s shoes
Roberta Beary
County Mayo Ireland
Glad to be featured here.
Anitha Varma.
So many good ones. I especially like
seeds of protest
finding the cracks
in the system
Margaret Walker
Perfectly written!
Thank you Pris! I appreciate your kind words!
white matter disease
the neural pathways it takes
to tie shoes
Autumn Noelle Hall
this one really stands out: such a brilliant use of the different elements of the picture!
*
altair design
the patience required
to fill in the patterns
Ingrid
Macedonia
I love this one too–thank you for introducing me to Altair!
*
Vrbnik wheel
step by step I’m learning
curved Glagolitic
(Note: Vrbnik wheel made of sea pebbles, teaches the old Croatian alphabet called glagolitic script. The rosette is a circle divided into eight identical fields. All glagolitic letters can be derived in them.)
Dubravka Šćukanec
Zagreb, Croatia
Wow–didn’t know this either. Beautiful how you have put it together.
*
seeds of protest
finding the cracks
in the system
Margaret Walker
so clever and apt–I love those weeds as resisters!
*
Hello, Laurie
Thanks for your kind comment. Have fun if these books are still around!
Roger Burrows, English, used the tessellated patterns in Islamic art to produce a stunning range of outlines for children to enjoy colouring in. Laborious work, but the finished pages were well worth the effort. Not sure it was so great on the eyes, but a lot better than kids being glued to their gaming devices these days.
Ingrid 🙂
Laurie,
Thank you for your kind words! (I think the idea of “resisting the system” often comes a bit too naturally for me. 😱)
Hi, Laurie! Thank you so much for your high praise for my poem. I may just have to keep “brilliant” for my curio cabinet of best compliments.
I loved the way I could feel the texture of the fabric in your quilting haiku–I admire all the fine stitches holding its piecework together!
I also share your admiration for the other haiku you selected this week.
Much appreciation,
Autumn
Looks like mine wasn’t received this week (sent it Friday night) or maybe the different formatting somehow messed it up. Anyway here it is (probably show up a mess if you are reading from your phone)
home
of
comforts
the
away
a stone path winding
Formatting messed it up so here it is a one liner:
a stone path winding away the comforts of home
Rich,
Really like your ku as a one liner!
Thanks Marilyn, made my day!
sorry, Rich – your poem was not received – thanks for adding it here, & I can only suggest Craig’s instructions:
please make sure you see the following message: “Thanks for contacting us! We will get in touch with you shortly.” before you close your browser window or move on to another website. This ensures that your message went through.
thanks for your understanding! kj
No problem kj. I tried to use a bunch of spaces before words for a different kind of look and it just ended up a mess of words so I won’t try that again. I’ll always wait for the “contacting us” message in the future.