HAIKU DIALOGUE – Poet’s Choice – pathway

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1. 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
    
    

   1. Thank you, Susan, for your kind words!

   2. Thank you Susan! Very thoughtful commentaries.

   3. Thank you Susan for noticing my haiku, where I tiptoe along with the autumn that comes forward ….

   4. 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.

   5. Susan – I enjoyed your descriptive commentaries this week. Debbie

   6. 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

   7. 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…

2. 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…

3. 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.

   1. Debbie –

      Thank you so much for the kind words! I will look forward to reading your entry for the coming week.

   2. Thank you for including my poem, Debbie–I hope the paper Universe opens to your creations!

      Autumn

   3. 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.

4. 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

   1. Thank you, Robert!

   2. Thanks for appreciating Robert !

   3. Thank you, Robert. Glad you connected!

5. 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

   1. Thank you, Carmen!

   2. Thank you Carmen.

      There are so many thoughtful haiku this week. Some are playful, too. Well done all.

6. 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

7. 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!

   1. The formatting separating each line did not work. So sorry. Makes it difficult to separate the haiku from the comments!

   2. Thank you for kind comments Margaret!

   3. Thanks, Margaret!

      1. Thank you, Margaret!

8. Nice goings on. A title of the photograph beforehand is welcome.

9. “sticks & stones I learn to compartmentalize”

   Robin! Wow! This is pure nitro. Love it.

10. 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.

    1. Thank you, Mark. So glad you liked my poem!

11. 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

    1. Thank you Radhamani Sarma for your kind words.
       Best wishes
       Rob

12. 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.

    1. 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

13. These all made for good thoughtful reading. This is my favorite:

    patriarchal shadow overstepping my double helix

    Hifsa Ashraf
    Pakistan

14. 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

15. Glad to be featured here.

    Anitha Varma.

16. So many good ones. I especially like

    seeds of protest
    finding the cracks
    in the system

    Margaret Walker

    Perfectly written!

    1. Thank you Pris! I appreciate your kind words!

17. 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!
    *

    1. 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 🙂

    2. Laurie,

       Thank you for your kind words! (I think the idea of “resisting the system” often comes a bit too naturally for me. 😱)

    3. 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

18. 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

    1. Formatting messed it up so here it is a one liner:

       a stone path winding away the comforts of home

       1. Rich,

          Really like your ku as a one liner!

          1. Thanks Marilyn, made my day!

    2. 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

       1. 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.

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