HAIKU DIALOGUE – door to door – doorstep
With a nod to ‘Haiku Windows’, a past feature from when I first began this column, & also an idea suggested a long time ago by poet Laurie Greer, for the next several weeks we will explore some concepts relating to doors. Be inspired by these prompts – I can’t wait to read where they take you – & please note that there is no requirement to include the words of the prompt in the poems… enjoy! kj
next week’s theme: doorbell
Ding, dong! or Bzzzzz… a signal that your visitor has arrived, or, where I live, perhaps a local candidate in the recent election would like to have a word…
I look forward to reading your submissions.
The deadline is midnight Pacific Daylight Time, Saturday April 24, 2021.
Please use the Haiku Dialogue submission form below to enter one or two original unpublished haiku inspired by the week’s theme, and then press Submit to send your entry. (The Submit button will not be available until the Name, Email, and Place of Residence fields are filled in.) With your poem, please include any special formatting requirements & your name as you would like it to appear in the column. A few haiku will be selected for commentary each week. 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.
below is the commentary for doorstep:
climate changeamazon on everydoorstepLamart CooperVirginia
heartpoundingat the doorMargaret WalkerLincoln, NE, USA
trick or treatCOVID masqueradingas the girl next doorMichael Henry LeeSaint Augustine Florida
I leave the umbrellaand the rainsat the doorstepRam ChandranIndia
& here are the rest of my selections:
returning geeseat our doorstepfather’s shoesAgus Maulana SunjayaTangerang, Banten, Indonesiadoorstep to doorstepthe deathdown the roadAlan PeatBiddulph, United Kingdomtracks throughthe last snow of springat my doorstepAlbert SchepersWindsor, Ontario, Canadaporchlight shadowsdragging inwhat the mat doesn’t catchAlex FyffeUnited StatesI still waitfor you to cross this threshold…ghost storiesAlfred BoothColombes, Francedoorstep…I search for another copyof “Alice in Wonderland”Ana DrobotRomaniaalmost knocking onmy old teak doorcherry blossomsAnjali WarhadpandePune, Indiaat the doorstepwinding up…a dandelion clockAnna YinOntario, Canadaat the doorstepalready a scentof homesicknessArvinder KaurChandigarh, Indiafirst date –another breathbefore knockingBarrie LevineWenham MA USAa ray of sun shineson my doorsteps –haiku subscriptionBona M. SantosLos Angeles, CAon the front stepour first kissopens the doorBryan RickertBelleville, Illinois USAtwilight dawn –milk bottles and butteron the doorstepCarol JudkinsCarlsbad, CAgarden gate guardiancracked yard sale buddhaa child’s giftCharles HarmonLos Angeles, California USAcinching his beltanother notch tighterhospiceChristopher SeepUnited Statesdog daysa tomcat purringon my doorstepCristina ApetreiRomaniadoorstep deliveryshe carries the boxesby herselfDeborah Karl-BrandtBonn, Germanyno welcome maton the doorstepEaster liliesDeborah P KolodjiTemple City, CaliforniaOld thresholdbehind the door randomlyscattered memoriesDejan IvanovicLazarevac, Serbiathe shrill cryof newbornsdouble rainbowDottie PietTulsa, OKsleepy morninga small neighbour lost marbleson my doorstepDubravka ŠćukanecHrvatskahunger…pride slowlyslips awayEdna BeersUSAabandoned abbeycrossing the thresholddandelion fluffEva LimbachDeutschlandempty chrysalison the doorstepend of summerFlorin C. CiobicaRomaniasulla soglia di casa…il ritmo delle ondecosì lontanodoorstep…rhythm of the wavesso far awayGiuliana RavagliaBologna Italiaa stray catsniffs my doorstephouse huntingGreer WoodwardWaimea, HIretirementback stepovergrownHelen BuckinghamUnited Kingdomon the thresholdgetting nowhere– step-upsIngrid BaluchiNorth Macedoniadusty doorstep…shadows playhide and seekIvan GaćinaZadar, Croatiahome doorstepfor the lost sontoo farIvanka KostantinoNova Gorica Slovenijaa doorstepan outstretched hand of a beggarIvica MlinarCroatiamarble stairsthe lifeI step up toJackie ChouPico Rivera, CA USAdoorstep parcelsthe recent widowadjusts her shawlJenn Ryan-JaureguiTucson, AZ. USAinoutand in betweenJharna SanyalIndiacounting the timebetween lightning and thunderHeaven’s DoorJohn S GreenBellingham, WAstone circlewe open ourselvesto the starsJohn HawkheadUKthe womanbetween proud and fear…space walkJorge Alberto GiallorenziChivilcoy. Bs.As. Argentinaa moon beamcrossing the doorstep –grandmom’s perfume in the airJulia GuzmánCórdoba, Argentinaloved oneshovering by the doortouch-and-goKanjini DeviThe Far North, Aotearoa NZon my door stepthe bonsai’s long shadow –shortest daykash poetIndiaat our doortwenty years laterhis mother’s welcome matKath Abela WilsonUnited Statesflower bouquetthe deliveryman’s maskwith a bee patternKeiko IzawaJapansad news –waves crashingon the doorstepLafcadioUSAdoorstepthe day he becamethe big brotherLaurie GreerWashington, DCrows of daisieson the edge of the roadkiosks on lockdownle margheriteai bordi della stradai chioschi in lockdownLuisa SantoroRome, Italywilted roseson the doorstephospital stayM. R. DefibaughRichmond, VAdistant virusat my doorstepshrinking worldMadhuri PillaiMelbourne, Australiaon the doorstepthe shadow of a memoryfills the silenceMaria Teresa PirasSerrenti Italiafalling star –my son’s voicebehind the doorMaria Teresa SistiItalylove songsby the fireplace…worries on the doorstepMariangela CanziItalydoorstepfrom her wheelchairher child’s chalk gardenMarilyn AshbaughEdwardsburg, Michigan USAtripping over the threshold repeating patternsMark GilbertUKanother dreamyou ask me once againto just step acrossMark MeyerUnited Statesbirdsong at the door spring dawnmartin gottlieb cohenEgg Harbor, NJ United Statesstill waitingfor the one who is goneporch lightMary VlooswykCalgary, ABfarewell boutonnièreshis doorstepcovered with rosesMaxianne BergerOutremont, Quebecants in and outthrough the doorsteps…a long dayMaya DanevaThe NetherlandsEarth Dayon the thresholdmy recycled doormatMelanie VanceUSAonce moreon her doorstepmy lost dogMilan RajkumarImphal, Indiaspring twilightat the doorstep of the nightI wait for the starsMinal SaroshAhmedabad, Indiadoorstep before infinitythe dark energyignites starsMinko TanevBulgariahomecoming…with the head downover doorstepMirela BrăileanRomaniaa bird on my doorstepthe lightness of thingscoming and goingMona IordanRomaniaa butterflybanging on the windowpane…painted blossomsMuskaan AhujaChandigarh, Indiapost-vaccinethey open the doorto new possibilitiesNancy BradyHuron, Ohioanother springthe welcome matalmost newNeena SinghChandigarh, Indianext door’s deliveriesalways more interestingthan mineNick TSomerset, UKalmost asleep –the enchanted realmof my dreamsNicole PottierFrancepandemic timeleaving foodon my parents’ doorstepOlivier SchopferGeneva, Switzerlandthe old beaglecocks his headwaiting for dadPadma RajeswariMumbai, Indianever seen beyondthe doorstepthe saleswomanPadmini KrishnanSingaporewindy Lynn Canalweekly barge waitsjust out of reachPam JoySoutheast Alaskarecalling ~one giant leapfor mankindPaul GeigerSebastopol CAdoorstepthe wordsshe’ll never sayPeter FischerVancouver, CanadaPapa Legbaat the doorstep –words we used to knowPippa PhillipsUnited Statesdoorstep…the house lizardcompetes to enterPriti AisolaHyderabad, Indiamuddy bootson the home doorstepmom’s absenceRadostina DragostinovaBulgariadoorbelleach time i rearrangethe welcome matRicha SharmaIndiafunfair mirror –she gives the footplatean extra buffRobert KingstonChelmsford, UKblind date –broken toyson the doorstepRoberta BearyCounty Mayo Irelandtop stoopon the morning papera fatted slugRon ScullyManchester NHreturning home…the doorstep crowded withautumn leavesSanela PliskoHrvatskaafter the stormflooding up to the doorstepof the halfway houseSari GrandstaffSaugerties, New York, U.S.A.glorious summerthe gift on my doorstepa neighbour’s dogsimonjUKher hand’s pullup the doorstepsstarry skyStephen A. PetersBellingham, Wa. USAmountain hutbefore the evening doorstepthe Milky WayStoianka BoianovaBulgariadelivery at the doorstep COVID connectionSusan FarnerUnited Stateshollowed pumpkinsagging on the doorstepbare treesTimmy CreminMassachusettsbirthday –on my doorstepa dead mouseTomislav SjekloćaCetinje, Montenegroon my doorstepall his thingspacked in bin bagsTracy DavidsonWarwickshire, UKpostmanon the doorstepanother returned letterTsanka ShishkovaBulgariaescape room –seeking the keyto COVID-19Valentina Ranaldi-AdamsFairlawn, Ohio USAold neighbourtwo days old newspaperson her doorstepVandana ParasharIndiahalf moona lonely kitten onthe doorstepVibeke LaierDenmarksteep step the sleepless shelter stepVictor OrtizBellingham, WA, USAat your doorstep –my heartbeat louderthan the bellVidya VenkatramaniChennai, Indialong waitonly dry leaveson my doorstepVishnu KapoorChennai, Indiapiled highon the doorstepoccupant mailWendy C. Bialekaz, usareturn after yearsthe seventh step of stairsstill crackedWiesław KarlińskiNamysłów, Polandstone doorstephow many moleculesone step breaks offkameni pragkoliko molekula odlomijedan korak ?Zrinko ŠimunićHrvatska
Lori Zajkowski is the Post Manager for Haiku Dialogue. A novice haiku poet, she lives in New York City.
Managing Editor 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). Find her at: kjmunro1560.wordpress.com.
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This Post Has 35 Comments
Comments are closed.
Thank you for including my haiku in this selection. I enjoy reading the wonderful collection each week!
Thank you so much Kj and Lori, and congratulations to all.
Many thanks to Lori Zajkowski and Katherine Munro for including a haiku of mine in this beautiful collection. I loved all the haiku very much, especially Ram Chandran’s.
So many interesting responses to this prompt! These are a few that stood out for me, among so many good ones.
Old threshold
behind the door randomly
scattered memories
Dejan Ivanovic
Lazarevac, Serbia
.
Yes, as we step across the doorstep to our old home all those memories flood back.
on my doorstep
all his things
packed in bin bags
Tracy Davidson
Warwickshire, UK
Decision made, just remnants of the old life left on the doorstep!
a bird on my doorstep
the lightness of things
coming and going
Mona Iordan
Romania
Beautiful image of light!
wilted roses
on the doorstep
hospital stay
M. R. Defibaugh
Richmond, VA
Sad. Those flowers never reached the intended recipient!
Thanks kj for including my monoku, of the rest I particularly enjoyed Barrie Levine playing with the pause with:
first date –
another breath
before knocking
and Eva Limbach’s beautiful image in:
abandoned abbey
crossing the threshold
dandelion fluff
Delighted that my haiku has been posted this week. Thanks a lot for including it, KJ.
Congratulations to everyone.
Looking forward to reading all the wonderful haiku here selected.
Congratulations to all the poets featured this week! There were so many poems to admire. I particularly enjoyed this one…
I leave the umbrella
and the rains
at the doorstep
Ram Chandran
India
What a positive and vibrant image! Glorious!
I have experienced this so many times in the past! I don’t keep cats any more but the ku is great!
birthday –
on my doorstep
a dead mouse
.
Tomislav Sjekloća
Cetinje, Montenegro
Thank you, John! Happened (again) a couple of days before submitting.
Thank you for including my haiku in this selection and for the commentary. I always enjoy reading this wonderful collection each week!
thanks for this lovely gathering of poems .. I especially enjoyed this one here,
—
pandemic time
leaving food
on my parents’ doorstep
—
Olivier Schopfer
Geneva, Switzerland
—
I know so many people who had to function exactly that way ..
—
Thank you very much, Maxianne! So glad my poem “spoke” to you.
I haven’t read all the poems yet but was enchanted by John Hawkhead’s
stone circle
we open ourselves
to the stars
Beautiful image.
Thank you Margaret – I live a ‘stone’s throw’ away from the great circle at Avebury and not far from Stonehenge so I keep getting drawn back to these ancient places of mystery and wonder.
I have been only to Avebury – but the mystery and myth that surround these sites of standing stones most definitely inspire an intense sense of wonder. It is often quite magical when thought of as a “doorway”.
However you think of these stones, your “we open ourselves/to the stars” has it’s own magical quality.
1.
at midnight
the old hotel doorbell rang
no one there
Nani Mariani
Australia
*****
2.
the school bell rings
the students rejoice
noisy …
Nani Mariani
Australia
Thank you so much for including mine among all these takes on the theme! Congratulations to all the poets here.
One particular haiku resonates with me:
at our door
twenty years later
his mother’s welcome mat
Kath Abela Wilson
United States
Thanks Kathy for including mine.
Congratulations to all on another diverse take on the prompt.
This one stood out for me.
flower bouquet
the deliveryman’s mask
with a bee pattern
Keiko Izawa
Japan
In the current climate to be given anything at the door arrives with a potential sting in its tail. I think this one by Kieron captures the moment well.
Apologies for the typo.
Should read Keiko Izawa
Thank you very much Robert for the unique comment. And pls don’t worry about the typo😉
recalling ~
one giant leap
for mankind
/
Paul Geiger
Sebastopol CA
/
Many watched from home when an astronaut was at the doorstep of the lunar surface. Thank-you for the memory.
Thanks for including mine again, kj and Lori.
Congratulations everyone on some great work. A particular thumbs up for Lamart Cooper’s clever, though far from glib:
climate change
amazon on every
doorstep
And the following by Mary Vlooswyk:
still waiting
for the one who is gone
porch light
Many strong ‘grief ku’ here, but this touches a particular chord.
Thank you for the comment about my haiku Helen.
I really appreciate it.
Sadly, Covid was a factor to the passing of a son last year.
My sincere condolences for the loss of your son. How devastating to you and your family. Cherish your memories. I wish you all peace.
Please accept my condolences, Mary. And thanks again for sharing your intensely moving poem.
Thank you for your kind comment Helen. It is truly appreciated and I enjoy reading your haiku in this forum and in the many publications I see your work in.
Thanks Lamart, that’s really appreciated.
Thank you Kathy for welcoming my haiku on your doorstep! Congratulations to all the poets here! I love Ram Chandran’s haiku that you commented on. I think it would be lovely to have this haiku printed on an umbrella or printed on an umbrella stand that you keep on the doorstep. Great job!
Thanks a lot, kj for including one of my poems among all these varied haiku. I enjoy the challenge of each week’s prompt. Congratulations to all the poets.
Thank-you Kathy for publishing mine and for all you do on this column. Congrats to my fellow Ohio poet Nancy Brady and to all the poets chosen this week.
an alert bell –
i replied
instead of submitting
😀 😀 😀
My bad!
I will make a fresh submit.
thank you! kj
Congratulations to all the poets. Well done to all especially those with commentary. Thanks for including one of mine among all these varied haiku about doorsteps. I struggled with this prompt initially until I read it again as the time ticked down to the cut off. I thought it said door stop, and unlike a door stop, I was unable to hold open my mind to a haiku moment.
children shout
and pack up
on school bell
i fold hands
with closed eyes
listening to temple bells
So pleased to have my haiku selected for your commentary this week! Thank you.
I enjoy the challenge of each week’s prompt and appreciate your dedication to reading the many entries.