Haiku Dialogue

HAIKU DIALOGUE – door to door – doorstep

door to door

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Please use the Haiku Dialogue submission form below to enter one or two original unpublished haiku inspired by the week’s theme, and then press Submit to send your entry.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 change
amazon on every
doorstep
 
Lamart Cooper
Virginia
 
The wordplay here involves the term ‘amazon’, which can refer to the online retailer &/or the river & rainforest of South America. Both have connotations when situated with the term ‘climate change’ & this adds several intriguing levels of meaning…
 
heart
pounding
at the door
 
Margaret Walker
Lincoln, NE, USA
 
In this poem, line 2 acts as a pivot – reading one way with line 1, & a different way with line 3. This is a wonderful way to add meaning without adding syllables…
 
trick or treat 
COVID masquerading 
as the girl next door
 
Michael Henry Lee
Saint Augustine Florida
 
Many readers will be familiar with Hallowe’en traditions – this poet turns expectations of costumed children on the doorstep into a pandemic warning…
 
I leave the umbrella
and the rains
at the doorstep
 
Ram Chandran
India
 
Anyone who has walked any distance in heavy rain knows the relief of stepping into the shelter of a building, & leaving wet shoes & dripping coat at the door. Here the entire storm is left behind as the speaker crosses that threshold, entering what the reader may imagine is a pleasantly warm, dry, welcoming environment…
 

& here are the rest of my selections:

returning geese
at our doorstep
father’s shoes
 
Agus Maulana Sunjaya
Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia
 
 
doorstep to doorstep
the death
down the road
 
Alan Peat
Biddulph, United Kingdom
 
 
tracks through 
the last snow of spring
at my doorstep
 
Albert Schepers
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
 
 
porchlight shadows
dragging in
what the mat doesn’t catch
 
Alex Fyffe
United States
 
 
I still wait
for you to cross this threshold…
ghost stories
 
Alfred Booth
Colombes, France
 
 
doorstep…
I search for another copy
of “Alice in Wonderland”
 
Ana Drobot
Romania
 
 
almost knocking on
my old teak door 
cherry blossoms
 
Anjali Warhadpande
Pune, India
 
 
at the doorstep
winding up…
a dandelion clock
 
Anna Yin
Ontario, Canada
 
 
at the doorstep
already a scent
of homesickness
 
Arvinder Kaur
Chandigarh, India
 
 
first date – 
another breath
before knocking
 
Barrie Levine
Wenham MA USA
 
 
a ray of sun shines
on my doorsteps – 
haiku subscription
 
Bona M. Santos
Los Angeles, CA
 
 
on the front step
our first kiss
opens the door
 
Bryan Rickert
Belleville, Illinois USA
 
 
twilight dawn – 
milk bottles and butter
on the doorstep
 
Carol Judkins
Carlsbad, CA
 
 
garden gate guardian
cracked yard sale buddha
a child’s gift
 
Charles Harmon
Los Angeles, California USA
 
 
cinching his belt
another notch tighter
hospice
 
Christopher Seep
United States
 
 
dog days
a tomcat purring
on my doorstep
 
Cristina Apetrei
Romania
 
 
doorstep delivery
she carries the boxes
by herself
 
Deborah Karl-Brandt
Bonn, Germany
 
 
no welcome mat
on the doorstep
Easter lilies
 
Deborah P Kolodji
Temple City, California
 
 
Old threshold
behind the door randomly
scattered memories
 
Dejan Ivanovic
Lazarevac, Serbia
 
 
the shrill cry
of newborns
double rainbow
 
Dottie Piet
Tulsa, OK
 
 
sleepy morning
a small neighbour lost marbles
on my doorstep
 
Dubravka Šćukanec
Hrvatska
 
 
hunger…
pride slowly
slips away
 
Edna Beers
USA
 
 
abandoned abbey
crossing the threshold
dandelion fluff
 
Eva Limbach
Deutschland
 
 
empty chrysalis
on the doorstep 
end of summer
 
Florin C. Ciobica
Romania
 
 
sulla soglia di casa…
il ritmo delle onde 
così lontano
 
doorstep…
rhythm of the waves 
so far away
 
Giuliana Ravaglia
Bologna Italia
 
 
a stray cat
sniffs my doorstep
house hunting
 
Greer Woodward
Waimea, HI
 
 
retirement
back step
overgrown
 
Helen Buckingham
United Kingdom
 
 
on the threshold
getting nowhere
–  step-ups
 
Ingrid Baluchi
North Macedonia
 
 
dusty doorstep…
shadows play
hide and seek
 
Ivan Gaćina
Zadar, Croatia
 
 
home doorstep
for the lost son
too far
 
Ivanka Kostantino
Nova Gorica Slovenija
 
 
a doorstep
an outstretched hand of a beggar
 
Ivica Mlinar
Croatia
 
 
marble stairs
the life
I step up to 
 
Jackie Chou
Pico Rivera, CA USA
 
 
doorstep parcels
the recent widow
adjusts her shawl
 
Jenn Ryan-Jauregui
Tucson, AZ. USA
 
 
in
out
and in between
 
Jharna Sanyal
India
 
 
counting the time
between lightning and thunder
Heaven’s Door
 
John S Green
Bellingham, WA
 
 
stone circle
we open ourselves
to the stars
 
John Hawkhead
UK
 
 
the woman
between proud and fear…
space walk
 
Jorge Alberto Giallorenzi
Chivilcoy. Bs.As. Argentina
 
 
a moon beam
crossing the doorstep – 
grandmom’s perfume in the air
 
Julia Guzmán
Córdoba, Argentina
 
 
loved ones
hovering by the door
touch-and-go
 
Kanjini Devi
The Far North, Aotearoa NZ
 
 
on my door step
the bonsai’s long shadow – 
shortest day
 
kash poet
India
 
 
at our door
twenty years later 
his mother’s welcome mat
 
Kath Abela Wilson
United States
 
 
flower bouquet 
the deliveryman’s mask
with a bee pattern
 
Keiko Izawa
Japan
 
 
sad news – 
waves crashing
on the doorstep
 
Lafcadio
USA
 
 
doorstep
the day he became
the big brother
 
Laurie Greer
Washington, DC
 
 
rows of daisies 
on the edge of the road 
kiosks on lockdown 
 
le margherite
ai bordi della strada
i chioschi in lockdown
 
Luisa Santoro
Rome, Italy
 
 
wilted roses
on the doorstep
hospital stay
 
M. R. Defibaugh
Richmond, VA
 
 
distant virus
at my doorstep
shrinking world
 
Madhuri Pillai
Melbourne, Australia
 
 
on the doorstep
the shadow of a memory
fills the silence
 
Maria Teresa Piras
Serrenti Italia
 
 
falling star – 
my son’s voice
behind the door
 
Maria Teresa Sisti
Italy
 
 
love songs
by the fireplace…
worries on the doorstep
 
Mariangela Canzi
Italy
 
 
doorstep
from her wheelchair 
her child’s chalk garden
 
Marilyn Ashbaugh
Edwardsburg, Michigan USA
 
 
tripping over the threshold repeating patterns
 
Mark Gilbert
UK
 
 
another dream
you ask me once again 
to just step across
 
Mark Meyer
United States
 
 
birdsong at the door spring dawn
 
martin gottlieb cohen
Egg Harbor, NJ United States
 
 
still waiting 
for the one who is gone
porch light
 
Mary Vlooswyk
Calgary, AB
 
 
farewell boutonnières
his doorstep 
covered with roses
 
Maxianne Berger
Outremont, Quebec
 
 
ants in and out 
through the doorsteps…
a long day
 
Maya Daneva
The Netherlands
 
 
Earth Day
on the threshold
my recycled doormat
 
Melanie Vance
USA
 
 
once more 
on her doorstep 
my lost dog 
 
Milan Rajkumar
Imphal, India
 
 
spring twilight
at the doorstep of the night
I wait for the stars
 
Minal Sarosh
Ahmedabad, India
 
 
doorstep before infinity
the dark energy
ignites stars
 
Minko Tanev
Bulgaria
 
 
homecoming…
with the head down 
over doorstep
 
Mirela Brăilean
Romania
 
 
a bird on my doorstep 
the lightness of things
coming and going
 
Mona Iordan
Romania
 
 
a butterfly
banging on the windowpane…
painted blossoms
 
Muskaan Ahuja
Chandigarh, India
 
 
post-vaccine
they open the door
to new possibilities
 
Nancy Brady
Huron, Ohio
 
 
another spring 
the welcome mat
almost new
 
Neena Singh
Chandigarh, India
 
 
next door’s deliveries
always more interesting
than mine
 
Nick T
Somerset, UK
 
 
almost asleep – 
the enchanted realm
of my dreams
 
Nicole Pottier
France
 
 
pandemic time
leaving food
on my parents’ doorstep
 
Olivier Schopfer
Geneva, Switzerland
 
 
the old beagle
cocks his head 
waiting for dad
 
Padma Rajeswari
Mumbai, India
 
 
never seen beyond
the doorstep
the saleswoman
 
Padmini Krishnan
Singapore
 
 
windy Lynn Canal 
weekly barge waits
just out of reach
 
Pam Joy
Southeast Alaska
 
 
recalling ~
one giant leap
for mankind
 
Paul Geiger
Sebastopol CA
 
 
doorstep
the words
she’ll never say
 
Peter Fischer
Vancouver, Canada
 
 
Papa Legba
at the doorstep – 
words we used to know
 
Pippa Phillips
United States
 
 
doorstep…
the house lizard
competes to enter
 
Priti Aisola
Hyderabad, India
 
 
muddy boots
on the home doorstep
mom’s absence
 
Radostina Dragostinova
Bulgaria
 
 
doorbell
each time i rearrange
the welcome mat
 
Richa Sharma
India
 
 
funfair mirror – 
she gives the footplate 
an extra buff
 
Robert Kingston
Chelmsford, UK
 
 
blind date – 
broken toys
on the doorstep
 
Roberta Beary
County Mayo Ireland
 
 
top stoop
on the morning paper
a fatted slug
 
Ron Scully
Manchester NH
 
 
returning home…
the doorstep crowded with
autumn leaves
 
Sanela Plisko
Hrvatska
 
 
after the storm
flooding up to the doorstep
of the halfway house
 
Sari Grandstaff
Saugerties, New York, U.S.A.
 
 
glorious summer 
the gift on my doorstep 
a neighbour’s dog 
 
simonj 
UK
 
 
her hand’s pull
up the doorsteps
starry sky
 
Stephen A. Peters
Bellingham, Wa. USA
 
 
mountain hut
before the evening doorstep
the Milky Way
 
Stoianka Boianova
Bulgaria
 
 
delivery at the doorstep COVID connection
 
Susan Farner
United States
 
 
hollowed pumpkin
sagging on the doorstep
bare trees
 
Timmy Cremin
Massachusetts
 
 
birthday – 
on my doorstep
a dead mouse
 
Tomislav Sjekloća
Cetinje, Montenegro
 
 
on my doorstep 
all his things 
packed in bin bags 
 
Tracy Davidson
Warwickshire, UK
 
 
postman 
on the doorstep
another returned letter
 
Tsanka Shishkova
Bulgaria
 
 
escape room – 
seeking the key 
to COVID-19
 
Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
Fairlawn, Ohio USA
 
 
old neighbour
two days old newspapers
on her doorstep
 
Vandana Parashar
India
 
 
half moon
a lonely kitten on
the doorstep
 
Vibeke Laier
Denmark
 
 
steep step the sleepless shelter step
 
Victor Ortiz
Bellingham, WA, USA
 
 
at your doorstep – 
my heartbeat louder
than the bell
 
Vidya Venkatramani
Chennai, India
 
 
long wait
only dry leaves
on my doorstep
 
Vishnu Kapoor
Chennai, India
 
 
piled high
on the doorstep
occupant mail
 
Wendy C. Bialek
az, usa
 
 
return after years
the seventh step of stairs
still cracked
 
Wiesław Karliński
Namysłów, Poland
 
 
stone doorstep
how many molecules
one step breaks off
 
kameni prag
koliko molekula odlomi
jedan korak ?
 
Zrinko Šimunić
Hrvatska
 

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.

The Haiku Foundation reminds you that participation in our offerings assumes respectful and appropriate behavior from all parties. Please see our Code of Conduct policy.

Please note that all poems & images appearing in Haiku Dialogue may not be used elsewhere without express permission – copyright is retained by the creators. Please see our Copyright Policies.

This Post Has 35 Comments

  3. 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.

  4. 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!

  5. 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

  6. 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.

  7. 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!

  8. 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

  9. Thank you for including my haiku in this selection and for the commentary. I always enjoy reading this wonderful collection each week!

  10. 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 ..
    —

  11. 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.

    1. 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.

      1. 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.

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. 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.

    2. Thank you very much Robert for the unique comment. And pls don’t worry about the typo😉

  15. 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.

  16. 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.

    1. 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.

      2. Please accept my condolences, Mary. And thanks again for sharing your intensely moving poem.

    2. 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.

  17. 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!

  19. 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.

  20. an alert bell –
    i replied
    instead of submitting
    😀 😀 😀

    My bad!
    I will make a fresh submit.

  21. 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.

  22. children shout
    and pack up
    on school bell

    i fold hands
    with closed eyes
    listening to temple bells

  23. 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.

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