HAIKU DIALOGUE – Finding peace and contemplation… in leisure time… flying kites
Finding peace and contemplation… in leisure time with Guest Editor Marietta McGregor
At times in our lives, fast-moving events of our day-to-day existence may become overwhelming. Between work and family responsibilities, daily needs and doomscrolling, days rush by in a breakneck blur and we sometimes end the week with a sense of ‘where did that go?’ We’re surrounded by the wonders of our shared universe. Maybe it’s time to become immersed in the enjoyment of one aspect of this spectacular world which amazes, delights and refreshes us. We can marvel at the night sky or clouds by day, cheer a ladybug as it climbs a twig and opens its wings, dangle our feet in a cool river, rest in a tree’s benevolent shade, stroke velvety green moss, smell ozone freshness at the coast, crunch through frosty grass, listen to morning birdsong, taste a last autumn apple. Small pauses in quotidian life may be devoted to living slower, using every sense, and sharing our pleasure through poetry. Simple gifts.
Each week for the next few weeks there will be a photographic prompt on the theme of ‘Finding peace and contemplation. . .’ with images capturing moments when we might seek inspiration if the going gets tough. I look forward to reading your personal response to the moments you’ve discovered.
next week’s theme: … making art
Children are unforced artists and will happily spend hours building sand castles, gluing paper or painting. The process as much as the product, often the messier the better, gives them joy. For adults art can be an outlet for emotions, a soothing pursuit which enhances memory and reasoning, a boost to mental resilience and an aid for recovery. Whether sumi-e brush painting, etching, collage, life drawing, photography, sculpting clay or constructing video installations, different avenues of creativity offer many rewards. I look forward this week to reading your haiku about your artistic endeavors.
The deadline is midnight Eastern Daylight Time, Saturday April 30, 2022.
Please use the Haiku Dialogue submission form below to enter one or two original unpublished haiku inspired by the week’s theme, and then press Submit to send your entry.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 & residence 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 Marietta’s commentary for flying kites:
This week you flew me back to my own childhood with your poems of kites of all types, in all weathers, at different times of day and in many different places. Flying kites can be quite competitive, judging by memories of broken strings from epic tussles between siblings. I identified with the haiku about a kite found still wrapped in plastic in a father’s attic. I have one in a box, as yet unused by grandchildren, and will make sure I get it out now! I hope you enjoy the selection and choose your own favorites. Thank you to all poets, and thanks again to Kathy, Lori and The Haiku Foundation.
icarus winds—
from soaring high
to a nosediveSondra Byrnes
United States
This striking haiku is immediately relatable to a reader associating it with kite flying. Capricious kites are prone to do exactly that – reverse dive and plunge headlong into the ground – not because their paper wings are burnt by the sun, but because they suddenly lose what wind there is. Taking the poem less literally, the poet could have in mind the unexpected reversals of fortune which occur in many situations of work and life where all looks to be on course, until suddenly the metaphorical wind changes and we’re bound for a fall whether we like it or not.
at the line end first poppy bloom
Robert Kingston
Essex, UK
A simple seven-word monoku or monostich which intrigues for its unusual focus. When one expects the kite flier to be keenly looking up and following the play of the kite string high above, either their attention or that of a companion is diverted to a splash of red, a first spring bloom in the grass. Perhaps the kite is not airborne but has come down in a field, its string trailing towards this small botanical discovery, which for the observer is a bonus which makes up for a crashed kite.
freeing the kite
i stay awhile
in the oak branchesP. H. Fischer
Vancouver, Canada
This haiku appealed to me on first reading because of its reflective tone. Line 1 conveys the action of scrambling up into a big tree and unraveling a snarl of lines. That done, I imagine the poet’s attention turned more closely to their surroundings – the thick limbs of the oak, its lettuce-green leaves, dappled light, birdsong. Having attained this high and quiet place the poet is loath to climb down again, perhaps remembering childhood pleasures of tree houses and being up close with nature, safe and unseen. Different cultures consider encounters with trees – forest bathing or shinrin-yoku – to be beneficial for health and well-being.
kite flying
I follow the path
to anywhereLori Kiefer
London, UK
How well this haiku captures the exhilaration of flying a kite! The poet pays more attention to the sky than to their feet, and their kite steers them every which way, a zigzag traverse across pasture, beach, or playing field. The flier stumbles along behind the kite, not minding where they go or where they end up. It’s all part of the fun!
brisk wind
tethered
for the flightSusan Bonk Plumridge
London, Canada
An economical six-word haiku which opens up several interpretations. It’s an interesting turnaround to imagine the wind, not the kite, as the agent being controlled by the flier. We can’t see the wind. To know it’s blowing we register how it moves trees, grass, clouds and our hats. Until the poet’s kite is fully airborne it’s at the wind’s mercy. When the string is fully played out and the kite hangs almost motionless we imagine the wind is stilled too. Another reading could be that the poet is belted into a plane seat, perhaps their first flight after a long period of being grounded, and glimpses a tarmac windsock streaming out in the wind.
taut string—
the lessons the wind
passes downLaurie Greer
Washington, DC
Just like feeling the tugs on a fishing line and knowing what to do at a critical moment, the poet is acutely aware of changes in tension on the kite string. Their reaction translates into an instinctive grasp of what the kite, and the wind, will do next. Wind holds messages for us as it does for other land animals regarding scent, sound and weather changes. As the poet implies, the information is there. It’s up to us to learn how to interpret it.
my brother’s ashes
hitch a ride
on a kite tailMary Vlooswyk
Calgary, Canada
A one-sentence haiku which evokes a sense of sadness yet does so with a lightness of touch. The reader may imagine a solemn moment when a loved one’s ashes are dispersed, then sense a lifting of spirits as lighter remains are carried further by the wind, in an unexpected fashion.
& here are the rest of the selections:
kite running
the wind in my ears
sings in PashtoJohn Hawkhead
UK
flying kites . . .
I set free
my inhibitionsLakshmi Iyer
India
a red kite
touching the day moon
a father’s lullabymarilyn ashbaugh
edwardsburg, michigan usa
same old story . . .
wind, kite
kite-eating treeDeborah Karl-Brandt
Bonn, Germany
in my dream I am
a kite minus the string
spring breezeStephen A. Peters
Bellingham WA
kite festival
a professional’s drone
films the amateursRichard Straw
Cary, North Carolina
paper kite
plum blossoms flutter
with its tailMarilyn Ward
UK
untethered
two red kites circle
a windless skyChristopher Peys
Los Angeles, CA
daydreaming
a kite
cutting anotherAparna Pathak
Gurugram, India
swallowing
a piece of cloud
dragon kiteTeji Sethi
India
star filled night
nobody around except
the flying kitesVibeke Laier
Randers, Denmark
kite in a tree
her brush set unused
after motherhoodRavi Kiran
India
dusk sky . . .
memories of my child’s kite
fading slowlyMilan Rajkumar
Imphal, India
dancing wind
little fingers control moves
of a cobra headRajeshwari Srinivasan
India
migratory geese—
my kite at the head
of a V-shaped flightNeera Kashyap
India
scarlet sky
a crow competes
with my kiteNisha Raviprasad
India
flock of starlings—
in the pink clouds
a kitestormo di storni—
tra le nuvole rosa
un aquiloneDennys Cambarau
Sardinia, Italy
On the downs,
Dad’s hand over mine
tugging at heartstringsVivienne Tregenza
Penzance
an untethered kite
flies across the day moon
chaotic thoughtsAnitha Varma
Kerala, India
letting out the line
our laughter
takes flightTina Mowrey
United States
gathering tea flowers
along the mountain path—
the monk’s spring kiteDeborah Anne Bennett
Carbondale, Illinois USA
losing my kite
I try to let go of
what isn’t mineSrinivas S
Rishi Valley, India
flying kites—
will I ever find out
where is my brotherAljoša Vuković
Croatia, Šibenik
evening sky
i rhyme the tether
to a kite’s danceSubir Ningthouja
Imphal, India
behind the front lines
swallowtail resting
on a blue and yellow kiteElena Malec
Irvine, California
confused wind
flying kites
reading the worldTeiichi Suzuki
Japan
Kodak moment
running along the shore
with our box kiteMarion Clarke
Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland
heart-shaped kite
the pull of his love
still not visibleHifsa Ashraf
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
kite wind
teasing at the stitching
of my coatHerb Tate
UK
Giant dragon kite—
a caterpillar
once it soarsJenny Shepherd
London
kite flying
the thread connecting
heaven and earthLorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo
Bombon, Philippines
origami kite
on my table
. . . no strings attachedRam Chandran
India
kite lesson—
this old dream of
having wingsNicole Pottier
France
kite moon
a string connecting
you and meSurashree Joshi
Pune, India
after the rain
the kite tail
a rainbowDan Iulian
România
sight seeing
following kites and eagles . . .
Mary PoppinsAlfred Booth
Colombes, France
father daughter time
we repair more
than my kiteTracy Davidson
Warwickshire, UK
crumpled kite
caught among branches
osprey nestSharon Sheppard
Magnolia, DE
spring sky
air heady with the chants
of “kai po che”(Kai po che implies a cry of victory yelled out when you defeat your opponent in a kite flying challenge, and would translate as “Gotcha!” in American English.)
Vandana Parashar
India
school yard koinobori
boy’s samurai dreams flutter
in the wind(Koinobori – ‘carp streamer’ in Japanese; carp-shaped windsocks traditionally flown in Japan to celebrate Children’s Day on May 5)
Joe Sebastian
Bangalore, India
butterfly kite
how she keeps me
on a stringBryan Rickert
Belleville, Illinois USA
farfalle in volo
più su più su più su
sull’ aquiloneflying butterflies
higher higher higher
on the kiteAngiola Inglese
Italia
paper kite
his dream of traveling
to exotic placesRehn Kovacic
Mesa, AZ
the red kite
high up in a pine tree
dreams I cannot escapeJohn S Green
Bellingham, WA
cloudless morning—
tethered dragons
guard the skiesAlan Peat
Biddulph, United Kingdom
Silver Strand State Beach
the kiteboarder looks into the eye
of the windMarcie Wessels
San Diego, CA, USA
once again
higher than a kite—
another relapseMark Meyer
Mercer Island WA USA
kite flying
still learning the skill
to let goArvinder Kaur
Chandigarh, India
kite in the wind
sudden urge
to sing a dylan’s songKeiko Izawa
Japan
in the trunk
a home-made kite
that used to danceKeith Evetts
Thames Ditton UK
garbage bag
to murmuration
homemade kiteMariel Herbert
California, USA
two line delta kite
the way he likes
to take controlIngrid Baluchi
North Macedonia
so high up away
nothing I can see but
the endless string风筝高飞去
渐入云霄无踪影
唯有线漫漫feng zheng gao fei qu
jian ru yun xiao wu zong ying
wei you xian man manXiaoou Chen
Kunming, China
changing wind—
a smile and a kite
for my sonvento che cambia—
un sorriso e un aquilone
per mio figlioDaniela Misso
Italia
three friends
play with the wind
one kite between themPat Davis
NH USA
dropped string
the kite flies away
above the horizonStoianka Boianova
Bulgaria
summer evening
a neighbour’s kite
flying to the moonMuskaan Ahuja
Chandigarh, India
spring colors
hang gliders shine
over the mountainMinko Tanev
Bulgaria
a dime store kite
with a tail of rags
memories in the windSusan Farner
USA
my inner child . . .
a kite of moonbeams
dancingVeronika Zora Novak
Canada
ill wind
the death spiral
of my kiteCynthia Anderson
Yucca Valley, California
near gale
flying kites’ skeletons
return to senderPadmasiri Jayathilaka
Sri Lanka
kite fight it takes two to tangle
Susan Burch
Hagerstown, MD, USA
sky wars
an angry bird flies
over the kitty kiteBona M. Santos
Los Angeles, CA
my kites—
nesting in trees
next to robinsDan Campbell
Virginia
bombing—
dreams and kites fall
in silencebombardamento—
sogni e aquiloni cadono
in silenzioMaria Teresa Piras
Sardinia, Italy
I tug on the kite strings
as the fog rolls in—
losing you againSari Grandstaff
Saugerties, NY, USA
flying away with my kite morning sky
Roberta Beach Jacobson
Indianola, Iowa, USA
ocean bluff
the undulating tentacles
of an octopus kiteBruce Feingold
Berkeley, CA USA
kite fighting
my brother and I take turns
until he lets go . . .Adele Evershed
Wilton, Connecticut
dragon chasing
gull
chasing fishPeggy Bilbro
Alabama
two kids on the sand
holding on to the strings
of life long friendshipRonald Degler
Harbor City, California
beach kites
the blue edge
of memoryAnn K. Schwader
Westminster, CO
milk thistle breeze
the skies filled
with monarch kitesRichard Matta
San Diego, California
no kites
a child living under
bombsChad Lee Robinson
United States
kite festival
a murmuration of kids
on the beachClaire Vogel Camargo
USA
second childhood
lessons in kiting
from my sonJonathan Roman
United States
dancing kite
the child in me
soon joins inlayangan menari
sisi anak kecil diriku
segera bergabungChristopher Calvin
Kota Mojokerto, Indonesia
rooftop sky . . .
grandson’s laughter
sways the kiteNeena Singh
Chandigarh, India
paper kite
a bit of the sky
in the boy’s handMinal Sarosh
Ahmedabad, India
climbing up the tree . . .
my best friend’s
bat kiteGeoff Pope
Paducah, Kentucky
lonely sky
a white-tailed kite
wheels over a kiteJohn Zheng
Mississippi
giggles swoop
and soar
kite flyingLouise Hopewell
Australia
children’s day
the koinobori still
in plasticJames Gaskin
Fukushima, Japan
cherry blossoms dancing kite rotates its shining tail
Tsanka Shishkova
Bulgaria
Tango no sekku
the carp streamer made by dad
now in my son’s hand(Tango no sekku – a traditional calendrical event which is now designated as Children’s Day 子供の日 Kodomo no hi, a national holiday in Japan)
Mirela Brăilean
Romania
yellow and red
pink and blue
fly me to the skyMargaret Mahony
Australia
floating my kite
I learn to handle
the loops and the flopsMona Iordan
Romania
spring kiting
yet anchored
by the pastC.X. Turner
United Kingdom
windy day—
kites chase each other
over the wavesElisa Allo
Zug, Switzerland
flying dragons—
an old man
daydreamsMark Scott
Hardwick, Vermont, USA
dog park
the rising kite
gets Fido’s send offMadhuri Pillai
Australia
Independence Day
Orchard Beach fireworks
light my kite’s tailrick lawson
United States
flying kites
in May on Gods’ day
the wind winschuck mains
Coatesville, PA
runaway
a flying kite in a game
with cloudsSlobodan Pupovac
Zagreb, Croatia
aquilone . . .
ancora ti rincorro
mia scapigliata primaverakite . . .
I still run after you
my disheveled springGiuliana Ravaglia
Bologna, Italia
a brisk breezy day—
the dragon kite
takes me far awayDía de brisa enérgica
El barrilete dragón
me lleva lejosJulia Guzmán
Córdoba, Argentina
dream of peace
flying high and following me
a kitesogno di pace
vola in alto e mi segue
un aquiloneLuisa Santoro
Rome, Italy
autumn—
the remains of a kite
in the shade of a treeOtoño
Los restos de un barrilete
en la sombra de un árbolJorge Giallorenzi
Chivilcoy Argentina
my kite’s string
cuts the day moon
ma’s pearl in two halvesMelanie Vance
USA
mountain breeze
she lets loose her kite
to somewhere blueBarrie Levine
Massachusetts USA
spring moon—
a tattered kite breathes its last
on my trellisMona Bedi
Delhi, India
yellow kite, blue sky
all the people who want
to go homeLafcadio Orlovsky
USA
summer beach
adults flying kites
children trying to fly themOlivier Schopfer
Geneva, Switzerland
soaring high
with the colors of the wind
i hold on to my dreamsDidimay D. Dimacali
Norwalk, California, USA
entangled kites
the twiny tethers
of our romanceJackie Chou
United States
truce . . .
a boy fixes
his kiteFlorin C. Ciobica
Romania
a gull making
no headway against the wind
kite moonTim Cremin
Massachusetts
the last one
leaves home—
kites in the windSharon Martina
Illinois, USA
kites in still in the plastic Dad’s attic
Lorraine Padden
San Diego, CA USA
kite meditation
releasing my worries
to the windKath Abela Wilson
USA
flying kites—
we measure the height
of the skyAsh Lippert
South Carolina, USA
light wind
my sons run fast enough
to get their kite upNancy Brady
Huron, Ohio, USA
I dance with kites
in spring wind we tango
until we’re tangledSusan Rogers
Los Angeles
Guest editor Marietta McGregor is a fourth-generation Tasmanian who has made her home between Australia’s national capital Canberra and the scenic south coast of New South Wales for over four decades. A lover of the natural world since childhood, she went on to study botany and zoology, and has worked as palynologist, garden designer, science journalist, editor, university tutor, education manager, and grants developer for the national wildlife collection. A photography and travel enthusiast since retiring, she enjoys capturing fine detail of fleeting moments. She came late to haiku, which appealed for its close observation and poetic expression of ephemeral experience. Her haiku, haibun and haiga have been widely published, have won awards and appear in anthologies.
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 13 Comments
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Thank you for letting my haiku join this beautiful kite flying festival. 🧡😊
and “kite wind”!!!
I’m in love with “freeing the kite.”
Made my day! Thanks, Sarah 🙂
Peter
Congratulations to all the poets! Thankful to be among them. Much thanks to Marietta, Kathy and Lori for keeping the faith here. 🪁
Thanks for including my “no kites”, Marietta! Some really good selections again this week.
It’s a poignant poem, Chad. A haunting reminder of the true costs of war:
no kites
a child living under
bombs
Chad Lee Robinson
United States
Thank-you Marietta for including my poem and for your insightful commentary. It’s always an honour to be present on this page. Thanks also to kj and Lori for all you do!
Peace,
Peter
Thank you, Peter!
Haikitingreat to read all these!
At the moment, I especially like:
the red kite
high up in a pine tree
dreams I cannot escape
John S Green
Bellingham, WA
Thank you, Marietta, for including my “…bat kite.”
Thank you Marietta for another week of inspiration and for including mine in your commentary section.
Congratulations to all poets.
Thanks also to KJ and Lori.
Once again so many wonderful haiku full of energy and movement! Thank you Marietta for the prompt and all the poets for sending your haiku kites into the clouds! I loved them all, but the following one one struck me as emotionally powerful.
father daughter time
we repair more
than my kite
Tracy Davidson
Warwickshire, UK
Thanks Marietta for another fine selection. This is sublime, including the ‘string’ coming out of “string”:
taut string—
the lessons the wind
passes down
Laurie Greer
Washington, DC
Flying high here with all the kites in the air. Impressive haiku here with a quick read of a first pass. Truly touched by Lafcadio’s haiku of yellow kite, blue sky as social commentary of world events (at least that’s my reading of it). Sharon Martina’s haiku certainly resonated with me as well. Just a couple from a quick reading; more gems later when I have the time to read…thanks Marietta for including one of mine in this high-flying column.
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Congratulations to you all.