HAIKU DIALOGUE – Haiku Prism – Pink

Haiku Prism – A World in Color

During this dark time we could all use something to brighten up our weeks. I believe that each one of us carries an inner light that can be a source of solace for others. So let’s take that light and channel it through the magic and wonder of haiku to express our world in all its glorious colors. Let’s let haiku be our prism.

Each week I will be providing a new color for you to meditate on and write about. You do not need to name it in your haiku, simply let it be an aspect. You can take this in any direction you like from various flora & fauna, fruits & vegetables, clothing items, celestial bodies, household objects, etc…to various associated moods. Even think in related colors such as pink for red or gold for yellow. I am also happy to accept sub-genres including scifaiku and mythku.

next week’s theme: Purple

Please send up to two unpublished haiku by clicking here: Contact Form, and put Haiku Dialogue in the Subject box. The deadline is midnight Eastern Standard Time, Saturday, May 2, 2020.

Selected haiku will be listed in the order they are received with a few chosen 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 can be added as blog comments.

Below is my commentary for Pink:

First and foremost, I hope this finds all of you safe and well. I know that we are a bit stir-crazy here in my house and are longing for a semblance of normalcy to return. With the instability of our current times, I believe that the creative act is of vital importance, as we seek to make sense of what is senseless, and find hope where hope seems to have run dry. Your haiku and senryu reflect the resiliency of the human spirit, to continue to create in the face of great difficulty. Thank you all for your submissions and your continued support of this column.

I have chosen the following to comment on as they showcase the wide variety of this week’s exploration of the color pink:

ocean waves
in the sea thrift
the same wind

M. R. Defibaugh

I enjoy the interconnectedness expressed here, the idea that what happens on one part of our Earth affects another. From the force of the wind that drives the ocean waves, to the gentle breeze among our gardens, all belong together and work together. It is an idea that can be extrapolated to a human level: what happens to one of us, affects all of us. Haiku make us consider these connections, and draw us to a place of reflection. We are certainly drawn to do that here.

pink moon
looking for that perfect
shade of lipstick

Pamela A. Babusci

I see the pink moon here as a symbol of transition, a possible change of season in Pamela’s life. Something has happened and her go-to colors no longer work. I get a sense that she is reinventing herself, and trying to find that next right step in her transformation, where even the way she accents her beauty is in question. It is an act of rebirth and renewal just like our Earth’s spring.

baby teeth
the spot of blood
in her breast milk

Jonathan Roman

This snapshot is a pinpoint focus on the reality of motherhood. As one gives herself over to her children, it is not always, or necessarily often, that that sacrifice is met with gentleness. The mother’s reaction is not given here, but one can imagine the pain, both physical and emotional, in that moment. With the simple image of breastfeeding a teething child, Jonathan has captured a world of truth and emotion. Also, the hint at the color pink, without directly stating it, shows a deft handling of this week’s theme.

pink jasper
the soothing slide
of prayer beads

Clifford Rames, Freehold, NJ

Pink jasper is known for its stress-relieving qualities, as well as its promotion of inner peace and empathy. A fitting mineral for prayer beads. I appreciate that no specific faith is mentioned. The heart of this senryu rests not on the style of religion but the action of supplication. The reader here has space to create the scene. Why is this person anxious? What are they praying about? Who are they praying for? Where are they? At home? In a building of religious significance? These are all questions the reader gets to fill in for themself.

first blush
he knows I have
rose-colored glasses

Kath Abela Wilson, Pasadena, California

There is a surface innocence to this senryu that can be peeled back to reveal a bit of self-mockery. From a generous compliment or gesture she has responded with an innocent blush. But, he knows that she is an optimist who at times might see things as being more innocent than they are. Is he going to exploit that? Are her rose-colored glasses fading and she suspects this deception? Kath Abela seems to be making light of herself with this display of acknowledgment in her limitations that could potentially lead to disappointment or heartache.

The following are the rest of my selections for this week. Happy reading!

falling blossoms
I lose feelings
for an old crush

Jackie Chou, Pico Rivera, CA, USA

 

pink lipgloss…
the colour
of my youth

Rosa Maria Di Salvatore

 

pink moon
my niece swears she sees
the rabbit

Kristen Lindquist

 

slight breeze-
in procession
cherry petals

vincenzo adamo

 

shades of emotion
hers
and mine

Stephen A. Peters

 

a peach petal –
that intense perfume
of your cheeks

Dennys Cambarau, Italy

 

candlelit blush
the whisper of her kimono
hitting the floor

Joshua Gage

 

bouquet of flowers
he gets her blush
in return

Rajeshwari Srinivasan

 

just a veil of lipstick to feel adult

solo un velo di rossetto per sentirsi adulta

Angela Giordano

 

laid-off
I give my pink slip
to the wind

Bryan Rickert

 

prairie smoke
the sunset inhales
a wisp of pink

Isabel Caves, New Zealand

 

awaiting news
grandma knits booties
blue and pink

Neena Singh

 

valentines day
my heart on
my sleeve

Michael Henry Lee

 

pandemic night–
tender light
of the pink moon

Teiichi Suzuki , Japan

 

nobody knows
in the washer full of whites
one pink sock

Franjo Ordanic

 

global pandemic-
soft pink sakura motif
on my cloth face mask

TANPOPO Anis

 

pink world
through my daughter’s
glasses

Slobodan Pupovac, Zagreb, Croatia

 

eight crayons
the light touch
that made red pink

Pat Davis, NH

 

out of the mist
pink lotuses appear
emperor’s garden

Rehn Kovacic

 

sheltered in place
a leaping boy spins
in his sister’s tutu

Susan Glassmeyer

 

I lay
her favourite flowers
10th anniversary

Margaret Mahony

 

after Diwali —‬
‪my candle becomes ‬
‪a pink cloud

Muskaan Ahuja, Chandigarh, India

 

Rose buds
Let me bloom again
this year

Benedetta Cardone

 

quarantine…
finally
in the pink

Jibril Dauda Muhammad, Bwari Abuja, Nigeria

 

the pink
of where
he pinched

Susan Rogers, Los Angeles, CA

 

a call to pray
across the misty river
azalea blossoms

Agus Maulana Sunjaya, Tangerang, Indonesia

 

sexual awareness
I refuse to dress my barbie
in pink

Vandana Parashar

 

isolation
my wishes
still pink

Pere Risteski

 

not a drop left
in the puddle
pink gumboots

Louise Hopewell

 

rosy bud …
the kiss of a child
on my cheek

bocciolo rosa…
il bacio di un bambino
sulla mia guancia

Daniela Misso

 

pink scar
unfolding
her baby blanket

Laurie Greer

 

cow’s lick
responding to his smile
not meant for me

Rashmi VeSa

 

I remind myself
not to judge –
cotton candy sky

Jessica Wheeler

 

virtual pink slip–
constantly crashing
on the unemployment website

Kimberly Esser, Los Angeles, CA

 

old pink lipsticks–
so many years
no longer young

Lorraine Schein Queens, NY

 

pink dianthus
two parasols bend
to the scent

Carol Raisfeld

 

cherry petals
the drift of grandma’s gown
around her

Shane Pruett, Oregon, USA

 

pastel dawn…
the baby robin’s
sightless gape

Michele L. Harvey

 

dawn peeks
over the fence
my neighbor’s rooster

Deborah P Kolodji, Temple City, CA

 

sizzling summer day
the juicy flesh
of a ripe watermelon

Olivier Schopfer, Switzerland

 

each petal
sinks into its own shadow…
a child’s wishes

Ivan Gaćina, Zadar, Croatia

 

a pink corsage
on her wrist –
the new tattoo

Valentina Ranaldi-Adams, Fairlawn, Ohio, USA

 

cool dawn
the covid nurse
removes her mask

Robert Kingston

 

ultrasound…
she knits a blanket
of dusty rose

Nancy Brady, Huron, Ohio

 

in .pink of her life

..ever …humming ..bird …She was

Radhamani sarma

 

soft drizzle…
his love note turning pink
in my pocket

arvinder kaur, Chandigarh, India

 

isolation . . .
over the barbed wire fence
a blooming pink rose

Manoj Sharma, Kathmandu, Nepal

 

what could’ve been…
she quaffs all the stars
in her pink champagne

Marisa Fazio

 

one after another
the pink clouds refine
my thoughts

Hifsa Ashraf, Pakistan

 

priority tag
last to enter the carousel
my pink ribboned case

Madhuri Pillai

 

hidden crush
my blush
gives me away

Pris Campbell

 

fashion shift
my Sanrio-loving niece
dons a PPE

Bona M. Santos, Los Angeles, CA

 

Valentine’s Day
the whole department gets
pink slips

Randy Brooks

 

morning sky
the strawberries
on her palms

Anthony Rabang

 

cherry blossom
going with the flow
of our new normal

Xenia Tran

 

pink bath
stepping in
to childhood

Margaret Walker

 

variegated wind
the cherry trees —
once pink

Lemuel Waite, Georgetown, Kentucky

 

waiting for her
to change
pink moon

Rich Schilling, Webster Groves, MO

 

cherry bloom
she’s taking her tea
pinky up

Mona Iordan

 

pink full moon
on the stay at home playlist
la vie en rose

cezar-florin ciobica

 

sun’s first rays…
the artist adds water
to his crimson

Al Gallia, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA

 

cotton candy skies
the whole day
ahead of me

Claire Vogel Camargo

 

blush pink
what we think
we’ve forgotten

Peter Jastermsky

 

alternate history
and don’t you step
on my pink suede shoes

Greer Woodward, Waimea, HI

 

reading
under sakura branches
pink rain

Kat Lehmann

 

looking for a kigo…
pink clouds lost
on the horizon

Elisa Allo

Guest Editor Tia Haynes resides in Lakewood, Ohio, near her beloved Lake Erie. She was featured in New Resonance 11: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku and has appeared in journals and anthologies worldwide. Much of her inspiration comes from the landscape and people of the American Midwest as well as life with her two small children. Her chapbook, leftover ribbon, (Velvet Dusk Publishing) is available on Amazon. Follow her on Twitter: @adalia_haiku

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).