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HAIKU DIALOGUE – Simply a Winged Thing (1)

Simply with Guest Editor Craig Kittner

Simplicity is one gateway to a balanced mind.

The world sorely needs balanced minds to mitigate all this conflict.

Haiku is uniquely suited for the cultivation and dissemination of simplicity.

In this round of Haiku Dialogue I’m seeking works that invoke the simple perfection of a moment in time.

The successful haiku will be formed out of love for what is not everlasting, but impermanent.

Below is Craig’s selection of poems on the theme of simply a winged thing:

Creatures and objects with wings are capable of entering and leaving your perceptual field with rapidity. Such a quality is useful for haiku.

With this week’s theme and the submissions it inspired I again got a sense of the place of primacy held by observation in the writing of haiku.

I found a keenly observed encounter, whether cerebral or visceral, to be the most common fuel for the haiku that worked well with this theme.

Backed by mindful word selection and rhythmic choices to give a sense of sudden connection, or an unlooked-for chance to be free.

Or so it seems to me.

hum of bees –
the hawthorn is covered
with new sounds

Silvia Bistocchi
Italy

 

Glasswing butterflies –
all my secrets
safely hidden

Caroline Ridley-Duff
UK

 

quiet twig –
hidden in the light
dragonfly wings

Nicole Pottier
France

 

ours
for a little while
dragonfly

Vandana Parashar
India

 

double-decker bus —
from open arms
a butterfly takes flight

Nitu Yumnam
India

 

petals fly
the butterfly knows
its route

Bakhtiyar Amini
Germany

 

sundown
eyeing the crows
eyeing me

John Pappas
United States

 

spring breeze
my urge to fly
still there

Stephen A. Peters
Bellingham, WA

 

Zen garden
a butterfly leads the way
through the gate

Jackie Chou
United States

 

jackdaws the character of smoke

John Hawkhead
UK

 

on the stage
on the child
glittering wings

Tuyet Van Do
Australia

 

frost on the edges
of yesterday’s puddle
robin splashes hard

Cindy Guentherman
Loves Park, IL

 

morning stretch – –– –––
a dotterel’s wings
touch the sky

Sue Courtney
Orewa, New Zealand

 

rising lark–
not to be found anywhere
listeners

Teiichi Suzuki
Japan

 

pond ripples
the silence of
a butterfly’s flight

Subir Ningthouja
Imphal, India

 

a firefly’s wings
light up
my grandson’s eyes

Neena Singh
India

 

with each wave
my feet sink deeper
a tern lifts off

Kavita Ratna
India

 

pieces of sky
on the wing
peacock butterfly

Marion Clarke
Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland

 

catching butterflies
suddenly my son
is a big boy

Arvinder Kaur
Chandigarh, India

 

still noon
a dragonfly entering my room
entertains me

Ram Chandran
India

 

bush trail –
a butterfly follows along
for a while

Daniela Lăcrămioara Capotă
Romania

 

jackfruit pods…
the flies i try to count
and cannot

Vidya Shankar
India

 

the silence
between goodbyes
blackbird

Alvin Cruz
Philippines

 

the wingspan
of a sea eagle
90-mile beach

Louise Hopewell
Australia

 

wings
the living room splits
into left and right

Daya Bhat
India

 

afterthought…
a white butterfly flits
over my shoulder

Firdaus Parvez
India

 

badlands
a butterfly buffeted
by the wind

Terri French
Huntsville, AL

 

drop of river
off a heron’s wing
solitude

marilyn ashbaugh
usa

 

just seen
already gone
blue tit

Olivier Schopfer
Geneva, Switzerland

 

nowhere sky
the spiraling circles
of turkey vultures

Cynthia Anderson
Yucca Valley, California

 

northern lights this far south jewel beetles

Ingrid Baluchi
North Macedonia

 

the ladybird
without spots
a ladybird

Ruth Holzer
Herndon, VA

 

dragonfly wings my transparent lie

Bryan Rickert
Belleville, Illinois

 

a ladybug
unfolds its wings …
the edge of a page

una coccinella
spiega le sue ali …
il margine di una pagina

Daniela Misso
Umbria, Italy

 

feather
a farewell
as she flies away

Roberta Beach Jacobson
Indianola, Iowa, USA

 

green lacewings
folding into
my own

Jenn Ryan-Jauregui
Tucson, Arizona USA

 

resting butterfly
on her headstone
Mother’s Day

Margaret Mahony
Australia

 

potato planting…
a thin wind
fetches a robin

Tony Williams
Scotland, UK

 

monarch grove
a painted lady
pauses on the bench

Helen Ogden
Pacific Grove, CA

 

nowadays
collecting dust
butterfly net

Keith Evetts
Thames Ditton UK

 

bats stirring what’s left of the light

Polona Oblak
Ljubljana, Slovenia

 

reconnecting…
a bee finds the hole
in the screen

Laurie Greer
Washington, DC

 

rising condor
my fingers quivering
with his

Harrison Lightwater
Netherlands

 

burnt forest
the silence
of the birds

Mike Fainzilber
Rehovot, Israel

 

evacuation —
a dove’s blood-stained feather
at the border

Nitu Yumnam
India

 

twilight
the chuckle of a robin
flying away

Rupa Anand
New Delhi, India

 

hospital garden
filling the silence
humming bird…

Adele Evershed
Wilton, Connecticut

 

feeling for it
the flower a butterfly
almost lands on

Tomislav Sjekloća
Cetinje, Montenegro

 

watercolour class…
my dragonfly caught
in an updraft

Robert Kingston
Chelmsford, United Kingdom

 

birdbath sky
a pair of jays
paired

Ann K. Schwader
Westminster, CO United States

 

those toys
the hawkers toss in the air
spinning rainbows

Peggy Hale Bilbro
Alabama

 

heat shimmer
a blowfly resting
on the street bin

Meera Rehm
UK

 

moths
fluttering by
one thought after the other

Marianne Sahlin
Sweden

 

cuckoo arrives—
the old newspapers
in my neighbor’s mailbox

Keiko Izawa
Japan

 

singing
her very own song
tufted titmouse

Colette Kern
Southold, NY

 

wood ducks
but not today
whistling reeds

Ann Sullivan
Massachusetts, USA

 

a cardinal stands out
against the snow –
Christmas card

Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
Fairlawn, Ohio USA

 

crosswalk
outside the lines
a pigeon

Mariel Herbert
California, USA

 

Wings of skin
flutter at dusk —
my short hair is safe

Jenny Shepherd
London, UK

 

as the light
lifts
blue dragonfly

C.X. Turner
United Kingdom

 

uncertain flight
among the perfumes of the world –
blue butterfly

Maria Malferrari
Bologna Italy

 

on my palm
a flitting breeze …
shadow of a butterfly

Jharna Sanyal
India

 

buzzing of bees
ripe figs thump
in the afternoon

Stoianka Boianova
Bulgaria

 

pegging the sunset
on a line . . .
tree sparrows

Lori Kiefer
London U.K.

 

escaping
from the magician’s hand
a white dove

Mark Gilbert
UK

 

briefly
in a spot of sun
the first spring fly

Joseph P. Wechselberger
Browns Mills, NJ USA

 

the shadow
of her wingspan
grounded

Ron Scully
Burien WA

 

shared morning sun
a common grackle’s
golden eye

Mike Stinson
Nebraska USA

 

afosa sera-
un’ape vagabonda
sul mio ventaglio

sultry evening-
a wandering bee
on my fan

Giuliana Ravaglia
Bologna (Italy)

 

glasswing butterfly–
becoming the rose
it rests upon

Carole MacRury
Point Roberts, WA

 

forgotten word …
a moth flutters
at the window

Annie Wilson
Shropshire, UK

 

the wind
takes my breath
albatross

petro c. k.
Seattle, Washington

 

white butterflies
a little girl puts on
her fairy wings

Florentin Untanu
Romania

 

sunset
the flies stop for a moment
and fly

Maya Daneva
The Netherlands

 

swept from the shed
with last year’s leaves:
dead bumblebee

Elizabeth Shack
Illinois, USA

 

biplane exhibit
still dreaming of flight
the old man

Jonathan English
Washington, DC

 

our daily walk
the mated pair
on the power line

Kerry J Heckman
Seattle, WA

 

the dead roach
kicks it legs
childhood nightmare

Kimberly Kuchar
Austin, Texas

 

tossing them up
to watch them spin down
maple seeds

Sheila Sondik
Bellingham, Washington

 

children’s ballet
the feathered wings
from different flocks

Amoolya Kamalnath
India

 

Join us next week for Craig’s commentary on additional poems, & our next prompt…

 

Guest Editor Craig Kittner claims a round-earther identity as an alternative to the ones the world would impose. While their feet feel the earth, their ragpicker mind works the trash heap that’s their brain, pulling out words. Origami Poems Project, Shot Glass Journal, bottle rockets, and Acorn have recently hosted his work.

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 34 Comments

  1. Congratulations to all the poets here. I loved each poem, especially:

    Glasswing butterflies –
    all my secrets
    safely hidden

    Caroline Ridley-Duff
    UK

    This haiku immediately intrigued me because I didn’t know the glasswing butterflies. I really appreciated the juxtaposition: the image of the secrets hidden against this type of butterfly.

    pieces of sky
    on the wing
    peacock butterfly

    Marion Clarke

    I love the peacock butterfly. I can see it clearly. It evokes the vision of the butterfly instantly.

    drop of river
    off a heron’s wing
    solitude

    Marilyn Ashbaugh

    A pure moment of silence.

    northern lights this far south jewel beetles

    Ingrid Baluchi

    Amazing juxtaposition. This one caught my eye.

  2. Thank you Craig. What a delightful and diverse list of haiku! Every poem whets my appetite for the upcoming short list next week. Picking a favorite was impossible, but here are a few that pulled at me and wouldn’t let go.

    jackdaws the character of smoke
    John Hawkhead
    UK

    Such an original line, ‘the character of smoke’, and I can see this in the bird as its black/gray coloring shifts in sun and shadow.

    the silence
    between goodbyes
    blackbird
    Alvin Cruz
    Philippines

    I’m crazy about blackbirds as my favorite, the red-winged blackbird, has a song that is unmistakable and one i welcome each spring. It fills the silence of this haiku.

    badlands
    a butterfly buffeted
    by the wind
    Terri French
    Huntsville, AL

    Fabulous jux, the reality and connotations of ‘badlands’, against a fragile butterfly. The ‘b’ sounds really hold this together nicely.

    drop of river
    off a heron’s wing
    solitude
    marilyn ashbaugh
    usa

    A lovely distilled moment, especially as it’s a moving river, not a pond, lake etc.

    a ladybug
    unfolds its wings …
    the edge of a page

    una coccinella
    spiega le sue ali …
    il margine di una pagina

    Daniela Misso
    Umbria, Italy

    Love ladybugs! I’ve seen this happen on the edge of a flower, but the added depth of ‘the edge of a page’ makes this personal and intimate to observer and reader.

    bats stirring what’s left of the light
    Polona Oblak
    Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Awesome, just imagining that black cloud emerging from where they come from to greet the fading light.

    reconnecting…
    a bee finds the hole
    in the screen
    Laurie Greer
    Washington, DC

    Evocative jux…and I love the fact the bee finds its way out/in, as so many haiku (including my own) speak of the trapped bee! This resonates on many levels of connection…

    buzzing of bees
    ripe figs thump
    in the afternoon
    Stoianka Boianova
    Bulgaria

    Had to say something about this one. it’s so sensory with sound, and the suggestion of texture and taste. I simply wanted to pick up one of those dropped figs and dig in!

    1. thanks for the mention, Carole.

      there’s yugen in your glasswing butterfly that i enjoy. never saw one live, though

  3. Here are six of my favorites from this fine collection:

    drop of river
    off a heron’s wing
    solitude

    marilyn ashbaugh
    usa
    peacful poem. The only heron poem—my favorite bird
    .
    dragonfly wings my transparent lie

    Bryan Rickert
    Belleville, Illinois

    such understated truth
    .
    heat shimmer
    a blowfly resting
    on the street bin

    Meera Rehm
    UK

    visual beauty (for me anyway!)
    .
    moths
    fluttering by
    one thought after the other

    Marianne Sahlin
    Sweden

    I like the way the middle line acts as a swing; moths or, indeed, thoughts fluttering by
    .
    the shadow
    of her wingspan
    grounded

    Ron Scully
    Burien WA

    I’ve never thought of shadows as being ‘grounded’ but now I will forever. I saw an eagle with unlimited freedom but for it’s shadow.
    .
    tossing them up
    to watch them spin down
    maple seeds

    Sheila Sondik
    Bellingham, Washington

    Yes, yes, yes!
    .

      1. oh yes, used to do the same!
        i was actually trying to write something about samara seeds but the words wouldn’t come right

  4. So many fine haiku this week, but I really love this from Polona Oblak:

    bats stirring what’s left of the light

    ‘dusk soup’!

    1. much appreciated, John.

      being fond of corvids, i absolutely love your poem.
      ‘the character of smoke’, just wow!

  5. Thanks Craig for the selection and I’m looking forward to seeing next week’s too. I would highlight Valentina Ranaldi-Adams’ postmodern haiku with a twist:-

    a cardinal stands out
    against the snow –
    Christmas card

  6. Thanks to everyone who has shared their thoughts and reactions.

    A true dialogue is building.

    Please keep them coming.

  7. Thank you Craig for publishing my haiku. A delightful theme, I loved each poem.

  8. What a wonderful collection of poems! I was struck by so many, but though I’m not the first to mention it, I would be remiss not to further applaud

    escaping
    from the magician’s hand
    a white dove

    Mark Gilbert
    UK

    This poem instantly transported me to my love affair with magic which still persists within me.

  9. birdbath sky
    a pair of jays
    paired
    /
    Ann K. Schwader
    Westminster, CO United States
    /
    This haiku has interesting word choices. The word “birdbath” is an unexpected adjective to describe the sky. The words “pair” and “paired” are
    effective use of repetition.

  10. A fine yield from the week’s prompt, with the prospect of more to come… Thanks to Craig and the team for all the work.

    I lingered over:

    the silence
    between goodbyes
    blackbird
    — Alvin Cruz

    I’m a sucker for anything with a blackbird’s song in it and this poignant verse of five words hit the spot.

    the ladybird
    without spots
    a ladybird
    — Ruth Holzer

    …talking of spots…thoughts of diversity, affirmation, ‘changing one’s spots’ (dangerous ground…), even a zitty teen becoming a flawless peach…. I like Ruth’s work a lot.

    potato planting…
    a thin wind
    fetches a robin
    — Tony Williams

    Our beloved British robins appear out of nowhere, often on the lookout for a quick worm, sometimes out of sheer curiosity that seems like friendliness to us (one wanted to see what I was doing in the garage the other day). They lead appalling dissolute lives, but they are our favourite bird….

    rising condor
    my fingers quivering
    with his
    — Harrison Lightwater

    A sense of soaring in unison with the majestic bird, its wing-tips quivering in the thermal. Lovely.

    heat shimmer
    a blowfly resting
    on the street bin
    — Meera Rehm

    Ah, the heat!

    wood ducks
    but not today
    whistling reeds
    — Ann Sullivan

    I love the tone of hope and resignation and hope again, with a touch of haikai humour

    pegging the sunset
    on a line . . .
    tree sparrows
    —Lori Kiefer

    Imaginative and pictorial, evoking an immediate image in anyone’s back yard.

    My impression is that haiku/senryu are getting ever more minimalist. The purity comes through.

  11. Craig, thank-you so very much for publishing my haiku. It is always a pleasure
    to be published. Thank-you to Kathy, Lori, and the Haiku Foundation for all the efforts on this column. Congrats to all the poets.

  12. What a lovely collection to send my imagination winging! I look forward to seeing the ones you selected for comment next week.

    I loved this one by Terri because I know those western winds too well from my western childhood spent being blown around.

    badlands
    a butterfly buffeted
    by the wind

    Terri French
    Huntsville, AL
    .

    This one by Nitu broke my heart. It tells of too many tales in our insane world.

    evacuation —
    a dove’s blood-stained feather
    at the border

    Nitu Yumnam
    India
    .
    And finally this one from Jackie to give us some hope.

    Zen garden
    A butterfly leads the way
    through the gate

    Jackie Chou
    United States

    1. Thanks for the mention, Peggy! Appreciated. True, it is a bit poignant. Wrote this for those who have recently been through evacuation. Glad it moved you the way it moved me.

  13. Two that caught eye on the way through that I thought worthy of an extra mention.

    nowadays
    collecting dust
    butterfly net

    Keith Evetts
    Thames Ditton UK

    bats stirring what’s left of the light

    Polona Oblak
    Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Put together I felt they tell a remarkable story.

    1. thanks for the mention, Rob, and yes, i also see a renku-like link between these two.

      i must admit i had to spend some time with your watercolour dragonfly in an updraft but it proved rewarding

      1. Thank you Polona. Pleased my dragon fly reached you.

        between spots the dragonfly’s own dot to dot

        Loved our renku spell.

  14. I am still reading… but this one caught my eye, a perfect illustration of what I said about magic… smiles…

    escaping
    from the magician’s hand
    a white dove

    Mark Gilbert
    UK

    Wonderful !

  15. I just love the airy lightness and magic of these responses and choices. So perfect for winged things! I will keep reading but there are too many already already to quote! These caught my eye right away!

    ours
    for a little while
    dragonfly

    Vandana Parashar
    India

    double-decker bus —
    from open arms
    a butterfly takes flight

    Nitu Yumnam
    India

    petals fly
    the butterfly knows
    its route

    Bakhtiyar Amini
    Germany

    and
    Jackie Chou. !!

    Zen garden
    A butterfly leads the way
    through the gate

    Jackie Chou
    United States

    ….So delightful!!

  16. So many lovely moments captured here. I love Annie Wilson’s moth moment. Lori Kiefer’s struck me at once with her sparrows pegging the sunset which is a brilliantly observed moment. Lori, I have just recently written about sparrows unpegging blossom! It’s below for you – we both love these companionable little birds.

    April showers –
    sparrows in the cherry tree
    unpegging blossom

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