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HAIKU DIALOGUE – Under the March Moon – New Moon (1)

Under the March Moon with Guest Editor Carole MacRury

March (Martius) was named for Mars, the god of war, because this was the month when active military campaigns resumed after being interrupted by winter which was referred to as a ‘dead’ season. In fact, March was the first month of the year on the early Roman Calendar until around 450 BCE when January and February moved to the front putting March in third position where it remains in today’s Gregorian Calendar. Imagine how much easier it would be to make ‘resolutions’ in March with its visible signs of new beginnings and renewal, than in cold January. March comes in like a lion, goes out like a lamb. This reflects the transition from winter to spring and the changeable weather conditions particular to this month in the Northern Hemisphere. We’ll use three moon phases – Full Worm Moon, New Moon and Half Moon – to inspire our haiku. As we all write under our shared moon, feel free to use or not use the name of the moon phase in your haiku.

Below is Carole’s selection of poems on the theme of the New Moon:

IMAGE CREDIT: Burst, Nick Chung

My thanks to all who submitted haiku for the New Moon prompt. You were invited to “let the stars, the equinox and the quiet contemplation of a moonless night inspire your haiku” and you did just that. I received many poems that reflected on self, on loved ones and our place in the universe. I could feel a common thread throughout many of the poems in the way they expressed how we feel when we contemplate the vastness of space. Several poems incorporated sound into a starlit night, from a childhood lullaby to songs of the sea; from a rumbling train to sirens on the street; from a nightingale’s song to the hum of mosquitoes. Please take a few moments to choose your own favorites from this list. It was difficult to keep my long list reasonable from the 300 or so poems I received, and I encourage all whose poems are not on this list to submit them to one of our many journals. Stay tuned for commentary on 14 selected poems next week.

spring moon –
grandma cleans
the silverware

Daniela Lăcrămioara Capotă
Romania

 

moving to the next phase of my life new moon

Rupa Anand
New Delhi, India

 

moonless sky
those bright stars
in mum’s lullaby

Samo Kreutz
Ljubljana, Slovenia

 

new moon
in some universe
she never left

John Pappas
United States

 

vernal equinox –
the apricot tree
still naked

Steliana Cristina Voicu
Ploiesti, Romania

 

mimosa in bloom…
a thousand little moons
on the marsh

Silvia Bistocchi
Foligno, Italy

 

new moon
filling the estuary
with stars

Keith Evetts
Thames Ditton UK

 

first crescent
the buck’s
velvet antlers

Charles Harper
Yokohama

 

new moon
with my child
some of my childhood too

Stephen A. Peters
Bellingham, WA

 

coming to understand
the dark side of my father –
New Moon

Hla Yin Mon
Yangon, Myanmar

 

new moon
a rabbit jumps out
of her picture book

Keiko Izawa
Japan

 

bite by bite …
nothing left behind
of the moon cake

Deborah Karl-Brandt
Bonn, Germany

 

to find myself
through telescopic vastness . ..
new moon darkness

Alfred Booth
Lyon, France

 

counting stars
beneath a missing moon
we sail on diamonds

Pris Campbell
US

 

new moon I forget how old the world is

Srini S
Rishi Valley, India

 

starlight
on the river waters
a boatman’s song

Ravi Kiran
India

 

moonless night
yet the town hall brightened
with candles flickering

Wai Mei Wong
Toronto, Canada

 

New moon-
the lack of something brighter
than itself

Sarah Davies
UK

 

new moon
an extra lamp
in the temple

Baisali Chatterjee Dutt
Kolkata, India

 

new moon
God’s presence in
absence

Richard Straw
Cary, North Carolina

 

the train’s rumble fades
into the evening sky
new moon

John S Green
Bellingham, Washington

 

I leave the lights on
for my old friend –
the new moon

Sari Grandstaff
Saugerties, NY, USA

 

north star
searching in vain
for my southern cross

Louise Hopewell
Australia

 

dark side of the moon…
meet the dark side
of us

Tony Williams
Scotland, UK

 

moonless sky–
flashing on the street
paramedic sirens

Tuyet Van Do
Australia

 

new moon letting her have you

Susan Burch
Hagerstown, MD

 

a candle flutters
on the veranda table –
young moon

Tomislav Maretić
Zagreb, Croatia

 

new moon
I take a longer look
at the stars

Sharon Ferrante
Daytona Beach FL USA

 

tonight’s scrabble play
a blank tile—
new moon’s arrival

Suzanne Leaf-Brock
Ames, Iowa

 

new moon
I agree to stop
moonlighting

Padma Rajeswari
Mumbai, India

 

new moon
all the stories
mom never told

Neena Singh
India

 

still somewhere
mother’s aura
moonless night

Arvinder Kaur
Chandigarh, India

 

new pink moon
finding my north star
in cherry blossoms

Daya Bhat
India

 

star-struck
the evening star
in the morning

Jagajit Salam
Imphal, India

 

new moon
I learn to love
myself

Nisha Raviprasad
India

 

spring petrichor
after long rain
the taste of first kiss

John Zheng
Mississippi

 

spring equinox
fresh mortar holding
old bricks

Andrew Shimield
UK

 

no moon creeping the length of the icy dock

lev hart
Calgary, Canada

 

a wrinkled finger
next to a small one
pointing to the stars

Kimberly Kuchar
Austin, Texas

 

an owl
swoops over the snow
moonless night

Ruth Holzer
Herndon, Virginia

 

I write and
rewrite my apology
new moon

Surashree Joshi
Pune, India

 

moonless night
Apollo strays away
from its route

Chen Xiaoou
Kunming, China

 

A thin slit of light —
the night begins to open
its single eye

Jenny Shepherd
London, UK

 

at the dawn of its self-hood new moon

Vandana Parashar
India

 

New Moon –
I book an appointment
with my therapist

Ana Drobot
Romania

 

new moon–
the night like pages missing
from a poetry book

Teiichi Suzuki
Japan

 

new moon –
in the fisherman’s net
song of the sea

Nicole Pottier
France

 

new moon
dimming the lights
for the entr’acte

Laurie Greer
Washington, DC

 

day moon—
a refugee’s story lost
in the glare of The Sun

(The Sun is a right-wing British tabloid newspaper.)

Adele Evershed
Wilton, Connecticut

 

a glimpse of moon
after the sabbatical . . .
broken window hinge

Kavitha Sreeraj
India

 

Hidden moon
In the glow of the stars
the violets scent

Ambra Quilleri
Lake Garda, Italy

 

equinox moon
I throw last season’s regrets
six feet deep

Eleanor Dean
Massachusetts, United States

 

relaxing jazz
I take a new moon
refresher bath

Tsanka Shishkova
Bulgaria

 

The sound of my voice
Echoing through the darkness:
No light but the stars

Evan Spivack
Teaneck, NJ USA

 

new moon—
a ball of hopes hanging
In the sky

Dr. Priti Chahar
Agra, India

 

darker inside than out new moon night

Cynthia Anderson
Yucca Valley, California

 

new moon –
a twinkle of stars
in the puddle

Maria Teresa Piras
Serrenti – Italy

 

80th year
winding the clock
for more time

Caroline Giles Banks
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

 

no moon tonight the owl’s fixed eyes

Kerry J Heckman
Seattle, WA

 

they decide to plant
oyster mushrooms
–new moon

Nancy Brady
Huron, Ohio, USA

 

new moon
she curls around
an empty womb

John Hawkhead
UK

 

moon cycle planting
the kookaburra waits
for a worm

wanda amos
Old Bar, Australia

 

new moon –
the doe nuzzles
her first fawn

Patricia Nelson
Bethlehem, PA

 

the space between
a nightingale’s song
and the new moon

Annie Wilson
Shropshire, UK

 

attic window
the light through dust motes maps
new constellations

Jenn Ryan-Jauregui
Tucson, Arizona USA

 

new moon
the balmy night hums
with mosquitoes

Firdaus Parvez
India

 

new moon
the spring breeze
seeding peace

Lori Kiefer
London UK

 

new moon
10,000 steps to
catch up with my youth

Priti Khullar
India

 

apogee moon the situations that never change

Mona Bedi
Delhi, India

 

spring equinox
moon hides under a blanket
just like me

Damon Huss
Santa Monica, CA

 

blank moon
the we inside of me
on a starry night

Mike Stinson
Nebraska USA

 

new moon
the dark side
of life

Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
Fairlawn, Ohio USA

 

moonless night
the quickening
in her belly

Carol Judkins
Carlsbad, CA

 

cutting away
at the dark
sickle moon

C.X.Turner
United Kingdom

 

waning crescent…
a slice of pie
in the milky way

Madeleine Kavanagh
United States

 

new moon within reach sunrise skydive

C.F. Tash
Washington, DC

 

new moon
eyes opening to all the ten
thousand hidden things

Jonathan English
Washington, DC

 

a brook murmuring
my mother tongue…
spring equinox

Florin C. Ciobica
Romania

 

new moon
down the rabbit hole
counting my stars

Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo
Bombon, Philippines

 

new moon
without the trickster
stars shine clearly

Elizabeth Shack
Illinois, USA

 

pushing aside
his darkness with laughter
twinkle in dad’s eyes

Claire Vogel Camargo
United States

 

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

 

Guest Editor Carole MacRury resides in Point Roberts, Washington, a unique peninsula and border town that inspires her work. Her poems have won awards and been published worldwide, and her photographs have been featured on the covers of numerous poetry journals and anthologies. Her practice of contemplative photography along with an appreciation of haiku aesthetics helps deepen her awareness of the world around her. Both image and written word open her to the interconnectedness of all things, to surprise, mystery and a sense of wonder. She is the author of In the Company of Crows: Haiku and Tanka Between the Tides (Black Cat Press, 2008, 2nd Printing, 2018) and The Tang of Nasturtiums, an award-winning e-chapbook (Snapshot Press 2012).

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 45 Comments

  1. This Haiku Dialogue poem captures the essence of the new moon in March, with its delicate and evocative imagery. The interplay between the two voices creates a sense of connection and harmony, as they reflect on the beauty and mystery of the new moon. The use of the traditional Haiku form adds to the sense of elegance and restraint in the poem. Overall, a beautiful and contemplative piece that captures the magic of the natural world.

  2. Thanks so much for including my haiku, Carole.

    Two of the poems in this collection stood out to me for their subtlety:

    new moon I forget how old the world is

    Srini S
    Rishi Valley, India

    New Moon –
    I book an appointment
    with my therapist

    Ana Drobot
    Romania

  3. new moon
    the balmy night hums
    with mosquitoes

    — Firdaus Parvez
    The truth about a “balmy ” summer night. No moon in sight yet but the darkness is filled with the hum of mosquitoes. Nicely done!

    new moon
    filling the estuary
    with stars

    Keith Evetts
    Thames Ditton UK

    ah, that a new moon can be ‘no visible moon’ or just the sharpest outline of a crescent moon. The dark estuary filled with bobbing stars is a fascinating scene I’m familiar with from way back. Wish I was back there. (Tamboon Inlet)

    new moon
    a rabbit jumps out
    of her picture book

    Keiko Izawa
    Japan
    A reminder that we have the rabbit in the moon in Japan as well as in Australia. Australians can identify it by It’s ears, which stick up at a slant. Our Grandmothers used to point these things out to us. 🙂 But here it’s ‘new moon’ so we can see no sign of the rabbit yet . . . until this picture book surprise. 🙂

    counting stars
    beneath a missing moon
    we sail on diamonds

    Pris Campbell
    US

    Pris I wish I was there where you are. out on the ocean :
    —-
    new moon –
    a twinkle of stars
    in the puddle

    Maria Teresa Piras
    Serrenti – Italy

    A less enviable venue than Pris’s , but a reminder that the stars twinkle as beautifully in a puddle as they do in any sea or estuary.

    (just a few of my favourites from a lovely collection)

    new moon
    the March Hare pours tea
    down a rabbit-hole

    1. Thank you, Lorin. Unseen or not, the moon’s pull fills an estuary… I expected to find a few others pointing to tide among this week’s crop.

      I too liked Pris’ lyrical ‘we sail on diamonds’ although as a now-landlocked amateur yachtsperson I recall getting a periodic faceful of diamonds close-hauled!

    2. Thanks for popping in with commentary Lorin! I appreciated your comments on Keiko’s rabbit especially, as I loved that one but wasn’t sure why except that it reminded me of reading books to my own children and acting them out. 🙂 It felt fresh and original, but your comments added another layer to my reading. Your March hare a perfect response! 🙂

    3. Thanks Lorino. A small or huge puddle of twinkling stars in the mud… In the new moon, more wonder for starlight…

  4. Wow! Such wonderful responses from our HD community inspired by Carole. Thanks for choosing my train-ku. In addition to the many fine comments already mentioned, here are a few that stood out for me.
    .
    moonless sky
    those bright stars
    in mum’s lullaby

    Samo Kreutz
    Ljubljana, Slovenia

    The idea of a mother making up lyrics to lull a child to sleep reminds me of the many inspired words I have come up with . . .
    .
    new moon
    with my child
    some of my childhood too

    Stephen A. Peters
    Bellingham, WA

    Yep, can relate to this. Beautifully stated.
    .
    starlight
    on the river waters
    a boatman’s song

    Ravi Kiran
    India

    I like this romantic poem and the way the middle line acts as a pivot.
    .
    new moon–
    the night like pages missing
    from a poetry book

    Teiichi Suzuki
    Japan

    A fresh take on the moonless sky. I would prefer ‘the night’ to also be missing from the second line, however, still wonderful.
    .
    attic window
    the light through dust motes maps
    new constellations

    Jenn Ryan-Jauregui
    Tucson, Arizona USA

    I can’t stop thinking of this image.
    .
    a brook murmuring
    my mother tongue…
    spring equinox

    Florin C. Ciobica
    Romania

    Great poem. Reminds me of Annette Makino’s Touchstone winner,
    “long before language the S of the river”
    .
    Thanks everyone!

  5. Thank you dear Carole for this delightful collection and commentary. I particularly enjoyed this one for its insight and keenness

    star-struck
    the evening star

    in the morning

    Jagajit Salam
    Imphal, India.

    This one and last Wednesday’ poem too, reveal a sensitive soul.
    They are heart-warming

  6. Thank you Carole for also including my haiku in this nice selection. it’s really hard to choose just a few… they all give emotions.
    One particularly struck me by the juxtaposition: the moonless sky and the mysterious side of life…

    new moon
    the dark side
    of life
    Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
    Fairlawn, Ohio USA

    this one moved me, maybe because it happened to me that I started to understand a person after a long time… maybe I hadn’t tried before…

    coming to understand
    the dark side of my father –
    New Moon

    Hla Yin Mon
    Yangon, Myanmar

    Delightful mental image in this haiku:

    mimosa in bloom…
    a thousand little moons
    on the marsh

    Silvia Bistocchi
    Foligno, Italy

  7. spring moon –
    grandma cleans
    the silverware

    Daniela Lăcrămioara Capotă
    Romania

    I have memories of horse brasses being polished, though when in the year or how often are lost to me.

    1. Simon, I had similar memories too, even though I’ve left my own silver all tarnished as I never use it anymore! Plus the odd copper tea pot! 🙂 Another thing I enjoyed was the vision of ‘silver’ as it related to the object being cleaned and a silver moon. Enjoyed you sharing about horse brasses! Daniela’s haiku reminds me I should be doing a little spring cleaning too.

  8. So many lovely poems. Here are a couple of images that are especially striking to me.

    first crescent
    the buck’s
    velvet antlers

    Charles Harper
    Yokohama

    ~ I can see the beauty of the velvet antlers beginning to glow in the moonlight. The antlers are in a phase of their own.

    new moon
    she curls around
    an empty womb

    John Hawkhead
    UK

    ~ the woman’s body forms a crescent along with the moon and I hope her apparent wish is fulfilled.

    1. Thanks for picking this out April. I hope there are many readings/meanings you can get from this…

      1. These are both lovely aren’t they? I’m still waiting to catch a glimpse of our male deer with their velvety antlers. Won’t be long now! A lovely interpretation of John’s haiku too, April! I also saw the thin light curving around the unseen roundness of the moon. Lovely layers in this one. To me, it was full of anticipation and hope.

  9. Trovo molto originale l’haiku di Silvia bistocchi:

    mimosa in bloom…
    a thousand little moons
    on the marsh.

    Stupendo.

    1. Thank you Sara. Such an incredible image! So well crafted, without one wasted word and full of sound, bloom/moons/, and the alliteration of ‘m’ wrapping this up like a small gift.

  10. I enjoyed reading all of the wonderful haiku. Thank you, Katherine Munro, Lori Zajkowski, and guest editor Carole MacRury.

    The following poems especially resonated with me today. I’ll comment on some.
    *
    moonless sky
    those bright stars
    in mum’s lullaby

    Samo Kreutz
    Ljubljana, Slovenia

    This is a beautiful and touching tribute to mothers/your mother.
    *
    new moon I forget how old the world is

    Srini S
    Rishi Valley, India
    *
    new moon
    all the stories
    mom never told

    Neena Singh
    India

    My last grandparent died last year, and my parents are in their 70s. This really makes me think about all of the things I don’t know and all of the stories that have been forgotten. Well done.
    *
    new moon –
    in the fisherman’s net
    song of the sea

    Nicole Pottier
    France

    Lovely! This made me hear sea shanties, but it also made think of selkies, mermaids, and water spirits. Have you seen Song of the Sea (2014 animated film about Irish folklore)?
    *
    attic window
    the light through dust motes maps
    new constellations

    Jenn Ryan-Jauregui
    Tucson, Arizona USA

    Gorgeous! And I love this creative take on dust motes.
    *
    cutting away
    at the dark
    sickle moon

    C.X.Turner
    United Kingdom
    *
    This one is poignant. The movement in this one creates a striking and emotional visual.

    new moon
    she curls around
    an empty womb

    John Hawkhead
    UK

    1. Loved your thought Kimberley, and so sorry about the loss of your last grandparent. It’s so true that the questions we have usually come up after they have gone. Same in my family…probably in many families! Love your comments on ‘song of the sea’. :-)!!

  11. So many wonderful haiku here on new moon theme. Thank you for including my haiku here Carole and thank you to Lori and Kathy for all the work on this haiku community dialogue. This one stood out for me as a unique take on the theme and hit me on that sort of unexplainable level which haiku sometimes reach:

    new moon
    I agree to stop
    moonlighting

    Padma Rajeswari
    Mumbai, India

    1. Thanks Sari. It is a unique haiku! Moonlighting (working 2 jobs) is such an interesting word! I can imagine how exhausting it would be and it felt especially poignant that this promise was being made on a dark night when perhaps we reflect more upon our lives.

  12. Thank you so much to Carole MacRury for including my haiku in this wonderful collection for ‘new moon’. And to Kathy and Lori for all you do. I picked some of the haiku to re-embrace from all of the fine poems in this issue. A difficult thing to do. Some draw one back because of being able to identify with, the imagery, the phrasing and word choices, and other. To try to highlight a few is to understand the challenges you meet each submission period, Carole. Thank you!

    counting stars
    beneath a missing moon
    we sail on diamonds
    Pris Campbell
    US
    ———–
    new moon letting her have you
    Susan Burch
    Hagerstown, MD
    ————-
    new moon
    I take a longer look
    at the stars
    Sharon Ferrante
    Daytona Beach FL USA
    ————-
    still somewhere
    mother’s aura
    moonless night
    Arvinder Kaur
    Chandigarh, India
    —————
    spring equinox
    fresh mortar holding
    old bricks
    Andrew Shimield
    UK
    —————-
    a wrinkled finger
    next to a small one
    pointing to the stars
    Kimberly Kuchar
    Austin, Texas
    ——————
    new moon –
    the doe nuzzles
    her first fawn
    Patricia Nelson
    Bethlehem, PA
    —————-
    attic window
    the light through dust motes maps
    new constellations
    Jenn Ryan-Jauregui
    Tucson, Arizona USA
    ————-
    new moon
    10,000 steps to
    catch up with my youth
    Priti Khullar
    India
    ————–

    1. Thanks Claire, I am truly blown away each prompt by the quality of the haiku. Any one of these deserve to be selected for commentary. And I’m so happy that all of you are shedding light on your own favorites.

  13. new moon
    the balmy night hums
    with mosquitoes

    Firdaus Parvez
    India

    spring equinox
    moon hides under a blanket
    just like me

    Damon Huss
    Santa Monica, CA

    I liked these two haiku especially for the images they conceived in my mind, but this is a strong issue in general. Thank you for the careful curation!

  14. quiet night to come
    new moon silent in the sky-
    cycle of rebirth

    Marius Alexandru, USA

  15. Hi Carole:

    Thank-you for selecting these wonderful poems. Thanks to Kathy and
    Lori for their fine editing. And thank-you for including my haiku.
    It is quite difficult to choose a poem as I find them all so beautiful:)

    new moon
    a rabbit jumps out
    of her picture book

    Keiko Izawa
    Japan

    I find Keiko’s poem quite delightful. It reminds me of lovely evenings spent reading to my children.

  16. So many great haiku in this week’s collection. One that really resonated with me with a first read was
    new moon
    I take a longer look
    at the stars

    Sharon Ferrante
    Daytona Beach FL USA
    but then last Friday the night sky was clear of clouds and the constellations just popped. I just looked up and marveled at all the stars.

    Thanks, Carole, for including one of my haiku with all these marvelous haiku. I am proud to be among all these poets. Thanks Lori and KJ for all the work you do to keep this column going each week.

  17. Ringrazio di cuore Carole MacRury per aver inserito anche il mio haiku in questa lucente selezione.

  18. Thanks for pointing our favorites Tom. I’m sure the poets appreciate it very much. In actual fact there is very little time to choose the long list and the short list, a day and a night, so when I see this lovely list, I know that on any given day and time, I could have easily chosen to comment on them. Which is why it’s so lovely when everyone takes the time to share favorites and offer comments. I enjoy reading these excellent haiku all over again!! Thank you!

  19. So many excellent poems and so many poets I deeply admire.

    But I was particularly pleased to see the return of this one:

    a wrinkled finger
    next to a small one
    pointing to the stars

    Kimberly Kuchar
    Austin, Texas

    What a wonderful generational moment captured.

    1. Thanks for pointing out Kimberly’s poem Eavonka. Such a tender image in this haiku.

    2. Thank you, Eavonka! I appreciate your encouragement, and I’m glad this one resonated with you.

  20. A fine selection. Thank you, Carole and team.

    I particularly liked:

    the train’s rumble fades
    into the evening sky
    new moon
    —John S Green

    a candle flutters
    on the veranda table –
    young moon
    —Tomislav Maretić

    an owl
    swoops over the snow
    moonless night
    —Ruth Holzer

    …all of which allied observation, silence, change, omen and expectancy with classic haiku detachment from ego. And in delightful contrast, again the expectancy in darkness but this time with just a taste of haikai humour — we can’t take the lyrical for granted!

    new moon
    the balmy night hums
    with mosquitoes
    — Firdaus Parvez

    And I also liked:

    a brook murmuring
    my mother tongue…
    spring equinox
    — Florin C. Ciobica

    Subtle, seductive, ancient stirrings of spring; the “my” inviting the reader in to something shared by all who have heard a brook. (Although Tennyson did go on a bit)

    1. Thank you Keith for these lovely comments. I thoroughly enjoyed reading them as I’m sure the poets did as well.

  21. Each poem inspires a meditation…endless variations of inspiration!

    New beginnings in this fluttering’

    a candle flutters
    on the veranda table –
    young moon

    Tomislav Maretić
    Zagreb, Croatia

    A way to use the lack of light to see
    The little lights in the dark!

    new moon
    I take a longer look
    at the stars

    Sharon Ferrante
    Daytona Beach FL USA

    Endless possibilities a brilliant association.. the blank tile!!

    tonight’s scrabble play
    a blank tile—
    new moon’s arrival

    Suzanne Leaf-Brock
    Ames, Iowa

    1. Thanks Kathabela. I’m always amazed at the range of haiku moments that are submitted each time. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this lovely list of poems. I loved Tom’s ‘young’ moon with its connotations. And Suzanne’s blank tile….such an original and fresh haiku!

  22. Carole, thank-you for publishing my haiku. Also, many thanks to the Haiku Foundation, Kathy, and Lori for their continued efforts on this column. Thank-you to all the poets who submitted regardless of whether they were selected or not.

    1. Thanks for your contribution Valentina. There is certainly a dark side to life as your haiku indicates, and perhaps felt more deeply in the absence of moonlight.

  23. the train’s rumble fades
    into the evening sky
    new moon

    John S Green
    Bellingham, Washington

    starlight
    on the river waters
    a boatman’s song

    Ravi Kiran
    India

    new moon
    God’s presence in
    absence

    Richard Straw
    Cary, North Carolina

    moonless sky
    those bright stars
    in mum’s lullaby
    Samo Kreutz

    Ljubljana, Slovenia

    moving to the next phase of my life new moon

    Rupa Anand
    New Delhi, India

    coming to understand
    the dark side of my father –
    New Moon

    Hla Yin Mon
    Yangon, Myanmar

    new moon
    an extra lamp
    in the temple

    Baisali Chatterjee Dutt
    Kolkata, India
    *
    It is evident that there are many excellent haiku here and it is difficult for me to make a selection. It’s really hard to be a judge. The topic is inspiring, which is probably why there are so many good haiku.

    1. Thanks Tom! I’m always thankful when I receive such wonderful poems even if it does make the selection process difficult. I try to show a broad range of responses….more about diversity than judging. Some fine poems that were too similar to others didn’t make the list but may find a home elsewhere for sure! I’m just grateful for everyone that takes the time to send in a poem or two, whether they make the lists or not. Inspiration is always good.

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