Haiku Dialogue: What’s at Hand Week 19
Welcome to Haiku Dialogue — What’s at Hand Week 19 with Guest Editor Craig Kittner.
Let’s talk about haiku! Through June 26 we will see what 21 common objects can inspire.
Our theme for June 12 is a glass bottle.
Immerse yourself in the theme, then submit one original, unpublished haiku via our Contact Form. Please submit by Saturday, June 8 at 6:00 pm eastern time. Include your name as you would like it to appear and your place of residence.
By submitting you agree that your work may appear in the column — neither acknowledgment nor acceptance emails will be sent.
I will select haiku that make good use of the theme and that are likely to generate lively discussions. I’ll add some thoughts below each week’s selections to get the conversation started.
Here are my selections for a fallen leaf.
herbarium-
a fallen leaf has changed
its nameAljoša Vuković
Šibenik, Croatia
daydreaming …
a sparrow gazing at
the fallen leafAngelo B. Ancheta
space-filling line art – the folio of leaf miners
Art Fredeen
Prince George, BC, Canada
securing braids
with tic tac pins –
leaves fall and fallarvinder kaur
Chandigarh,India
fallen leaf
my son presents another
folded flagB Shropshire
TX
fallen leaf
a piece of time
we’ve forgottenC.A. Harper
excursion
a stray maple leaf
on the roadC.R. Harper
filling the void
of a fallen leaf
another leafCarol Raisfeld
fallen leaves
on the floor
her last bookDebbie Scheving
Bremerton, WA
unmarked grave . . .
a thousand red maples
offer their leavesDebbie Strange
Canada
golden anniversary
a fallen leaf
on the tableclothDeborah P Kolodji
Temple City, CA
family reunion
the wind returns a leaf
to its branchEdward Cody Huddleston
gardener sweeps
the leaves to one side,
the wind to otherEnes Kisevic
foglia caduta:
chiaroscuro attorno di paglia al sole
…
fallen leaf:
chiaroscuro around straw in the sunGiuliana Ravaglia
last year’s
last leaf
snowboundGreer Woodward
Waimea, Hawaii
a fallen leaf
the refugee’s hands
red with hennaGuliz Mutlu
estate disposal—
her secret recipe slips
from a cook bookIngrid Baluchi
Ohrid, Macedonia
falling leaves…
between you and me
gravity’s pullJackie Chou
Pico Rivera, CA, USA
a wind blown leaf
stuck to my window
a child’s handprintJo El
North Carolina
dead leaves in
rushing brown water
spring cleaningjoanb
NY
house clearance
between her poems
a skeleton leafJoanne van Helvoort
learning to feed
my future self…
autumn leaves fallingKat Lehmann
Connecticut, USA
last strokes
midrib opening
a fallen leafLakshmi Iyer
swing set
calling it flying
the arc of a maple leafLaurie Greer
Washington DC
tra i miei passi un piccolo cuore ingiallito … foglia caduta
…
in my steps
a small withered heart …
fallen leafLucia Cardillo
on the box of ash
a dried gum leaf—
our walksMadhuri Pillai
journal entry
that day
a lost pageMargaret Walker
fallen leaf –
not even time
for a hugMaria Teresa Piras
autumn trail
a leaf leaps
into a toadMartha Magenta
UK
leaf falling…
thinking about my past
how it settledMuskaan Ahuja
Chandigarh, India
fallen leaf
a galleon
on the rivernancy liddle
australia
dewdrops
resting on a fallen leaf
many moonsPat Davis
NH, USA
leaf on the floor
my bad haiku
missed the waste basketPaul Geiger
Sebastopol, CA, USA
cottonwood fuzz
and spiraling leaves
the meander of my pathPeggy Hale Bilbro
Alabama, USA
forest hike
a piece of autumn rides home
on my sweaterPris Campbell
a fallen leaf
I search for the lifeline
on my palmRashmi Vesa
heat wave
a daydream of falling
leavesRich Schilling
leafall—
my child asks
about heavenRoberta Beary
Co Mayo, Ireland
decayed leaf
its outline remains
our legacyRonald K. Craig
Batavia, OH, USA
the last leaf falls
after the other leaves…
slow stepsRosa Maria Di Salvatore
a green tea leaf
fallen from the canister –
brewing resentmentSari Grandstaff
Saugerties, NY
fallen leaf
the gold rim of cup
is wipedSerhiy Shpychenko
Kyiv, UA
spring warmth
the snowman clings on
to his fig leafsimonj
UK
fallen leaves . . .
a toddler breaks
the silenceSrinivasa Rao Sambangi
Hyderabad, India
everyone different
everyone the same
leaves through the rest home windowStephen A. Peters
crumbling maple leaf
last year’s remnant captured
by a growing bushSusan Bonk Plumridge
London, Canada
fall
…in
…….leafSusan Rogers
Los Angeles, CA, USA
ferrying home . . .
dragonfly on a leaf
on a kayakTaofeek Ayeyemi (Aswagaawy)
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
moist leaf on the ground
all the colors
of decompositionTomislav Sjekloća,
Cetinje, Montenegro
fallen –
a leaf on the tomb
of the Unknown SoldierValentina Ranaldi-Adams
Fairlawn, Ohio, USA
a fallen leaf
from the school notebook
summer breakZdenka Mlinar
The fallen leaf theme generated the greatest number of submissions to date for the What’s at Hand series, and the quality of the submissions was quite high. We clearly have a shared affinity for the falling of leaves.
I chose to put forth this prompt as we approach summer in the northern hemisphere, because I wondered what alternatives might crop up to the falling of leaves in autumn. Zdenka Mlinar provided an interesting one. A different kind of leaf falling for a different reason at the start of summer. Cool!
In contrast, Susan Rogers did the autumn season justice with three well-chosen and well-placed words. If spring can be in bloom, why not fall in leaf? Or, taken another way, is not a fallen leaf our go-to symbol for autumn?
Falling leaves remind us that time keeps bringing us closer to the end, and Rashmi Vesa captures this quite neatly in her haiku. It makes me wonder, if our lifelines were really accurate, how differently would we live?
But the changing seasons do more than remind us of time’s passage. Could there be a spring if there was no fall? Carol Raisfeld presents renewal beautifully as new life filling emptiness. Something life does quite well.
Lastly, I was utterly charmed by Angelo B. Ancheta’s “daydreaming.” It was nicely reminiscent of Issa. I can’t help but wonder, is it just the poet who daydreams? Or does the staring sparrow do so also?
With all these haiku, where does your mind drift? Please join the conversation below.
Guest Editor Craig Kittner lives near the banks of the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, North Carolina. He has worked as a gallery director in Washington, DC, and a program director for the Kentucky Arts Council. He took second prize in the North Carolina Poetry Society Bloodroot Haiku Award for 2019.
Katherine Munro lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and publishes under the name kjmunro. She is Membership Secretary for Haiku Canada and an Associate Member of the League of Canadian Poets. She co-edited an anthology of crime-themed haiku called Body of Evidence: a collection of killer ’ku.
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family reunion
the wind returns a leaf
to its branch
Edward Cody Huddleston
I enjoyed this one so much I will read it on the haiku pea podcast on the 15th July. Crediting Mr Huddleston and Haiku Dialogue, of course.
filling the void
of a fallen leaf
another leaf
Carol Raisfeld
this is so beautiful, the healing of nature….Carol Raisfeld.
I am reminded, too, that sometimes….when i work with my herbs, ie. basil….i remove the bottom leaves of a living branch, dip the stem in water and very soon roots grow from where the leaves were removed. And then a whole new plant is formed.
I can’t pick a favorite this week – way too many great ones!
Thank you for including my haiku. My favorites are these:
filling the void
of a fallen leaf
another leaf
Carol Raisfeld
falling leaves…
between you and me
gravity’s pull
Jackie Chou
autumn trail
a leaf leaps
into a toad
Martha Magenta
I love how gravity pulls at the falling leaf and suggests the pull between two people in
falling leaves
between you and me
gtavity’s pull
–jackie chou
and I love the leap from falling leaves to heaven..the child’s unspoken question about what happens after the end of things
leafall-
my child asks
about heaven
Roberta Beary
and I admire this haiku which carries
so many shades of meaning…might be a gold leaf that fell and was used as symbolic decoration or maybe the celebration is outside under golden trees and the leaf just fell among the dishes:
golden anniversary
a fallen leaf
on the tablecloth
Deborah P. Kolodji
and I loved the flight of swing and leaf
in his haiku of synchronicity
swing set
calling it flying
the arc of a maple leaf
Laurie Greer
so many wonderful haiku this week
should have read “this haiku of synchronicity”
Thank you, Susan, for appreciating my haiku, and thank you, Craig, for including it this week. So proud to be among all this great work. Looking forward to next week’s selection.
Dear Craig,
Greetings. Going through all powerful. This week my special of many wonderful ones
the following
filling the void
of a fallen leaf
another leaf
Carol Raisfeld
I hit “send” too soon. There are so many poems worthy of comment here but three others especially reached out to me –
family reunion
the wind returns a leaf
to its branch
Edward Cody Huddleston
The memory of many family reunions – and far too many missed.
……
falling leaves…
between you and me
gravity’s pull
Jackie Chou
Perhaps the author is referring to aging – or to something about the pull of “energy” or attraction between two people? Interesting to contemplate as I read and re-read it.
……….
fallen leaf
my son presents another
folded flag
B. Shropshire
A sight seen far too often – and so vividly presented here.
I found this piece especially touching today. Too often we seem to lose sight of the Canadian and Australian men who gave their lives on D-Day.
unmarked grave . . .
a thousand red maples
offer their leaves
Debbie Strange
Canada
this one is amazing, thank you Debbie Strange for the gift of reading this fabulous haiku. And congrats for your win and other contributions in the otherworldly intergalactic haiku space theme video game.
Thanks so much, Wendy, and congratulations to you, too!
Thanks kindly for commenting, Margaret!
Thank you Craig for including my poem ! Thanks everyone! Lots of love
This does indeed read like a collection. You’ve organized it beautifully to flow from one to another. So many wonderful ones but here are my favorites. And thanks for including my haiku.
fallen leaf
a piece of time
we’ve forgotten
C.A. Harper
.
I love the connection here between lost memories and the natural passage of time represented by the leaf. Nice one!
.
.
unmarked grave . . .
a thousand red maples
offer their leaves
Debbie Strange
Canada
.
Debbie, you’ve given us a beautiful tribute to those lost in battle. The red of the maples, the fallen leaves like the fallen soldiers, and a reminder to remove our hats in respect for their loss. Especially poignant today.
.
.
swing set
calling it flying
the arc of a maple leaf
Laurie Greer
Washington DC
.
What a wonderful image you’ve created Laurie! That wild feeling of almost breaking free on the swing. Thanks!
.
.
fallen leaf
a galleon
on the river
nancy liddle
australia
.
Large to small. I never would have made this connection, but now, thanks to Nancy, I will have it whenever I see a leaf floating along.
.
.
thank you Peggy for your lovely comments and thank you Craig for including my haiku
I liked so many of these I don’t know where to start! This one especially grabbed me–“galleon” is such a wonderful word–I’ll never look at a floating leaf the same way again.
fallen leaf
a galleon
on the river
nancy liddle
*
this one, too–such a wonderful play on family trees, prodigal sons, and more…
family reunion
the wind returns a leaf
to its branch
Edward Cody Huddleston
australia
*
know just what you mean! No need even to say “leaf”
journal entry
that day
a lost page
Margaret Walker
*
so vivid and true and always special–
dewdrops
resting on a fallen leaf
many moons
Pat Davis
NH, USA
*
really fine–and it shows how important it is to hear these poems too. Sound/sight in perfect synchrony–and only three words!
fall
…in
…….leaf
Susan Rogers
Los Angeles, CA, USA
*
Thanks once again, Craig, for this wonderful column.
Laurie – Thank you for commenting on my “journal entry”. I am so glad you liked it!
I hope to make some comments later today.
thank you Laurie for your appreciation of my little galleon and thank you Craig for including my offering
Thank you laurie!
I was so happy with this haiku..it “fell” into me like a leaf. And thank you Craig for including it.
blessings
Thanks, Laurie, for appreciating my haiku! Pat
I wanted to give a shout out to Martha’s toad. We have cane toads in my part of the world. They are large and it may be an understatement to say they are ugly. They are large, have bumpy skin, and a mottled brownish exterior. I never knew what to call this color, but thanks to Martha, I see it resembles a decaying autumn leaf. I am very fond of these toads. Some live on our property. We have to watch our driveway. Headlights may freeze them up and you have to strategize to get them off the road. I’m glad Martha’s toad was on a more secure pathway. I love that haiku can send you into a different world or memory that turns out to be so rich.
I enjoyed the haiku in this series. Falling or fallen leaves are so evocative, the end of a joyous life.
Thanks, Craig, for including mine!
Thank you so much for accepting my entry and I’m glad you liked it.
-Angelo B. Ancheta
filling the void
of a fallen leaf
another leaf
.
Carol Raisfeld
.
The cycle repeats again – old leaves drop in the fall and new ones appear in the spring.
fallen leaf
my son presents another
folded flag
.
B Shropshire
TX
.
Poignant. This one refers to the U. S. flag that is presented to the relative, of someone who has served in the military, at the person’s funeral services. The meaning is there without using the words military or funeral.
fallen leaf
my son presents another
folded flag
.
B Shropshire
.
This is excellent.
The middle line pivot oscillating between innocence (of a youngster) and solemnity, and the obvious but profound link between the metaphorical leaf and symbolic flag.
All in a neatly packaged read.
forest hike
a piece of autumn rides home
on my sweater
.
Pris Campbell
I love the imagery in Pris’s haiku. One that most will relate to.
fallen leaves
on the floor
her last book
Debbie Scheving
.
I can see my 92 year old mom, “reading” an illustrated book on birds I’ve sent, and allowing it to fall to the floor as she takes her last breath. Strong image, Debbie. Thank you.
.
fallen leaf
my son presents another
folded flag
B. Shropshire
.
What a respectful way to handle a very controversial subject! Excellent poetry, B.
.
unmarked grave . . .
a thousand red maples
offer their leaves
Debbie Strange
.
Nature never forgets its own. A touching poem, Debbie!
.
.
No, I’m not attempting to set any records here. It’s just that the first time I typed all of these in one post, it didn’t post !!! So I reposted multiple times.
.
I could comment on many others, there were so many inspiring poems this week, but I’m sure addition comments will be forthcoming!
.
Ron
Thank you Ron. This has two meanings for me, and the first is similar to your image. Debbie
unmarked grave . . .
a thousand red maples
offer their leaves
.
Debbie Strange
Canada
.
This one has a powerful impact.
leaf on the floor
my bad haiku
missed the waste basket
.
Paul Geiger
Sebastopol, CA, USA
.
Perhaps this bad haiku was about a leaf. We have all shared the experience of writing a bad haiku.
decayed leaf
its outline remains
our legacy
.
Ronald K. Craig
Batavia, OH, USA
.
This one nicely illustrates that our actions can damage the environment and this damage can long outlast us.
Thank you, Valentina!
You are welcome Ron.
a wind blown leaf
stuck to my window
a child’s handprint
Jo El
.
I see this as a child placing her/his hand opposite a leaf sticking to the outside of a window (and not simply a metaphor) and the child showing wonderment with this action! Nice poem, Jo El. My favorite this week.
.
falling leaves
between you and me
gravity’s pull
Jackie Chou
.
A really nice picture of attraction, a force that can be difficult to break in a strong relationship.
.
family reunion
the wind returns a leaf
to its branch
Edward Cody
.
A very nice picture of the opposite of “fallen.” Returning to a family is returning to a branch as well as returning to your roots! Maybe this person had fallen earlier, but it welcomed back!
.
Wonderful poems this week.
Ron
Ron, thank you! As you describe is what happened.
Jo El
Thank-you Craig for choosing mine.
heat wave
a daydream of falling
leaves
Rich Schilling
.
This is one daydream I can get into! Nice poem, Rich.
.
a fallen leaf
I search for the lifeline
on my palm
Rashmi Vesa
.
What a great connection, Rashmi, between the structure of nature and our body.
.
leaf falling . . .
thinking about my past
how it settled
Muskaan Ahuja
.
Nature makes us contemplate our lives. Despite some negative past actions we know there are yet other leaves to fall with positive memories in which to revel!
.
Many fine poems this week!
Ron
everyone different
everyone the same
leaves through the rest home window
Stephen A. Peters
.
I visit my 92 year old mother in a St. Louis area Alzheimers unit each year. What an appropriate way to characterize her situation! Thank you, Stephen.
.
fallen leaves . . .
a toddler breaks
the silence
Srinivasa Rao
.
Whether a child or a neighbor’s loud music, one’s reverie is often broken. But it is not lost forever!
.
leafall –
my child asks
about heaven
Roberta Beary
.
I love poems about children! What a nice connection between different aspects of a child’s curiosity.
.
Nice poetry, everyone!
Ron
a fallen leaf
from the school notebook
summer break
Zdenka Mlinar
.
Schools out! Who cares? Nice poem, Zdenka.
.
fallen –
a leaf on the tomb
of the Unknown Soldier
Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
.
This tomb will always be remembered . . . in many ways.
.
moist leaf on the ground
all the colors
of decomposition
Tomislav Sjekloca
.
As a volunteer at the Cincinnati Nature Center, I see decomposition all the time. Nature can be beautiful, even in death.
.
Nice poetry.
Ron
Thank-you for commenting on mine, Ron.
Thanks for the comment to Mr. Ronald Craig! I’m looking forward! 💞
Thank you very much for the comment, Ronald!
Thank you Craig for including my haiku on fallen leaf this week! It was interesting to have fallen leaf as a theme. Sometimes writing a haiku out of season, relying on memory, can lead to more reflective haiku, at least for me. Direct perception often stymies me. I particularly liked
a fallen leaf
from the school notebook
summer break
Zdenka Mlinar
fallen –
a leaf on the tomb
of the Unknown Soldier
Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
Fairlawn, Ohio, USA
golden anniversary
a fallen leaf
on the tablecloth
Deborah P Kolodji
Temple City, CA
last year’s
last leaf
snowbound
Greer Woodward
Waimea, Hawaii
I am glad you liked mine, Greer.
Dear Sari Grandstalf, thank you! ❤️
Sorry, dear Sari, GRANDSTAFF! 🙂
Wow, this read like a collection this week. I enjoyed each one. Thank you for including mine.
.
moist leaf on the ground
all the colors
of decomposition
.
Tomislav Sjekloca
Cetinje, Montenegro
.
This reminded me of walking in wet late autumn. Loved “colors of decomposition” read out loud.
.
fallen leaf
the gold rim of cup
is wiped
.
Serhiy Shpychenko
Kyiv, UA
.
I imagined a cherished worn gold leaf trimmed cup, perhaps a tea cup.
.
swing set
calling it flying
the arc of a maple leaf
.
Laurie Greer
.
I loved the movement of arc with the swings.
.
fallen leaf
a piece of time
we’ve forgotten
.
C.A. Harper
.
This one prompted reflection.
.
And I related to Pris Campbell’s ” …piece of autumn…” and Stephen A. Peters’ “…everyone…” nursing home experience.
Many thanks, Debbie
Thank you for your nice words, Debbie!
Thank you for including my haiku. My favourite this week is:
.
autumn trail
a leaf leaps
into a toad
.
Martha Magenta
Thank you for including my haiku, Craig. My favourite this week is:
.
forest hike
a piece of autumn rides home
on my sweater
.
Pris Campbell