Frog Haiku

I kneel on the path
to move the frog to safety
but cannot catch it.

(Cross-posted at But Wait, There's More!)

Summer Haiku

If you would like to join a new summer haiku group, let me know. Some of you already have. Also, if anyone would be prepared to co-host such a group, please let me know that too!

between spring and summer -
a unicyclist wobbles
through the park

Changing seasons...

Spring haiku 2007 is now closing

Thank you all for your contributions

weekend treasure
bright orange Scotch broom
beginning to bud

seeds and petals
scud across the pavement
laundry morning

above the dead daffodils
apple-blossom -
on and on...life's shapes

moonless night -
strongly smelling
the latest iris

**

nuit sans lune -
humant à plein nez
le dernier iris

cherry blossom
showers down -
polite applause from the crease


(cricket match)

spring wind
mother and daughter
tangled in each other's hair

fiddle head ferns unfurling spring

[photo of "New Born Fiddle Sticks" by Orbital Joe on Flickr.]

spring rain
cherry and dogwood blossoms
rushing down the street

spring illusion -
on the bare dogwood
white blossoms

driving to work

pulling over to enjoy

neighbor's garden

cherry blossom
floats on the stream
...plop of a trout

afternoon commute

weeping cheery tenderils

dancing in the wind

the didjeridu
croaks gloriously
late spring shower

stars perch
in budding trees
the walk home

Philly Road trip
cherry blossoms and sake
with new friends

spring evening

the blind Tarot reader

sees a future

beneath green leaves -
plump fingers clutch
warm strawberries


- Stephanie Roberts

two starlings
steal a piece
of the seagull nest

park

April sun
all across the park
life sprouts

words by mandy smith
photo by lori bierly

last exam...
the unpredictable flight
of the plum petals

cherry blossom drifts
dandelion clocks
run out of time

warm spring morning
chillin' with the dandelions
on the back porch

broken clouds —
our dog sniffs
the front door

shout of a blackbird !
a flower falls down
from the forsythia


***


le cri d'un merle !
une fleur se détache
du forsythia

knees weakened
by the horrendous news
of the massacre:
the instinct
to pray


[written Monday, April 16, 2007 about the Virgina Tech tragedy; in response to One Deep Breath's writing prompt about energy or the lack thereof around us]

spring headache
the full trash bag of
old files

after huge rain
pansies shimmer in the lawn
next to dandelions

Manchester

K-Fed wanna-be
dancing
to Irish tune

pub time
talking
drinking

on the tram
happy fans
singing a Chelsea song

seeing blue sky
inside Manchester
train station

Wigtown, Scotland

on public path
cow and calves approaches me
I scream!

not graffiti
on the hillside
spray-painted sheep

curious old lady
wants to know
my martial status

along the winding
Bladnoch River
whiskey distillery

slowly browsing
for books
fun

sleeping shadows
stretch
the garden starts to hum

View from window

Slowly
the evergreen tree
has company
of bushes
in spring mode.

sidewalk sorbet

pink cherry blossoms

against red brick

morning surprise
new growth on rosebushes
first dandelions

a dilemma -
on the shortcut path
spring wildflowers

Easter Sunday -
my Jewish friend shares
the hymnal


- Stephanie Roberts

Paris in daisies
Birds trill in Romanian
Minnesota snow

(It started again this morning. Maybe next month.)

--Ardi Keim
. longs for the green .

lazy morning
watching the pansies
blowing in the wind

cropped lawn -
slowly a daisy
raises head


pelousetondue -
un pâquerette lentement
redresse la tête

Delayed

We have located
your bag and are making plans
for delivery.

(Crossposted at But Wait, There's More!)

cow pissing -
it splashes into
the wagtail's nest

time travel
crossing old Thames
on Millenium Bridge

finding my hero
1924 book about
Ernie Shakeleton

still in the outfield
boys fumble for the ball -
the batter slides

***

Little League baseball opening day is quite a sight.

- Stephanie Roberts

spring morning -
all the trills I could sing
if I was this bird

On Vacation

blue seude shoes
Elvis rides
Victoria Line

floating on Regents Canal
colorful houseboats
red billed ducks

Cameden Market
80s flashbacks
mohawk 'do

mind the gap
and dancing to
techno Bhangra

Easter Sunday
snowflakes sparkling
on trumpet lillies

the escapee flies

in goalless circles

ringed turtle dove

insomnia -
the moon already
a little less round

insomnie -
la lune déjà
un peu moins ronde

Impatience

Sunroof rolled open
to invite the warm spring air
instead lets in rain.

(Talk about making lemonade from lemons...
my poor car!)

so-called spring
cut to shreds
by a bitter wind

I blush -
woodpigeons mating
on our fence

spring rain
dripping from hyacinths
onto black mulch

at the boy’s hand
dangling from the stick -
brave caterpillar


- Stephanie Roberts

earlier shift
walking to the window
to watch the day pass

orange rhyming

The Avon Gorge, Bristol, South West England

I was up at 5am for an early bird walk, catching the pre-dawn (blackbirds) and dawn birdsong of robins, wrens, blackcaps, chaffinches, and dunnocks. All this was finished off with a big mug of steaming Rosy Lee and a bacon or veg. butty!

new boots,
and a rhyme with orange-
copper sunrise



Can you identify the speeding bird?


(all photographs by Alan Snappy Summers)

crime scene-
a witness speeds off
as I call in his car I.D.

P.S. everyone is welcomed to the Haiku Hotel Spring Kukai Competition! A link can be found at Area 17, on the side bar:
Spring Kukai details & link to The Haiku Hotel!

.

Opening Day

Garage doors gape wide,
spewing mitts, bats, and baseballs –
it's opening day.

(Cross-posted at But Wait, There's More!)

spring sunshine -
bee wakens me
banging at the window

warm spring morning
enjoying the blooming dogwoods
on the scenic route

that crying baby?

a siamese cat

April fooled

[4-3-07 changed "child" in first line to "baby," which is what that squalling siamese cat sounded like :-D]

april 1st -
one cheek sunburnt
one cheek chilled

Babel

At dawn many voices
birds in between -
at least they understand each other

ice-cream

not yet Easter
jingle of an ice-cream van
round the estate

gerald england

illness gone -
at the window her bright eyes
forsythia-lit

night rain

night rain
in the place where children play
leaves drip

photo by dijah
words by mandy smith

cool afternoon
moving into the sun
to plant flowers

maple seeds

maple seeds

swirl and spin in the breeze~

packing up sweaters

on still water
yellow swirls congregate -
pollen


- Stephanie Roberts

Spring Time

It’s certain
neighbour on balcony
funfair in town

morning dew -
every blade of grass
enlightens

high street sun -
wishing I’d left
my jumper at home

spring dawn -
the young birch
turns pink


aube de printemps -
le jeune bouleau
rosit

no snow this morning
on the mountain peaks
dawn mist

ahead - two companions
my shadow
my granite reflection

Walking from the parking lot
towards the theater
Blackbirds talk about spring.

derelict churchyard
headstones toppled...still
the daffodils remember

in one day
neighbor's dogwoods in full bloom
over red petunias

in one day
purple and orange pansies
float in new black mulch

in one day
daffodils lift their heads
to sing of spring

spring buds .... the headache only background

New leaves
shine brightly
from old branch.

spring colors
brighten my thoughts~
river walk

snowmelt —
the neighbors’ trash
in our yard

day off
the banker
counts his daffodils

first light-
spring rain spilling from pansies
under cherry tree

on the windowsill
hailstones waiting
for the next shower


sur l'appui de fenêtre
des grêlons attendent
la prochaine giboulée

very quick
spring walk -
cooler than winter

overflowing
azaleas, rose, & camellia shrubs
abandoned garden

smell of time
fragrance from
yesterday, today, tomorrow

flat sky
hangs so low
I stoop

plottin'....

garden center run
mobile garden supplies
filling back porch

after the storm

inches of spring rain

in the trash can

dead rabbit -
...all those fur-lined
nests

first light in back yard
new grass sprouts
peeking through the mud

Wellesley Square —
a jogging couple’s
matching wool mittens

first day of spring
smiles bursting out
everywhere

Spring's Eve

day before spring
freshly filled flowerpots
sitting on the stoop


morning walk
single forsythia bloom
waving in the wind

afternoon commute
new grass poking through
sidewalk cracks

equinox —
a lawyer faxes me
a copy of the Will

bristly flowerbeds
of daffodils -
at night stealthily


plates-bandes hérissées
de jonquilles -
la nuit à pas de loup

warm afternoon
first wave of mobile garden
potted pansies

on stubbled grass -
the young girl’s delight
dandelions

- Stephanie Roberts

first snow
on the warm branches
melting

neighbour's thin smile...
his forsythia yellower
than mine?

moonless night -
the magnolia enlightens
the street


nuit sans lune -
le magnolia
éclaire la rue

magpies

two magpies fight
from the roof opposite
a third watches

gerald england

over clouds
always heavenly treasures
always creation

Photo: Gabriel Ivanescu
Text: Andrei Dorian Gheorghe

The Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy-SARM invites you to visit Comet McNaught Haiku

"Kiss Me I'm Irish!"
the button on the snow

shoveler's parka


Happy St. Patrick's Day!

five days till spring-
slush blankets the lawn
under dreary skies

Many city buses' engines were filled with water after Hurricane Katrina.

Other cities donated their older buses, including DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit), which have yellow and white buses.

The New Orleans buses are white, yellow, green, and purple.

DART bus
now New Orleans resident
with new green and purple stripes.

refractions off
car windshield and sunglasses
I see my tiny rainbow

today's mail
rosebush that was ordered
new plant catalouges

March day

March day
out of the greyness
iridescence

photograph by phill deason
words by mandy smith

early morning mist
softens the start
of my day

mid March heat
a woman's painted toenails
at the check-out

In the new New Orleans -
funeral home
now a double-wide trailer

the little bee

dances in my shopping cart

hungry for spring

once again
spring brings green grass
to open fields
but where are you,
my memories of love?

spring cleaning –
my spider web
mustache

In other words part one

Spring laughter
and running feet
through the garden
warm wind and sunshine
in the hair of my neighbours’ kid


In other words part two at this place

bramble bush budding
deep down
the fruit's juices gathering

surrounded
by life after death~
spring grass

lost daylight...

I'm looking
under the couch,
for an hour.

village life
French Quarter girl
in Uptown girl's hood

dark clouds roll away
a crow drinks
from glittering tractor-tracks

sunday sun -
a lawnmower
springs to life

stretching
pale legs into a square of
sunlight

of the whole forest
remembering the tiny
ring of daffodils

the old lady chats

deftly handling her walker

the sunny side

daffodil sprouts
a spring
in her slow step

daffs in the lawn

daffs in the lawn
everytime we count them
another total

words and picture by gerald england

Anticipation

.
smug in your sunscreen
bare legs with iPod on skates
Minnesota watches and waits
.

...for my other poems of season and more
see River Tree Whispers.

tractor ruts
softened by rain
first buds

Your Haiku in Northern Louisiana

Click here for the details:

http://www.shreve-lib.org/images/Poem.htm

a wild wind

tatters the ears of corn

under a castanet of hail

angelee

staring at stars

imagining the scent

of jasmine

Philly Bound...

weekend plans
losing myself
in a remote Ireland*


* Philadelphia Flower Show

wash me, wash me
finger written words
on dusty car

new spring flowers,
blooming near the rocks
by the oak-
the same place as last year
and the years before

frosty morning
icicles encasing
new rosebush growth

On my window
the rain taps her fingers.
Musical day



And did you see this haiga on Wikifray? Isn't Sandy one of Spring Haiku's own Haiku poets?

In like a lion...

afternoon winds
bend evergreens toward the ground
flinging empty trash cans

March winds --
traffic breezes along
until the tunnel

* * * *

storm litter...green backs of sprouts

late bloomers
poinsettas and
Christmas cactus

surprise -
through mild air
the icy bite of raindrops

Plump buds
longing to burst forth
must be patient

peeking over
from cracked demitasse
green sprouts

spring wind -
the smile of a small
trisomic girl


vent de printemps -
le sourire d'une petite
trisomique

total eclipse —
the dog
has all the blankets

March night

March night
it isn't just the clouds
covering the moon

gerald england

A post-eclipse picture and links to other photographs can be found on Ackworth born, gone West.

my hand print

covers the moon-

lunar eclipse

March —
a broken umbrella
crosses the street

spring morning
a man
whistling

Tossing aside
February's blanket,
March opens one eye

Fluffy orange kittens
swatting at daffodils
sigh...torn to shreds

Friends are friends forever...

late night adventure
sending flowers overseas
to cheer up a friend

morning commute
bound forsythia branches
waiting to wave free

cold returns -
shielded by your big hand,
my heart

march winds
daffodils
lightening, darkening

traffic jam -
the wind turbine in the middle
of the rising sun


embouteillage -
l'éolienne au centre
du soleil levant

frozen cockscomb and eye
stare from the plastic wrap
my coat too warm

Happy birds singing
songs to the bight sunshine
Audubon opera

change in the weather
a shiver
through the ivy

after spring snow
tulips poking through dead leaves

blue sky
clouds race a first bee
across the pane

hungry crowd -
Lenten fish fry feeds
more than expected


- Stephanie Roberts

the last pilgrim
through the torii...
spring sunset

daffodil shoots

photo by mmm

 

puddling snow

in the streetlight's circle

rising winds

between snow flurry
and melted touchdown
the daffodils

spring cleaning

spring tide
surges to greet
my approach

lower and lower
the daffodils' heads
in the rain

Bird Clock

In Minnesota we only sense its coming. Robins help.

bird clock sounds at 20 till
yesterday's foot of new snow
robins sense a crocus

--ak

spring melancholy -
waiting for the raindrop
on the tip of a leaf

in the fourth watch
doing flower arrangements
for centering

coming home

coming home to an expectant spring

words and picture by gerald england

Winter is doing it again
teasing me
I had such hopes of spring

morning concert
free birds
singing

cloudy spring -
through my glasses,
another world...

All in a day...

great walk in the park
between fleece jacket morning
and thick coat afternoon

through the window
the crescent moon
...a petal falling

a swallow
at the window -
she spills the milk

Warmth

warm winter day
dialouges swirls in my head
writer's block thaws

magical motions -
remove two blankets
rains start

Snow whirls
Forsythia stands by
spring train is fast coming

writer’s block —
sidewalk snowmelt
ankle deep

crows and sparrows
hopping on bare lawn spots
amid melting ice

afternoon:

dripping snow melt
the low sun warms
our backs


evening:

frozen snow melt
across the slanted sidewalk
these old knees

relief

younger sister fine
tending to my own chaos
with a smile

City light off
spring in green pockets
noisy birds arouse

hint of spring-
squirrels chase each other
through pines

Sound/Smell Ku

The tornado that hit New Orleans last week passed a few miles from my home at 3:30 a.m. I just felt the some effects of it.

hard raindrops
in my dream -
hailstorm wakes me

blowing wind
strange
not the hurricane sound

With the Mardi Gras season in full swing, more people are in my neighborhood, because it's close to the start of the parade routes. People also invite family and friends to spend some time in the city.

smell of warmth -
barbecue grill
cooking hamburgers

jazzy song-
marching band
playing

celebration at midnight
muscians' notes at
corner bar

police sirens-
make way for the
carnival floats

I want to see your haiku

Hi Everyone,

If you post in the COMPOSE mode, even though the print appears bold, when it's published, it will be white and not bold.

If you decide to change the default color, make sure you BOLD your words and test it out when you PUBLISH it.

I have a new computer at work, and sometimes I can't read what some people have written.

I recently added some colors for my Mardi Gras haiku. The yellow, green, and purple were not "true to life" but I adjusted them so that others could read it. It took a few attempts before I could read it.

Thanks.

glittering tags
along the highway -
days get longer

des tags rutilants
le long de la voie rapide -
les jours rallongent

To see is to belief
Eranthis on my balcony
five floors up

trusting
the snowdrops -
my new shoes

no bird song tires spinning on ice

weekend plan
reward of escape reading
after chores are done

northern wind -
fine hail patters
on the shutter


vent du nord -
le grésil crépite
sur le volet

Thanks for your advices to improve my English or translation

this spring
no one to mend
the fence...

Waiting to Exhale

real bad news from home
tears watering new the new plants
keeping my chin up

spring morning
the daffodils
their golden throats

early spring
the blackbird sings
at twilight

Winter Aconite peeps
Blackbirds pecking
apples circle is broken

almost spring -
my son can open the door
by himself

unexpected thrill -
spotting our first
daffodil

frosty morning
poinsetta on windowsill
leans toward sun

so soon
the last pristine patch of snow
my terrace

nordic spring
above the rutted snow
yellow butterflies flicker

A STORMY PAIR

first snow, then ice,
then snow
walking on egg shells

* * * *

down the snow pile
into the street
skiing bag of trash

Love Day

in supermarkets
expanded floral displays
for the romance challenged

smoothing
its little mauve dress...
a crocus

the nurse takes blood
sun through the window
draws out the reddest tulips

snow haze the sun or a day moon

morning walk -
the meadow's restlessness
before the crocuses

cat's face
amongst spring flowers -
a dead mouse hanging

Awakening

weekend in garden
crocus spearing through dead leaves
new leaves on rosebush

Looking Ahead

patchy white cover
retreats slowly in the north
lion sleeps with lamb

waste ground fence -
children clothes
in the february sun

clôture du terrain vague -
des vêtements d'enfants
au soleil de février

Deaming

new plant catalouges
designing mobile garden
for my rented space

sun
on the frosted ivy
a green beam

early spring -
the countless springs
before the river

cold mountain wind
an old man's weathered face
in sunlight

spring cleaning -
after confession
the day... brighter

the crooked stack

of boxed clementines

a running child

[2-11-07 changed "askew" to "crooked," I feel the former brought a hitch to the pace and dropped out of the tone of the ku...]

staring
at the calculator
Tax Forms Arrive Moon*

[*non-traditional (:-D) name for February's Moon]

match day
vendors selling flags
multi-coloured crocuses

spring sunset -
the swans' feathers
change colours

spring harbinger
an old roommate
dances through my dream

Change of Season

selling the house -
telling the garden goodbye
before it wakes

When I returned to my non-flooded home in New Orleans on October 2005, the city had a 6 p.m. curfew for a couple of months. As soon as the sun sets, the Army and Coast Guard helicopters would start flying, searching for curfew breakers.

Now, during Carnival season, the helicopters are flying again. It's for crowd control and maybe, searching for terrorists.

helicopter sounds
not for curfew
so - a parade!

red engine sound
helicopter
the Coast Guard

before the fun
starts
helicopter circles the route

Many parts of New Orleans are still under renovation after Hurricane Katrina. The New Orleans Police force can't patrol all the city, so Gov. Blanco has assigned the Louisiana National Guard to assist in the patrols.

They are soldiers and drive sandy colored Humvees.

A neutral ground is the New Orleans word for any median.

When the Louisiana Purchase took place in 1803, the French and Spaniards resented the U.S. presence. The only places they could meet peacefully was on Canal Street, which had a large median and divided the original settlement from the American sector.

Neutral ground now applies to all medians in the city.

The St. Charles streetcar (or trolley) is not fully operational yet. Hurricane Katrina knocked down the electrical lines that power the streetcars.

The streetcars operated on one of the larger neutral grounds in the city.

Humvee parked
on neutral ground
no accident with streetcar

soldiers on dinner break
Humvee on neutral ground
waits

culture day*
rain washes the soot
from the poet's grave

*February 8, Culture Day (also Prešeren Day) is a holiday in Slovenia

soft wind blowing
away all data
handwritten info on dropped business cards

green patches
on his old trousers -
a break in the cold

new at craft store
plastic cherry blossoms
drape from display urns

snow and rain-
familiar faces wave
from a window

reaching for a vest -
cherry blossom
laden with snow

yesterday's snow
melting by first light
front lawn blushes greener

colors of spring
Mardi Gras Bracelet

Song for spring

first light
sun calls to crocus
soon to bloom

freezing
icicles and ice
...a chiming bell

Winter journey
over snowy roads
dreams of spring wander on

(with apologies to Basho)

Layer

Snow hides the sign of spring.

Pre-Spring Cleaning

after weekend chores
free time - meditating
and decluttering

frosty morning
swan buries its head
in the finest swansdown

the tease

tiptoes on treetops
lifting her skirt for a peek
spring comes to play

sudden sun
cracks my bones
into motion

gettting in the spirit

wearing fancy

Mardi Gras bracelet

among used condoms
and crushed cans -
daffodils

Sap is rising

groundhog day
first leaves on patio plants
kids skip with shadows

is it spring yet?

is it spring yet?
new shoots push on
regardless

gerald england

Ground Hog Day —
a head pops up
above my cubicle wall

looking forward
careful, not really believing
spring in its early stages

spring
slippery furrows
await the seed

Mexican spring
a round yellow leaf
rolls along the beach

an early Spring start-
a latté invitation card
for a wedding arrives

New shoots of garlic
breaking through the warming earth
thoughts of meals to come

Sandy

butter melting
in a bowl of peas -
it's almost spring