Monday 14 May 2007

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!)

Friday 4 May 2007

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

Wednesday 2 May 2007

Changing seasons...

Spring haiku 2007 is now closing

Thank you all for your contributions

Tuesday 1 May 2007

weekend treasure
bright orange Scotch broom
beginning to bud

Monday 30 April 2007

seeds and petals
scud across the pavement
laundry morning
above the dead daffodils
apple-blossom -
on and on...life's shapes

Sunday 29 April 2007

moonless night -
strongly smelling
the latest iris

**

nuit sans lune -
humant à plein nez
le dernier iris

Saturday 28 April 2007

cherry blossom
showers down -
polite applause from the crease


(cricket match)

Friday 27 April 2007

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

Thursday 26 April 2007

spring illusion -
on the bare dogwood
white blossoms

driving to work
pulling over to enjoy
neighbor's garden

Wednesday 25 April 2007

cherry blossom
floats on the stream
...plop of a trout
afternoon commute
weeping cheery tenderils
dancing in the wind

Tuesday 24 April 2007

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

Monday 23 April 2007

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

Saturday 21 April 2007

cherry blossom drifts
dandelion clocks
run out of time

Friday 20 April 2007

warm spring morning
chillin' with the dandelions
on the back porch
broken clouds —
our dog sniffs
the front door

Thursday 19 April 2007

Wednesday 18 April 2007

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]

Tuesday 17 April 2007

spring headache
the full trash bag of
old files
after huge rain
pansies shimmer in the lawn
next to dandelions

Monday 16 April 2007

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

Sunday 15 April 2007

sleeping shadows
stretch
the garden starts to hum

Saturday 14 April 2007

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

Friday 13 April 2007

a dilemma -
on the shortcut path
spring wildflowers

Thursday 12 April 2007

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

Wednesday 11 April 2007

cropped lawn -
slowly a daisy
raises head


pelousetondue -
un pâquerette lentement
redresse la tête

Tuesday 10 April 2007

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

Monday 9 April 2007

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

Sunday 8 April 2007

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

Friday 6 April 2007

the escapee flies
in goalless circles
ringed turtle dove

Thursday 5 April 2007

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

Wednesday 4 April 2007

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


- Stephanie Roberts
earlier shift
walking to the window
to watch the day pass

Tuesday 3 April 2007

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

Monday 2 April 2007

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]

Sunday 1 April 2007

april 1st -
one cheek sunburnt
one cheek chilled

Babel

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

Saturday 31 March 2007

ice-cream


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

gerald england

Friday 30 March 2007

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

Thursday 29 March 2007

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


Wednesday 28 March 2007

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

Tuesday 27 March 2007

spring buds .... the headache only background

Sunday 25 March 2007

New leaves
shine brightly
from old branch.

springcolors


spring colors
brighten my thoughts~
river walk

Saturday 24 March 2007

snowmelt —
the neighbors’ trash
in our yard
day off
the banker
counts his daffodils
first light-
spring rain spilling from pansies
under cherry tree


Friday 23 March 2007

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

Thursday 22 March 2007

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

Wednesday 21 March 2007

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

Tuesday 20 March 2007

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

Monday 19 March 2007

on stubbled grass -
the young girl’s delight
dandelions

- Stephanie Roberts

Sunday 18 March 2007

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

Saturday 17 March 2007

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

Friday 16 March 2007

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

Thursday 15 March 2007

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

Wednesday 14 March 2007

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

Tuesday 13 March 2007

spring cleaning –
my spider web
mustache

Monday 12 March 2007

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.

Sunday 11 March 2007

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

Saturday 10 March 2007

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

Friday 9 March 2007

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

Thursday 8 March 2007

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

Wednesday 7 March 2007

Tuesday 6 March 2007

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

Monday 5 March 2007

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

Sunday 4 March 2007

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

Saturday 3 March 2007

March —
a broken umbrella
crosses the street
spring morning
a man
whistling

Friday 2 March 2007

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

Thursday 1 March 2007

cold returns -
shielded by your big hand,
my heart
march winds
daffodils
lightening, darkening

Wednesday 28 February 2007

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

Tuesday 27 February 2007

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

Monday 26 February 2007

daffodil shoots



photo by mmm

 

puddling snow
in the streetlight's circle
rising winds

Sunday 25 February 2007

between snow flurry
and melted touchdown
the daffodils

spring cleaning

springcleaning_00

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

Saturday 24 February 2007

in the fourth watch
doing flower arrangements
for centering

Friday 23 February 2007

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

Thursday 22 February 2007

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

Wednesday 21 February 2007

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

Tuesday 20 February 2007

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

Monday 19 February 2007

City light off
spring in green pockets
noisy birds arouse
hint of spring-
squirrels chase each other
through pines

Sunday 18 February 2007

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

Saturday 17 February 2007

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

Friday 16 February 2007

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

Thursday 15 February 2007

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

Wednesday 14 February 2007

Love Day

in supermarkets
expanded floral displays
for the romance challenged
smoothing
its little mauve dress...
a crocus

Tuesday 13 February 2007

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

Monday 12 February 2007

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

Sunday 11 February 2007

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...]

Saturday 10 February 2007

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

Friday 9 February 2007

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

Thursday 8 February 2007

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

Wednesday 7 February 2007


colors of spring
Mardi Gras Bracelet
Song for spring

first light
sun calls to crocus
soon to bloom

Tuesday 6 February 2007

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

Monday 5 February 2007

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

Sunday 4 February 2007

gettting in the spirit
wearing fancy
Mardi Gras bracelet
among used condoms
and crushed cans -
daffodils

Friday 2 February 2007

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

Thursday 1 February 2007

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