Haiku Contest, August 2010. Page 2
The World Haiku Club
Haiku competition on the Theme of
"The Death of One's Beloved"
Page 2
Each Poets Presentation
Author Index
Lynette Arden
Pamela A. Babusci, USA
Roberta Beary
Rosa Clement
elehna de sousa
Huguette Ducharme
Irene Furness
Garry Gay
Rohini Gupta, India
Peggy Heinrich
Christine Howard
Liette Janelle
vishnu p kapoor, India
Howard Lee Kilby, USA
Richard Krawiec
Ned Land
Priscilla Lignori, USA
Tomislav Maretic, Croatia
Haiku for my cat Lucy
By Lynette Arden
at the front door
a man holds her collar
tin bell jangling
crossing the road
alone
in the glare of headlights
an unmoving body
warm in my arms
my face rigid
to bury my heart
a neighbour
digs down to the clay
new moon
I remember
her startled eyes
me kneeling
her on a chair
playing ping pong
finding
her resting cushions
in every empty room
her secret places . . .
maybe she
is hiding
concealing
unacceptable grief
I smile
crab-apple blossom
drifts on her grave
spring softness
By Pamela A. Babusci, USA
writing a letter
to my deceased mother
winter rain
after my mother's funeral
pouring blood-red ink
into an empty well
august moon
leaving a small bible
on my mother's grave
mother's funeral
reaching inside my heart
and pulling out a stone
By Roberta Beary
autumn longing—
on my dead lover's shirt
his initials
By Rosa Clement
early dawn
the rooster still calls
my father to church
thundering night
my father told us ghost tales
from that rocking chair
my father´s tools
still in the garage
eerie silence
the phone rings
my mother called
on days like these
the calendar´s
page not turned
mother´s gone
first puddles
my mother dreamt once
of this river road
full moon
I see only the horse of
my mother´s story
By elehna de sousa
death in the family--
nothing left but paw prints
and traces of fur
from night
to day
to night -- still
in my pyjamas
thinking of you
such a cruel Christmas
this year
mounds of dirty snow
everywhere
I search for signs
of your return
the bedding still un-rumpled
those doggie treats left
untouched --
were those your footsteps
I heard this morning?
sunshine
after so many days of fog
your paw prints everywhere
By Huguette Ducharme
dying father
a long-lost daughter
at his side
snowy Sunday
the light is beautiful
his last words
palliative care
the nurse lights a candle
after his passing
icy morning
we watch our steps
in the cemetery
white roses
on his grave
I bring one home
archeologist
I dig up
memories of him
cards of condolences
messages I cannot
read to him
mallard ducks
fly over my head
he used to feed them
he writes I love you
in the margin of the book
I wake up
his black notebook
my late husband’s
last prayer
a paper ship
drowns in the lake
my words of sorrow
door locked
my first trip
alone
By Irene Furness
sweet smelling
cemetery grass
our first garden
By Garry Gay
My father’s old chair
now my mother
grows old in it
Cleaning out
my father’s desk
a boyhood photo
His old books
now stored in cardboard boxes
father’s library
Father’s favorite pen
with it I write poems
with it he paid bills
By Rohini Gupta, India
old diary
a faded letter
words blur
prayers for the dead
a wave capsizes
the oil lamp
above
the funeral pyre
a falling star
day after day
only my own
footsteps
sleepless
a night bird
cries my pain
the faces
still smiling
old photos
its only the wind
I turned
expecting you
empty house
only the echoes of
bird song
By Peggy Heinrich
staring
at the seascape he painted
chilly night
the actor strokes
the woman's hair
my sudden tears
again, in the dream
I feel his anger at me
. . .but why?
By Christine Howard
His breath abandons
susurrant exhalation
her cries fade in the wind
Soft finger prints
left on my soul
absent your gentle touch
In quiet past
she resides in withered dream
soundless anguish
Shivering your soul
surrounds me, my breath vapor
bids goodbye
In boxed repose
under a willow
pearl of my hearts rests
She kneels quietly
weeping with the sparrow
for my forgetfulness
We choose our mothers
I picked you
now say farewell
amid indigo dreams
echoes haunt
(where is the Taj Mahal?)
By Liette Janelle
On Christmas Eve
white horse and carriage-
Uncle's last midnight mass
Church bells ring three times
his baptism-marriage-funeral
for beloved father
Flowers for myself
end up
in the hands of widow
A pot of shamrocks
at the funeral parlor
for an Irish friend
The caboose passes
for the last time before me
return in ashes
vishnu p kapoor, India
1.
after spring/that scent, when/there is no scent
2.
first fallen leaf/for my late wife/no separation
3.
her passing away/ in this crowded world/left alone
4.
no, she's not gone/warmth of her thought/here,there,everywhere
5.
without her too/life goes on/is it life ?
6.
firefly's fading gleam/memory of renku composed/with her eyes and mine
7.
winter rain/my companion for the dinner/her empty chair
8.
lonely path/before we met and/after she left me
9.
after the funeral/from the dressing table/removing her things
10.
yesterday's moonlight/reaching out for her shadow/bottom of loneliness
By Howard Lee Kilby, USA
"I'll be gone in a minute!"Mom pulls off the
oxygen mask--
moon in the window
When his mother died
Daddy cried in the car
I joined him and cried too
Why does it hurt so
when someone dies?
moon in the window
I lost the election
as Daddy was dying
November mist
on West Mountain
I could barely see the old pine
still standing crooked
By Richard Krawiec
Sequence
last holdout
I order the ventilator
removed
shutting down life support
losing more than her
it’s time, I say taking all her time away
missing
the beautiful wrinkles
of her face
fresh lilies
the sound of a car
leaving
so white the call of the morning dove
by the empty rocker
the dog waits
cloud-filled skylight
it always comes down to this
someone has to order
the needle
four a.m.
stroking the dog suddenly
not there
morning after
the sound of no
clicking claws
By Ned Land
Her usual smile
in the face of the Moon
recurs always
Il suo sorriso
nel volto della Luna
ritorna sempre
By Priscilla Lignori , USA
spider weaves a web
in the front porch - still missing
my mother's knitting
no longer counting
the years: mother's last photo
has not changed one bit
mother's belongings -
still inside the attic trunk
waiting for spring
summer day visit -
so cold the marble stone
on my father’s grave
face inside the lake -
resembles my late father's
without the trembling
a dead cat’s ashes –
brought home in a wooden box
the size of two palms
more durable than
the rock at the burial site -
sound of a cat's purr
the many willows
at the edge of the river
can’t weep without leaves
a dark winter night
comforted by the wind – trees
swaying back and forth
upon awakening
lifting the Venetian blinds
to a heavy cloud
By Tomislav Maretic, Croatia
old cypresses
leading me to your grave –
ah, memories!
name on the tombstone,
effaced by the rain –
no one, anywhere
I light the candle
on her grave again –
autumn wind
above the cemetery,
laser beams from the disco –
a soft cricket chirp
Author Index
Tonchi Mimica
Zoran G. Mimica
Vasile Moldovan, Romania
Aju Mukhopadhyay, India
Bernadete O' Reilly, Ireland
Zhanna P. Rader, USA
Geethanjali Rajan
Nancy Stewart Smith
Angela Sumegi
Jean Tubridy, Ireland
By TONČI MIMICA
1
Crna prostirka
išćekiva trenutak
svoje nadmoći
Black throw
Waiting for the moment
of it's superiority
2
Kroz miris svijeća
okupan molitvom
ublažava bol
Bathed in candle light
and prayer,
sorrow diminishes
3
Uvijek prisutna
naštimava kazaljke
sata sudbine
Ever present,
Death winds
the clock of destiny
4
Na bijeloj plahti
ostao je udisaj
zadnjeg jecaja
White sheets
reveal the breath
of the last sigh
5
Valovi stižu
neznajući za stijenu
mladog anđela
Waves rolling
Ignorant of the rocks
of Young Angel
6
Prijelaz svijesti
prema razini sreće
višeg kozmosa
Death - just a journey
of consciousness
to higher spheres of happiness
7
Ugasilo je
sunce, mjesec i zvijezde;
ide spavati
Death throws
The veil of darkness
on the sun the moon and the stars
8
Smijeh dječaka
izbriše bol i suze
svojim odlaskom
The smile of the lips
Of a boy departing
Wipes out sorrow and tears
9
Brižna jemater
istinu, put i život
sad dohvatila
Like a loving mother,
Death has embraced
Path, Love and Truth
10
Radost i tuga
kao plima i oseka
uzdižu dušu
Like high and low tide,
Joy and sorrow
lift the spirit
By Zoran G. Mimica
1
two sudden deaths
in my village
who's the next
2
when you last talked to me
i saw an angel of death
dancing above your lips
3
village karma
so bad
this season
4
why did neighbour Boro
hanged himself that
rainy easter day?
5
death
sorrow
regret
6
livia
i'm so sorry
for you
7
bobo boy
even the skies
loved you so
8
the god
takes the one
he loves the most
9
this year
death plunges
Mimice
10
one chooses
when to come
and when to go
By Vasile Moldovan, Romania
At dead of night
the crickets' chirp dies down...
peace and quiet
Dust and ashes:
conquerors' glory
of yore
Father's birthday-
at the head of the table
his empty chair
At the head of the bed
the candle blowing out
before my mother
Mother's body-
a handful of ashes
nothing else
Autumn dusk-
my mother's soul
to the heaven
By Aju Mukhopadhyay, India
your death-
everything’s gone with it
I’m vacant
that smell, fragrance
closeness, just not love-
I lost my life with you
bathed, half dressed
out of bathroom smiling-
daily face I miss
I can’t hug
grumble or quarrel with you-
death can’t defend
silencing all noises
my grumble and repentance-
you died
ruminating-
your death left me bare;
I’m vegetative
By Bernadete O' Reilly, Ireland
dying breath
cancer closes her eyes
june dawn breaks
By Zhanna P. Rader, USA
Grieving for my son Edward
(8 January 1977 - 5 January 2010)
Melanoma -
the warrior's last
combat zone. (1)
Three soft moans -
your heart stops... hot forehead...
cooling... (2)
Hundreds
of his passionate supporters -
yet cancer's the last word. (3)
His name called
three times by his squad leader -
the agony of no-answer. (4)
A rifle salute
then solemn bugle sounds -
the silence that follows. (5)
Lilies on his grave -
young Chief Warrant Officer
fights cancer no more. (6)
We part with you -
the grave-side solar lights
glow "good night." (7)
This feeling of guilt
that I could not save you -
cold winter rain... (8)
Tears
won't bring him back -
yet... my tears... (9)
You can't hear me weep -
this cruel finality...
desperation... (10)
My painful thoughts -
the long, gray winter days
watching over your grave. (11)
It snowed today -
your grave, warmly hugged
with gentle, white fluff... (12)
Tulips for your grave -
a flying Canada goose
honks its salute. (13)
Between
his empty house and his grave,
my sorrow roams... (14)
Visiting
your Facebook page -
my laments. (15)
Conference banquet -
I run to the powder room
to cry for you... (16)
My birthday -
March fluffy clouds
sail over your grave... (17)
Is there such a thing
as chronic illness of crying?
The bare willow strands... (18)
We gather pecans
from your yard - my tears fall
on the yellowed grass. (19)
Cherry trees in bloom -
in your vacant house,
sadness lives... (20)
My garden's first
daffodils change their address -
to be with you. (21)
I leave your last
resting place, walking backwards.
Don't ask me whether I cry... (22)
You come to my dreams
as a child, so cheerful...
Rest in peace, my son... (23)
A young deer nibbles
on your early, lush grass -
it leaves its hoof prints... (24)
Our hug by the grave -
the mom of her son
killed in the war and I... (25)
Cancer fundraiser -
I suppress my tears with a gulp
of a soft drink. (26)
Garden of Honor -
I sow my son's saved seeds
of forget-me-nots... (27)
First green leaves -
perched on a branch,
a mourning dove... (28)
I watch
your videos again -
you're so alive there! (29)
Facing your grave,
a wren sings from the pole
of the Army flag. (30)
Two rubber duckies
from your bath, so cheerful -
so sad is my heart... (31)
Our camellia bushes,
full of blooms, as never before -
we share them with you... (32)
"I won't cry, I won't cry..."
This lump in my throat,
becomes unbearable... (33)
You've gone forever -
pain, guilt, anger, love and longing,
my heart's dwellers... (34)
Garden of Honor -
from their parents, the stories
of courage and love. (35)
Talking to a brook
on this spring evening -
my aching heart. (36)
Leaving for Papa's
military reunion -
with you in our hearts. (37)
Four months since your death -
vainly, the spring's lush blossoms
calling you back... (38)
Tonight, a cricket
is watching over your grave -
its cheerful song. (39)
Mother's Day -
I bring fresh flowers
to my son's grave... (40)
Mother's Day -
a letter from your
Brigade Commander... (41)
We put roses
onto each other's son's graves -
moms of the warriors. (42)
Light rain
falls on my son's grave -
the tulips closed. (43)
Walking all night
at the Relay for Life -
in your memory... (44)
Fresh yellow roses
and a card on your grave...
we've just missed her. (45)
Spring night -
eight solar lights on guard
at your grave. (46)
The yellow hawkweed
turns to white fluff -
we part with your house. (47)
Baking cookies
for our troops abroad -
in my son's memory... (48)
Starry night -
at the cemetery,
a mockingbird sings. (49)
My bouquet for you -
gardenia fragrance
permeates the air. (50)
Father's Day -
my husband, too, cries at
our younger son's grave... (51)
Fourth of July,
and it is Papa's birthday -
bright sky over your grave. (52)
Re-reading old posts
of support for you -
re-living it all over. (53)
I live in a bubble
of my grieving for you -
no need for an exit. (54)
Here we are again,
your heart-broken parents
with our new flowers... ( 55)
By Geethanjali Rajan
summer evening stroll
only my shadow
remains
this diwali
our lamps remain
unlit
dawn-
the crow's caw
wakes only me
By Nancy Stewart Smith
pantheon
in her short story
only hades survives
By Angela Sumegi
your last breath -
the twitter of swallows
in our garage
paper kisses
morning, noon, and night -
your face on the fridge
By Jean Tubridy, Ireland
January frost
lingers in my memory ~
frozen by your death.
paddling at sunrise,
trousers rolled eating a peach;
waves greet your ashes.
the new moon is out,
phones bouncing down female line:
no, that was before.
bluebell's echoing
your perennial laughter;
woodland of Eden.
My Father's last plea:
Father's eyes beg,
'Let me sleep to the next world.'
How can I say, 'No'?
By Carmel Lively Westerman
icy roads - he’s dying
his daughter called
too late
obituary
his second wife composed
noteworthy events
urgent telephone call
his death imminent
five years ago
obituary
the first wife’s name
omitted