Haiku 2004

Normally it is not so difficult to choose a single haiku poem from among hundreds of submissions because it does stand out for attention and appreciation. However, this time there were at least half a dozen top quality poems and when finally I distilled them to two I got stuck. Short of tossing a coin to decide the single editor’s choice I have decided to have both of them. They are both simple observation of what the authors saw and observed. However, both have the power and depth which make them special. Also, both of them are oft-repeated topics and subjects but the way they are rendered make them a great success. They are examples of haiku at its best.

a blade of grass

missed by the mower

wavers in the breeze

William Hart

Autumn wind…

the widow sweeps the same leaves

again and again

Zhanna P. Rader

a blade of grass

missed by the mower

wavers in the breeze

William Hart

*

Autumn wind…

the widow sweeps the same leaves

again and again

Zhanna P. Rader

*

Hunter's moon

swimming in milk

a cat flea

Eryu

*

atop the oak

songbird sings a single note

over and over

Gene Williamson

*

children in from play

the kitten sniffs the clutter

of shed shoes

Elizabeth Howard

*

windless night—

still the moon

moves by itself

David E. LeCount

*

snow clouds gather—

the scarecrow's sleeve

snaps in the wind

Chad Robinson

*

passing through

the spider's web—

ghost flies

Raffael de Gruttola

*

green sea

even in the shallows of the bay

white caps

Elaine King

*

outgoing tide

the mussels slowly

let the ocean go

Elaine King

From the balcony

see — a sliver of the sky

— yet infinity.

Isabelle Prondzynski

*

warm hibachi . . .

our hands touch

after the fire has gone out

Darrell Byrd

*

her scent lingers

long after her departure

—that wild rose!

Robin M. Buehler

*

high noon—

small the shadow

at the wall

Gerd Boerner

*

a night-fly

nearly cooked

with my rice

Zoran Mimica

*

curious fish

swim towards

my legs

Zoran Mimica

*

coyote tracks

crisscross the snowbound field. . .

mine too!

Kirsty Karkow

*

wrinkled moon

shines yellow—

among bulrushes

Izabel Sonia Ganz

*

this silence

how it picks up every sound

and carries it

james Norton

*

the sound of each breath

and the crunch of each footfall

companions on the trail

Gary Ford

*

Jerusalem—

a sparrow rests

in the shot-hole

Jerusalem—

v strelni luknji pociva

vrabcek

Alenka Zorman

*

back to school

the desks sadly filled

with sun tanned faces

David Wood

*

late summer clouds

a goldfinch holds itself up

from the feed bag

Bruce Ross

*

silent house

even on the porch

the nest is empty

Richard Krawiec

*

autumn passing—

the balding man combs

his goatee

Marie Summers

*

old black crow

in the winter sun

has a little preen

Andrew Shimield

*

how it blends—

the feral ginger cat

in a stubble field

an'ya

*

approaching storm

the drummer lifts

the tempo

Sue Mill

*

winter sunrise

frost crystals softening

the barbed–wire fence

Sue Mill

*

floating leaf

a red ant hurries

round and round

John Tiong Chung Hoo

*

sleepless night

scent of jasmine mingles

with her perfume

Victor P. Gendrano

(in Tagalog, Philippine language)

hindi makatulog

samyo ng sampagita

at kanyang pabango

*

Silk whispers

preparation of the wedding

soon the spring

Elie DUVIVIER

Chuchotis de soie

préparatif de la noce

bientôt le printemps

*

bursting with red berries

close to the stone crucifix

cotoneaster

Maeve O'Sullivan

*

spray and the seagull's cry

her elegant footsteps

in wet sand

Larry Kimmel

*

a discarded can,

rusted and filled with rain

reflects moon glow

Nancy Stewart Smith

*

wilting flowers

another grave

another bit of family

Brenda Roberts

*

below the birdfeeder

one white dove

among the wrens

Brenda Roberts

*

morning earth—

a snail’s track

slick up the frost

David E. LeCount

*

autumn Arboretum

in the center of a sundial

I become time

Zinovy Vayman

*

curtains flutter—

outside, the cry of geese

coming home

Carol Raisfeld

*

beneath the moon

nestled on a pine branch

one tern egg

Karen Dooley

*

chasing your shadow

along the bike-path

i crash into mine

Karen Dooley

*

on the branches

of its shadow

j acaranda blossoms

Karen Dooley

*

car door slams—

flying over a snowdrift

engagement ring

Olga Hooper

*

chilly autumn night—

in rhythm with the spin cycle

a lone cricket’s song

Julie Riggott

*

still visited

by a white butterfly

shrivelled iris

b'oki, Bette Norcross Wappner

*

mountain wind

the icicles

diagonal

Vanessa Proctor

*

Gods gathering—

faint light above

the site of two towers.

Tadao Okasaki

*

A wren drinks

from white chrysanthemums…

morning fog

Zhanna P. Rader

*

broken mirror

in each piece

the same eyes

Grzegorz Sionkowski

*

early sun

i n the last tomatoes

a jay's cry

Ann K. Schwader

*

a vulture flying

over the canyon

somehow pensive

Tomislav Maretic

*

into the gloaming

one by one the pipistrelles

drop and disappear

James Norton

*

spring

the trees

sing

Gene Williamson

*

sandpipers wheeling

above the estuary—

stranded spume

Maeve O'Sullivan

*

Moonlit garden…

one humming-bird moth visits

each spider flower

Zhanna P. Rader

*

near sunset

a mule-drawn hay rake

clatters across the field

Elizabeth Howard