haiku-usa

A blog devoted mainly to haiku and senryu and to thoughts about, and inspired by, haiku and senryu.

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Location: New York, New York

Haiku is to poetry as espresso is to coffee.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

crows

crows skimming
the unbroken snow
nothing more

Shiki Kukai, March 2011; theme: crow

Saturday, March 26, 2011

heaven

heavenly days –
Andy Warhol kisses
Liz Taylor's ring

Let perpetual light shine upon them

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

buds

first buds
the dream fading
as I tell it

First place, Caribbean Kigo Kukai, March 2011

Thursday, March 17, 2011

names

all the names
I'm learning to pronounce –
tsunami

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

shapes

cloud shapes
I cross out
a line

First published in Notes from the Gean.

Friday, March 11, 2011

after: 17

plum blossoms
red! red!
. . . red!

Izen ?-1710

A poem about being rendered inarticulate in his excitement at a natural phenomenon. What's got him so excited? Perhaps these will help to explain:

plum trees flowering
around the countryside
the only sign of spring

Rito 1680-1754

in nooks and crannies
you can still feel the cold –
plum blossoms

Buson 1716-1784

spreading my mat in the field
I contemplate
plum blossoms

Buson

raising my head
to contemplate the vast sky –
the scent of plum blossoms

Soin 1604-1682

for the one whose hand
breaks off a branch
the scent of plum blossoms

Chiyo-ni 1701-1775

after breaking off
a flowering branch –
no more hiccups!

Issa 1763-1827

someone is blowing
his nose with his fingers –
plum blossoms

Basho 1644-1694

The "after" posted Dec. 30, 2010 may cast further light on the issue.

For an explanation of "afters," see the post for Nov. 2, 2010

Sunday, March 06, 2011

shoreline

shoreline
what winter
has left us

Shiki kukai September 2010

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

After: 16

the evening bell
fades away . . .
blossoms' scent

Basho 1644-1694

We can use a little spring.

For an explanation of "afters," see the post for Nov. 2, 2010

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