Long City Sidewalks

long city sidewalks
the sweltering moon
aligns with Mars / b

past the lemonade,
my creaking hammock swing / gj

into the wind
the crew manuevering
to maintain balance / b

slow ominous circles
a broken wing / gj

hiking with Dad
my three steps
to his one / ah

captured tadpoles
in a budweiser bottle / gj

a brief glimpse,
a reflection,
vanished in the crowd / b

seeing my breath
feeling yours / gj

gaseous bubbles
rise from
the ancient pond / b

acupressure points
easing digestion / gj

on Joe Pye's weed
caressing
the sleepy bees / b

a honey colored
autumn dusk / gj

Completed July 7, 2009
Revised July 12, 2009

altadenahiker-Karin Bugge
bandit-William Sorlien
govindajohn-John Merryfield



First published in Simply Haiku, Winter 2009

birds-
children's lip prints
on the window

it's summer
and are you sentimental?
corn again

sparse shade
butterfly wings afford
the only breeze

The author's are assembling now.
As is our "tradition", the author's post an introductory
haiku prior to our renku...

Wild Onions

still night
a wandering spirit
stirs the wind chimes /ec

all alone now
a year I'd like to forget /b

clear and cold
every now and then
startled by a spark /bt

sock it to-um
a family motto /gj

elk tracks found
under the hunter's moon
good omen /tm

shooting star...
my thoughts return to you/ ec

conversing
in our autumn voice
snails and birds /b

apology flowers
their passion yet to wither /bt

low tide
she shows me
her stretch marks /gj

abstract art
not my thing /tm

ignoring the signs
a growing distance
from myself/ ec

close friend's return
back in touch with my heart /b

sunday blues
she sneaks up on me
the summer moon /bt

invoking the tamborine
a fragrant breeze /gj

sultry whispers -
warmed by the whiskey's
amber light /tm

sparks from the fire
eyeing the leftovers /iy

the hillside ablaze
california poppies
rolling unto the sea /ec

spring dreams
days etched in black and white /b

muddled footprints
they fade out quickly
in remaining snow /bt

dusty pick-up
turns into the dirt road /gj

crackling storm
the ozark highlands
rumble /tm

bucking in the far field
spooked horses / ec

wild onions
the cabin become
too close for comfort / b

wood stove
the heat of family scrabble /bt

high noon
a herd of lab mice
set free /gj

joined in flight
mosquito hawks make love /tm

songs of devotion
the rhythm
of her breath /ec

wind and clouds paint
infinite shades of gray /b

harvest moon
her lullabye
becomes a whisper /bt

dust of the boulder
instant mashed potato /gj

the sumo wrestler
calls his cat -
late night meal /tm

the spicy tuna maki
tastes a little fishy/ ec

the foreman's cold stare
a dog takes a last bite
of alarm clock / b

the flute raised slowly to her lips
decrescendo /bt

six perceptions
reduced by infinity
-white cherry blossoms /gj

afloat in tranquil waters-
songs of silence /tm

Completed May 31, 2009

el coyote
bandit
bluetoque
govindajohn
t.migratorius
irie yogini

the long journey home
a small pine
on the path

the heat of it
into my fingers
green tea

salty plumes
rise to greet the sun -
whale song

petunia-
the town librarian
talking to the flowers

withered birch
hidden amidst green pine
mistaken for ghosts


The authors are assembling now.
As per our "tradition" we post
an introductory verse preceding
our renku.

creek side camp
a trickle amongst
the stars

at dawn
the sky drained of darkness

Under the Porch Light

birdsong ~
I offer my love
a cup of green tea

tm

a sign in the leaves,
blue sky less hazy

b

smiling
while tea picking-
yellow teeth

gj

sipping slowly
my mind begins to drift

ec

crushed by the weight ~
memories of
moonlit snow

tm

just the right jigglement,
fishing through thick ice

b

haiku drill...
wake up
listen to the birds

gj

a new day unfolding,
I bow to the east

ec

sake at noon ~
questioning everything
I once knew

tm

a slow dance...
watching in the mirror

b

desolate window,
too frightened, wrong way
little bird

gj

crisp moon...
out walking in my down vest

ec

at daybreak
black geese depart
from this shore

tm

under the porch light
dad calls us all in

b

oiled wood-
puddles of rain
so separate

gj

her peacock feather earrings,
the new spring line

ec

all tangled
in blossom scented sheets,
laundry day

tm

wafting soap bubbles
lead us out of the forest

b

light shafts above
-a break in the pattern
releases the soul

ec

a sun dagger motif
and the smell of hail

gj

turbulence
forcing the plane higher
...photo of his wife

tm

their old 'kettle whistles-
one chipped cup

b

long shadows,
the cicada's song
winding down

ec

family on the mountain road,
a little cuckoo

gj

the mantel clock
ticks incessantly,
a fly in my coffee

tm

afloat on the tranquil sea,
baby's first breaststroke

b

here nor there,
the balsa wood raft
rocks me to sleep

ec

awakened by the milky way,
so it seems

gj

autumn colors
fade into gray,
waxing moon

tm

confiding in the scarecrow
a vow to change the world

b

pandemic,
the stranger's smile
contagious

ec

face off...
demon mask in the temple

gj

white cranes
practicing tadasana,
the misty lagoon

tm

writing in silence
with invisible ink

b

inspiration...
blossoms fall on my empty page
ever so softly

ec

i can hear you
many baby birds

gj

begun on April 29, 2009
completed May 6, 2009


T. Migratorius verses 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33

Bandit verses 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34

GovindaJohn verses 3, 7, 11, 15, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36

El Coyote verses 4, 8, 12, 16, 19, 23, 27, 31, 35

Green Tea and Bird Song dot blogspot dot com

morning star
a single ship
on the horizon

blue bird nest-
a gust turns a twig
into a twig again

work day dawn
mourning doves lend calm
to bird chatter

wisteria climbs

the old apple tree

first warm wind

Of interest to renjin:

http://worldhaikureview.googlepages.com/renkuforissue2

and a list of interesting links courtesy of Gabi sensei:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/happyhaiku/links/KIGO___Kiyose_and_Sa_001087608594/

The Long Journey of a Falling Leaf

riding the tide
swirling peach blossoms
- laughter on the shore

the black squirrel at dawn
digging up tulips

that clown
is my bodhisattva
-his pinwheel spinning

noises under the hood
an incessant treadmill

souls coming, going
a funeral pyre
licks the moon

exhaling, in cool night air
wind chimes

inhaling poppies-
bombs over afghanistan
come home

breathing you in
intoxicating

a mental note
to call his mother
graveyard walk

a deep sigh...
deciding to go on alone

the long journey
of a falling leaf-
do it again

the old neighborhood
city streets wet with rain

thunderheads
discussing their son
he's caught in the moon

plum wine and cedar smoke
- drifting off to raindrops

empty swing
between being and non-being
still swinging

skirting wakefulness and dreams
furry buddha licks my face

her father's grizzled beard
pops the red balloon
-cherry blossoms

startled sparrows...
her fluttering hand fan

a simple breakfast
as we wait for dawn
green tea and birdsong

a double kigo
sometimes hits the spot

two tracks
one follows another
but wanders along the way

unsettled mind
telling secrets to the worry doll

withered lotus
daydreams linger
into darkness

evening downpour
a rainbow flag

midnight prayers
amidst the echos
of Quetzalcoatl

echoes in the canyon
she won't return my calls

long distance-
we finish each other's
sentence

autumn deepens
companion book explains

lanterns set afloat
-my last friend
the moon

lights out!
a toast to morning glory

looking over
this dewy path
fleeting autumn

to be a flower or a boat
the path narrows

brush strokes-
the current quickens
it's pace

on wet canvas
the butterfly's flutter

under rainy skies
barberry leaves more red
yellow blossoms

warrior's heart
bursting from the surprise of birds


A kasen completed April 24, 2009

Authors:

bandit--
verses 4, 8, 12, 16, 19, 23, 27, 31, 35

bluetoque--
verses 2, 6, 9, 13, 17, 21, 24, 28, 32

el coyote--

verses 1, 5, 10, 14, 18, 22, 25, 29, 33

govindajohn--
verses 3, 7, 11, 15, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36

today's rain-
though tommorrow
turtle's sing!

Welcome, authors!

Shall we begin?

Greetings!  In the spirit of bird song allow me to introduce myself with a bit of tanka prose.

Our Easter Sunday was spent on a nature walk.  It was colder than expected, and clear.  The autumn leaves still trapped beneath a thin layer of ice, waiting to decay.  We brought along sunflower seeds and listened for the familiar tune of the black-cap chickadees following us through the forest.  Standing quietly, we were rewarded with some special visitors.

easter sunday

a black-cap chickadee flickers

from a bare branch

to my palm

and back again