Welcome to the November issue of brass bell: a haiku journal. This month's theme is TEA.
You will find work here by more than 90 contributors, from Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and The United States.
Before you start reading, why not brew yourself a cup of tea? Then sit back and enjoy this refreshing haiku collection.
Alan Summers
Ganesha's moon
the cabbie's last customer
smells of mint tea
freeze-dried tea
so much curiosity over
the moons of Mars
Ana Drobot
London suburbs —
fog over
my cranberry tea
Russian lesson —
small talk
over no cup of tea
Angelee Deodhar
bus stop chai
savoring the dust
of winter
after the funeral
even through sugar cubes
the black of tea
through the rain
from a terracotta teapot
the flavor of mud
Anne Curran
Scottish banter
over a cup of tea . . .
crossing borders
morning dew
an ornate teacup
between pot plants
Annie Wexler
summer on the kibbutz
strong tea at 5 a.m.
then we pick cherries
Antonia Matthew
when we're alone
my granny reads the tea leaves
in my cup
grown up now
more tea than milk
in my cup
Archana Kapoor Nagpal
ancestral home . . .
under the layers of dust
father's tea kettle
burgeoning dawn . . .
another tea leaf
unfurls in my cup
Arvinder Kaur
basil leaves —
a whiff of mother's love
in my tea
shared tea bag —
all those vows
now forgotten
busy haiku class —
the tinkle of her hand bell
announces tea break
Barbara Kaufmann
gray morning —
no get up and go
in my tea
ginger tea —
taking a bite
out of my cold
five o'clock tea
i sip the last bit
of daylight
Barbara Kane Lewis
brown tea stains
my grandfather's
old cup
Barbara Tate
heirloom
a teaball hangs
from the Christmas tree
wake up call
the teakettle whistles a hint of
things to come
high tea
grandma teaches me
the finer things
Bill Waters
a galaxy
spinning on the surface
of my tea
pouring tea
remembering the strainer
I forgot to use
the cosmic tortoise shifts . . .
after the tremor
a cup of mint tea
Bozidar Skobic
a bowl of sugar
and the worried faces —
drinking bitter tea
tea at the bottom of the bag
stored for the right guest —
there is not enough
C. Robin Janning
sencha
first tea in the new house
makes it home
for many years
I drank tea alone
mid-morning
Carl Seguiban
daughter's prom night —
dad squeezing the last colour
out of the teabag
Darjeeling brew —
the things
we don't speak of
Carole Johnston
in the new moon
silver rimmed tea cup
my mother's ghost
her fine bone china
forget-me-nots and violets
can't throw them away
loving the clay
her strong potter's hands
teapots for all
Caroline Skanne
old country roses the vintage poetry of tea
weeding garden . . .
the silver lining —
a pot of nettle tea
the poem
is written but
tea is cold
old tea pot
every crack
a story . . .
Catherine Rigutto
five o'clock tea
enjoying an earl grey
in my daughter's plastic china
tea in the garden
an unknown whistle
in the laurel
Cezar-Florin Ciobica
winter solitude
sharing a teacup
with a spider
Charles Trumbull
after the lecture
on the tea ceremony
we go for coffee
our special day
we don't reuse
the tea bags
Chen-ou Liu
over green tea
we share our childhood dreams
the scent of spring
summer moonlight
pours into my cup of tea
alone with stars
Curry Diamonds
(collectively written by 7 poet friends after lunch at an Indian Restaurant: Lydia Lesser, Mike Schaff, Rob Sullivan, Sue Crowley, Stacey Murphy, Yvonne Fisher, Zee Zahava)
not drinking Bengal Spice tea
talk drifts to turtles
and aging hippies
Daniela Lacramioara Capota
autumn wind —
painted on the tea kettle
an apple branch in bloom
Dave Read
slowly
letting go
tea bag
no amount of sugar
sweetens my mood
black tea
Debbie Strange
brewing ants
a rusted teapot
in the garden
incoming storm . . .
a swirl of tea leaves
settles in her cup
chai tea and sunlight spreading our toast with poetry
Diana Teneva
perigee moon —
a huge cup of
ginger tea
Donna Dicostanzo
sit down please and have
some brewed tea
let's talk about ancestry
Elena Malec
tropical hillside —
women in colorful saris
picking the tea
Siberian night —
using dry pinecones
for the samovar
Grand Bazaar —
the rug seller offers
hot apple tea
Ella Wagemakers
jasmine tea
the taste of the sea
in my photographs
pot of tea
I set our clocks
for winter
tea leaves
the things I do
when I'm alone
Frank Judge
the way of tea
bringing us back to ourselves
a moment of satori
Gergana Yaninska
tea with honey
the sound of fighter jets
surrounds me
Helen Buckingham
village tea-room
spun sugar roses
wilt in the window
tea dance —
his partner's smile
drifts out to sea
tea with lemon moonrise
Hristina Pandjaridis
a cup of tea
the warmest place
in the room
morning tea
winter flowers wither
on the windowpane
Isabella Loverro
steeped in silence
quivering tea leaves
carving pumpkins
scones and biscuits
scent of honey
morning tea
Jayashree Maniyil
distant mountains . . .
I slowly sip
my ginger tea
tea leaves —
how easily
you give in
Joan McNerney
my shelf has room for
five tea cups and
one square of sun
all my plates are put away
teacups hanging on hooks
the towel is still moist
John McDonald
tea with the abbot —
strawberry jam
on his chin
japanese tea-garden —
a rose
collapsed on its thorns
the dying sunflower
stares
into the teacup
Julian O'Dea
summer
and winter . . .
tea
always
in the house . . .
cats and tea
not now
cat! . . .
carrying tea
Julie Bloss Kelsey
rush to adulthood:
my teen sits in the bookstore
slowly sipping tea
every morning
my father brought me a cup —
cherry almond tea
Kashinath Karmakar
afternoon tea
with more than your smile —
scent of rain
Kath Abela Wilson
kept for years
the bitter tea made
of pretty flowers
rose tea
the lump of sugar
before your kiss
I pour jasmine
into a small landscape
mom's favorite cup
Kathy May
brewed in September sun
tea in thermos jugs
harvesting a hay field
Ken Sawitri
javanese gathering
how sweet the scent of
ginger tea
handcraft shop
thinking of divorce
I put back the brittle teapot
Kuheli Santra
frozen morning . . .
twice, three times
sipping my tea
Kumarendra Mallick
evening chill
warmth of her breath
in my tea cup
evening tea —
she leaves behind her outline
on the sofa
Lance Robertson
holding a warm teacup
against my forehead
my anxiety lessens
patiently waiting
for the tea leaves to steep
time not noticed
sipping hot tea
with my friend
in silence
Lavana Kray
old tea chest —
mom's garnet lipstick
on a cup
strong tea
over ice —
parting words
Lee Wagner
memories steep fragrant tea leaves
Linda Keeler
steeped tea
waiting for ice cubes
on that hot summer day
Lydia Lesser
a white cup with pink roses
too much milk in the tea
I am six years old again
Magda Banaszkiewicz
heavy frost
the hot tea
also breathes
Margaret Chula
earth and water
fired into a tea bowl
froth of green
host and guest
breathe together
powder becomes tea
Margaret Dennis
little one's tea party
sticky fingers in the
marmalade
Maria Kowal-Tomczak
chill wind
tea leaves compose
a new pattern
strawberry moon
looking at itself
in half full teacup
Maria Tirenescu
I sip lime tea
listening for the crickets —
moonshine
Marianne Paul
white peony tea —
snow so fine the night
has flowered
Mark E. Brager
sipping tea . . .
the madness
of spring
Marta Byer-White
leaves in a cup
past present future
told
Maureen Sudlow
tea master
his hands move carefully
above the bowl
grieving
a "nice cup of tea"
in her shaking hands
Melissa Moffat
copper long spout
nods to dragon and phoenix
delicate Chinese tea
Miriam Sagan
tiny teapot
exact size, shape, color
of a tangerine
my old friend
looks young —
drinking green tea
Natalie Detert
tea it cannot be rushed
Olivier Schopfer
end of our love affair —
you add a squeeze of lemon
to your tea
still no news . . .
steam escapes
the tea kettle
Pamela A. Babusci
tea ceremony . . .
the elongated shadow
of a dwarf daffodil
pouring tea
into a chipped cup . . .
loneliness returns
Paresh Tiwari
darjeeling flush . . .
I stretch my toes into
a patch of sun
reunion . . .
the teacups brim
with gossip
Pat Geyer
looking into the cloudy depths I think darjeeling
from her heart
she prepares a bowl of tea . . .
pouring her attention
camellias
atop the table . . .
high tea
tea leaves swirl . . .
in a cup the seer sees
a sore throat cure
Phoebe Lakin
wind creases the curtains —
the tea bag wrappers
shudder like dried leaves
tea time —
I notice the cat
licking himself
in my bedroom
two-day-old tea
and a sunset through green leaves
Pravat Kumar Padhy
tea garden —
the narrow lane
leading to the sky
Pravin Chandra Menon
served tea by Sensei
the mysterious leaf
opens up
delicate cups of tea
in trembling fingers
afraid to shatter
Raamesh Gowri Raghavan
bubbling water . . .
the feel of tea leaves
in my hand
still not speaking
the sound of the kettle
boiling dry
alone now
she pours more tea
into the void
Radka Mindova
children's party —
drinking tea
from a doll set
(translation from Bulgarian: Zornitza Harizanova)
Rob Sullivan
gaze fixed on details
spoons, saucers, and cups arranged —
practice goes beyond tea
Robert Henry Poulin
after their fight
her whisk roils
tea in anger
ah! the moon
so beautiful when
sake in the tea
Samar Ghose
in the dawn light
a moth asleep
on my tea box
singing the tea picker's song
like every morning
like her mother's mother
Sandi Pray
morning tea
i fold myself
in a sunbeam
green scented dawn
i take my chai
without clouds
quiet morning
my lips find a chip
in the teacup
Sanjukta Asopa
tea for one —
stirring in the emptiness
with a spoon
sipping tea
a bee
in the hibiscus
Sara Robbins
waiting for
the tea to cool
too hot for words
S.Eta Grubesic
the scent of herbal tea —
morning dew on the wing
of a butterfly
Shloka Shankar
tea-party . . .
we munch on imaginary
biscuits
chipped teacup . . .
the jagged edges of our
relationship
dregs of tea leaves my future
Silvestru Miclaus
mountain hike
in each backpack
a thermos of tea
the son marvels —
his father drinks beer
instead of tea
Sondra Byrnes
dark afternoon —
i sweep the shadows
from the teahouse
tea lesson —
i trip over
my ego
chabako in the garden —
day moon slips
between us
Sue Perlgut
loose leaves
stuck on my tongue —
the cup is clean
procelain cups
saucers that match
old-fashioned tea party
Theresa A. Cancro
tea ceremony —
steam traces a crease
in her obi
dim sum —
empty teapot gathers
their gossip
Thriveni C. Mysore
green tea
drives the
blues away
Tim Gardiner
a distant voice
the whistling kettle
strains to be heard
we exchange a longing glance our tea cools
Vessislava Savova
silent morn
my teapot is still
cold
Vibeke Laier
tipping into the
jasmine tea
drops of moonlight
in the evening of
a thousand stars
i share this tea with you
Victoria Armstrong
young girl watches, sips tea
ladies busy with chatter
death is in the room
later she understands
the only way to greet death
tea and company
Victoria Boynton
she brewed it for me
poured in a Wedgwood cup
bitter medicine
Yesha Shah
arranged meet —
the jingle of her bangles
serving tea
black tea —
the bitter aftertaste
of morning news
Yiwei Luo
rain in my tea but
I don't seem to care—
is this enlightenment?
waiting for the kettle to whistle
hoping to finish my book first
Yvonne Fisher
tea with coconut milk —
quiet evening
alone I sip and hum
Zee Zahava
pouring tea
into my favorite cup
rain fills a river
our separate houses
at the same time
my friend and i drinking tea
smoke rises from my teacup
where will i be
tomorrow?
sipping tea
no thoughts
no ceremony
Previously published:
Debbie Strange — chai tea . . . — Inner Art Journal (February 2014)
Diana Teneva — perigee moon — Mainichi Haiku in English (October 6, 2014)
Helen Buckingham — village tea-room — Haiku Scotland (Summer 2009)
Helen Buckingham — tea dance — 3Lights 3 (Summer 2010)
Margaret Chula — earth and water; host and guest — from the author's collection This Moment
Miriam Sagan — tiny teapot; my old friend — from the collection Dream That is Not a Dream: a conversation in haiku by Elizabeth Searle Lamb and Miriam Sagan, Miriam's Well (2014)
Mark E. Brager — sipping tea — haijinx IV:1 (March, 2011)
Olivier Schopfer — end of our love affair — Acorn #5 (Fall 2000)
Pamela A. Babusci — tea ceremony — Frogpond 24:2 (2001)
Pamela A. Babusci — pouring tea — Evergreen English Haiku (Japan) 12:2 (February 2002)
Sanjukta Asopa — tea for one — from A Blackbird Sings: An Anthology of Small Poems, by Fiona Robins and Kaspalita
