Welcome to the April 2021 issue of brass bell: a haiku journal.
This month’s collection focuses on Things That Make Us Happy … small things, major things, long ago memories, and current moments.
Poems arrived from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Italy, Japan, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States
Wishing you a sense of peace and happiness as you read the following haiku . . . .
dusk
the village lit up
in fireflies
Adjei Agyei-Baah
sparklers
on the birthday cake
the smiles
ai li
your proposal
the clouds
under my feet
ai li
playing soccer
in the alley at night
nearly noiseless
Alan Bern
pillow fight
a feather escapes
to the moon
Alan Summers
I starch my crinolines
in the bathroom sink
spring in bloom
Alexis Rotella
morning geese
I eavesdrop on
their conversation
Alexis Rotella
hand in hand we go
whistling our song
wedding anniversary
Amauri Solon
nothing more beautiful
than to hold you in my arms
little baby
Angela Giordano
to stay at home
with books and good music —
sweet at night
Angela Giordano
black and white goat
takes apple slices carefully
from my fingers
Antonia Matthew
morning stroll
I hum a tune
to my old dog
Barbara Tate
cotton candy
the taste of a rainbow
at the fair
Barbara Tate
cloudburst!
running for shelter
laughing
Bill Waters
out in the rain
that girl who twirls
her umbrella
Bill Waters
big sister
sipping warm beer through a straw
the life of the party
Blue Waters
summer days
turning the crank
on the ice cream churn
Brad Bennett
moss between
maple tree roots
I wriggle my toes
Brad Bennett
line cast
I settle into
the rhythm of waves
Bryan Rickert
the same poem
I write every year
first snow
Bryan Rickert
my brother called . . .
speaking of simple things we
felt our connection
C. Robin Janning
hyacinth
a second stem of flowers
fills the pot
C. Robin Janning
in the hemlocks
last year’s ceramic rabbit
stands tall
C. Robin Janning
four days alone
silent journey . . . who knows
what may be found?
Carole Johnston
wren song
at dawn the dog and I
stop to listen
Carole Johnston
mud on your face leaning over the dahlias
Caroline Skanne
as if seeing yellow for the first time primrose
Caroline Skanne
in dim light
the silence between us
her heartbeat against mine
Chen-ou Liu
knots of green
each day a little bigger
my apple tree buds
Christina Martin
dad and my daughter
popping bubble wrap together
my best memory of him
Christina Sng
curled up safe
under my duvet
small dumpling
Christina Sng
holiday playlist
dancing in the kitchen
with a spatula
Christine L. Villa
graduation
daring to pick
a yellow car
Claire Vogel Camargo
blue waves
loosening my hair
in the wind
Daniela Misso
prairie winter
a rainbow of tulips
at the market
Debbie Strange
country school
tumbleweeds race
us to the bus
Debbie Strange
a blue kite
meets the sky
running girl takes flight
Deborah Burke Henderson
twin boys
discover belly buttons
and each other
Deborah Burke Henderson
split open —
sweet potato
wakes me
Donna Fleischer
autumn moon —
“I love you” escapes
from my lips
Elisa Allo
plum picking
head-to-head
with a squirrel
Helen Buckingham
as if from nowhere honeysuckle
Helen Buckingham
first sight
of the crescent moon
baby’s smile
Hifsa Ashraf
a child is born
family members rejoice
rain and fog have cleared
Isabelle Loverro
inked diary
the self assured strokes
of my younger self
Jackie Chou
violets . . .
any time
anywhere
Jill Lange
robin
for a moment
on my Adirondack chair
Jill Lange
alone at the window
i await
kingfisher’s return
Jim Mazza
wind-slanted rain
with a great swoosh
my hair blooms pink
Jo Balistreri
bluebird returned today
to the house we built him —
a welcome neighbor
Joan Leotta
blackberries
with yogurt
for lunch
Joan McNerney
alley behind my book shop
the feral cat accepts
its first pet
John J. Dunphy
online discovery
the book I thought worthless
earmarked to pay my utilities
John J. Dunphy
windy fells —
the best coffee ever
out of a plastic mug
Karen Hoy
thumbs up
through each car window
our second dose
Kath Abela Wilson
vaccinated visit
abracadabra
our grandson’s a foot taller
Kath Abela Wilson
today my new knee
and I took a walk —
we visited trees!
Kathleen Kramer
a friend, a scone
a cup of tea —
poem without words
Kathleen Kramer
into a hot bath
I lay my winter body
and watch the steam rise
Katya Sabaroff Taylor
three cats just sitting
on my summer screened-in porch
with no to-do list
Katya Sabaroff Taylor
beret borrowed
from an old friend
warm with memories
kris moon
the warmth of the cup
as i reminisce
by the fire
kris moon
daydreaming
in father’s loud laughter
I cuddle up
Lakshmi Iyer
tangerines . . .
I share the sun
with a fisherman
Lucia Cardillo
soulmates
the quiet intimacy
of our long life
Marianne Paul
double-dutch
the bigger girls cheer
me on
Marianne Paul
big wheel —
riding my sister’s
old bike
Marianne Paul
lifting my mood
the uplifted flips
of a wagtail
Marietta McGregor
fresh sfogliatelle
the unfolding intimacy
of our layers
Marietta McGregor
face timing . . .
an iris
opens up
Marilyn Ashbaugh
hula hoops
she teaches me
again
Marilyn Ashbaugh
childhood memory
a bag of clementines
on my birthday
Marta Chocilowska
beach breeze
on my lips the salt
of your skin
Maya Daneva
bonsai elm’s first prune
anxious days
new leaves!
Michael G. Smith
mushy banana
just right
for bread
Michael G. Smith
a day to myself
no responsibilities
taking life easy
Mimi Foyle
a perfect morning
sunlight dances through crystal
spattering rainbows
Mimi Foyle
from branch
to heart
blackbird’s song
Mirela Brăilean
hot springs —
in the ancient tub
my ancient toes
Miriam Sagan
Grateful Dead
cover concert –
my tie dye dancing
Miriam Sagan
cajun dancing
at Tipitina’s
washboard rhythm
Nancy Shires
redone x-ray
shows i’m okay
sweet wine
Nancy Shires
summer lightning
the first time he placed
his hand on mine
Nancy Shires
evening snow
the smell
of a newly printed book
Olivier Schopfer
just a walk
in the park
children blowing bubbles
Olivier Schopfer
spring splurge
at the supermarket . . .
daffodils
Pat Davis
spring woods
alone with
everything
Pat Davis
cobalt blue
my budgie chosen with Dad
I name him Billy
Paul Beech
three thousand feet . . .
now I bank the glider
and dive
Paul Beech
late winter . . .
just enough light
for a cuckoo to sing
Pragya Vishnoi
sha do be do be do
band bus rumbling home
through the night
Pris Campbell
fried green tomatoes
my father and I snack
late in the night
Pris Campbell
his old letters
feelings come rushing back
as if yesterday
Pris Campbell
my new glasses
the landscape is all
updated
Rosa Clement
spring afternoon
my hammock fills
with me
Rosa Clement
a new hummingbird
between us a small
conversation
Rosa Clement
summertime
tiny cold waves
tickle my feet
Sherry Grant
behind closed eyes
her carousel horse
takes to the sky
Simon Hanson
spring shower . . .
unwrapping lavender
soaps
Theresa A. Cancro
perseid shower . . .
the aroma of popcorn
popping
Theresa A. Cancro
i stop my worries
join my cat at the window
to watch the new birds
Tina Wright
peepers rise from antifreeze
loud oddly soothing
first warm night the pond
Tina Wright
giggles back
and giggles forth
tire swing
Tom Bierovic
scent of neatsfoot
the hand-me-down mitt
makes another catch
Tom Bierovic
back to my book . . .
the embrace of a world
within a world
Tom Clausen
no names
but there they are
early greens
Tom Clausen
zoo yoga
a flamingo poised
on one leg
Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
dragons glide
through the clouds —
kites
Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
butterfly
how many ways to touch
a poppy’s heart
Vibeke Laier
my neighbor’s baby
grabs my nose
laughs out loud
Yvonne Fisher
three-year-old friend
calls me Yonne
leaves out the v
Yvonne Fisher
slipping quietly
into your room
YES — you are still breathing
Zee Zahava
Thursday, April 1, 2021
haiku happiness
