childhood memories

Welcome to the July 2021 issue of brass bell: a haiku journal.

The theme of this month’s collection is childhood memories.

Contributing poets sent work from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States


the shape
of our childhood clay pots —
puddle rain
    Adjei Agyei-Baah

childhood river
my reflection
lost to mud
    Adjei Agyei-Baah

barefoot
on the verandah
my wee footprints
    ai li

playing hopscotch
our silhouettes
at dusk
    ai li

my birthday cakes
have become
black & white photographs
    ai li

on my back
arms up
beetle soars by
    Alan Bern

we all shouted
GOAL!
even with no ball
    Alan Bern

race from the basement
to the attic
and back
    Alan Bern

hugging the doll
I hug
myself
    Alexis Rotella

among mom’s lingerie
a book on how babies
are made
    Alexis Rotella

river bed
fishing with dad
every sunday
    Amauri Solon

mild fever
always meant
warm porridge at bed
    Amauri Solon

among the new grass
collecting snails —
my grandmother and me
    Angela Giordano

until sunset —
hunting for moths
chasing my dreams
    Angela Giordano

at dusk my grandmother
puts out a saucer of milk
for the hedgehogs
    Antonia Matthew

supper at boarding school
we found a rusty nail
in the rice pudding
    Antonia Matthew

on the walk home
dad points out the moon
ice cream cones
    Barbara Kaufmann

ocean waves
the day my brother
wandered off
    Barbara Kaufmann

a flashlight
for reading in the dark
nancy drew
    Barbara Kaufmann

family reunion
four granddaughters learn
to bake biscuits
    Barbara Tate

past bedtime
freeing lightning bugs
from the jar
    Barbara Tate

Planters Peanuts, seagulls,
and motorized rolling chairs . . .
boardwalk memories
    Bill Waters

arts & crafts
with mom . . .
making memories
    Bill Waters

stiff white Easter dress
begs me to go jump into
a big mud puddle
    Blue Waters

crow and I in a tree
imitating the neighbor’s
fussy baby
    Blue Waters

runt of abandoned litter
thinks I’m his mother
raccoon named Chuck
    Blue Waters

alone again
on the woodland trail
turtle and I
    Bryan Rickert

summer vacation
the little freedom
a bicycle brings
    Bryan Rickert

childhood secrets
every good spot
in the fishing hole
    Bryan Rickert

cracking jokes
over our heads
middle school
    C.R. Harper

childhood dream
freeing canaries
from your mine
    C.R. Harper

always serious
watching for clouds and storms . . .
except when reading
    C. Robin Janning

all afternoon
bounce the ball pick up the jacks . . .
learning to count
    C. Robin Janning

my sister and I
practicing for communion
with necco wafers
    C. Robin Janning

carousel pony
salty breeze . . . organ music
I miss the gold ring
    Carole Johnston

we are horses
we gallop and trot
with the wind
    Carole Johnston

on mother’s lap
with my favorite book . . .
she falls asleep
    Carole Johnston

aces up
grandma teaches me
how to cheat
    Caroline Skanne

summer rain escaping into The Secret Garden
    Caroline Skanne

small drawers
in secret I try on
her evil eye
    Caroline Skanne

Whitman’s Sampler:
I still remember the fillings
of each chocolate
    Charles Trumbull

home for the holidays
my mother’s favorite chair
a little more worn
    Charles Trumbull

white-streaked sky
scribbles in the margins
of my math textbook
    Chen-ou Liu

highs and lows
of the summer ferris wheel
me and the girl next door
    Chen-ou Liu

blustery wind
my upturned umbrella
catches the rain
    Christina Chin

ladybird
in a glass jar
wildflowers
    Christina Chin

sitting in the shadows
I invent new worlds
with stuffed animals
    Christina Sng

daydreaming
I sit on my swing
after school
    Christina Sng

childhood teacups
made up stories
made up friends
    Christine L. Villa

mom’s passing
another cold breakfast
and dead silence
    Christine L. Villa

playing grown-up
a drop of coffee
in my milk
    Claire Vogel Camargo

summer days
listening for the
ice cream truck
    Claire Vogel Camargo

dining room table
aunt jean’s tortoise shell
cigarette holder
    Claire Vogel Camargo

my handkerchief
filled with blades of grass
kindergarten
    Daniela Misso

squabbles . . .
talking to the roses
in the courtyard
    Daniela Misso

cumulonimbus
the percussion of hail
against our silos
    Debbie Strange

blistering sun
we wade through a river
of barley
    Debbie Strange

dinner bell
the wind swallows
its sound
    Debbie Strange

weeding the shell drive
arthritic fingers teach
young hands
    Deborah Burke Henderson

painted desert
our crayons melt
on the back seat
    Deborah Burke Henderson

white stallion
trusted friend in the
dark of night
    Deborah Burke Henderson

too many freckles
at the 4th of July picnic
strawberries
    Deborah P Kolodji

mom’s books, my books . . .
the bus we took
to the library
    Deborah P Kolodji

father-daughter moments
wild chicory
in the wicker basket
    Elisa Allo

balloon in the sky . . .
on daddy’s shoulders
the whole world
    Elisa Allo

summer vacation
a shooting star
crosses the sky
    Eufemia Griffo

playing bride
grandmother’s necklace
around my neck
    Eufemia Griffo

washing day —
the blanket no longer smells
of mamma
    Geethanjali Rajan

a brother leaves home —
his rock albums
now mine
    Geethanjali Rajan

waking up
to a familiar sound —
grandpa’s baritone OM
    Geethanjali Rajan

old tyre swing
deshaping
the full moon
    Hifsa Ashraf

paperboat
in the rain puddle
mom’s old prescription
    Hifsa Ashraf

flying paper kites
with no strings attached
childhood daydreaming
    Hifsa Ashraf

homeschooled
tucking away the blues
in origami
    Jackie Chou

inside a snow globe
a white Christmas
for the deer and me
    Jackie Chou

turtle funeral
a box set gently
on outgoing tide
    Jay Friedenberg

dinner time . . .
snow falls quietly
into angel imprints
    Jay Friedenberg

RMS Titanic
my plastic model sinks
into Long Island sound
    Jay Friedenberg

only child / part-time twin . . .
my parents’ friends’ son
five days older than i
    Jill Lange

so many days spent
in the weeping willow
my dog nearby
    Jill Lange

my backyard sandbox
popular with friends
and local cats
    Jim Mazza

held in his arms
my father rocks me
until my fever breaks
    Jim Mazza

dreams of my dead father
we sit by a lake
he takes my hand
    Jim Mazza

bob dylan
the times they are a-changin’
vietnam
    Jo Balistreri

filching
the thrill of not being caught
with grandpa’s rhubarb
    Jo Balistreri

playing marbles —
yellow cat’s eye shooter
the boys envy me
    Jo Balistreri

wobbling on two wheels
until confidence
brings balance
    Joan Leotta

writing my name with sparklers
on the night sky —
how long will it remain?
    Joan Leotta

tracing
my father’s face
with my fingertips
    Joan McNerney

hide and seek
under
the stairwell
    Joan McNerney

taking care
within the lines
colouring a jungle
    Joanna Ashwell

scooping out
the melted chocolate
rice-crispie crunch
    Joanna Ashwell

panda bear
whispering goodnight
to the bedbugs
    Joanna Ashwell

my first straight-A report card
for once I take
the shortest way home
    John J. Dunphy

holy communion —
the only time I’m not punished
for sticking out my tongue
    John J. Dunphy

carnival —
testing the water balloons
a week before
    Jorge Alberto Giallorenzi

basketball game —
the leather ball
punctured again
    Jorge Alberto Giallorenzi

muddy street —
making small cakes
to celebrate a new doll
    Julia Guzman

English class —
mocking the teacher’s voice
in her absence
    Julia Guzman

the seashell
that walked away —
hermit crab
    Julie Bloss Kelsey

school field trip —
losing my tooth
in an apple
    Julie Bloss Kelsey

mother’s roses . . .
we name the orange one
Fred
    Julie Bloss Kelsey

five years old
on a sunlit yellow page
my first poem    
    Kath Abela Wilson

planning for
33 children
my list of names
    Kath Abela Wilson

salty air windy bay
in my hand the hot
ferry boat pretzel
    Kath Abela Wilson

typing a poem
loving the clack the keys make
as I find myself
    Katya Sabaroff Taylor

first diary, age 12
locking it after I write
that Bobby kissed me
    Katya Sabaroff Taylor

dressing my old cat
in doll clothes, wheeling the pram
down Meadowbrook Drive
    Katya Sabaroff Taylor

puffs of smoke
from my candy cigarette
sugar high
    Kristen Lindquist

midwinter dusk
crunching not sucking
the lemon drops
    Kristen Lindquist

clear and cold
skating infinities
across the lake
    Kristen Lindquist

backyard mango tree
I try to pluck
the day moon
    Lakshmi Iyer

running after father
I follow the shooting star . . .
handmade lantern
    Lakshmi Iyer

giggling
at the touch of mimosa
morning walk
    Lisbeth Ho

fireflies
lead the way —
homecoming
    Lisbeth Ho

hearts
our blunt-edged scissors
learn to cut
    Lorraine A. Padden

goldfish funeral
my best friend
next to the hamster
    Lorraine A. Padden

kitchen drawer
I dig for mom’s recipes
and find acorns
    Lorraine A. Padden

listening closely
grandma teaches me the name
of every flower
    Lucia Cardillo

August sea . . .
small crabs prisoners
in my bucket
    Lucia Cardillo

in the dark
the sure hand of my father . . .
fireflies and stars
    Lucia Cardillo

summer holidays
throwing back my voice
grandparents’ unused well
    Madhuri Pillai

interstate train journey —
the same food
in different flavours
    Madhuri Pillai

grandfather’s smile . . .
Buddha-like
his gentle face
    Madhuri Pillai

first allowance
dad and I build a fence
together
    Marianne Paul

mother’s fantasies —
she wants me to become
a TV weather girl
    Marianne Paul

power play
my big sister makes me
kiss her foot
    Marianne Paul

hospital table
a toy horse
with no name
    Marietta McGregor

painted ladies
my shell collection
back in the sea
    Marietta McGregor

5 cents
lemonade
with no lemons
    Marilyn Ashbaugh

marbles
a new galaxy
enters the ring
    Marilyn Ashbaugh

bed frolic
mom’s wedding ring quilt
loses a ring
    Marilyn Ashbaugh

hand-me-downs
another hole
in my sock
    Marilyn Fleming

Saturdays
inch of water
in the bath
    Marilyn Fleming

holy water
from a livestock cup
I bless myself
    Marilyn Fleming

father’s yodel
echoes across pasture
milking time    
    Marilyn Humbert

rusty tin roof
morning tea with dolls
in the crawl space
    Marilyn Humbert

dipping green tomato slices
in the flour-seasoning
the dust in grandma’s kitchen
    Maya Daneva

helping grandpa fish
I catch a butterfly
with his fish net
    Maya Daneva

harvest moon
so angry at grandpa
for cutting sunflower heads
    Maya Daneva

4th of July!
darkness not darkening
quickly enough
    Michael Smith

Bambi at the drive-in
even Dad
cried
    Michael Smith

ice cream motivation —
I take out
the garbage
    Michael Smith

library outings
an orange-frosted donut
on the way back home
    Mimi Foyle

rousted out of bed
in the middle of the night
to see an eclipse
    Mimi Foyle

father-daughter time
on the front lawn on our backs
watching cloud-landscapes
    Mimi Foyle

homecoming —
even the river’s rocks
less jagged
    Mirela Brailean

the old porch —
grandpa’s war stories
still fresh
    Mirela Brailean

just the wind
over the scratches —
orphanage yard
    Mirela Brailean

pretending I found
the four-leaf clover
I made
    Miriam Sagan

it’s a circus!
my little sisters still
follow my orders
    Miriam Sagan

every night I fly
over copper beeches
in my dreams
    Miriam Sagan

recaptured garter snake
math teacher
less excited
    Nancy Shires

around my muffin
a smile
of grapes
    Nancy Shires

drumming our bellies
to make mom think
we’re out of bed
    Nancy Shires

North Star
in the gloaming
papa’s voice
    Neena Singh

even in Lucknow
longing for Lucknow
the old guava tree
    Neena Singh

Nonno’s wood stove
orange peels curl
into morning
    Pat Davis

in line by age
we get the polio shot
in our kitchen
    Pat Davis

cramped apartment
a box of treasures
under my bed
    Pat Davis

down caverns with granddad . . .
my stalactite
in a matchbox
    Paul Beech

standing on our heads
kid bro and I ponder
the opposite sex
    Paul Beech

first grade photos
he saves his big one
for me
    Pris Campbell

scuppernong season
we stand by the ripened vine
sucking and spitting
    Pris Campbell

upside down world
I hang by my heels
from the pecan tree
    Pris Campbell

mother sings
whatever will be will be
ironing undershirts
    Ron Scully

first baseman’s glove
instead of the catcher’s mitt
all the difference
    Ron Scully

my childhood pets
an old chicken and its
many chicks
    Rosa Clement

fishing days
grandpa always told us
the same stories
    Rosa Clement

remembering
all the baths I took
in the spring rain
    Rosa Clement

straddling the tree branch
and a new feeling —
captain of my ship
    Ruth Yarrow

dawn
cowpie up between my toes
warm
    Ruth Yarrow

sharing milk
with my favorite teddy
his sour nose
    Ruth Yarrow

last in the
race again
sports day
    Sherry Grant

camping
by the river
the fire wouldn’t start
    Sherry Grant

plink plinkplinkplink plink
mom and I
shell peas for supper
    Sue Norvell

learning to count by two’s
I chant the numbers
all the way home
    Sue Norvell

after dad left
our little blue house
bluer
    Susan Burch

sneezing fit —
never mowing
the yard again    
    Susan Burch

beach bummed
leaving the turtle I found
where I found it
    Susan Burch

brussels sprouts . . .
running away from home
across the street
    Theresa A. Cancro

rose hips swaying our hula hoops
    Theresa A. Cancro

first day of vacation . . .
the glow of jellyfish
beyond the pier
    Theresa A. Cancro
    
my hand gently
caresses her face
(i knew i wasn’t straight)
    Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

recurring nightmare
the wolf licks his lips
beside my bed
    Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

teenage rebellion
i crush the cig with my
steel-toe combat boots
    Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

tractor, hay wagon
sister, brother high on top
child driving is me
    Tina Wright

the cow Chocolate
who walked under hot fence wire
like it was nothin
    Tina Wright

finger painting
roses on the window
snow day
    Tom Bierovic

rope swing
moonlight going up
shadows coming down
    Tom Bierovic

in the back seat
between my sister and me
an imaginary line
    Tom Clausen

my fortune
collecting bottles
from the ditch
    Tom Clausen

neighbor’s barn
playing doctor . . .
we all need operations
    Tom Clausen

open window
after summer rain
mom cuts a dress-up doll for me
    Vibeke Laier

summer holidays
grandfather shows me
the joy of a library book
    Vibeke Laier

summer silence
gathering stones
at sunset
    Vibeke Laier

the street
of my childhood —
not a single stop sign
    Vladislav Hristov

hide and seek
I’m uncovered
by a ray of light
     Vladislav Hristov

school excursion
scent fills the bus —
grandma’s apple pie
    Wieslaw Karlinski

weedy garden
trying to recall
my botany teacher
    Wieslaw Karlinski

my playhouse
a branch
in the apple tree
    Wilda Morris

last one chosen again kicking weeds in the outfield
    Wilda Morris

ball & jacks
always losing
to my cousins
    Wilda Morris

playing squash outside
against the wall
just me and the ball
    Yvonne Fisher

I stayed inside
daydreaming
fame and fortune
    Yvonne Fisher

jumping rope
I knew
I could fly
    Yvonne Fisher

roller skating
to a different planet
just around the corner
    Zee Zahava

proud Brownie
wearing my beanie
like a crown
    Zee Zahava

new crayons
hidden under my pillow —
i refuse to share
    Zee Zahava