Welcome to the December, 2022 issue of brass bell: a haiku journal.
The theme this month is night.
Contributing poets are from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Malta, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, Wales.
campfire
the crescendo
of cricket songs
Adjei Agyei-Baah
the night is also in my mirror
ai li
passing the boarding house
where Dad spent one night
before his final days
Alan Bern
so, little spider
we sleep in the same room
another night
Alan Peat
not yet dawn
voices of neighbors
praising their dogs
Alexis Rotella
chasing memories the night passes quickly
Angela Giordano
broken thread
pearl necklace —
rainy night
Angiola Inglese
s t r o b o s c o p e
neighborhood cats parade
past the motion sensor light
Barbara Sabol
moongate
conspicuous in absence
a nightingale’s song
Barbara Sayre
the damaged plate
from an old quarrel
kintsugi moon
Barrie Levine
construction site —
even in the dark
the fragrance of lumber
Bill Waters
falling star
the weight of words
left unsaid
Billy Antonio
shades of
black blue purple gray
climb my bedroom walls all night
Blue Waters
full moon . . .
the phone rings five times
and stops
Brad Bennett
Milky Way
campfire and cocoa
the yip of coyotes
Bryan D. Cook
lonely night
turning on the porch light
for the bugs
Bryan Rickert
moving to a new home
driving at night
was a comfort
C. Robin Janning
red eye flight
in my cocktail
a cherry
Carol Judkins
I may have been
a lone dung beetle gazing
at the stars
Carole Johnston
night vigil —
worried when he snores
worried when he doesn’t
Carole MacRury
muggy night:
the same two tones
from the wind chime
Charles Trumbull
a paper dove
on the barbed wire fence
gathering dark
Chen-ou Liu
dusk
red beans simmer
on the charcoal
Christina Chin
our cat
on sentry duty
night guard
Christina Sng
guilty!
the feral hog caught
on the night vision camera
Christine Wenk-Harrison
late night movie
passing the point
of falling asleep
Claire Vogel Camargo
night train
on the steamed window
two drawn eyes
Dan Iulian
under a watchful moon the possibility of fairies
Debbie Strange
flashlight stroll —
always walking in
center beam
Deborah Burke Henderson
a street light
illuminating
snow flakes
Donna Fleischer
night book fair
so many styles
of mythmaking
Elena Malec
cold night
mom puts on dad’s
favorite coat
Florin C. Ciobica
broth for dinner . . .
measuring out ladles
of silence
Geethanjali Rajan
full moon
time for my pressure cooker
to let off steam
Helen Buckingham
night-blooming cereus
I too hold on
to the dark
Jackie Chou
Perseid showers
buzz … slap … scratch … buzz … slap …
gazing anyway
Janice Doppler
he gave up his cat
to wed her — now the stars
reproach her like cats’ eyes
Jenna Le
raccoon
at water bowl
fingers the moon
Jill Lange
past midnight
searching on my hands and knees
unfinished jigsaw puzzle
Jim Mazza
date night —
a snack of skinny popcorn
while watching The Crown
Jo Balistreri
nightfall
I scurry to light
all the lamps
Joan Leotta
raindrops
scribbling away
until dawn
Joanna Ashwell
out of the tunnel
into a stadium’s lights
night frames my city
Joel Savishinsky
front porch
the full moon enters
a cobweb
John J. Dunphy
no moon
I write about it
anyway
John Pappas
basketball at night
the first jump
no one speaks
Jorge Alberto Giallorenzi
wood stove
the oak returns
to the night
Joshua St. Claire
starry night in the Andes —
a vicuna
crosses the road
Julia Guzman
her great-grandchildren
wrapped in a crocheted afghan
a long night unfolds
Julie Bloss Kelsey
like mother like daughter
sleep walking
step count
Kath Abela Wilson
nighttime meditation
am i asleep
or awake
Kathleen Kramer
too hot to sleep
I watch the moon pull
a long scarf of stars
Katya Sabaroff Taylor
longest night
the lotus blossom pendant
cold on my throat
Kristen Lindquist
starry night
the only solace
after chemo
Lakshmi Iyer
sleeptalking
dementia cured
until she wakes again
Laurinda Lind
knitting
our night together
baby monitor
Lorraine A Padden
flickering lamps
late night devotees
on the temple doorstep
Madhuri Pillai
long night —
every noise
a reindeer hoof
Marcie Wessels
today’s to-do’s untouched tonight
Margaret Walker
white peony tea
snow so fine the night
has flowered
Marianne Paul
night saguaros in the skyline
Marilyn Ashbaugh
curlew’s cry
cracks the black glass
of night
Marilyn Humbert
sick mom
a night-night lullaby
to her
Marta Chocilowska
fallen leaves
the night wind
whistles the blues
Mary Kendall
four or five
moons in the puddle
a trout is jumping
Maya Daneva
night breeze pausing on my walk catching your perfume
Michael Flanagan
finding balance
in chaotic Kathmandu
familiar constellations
Michael G. Smith
frosty night
the loosened grip of moss
falling from the roof
Mike Gallagher
alone in the night kitchen do you think of me
Mimi Foyle
night shift
moving from one pillow
to another
Mirela Brailean
embroidering
on a cold night
such a sharp needle
Miriam Sagan
evening walk . . .
the heavy fog wraps its tentacles
around us
Nancy Brady
wild jasmine . . .
a fragrant night
till long after
Neena Singh
new telescope
the Big Dipper
overflowing
Pat Davis
a rough sleeper —
coughing she studies
Orion
Paul Beech
shingles —
it is not the fire alarm
that disturbs my sleep
Paul Callus
branches laden
with moonglow
ripening pears
Paula Sears
backyard campfire
we share wild stories
from our youth
Pris Campbell
cool night
choosing the cup
without a handle
Richard Matta
catching
& releasing
this firefly night
Robert Epstein
sky dance of unnamed stars
Roberta Beach Jacobson
nightwatchman
searches the corners
nothing moves
Ron Scully
mother-of-pearl
in the sunset’s underlayer —
pawnshop lights go on
Ruth Yarrow
did I take my meds or not pillbox moon
Susan Burch
the loud tent zipper
I step out quietly
to search the midnight sky
Teresa Bakota Yatsko
bedtime story . . .
her teddy bear
approves
Theresa A. Cancro
boundless
the stars within
a rose
Tiffany Shaw-Diaz
after the movie
this fall’s first bus ride past dark
feels like space travel
Tina Wright
winter night licking the spoon clean
Tom Clausen
barbecue night
I flip
the story around
Vandana Parashar
the silence
of a winter night
butterfly dreams
Vibeke Laier
another full moon
granddaughter bakes her first
rice cakes
Wieslaw Karlinski
never burned Aunt Carol’s stay-in-the-oven-all-night cookies
Wilda Morris
nighttime
broken window
nowhere to hide
Yvonne Fisher
computer dream
i call out in my sleep . . .
“delete delete delete”
Zee Zahava
brass bell: a haiku journal
curated by Zee Zahava
Thursday, December 1, 2022
night haiku — from sunset to sunrise
Tuesday, November 1, 2022
one-line haiku
Welcome to the November 2022 issue of brass bell: a haiku journal.
This month there is no particular theme. Each poem is just one line long . . . revealing meaning and depth in a deceptively simple form.
Contributing poets are from Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Ecuador, India, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Malta, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, Wales.
october mist some late apples for pie
ai li
autumn memory my red bobber on grandpa’s pond
Al Gallia
crescent moon apostrophizes an old fir
Alan Bern
sunset merging stones and crows
Alan Peat
a crow completes the evening without its BashÅ
Alan Summers
to the strawberry patch I follow my nose
Alexis Rotella
dream analysis of my blood test results
Ana Drobot
flat clouds a hedgehog closed in a ball
Angela Giordano
late-season asters bloom every reason to live
Barbara Kaufmann
discovering her secret hidden drawer
Barbara Sabol
apology letter written with disappearing ink
Barbara Sayre
pulling sheets off the line parting clouds
Barrie Levine
she says relax relax as mammogram machine squeezes squeezes
Blue Waters
fresh-mown grass fade to skunk
Brad Bennett
final mow the field mice head into the barn
Bryan D. Cook
making my poem his poem over-editor
Bryan Rickert
putting everything in order I can’t find a thing
C. Robin Janning
between playground and cemetery wild roses
Carole MacRury
night rain rushing night train
Charles Trumbull
lockdown world tour with a globe
Chen Xiaoou
snow squalls as usual the silence after our squabble
Chen-ou Liu
digging bitter gentian grandma tells me why
Christina Chin
still faster than me my elderly cat
Christina Sng
one parking space between two monster trucks
Christine Wenk-Harrison
playing Parcheesi just liking the word
Claire Vogel Camargo
deep breath the lights have changed
C.R. Harper
on the edge of enchantment autumn fog
Debbie Strange
apple seeds an orchard in each one
Deborah Burke Henderson
my life so far unfolding exquisite scars
Elena Malec
reminding me of a deadline owl’s hoot
Florin C. Ciobica
running I trip unplanned snow angel
Frank Muller
five-year-old why butter fly
Geoff Pope
the last call of a raven masked faces
Hifsa Ashraf
long afternoons bits and pieces of it drift by
Jay Friedenberg
years posthumously his duck decoys remember his hands
Jenna Le
twilight mourning doves own the birdbath
Jill Lange
her mouth a story without words
Jim Mazza
our skiff’s drift into a merganser’s whistle
Jo Balistreri
crunch! I jump into a pile of leaves
Joan Leotta
forest floor wild berries tempt me
Joanna Ashwell
through fog on calm waters a slow sliding ferry
Joel Savishinsky
reindeer antlers on my garden Buddha
John J. Dunphy
october night why not the long way home
John Pappas
this hotel room anonymous musk
Karla Linn Merrifield
hole in a leaf moon viewing
Kath Abela Wilson
an afternoon nap so glad to be old
Katya Sabaroff Taylor
believing in moon magic witch-hazel flowers
Kristen Lindquist
growing old the cup of tea i hate to have
Lakshmi Iyer
kitchen radio bad morning great song
Laurinda Lind
pressed into service a haiku about grapes
Lorraine A Padden
hydrangeas the space between black cats
Marcie Wessels
maple leaves brighter red than candy wrappers
Margaret Fisher Squires
stone by stone a cairn for the missing
Marianne Paul
a wrinkle in time old friends
Marilyn Ashbaugh
the familiar sunrise in this unfamiliar place
Marilyn Humbert
sunset turns from red to purple plum tree
Marta Chocilowska
feng shui rain falls at a wrong angle
Maya Daneva
it is hard to meditate in two different shoes
Michael Flanagan
mended gold-embossed black teacups her cancer breaks me
Michael G. Smith
staring woodenly past his shoulder a tailor’s dummy
Mike Gallagher
counting holes in acoustic tiles bus station layover
Mimi Foyle
her pouty lips while feeding hummingbirds
Mirela Brailean
I won’t outlast this roll of postage stamps
Miriam Sagan
taste of slivered almond moon
Nancy Brady
climbing uphill the wind in the prayer flags
Neena Singh
grandpa’s garden beyond his humming
Pat Davis
poetry reading a plaster on my nose
Paul Beech
winter loneliness garden bench
Paul Callus
harsh words my love gauge drops
Pris Campbell
attic cobwebs a costume wig finds a home
Richard Matta
not a dream that mountain roar
Robert Epstein
stir in one direction egg drop soup
Roberta Jacobson
bald eagle watching our binoculars turning our white heads
Ruth Yarrow
a hole in my day flat tire
Susan Burch
canyon bottom up to the echo
Theresa A. Cancro
an untamed garden the story before our story
Tiffany Shaw-Diaz
touching warm soft ashes last night’s campfire in the morning
Tina Wright
nursery school to begin with holding hands
Tom Clausen
accepting me for what I am a rose in my braid
Vandana Parashar
for a moment in the autumn night a lonely star
Vibeke Laier
first snow in the monastery courtyard the scent of porridge
Wieslaw Karlinski
rabbits leaving the path to me
Wilda Morris
lights off dancing from room to room still shy
Zee Zahava
Saturday, October 1, 2022
kitchen haiku
Welcome to the October 2022 issue of brass bell: a haiku journal.
The theme of this month’s collection is “kitchen haiku”
Contributing poets are from Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Ecuador, India, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Malta, Poland, Romania, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, Wales.
a sink
full of
unfulfilled dreams
ai li
grandma’s pantry . . .
hidden behind the preserves
pear wine
Al Gallia
dirty dishes
wait in the cupboard
clean ones in the sink
Alan Bern
back of the pantry a label in dad’s hand
Alan Peat
fry up —
she adds more spice
to yesterday’s story
Alan Peat
window feeder
watching the goldfinch
watching me eat
Alan Peat
feeding vinegar through the coffee machine deep cleanse
Alan Summers
clearing the toaster
of more than crumbs
window clouds
Alan Summers
eggs benedict
for breakfast
and roses just picked
Alexis Rotella
cakes in the oven
we walk
on tiptoes
Alexis Rotella
geography lesson —
I slice a pomegranate
as I draw a volcano
Ana Drobot
shortcrust pastry your harsh words
Angela Giordano
early autumn
pear jam
for breakfast
Angiola Inglese
tax man
we spread last year
on the kitchen table
Barbara Kaufmann
making pesto
for once I keep the splatter
off the ceiling
Barbara Kaufmann
friday
on the refrigerator door
a new drawing
Barbara Sayre
iron teapot
the time it takes
to grow old
Barrie Levine
my daughter
saving the world
cloth napkins
Barrie Levine
taste test —
discovering the typo
in the recipe
Bill Waters
mom’s six sisters
loud and wildly cooking
watch your back
Blue Waters
winter tea
fifty-four bones
cradling my cup
Brad Bennett
guests due soon
more coriander
more cumin
Brad Bennett
ergonometric kitchen
still tripping over
the cat’s food bowl
Bryan D. Cook
winter solitude
reminding myself chocolate
isn’t a meal
Bryan Rickert
mother’s funeral
the silence of
her tea kettle
Bryan Rickert
something green always
growing in a glass or jar
my mother’s kitchen
C. Robin Janning
my sous chef
brave enough to use
the mandoline
Carol Judkins
vintage pyrex
tuna fish casserole
every friday night
Carol Judkins
singing hymns
mother peeling apples
her bagpipe voice
Carole Johnston
fruit flies . . .
time to turn bananas
into bread
Carole MacRury
late life —
using the good china
for breakfast
Carole MacRury
sunlit windowsill . . .
another avocado seed
fails to sprout
Carole MacRury
morning coffee
lip-prints on her cup
and my cheek
Chen Xiaoou
leftovers
on the kitchen table . . .
things half-spoken
Chen-ou Liu
housewarming cake
the neighbor’s knife rack shaped
like a human body
Chen-ou Liu
an assortment
in the air fryer
doughnut holes
Christina Chin
those little beetroots pickling the garden
Christina Martin
lids on lids off
steaming cauliflower
almost a spill
Christina Martin
kitchen herbs leaning toward the sun
Christina Sng
garden party
the gathering begins
and ends in the kitchen
Christine Wenk-Harrison
gran at the stove
not wanting any help
her apple pie
Claire Vogel Camargo
scrubbing
the kitchen sink
storm watch
C.R. Harper
mason jars
a cucumber ribbon curls
around my wrist
Debbie Strange
my auntie’s kitchen
linoleum worn thin at
the stove
Deborah Burke Henderson
dishwasher rhythms
fill her dream
empty night
Donna Fleischer
rainy weather
champignons a la creme
everyday
Elena Malec
kitchen window
day moon stained
with ketchup
Florin C. Ciobica
pan overflowing with fresh garden colors
Frank Muller
grandma’s home
a summer spiced
with pickled mangoes
Geethanjali Rajan
winter morning chill
pounding fresh ginger
to spice my chai
Geethanjali Rajan
first gas stove
third burnt meal —
kids opening windows
Geoff Pope
grocery bags . . .
the cat waits
for that sound
Geoff Pope
burnt out bulb
the cutting board’s
white scratches
Glenn Ingersoll
my grandmother hummed
whenever she baked a cake
we tasted her song
Jack Goldman
bygone friends . . .
kitchen cabinet filled with
souvenir mugs
Jackie Chou
wrapping dumplings
our special bonding
in every fold
Jackie Chou
thawing shrimp under the tap
snowmelt drips
down the kitchen window
Jenna Le
dad’s birthday cake
cutting the slices thin
to make them last
Jenna Le
commercial break —
rushing i drop my cupcake
in the cat bowl
Jill Lange
her rolling pin just being
there in the drawer
how it connects me
Jill Lange
the cactus found
in grandmother’s window
here now with its offspring
Jill Lange
smells of dinner —
tomatoes, dad is home
lamb, dad’s at work
Joan Leotta
additions
to the recipe
spider threads
Joanna Ashwell
butterfly cakes
just the sound
of raindrops
Joanna Ashwell
bland soup
silent sit-alone breakfast
after break-up
Joe Sebastian
sneaking from behind
I grab her at the sink
she breaks a small glass
Joel Savishinsky
kitchen sink
walking on the suds
a daddy long-legs
John J. Dunphy
power outage
I ransack the kitchen for
the manual can opener
John J. Dunphy
peeling onions imagining my parents as children
John Pappas
squash soup
the pain in my elbow
stirring
John Pappas
woven into the kitchen curtain
a strand
of mom’s hair
Jorge Alberto Giallorenzi
icebox
grandmother tells me about
her grandmother’s springhouse
Joshua St. Claire
overcrowded kitchen . . . no space for my sister’s absence
Julia Guzman
potato omelette —
the same saucepan
generation to generation
Julia Guzman
silverware drawer a single spoon lonely
Karla Linn Merrifield
boosting spirits
inviting friends again
to our kitchen table
Kath Abela Wilson
under the dish towels
mother’s stash
of caramels
Kathleen Kramer
rainy day train
kitchen chairs in a row
i’m the engineer
Kathleen Kramer
kitchen table
the sun casts a glow over
the quan yin statue
Katya Sabaroff Taylor
turmeric sky
grandma’s cookbook pages
smudged in yellow
Lakshmi Iyer
aroma of masala still
in the washed kitchen towels . . .
family reunion
Lakshmi Iyer
stay outside
in breathable air
oven cleaning cycle
Laurinda Lind
lack of ego the celery allows the dip
Lorraine A Padden
first love
the rosemary pressed
in her cookbook
Lorraine A Padden
cassoulet
all the French
I’ll ever need
Lorraine A Padden
chilly night
the warmth of another
chipotle in the chili
Marcie Wessels
trussing a chicken
for sunday dinner
not quite julia child
Marcie Wessels
expired the pantry bare
Margaret Walker
family reunion
my adult sister kicks me
under the table
Marianne Paul
cottage pantry
ants ants ants ants
in the cake
Marianne Paul
rusty iron pot
wondering about
going makeup-free
Marietta McGregor
cool morning
the sun and yeast
slowly rise
Marilyn Ashbaugh
first apartment
the turkey too big
for the oven
Marilyn Ashbaugh
outdoor kitchen
campfire pan sizzles
with sausages
Marilyn Humbert
new year’s eve
busy preparing dough
for the first bread
Marta Chocilowska
teatime
just water and leaves
you and me
Mary Kendall
summer backyard kitchen
this bee rests in the shade
of my whisk
Maya Daneva
one cup one plate one fork . . . life alone
Michael Flanagan
since you’ve gone
the oven is a museum
for relics of past feasts
Michael Flanagan
the recipe calls for lemons
no lemons here
I use blueberries
Michael G. Smith
my inheritance
from her welsh cupboard
the willow pattern
Mike Gallagher
new dishwasher
now we argue about
who empties it
Mike Gallagher
midnight prowl
a frightened house gecko
on the fridge
Milan Rajkumar
slicing bamboo shoots —
the shape of father’s hands
in my own
Milan Rajkumar
wilderness kitchen
the hollowed-out hardwood sink
sprouts moss and mushrooms
Mimi Foyle
grey morning
a pinch of cinnamon
in my tea
Mirela Brailean
haiku submissions:
pots and pans in the sink
await their turn
Neena Singh
salt and pepper
on the kitchen table
match my hair
Neena Singh
kitchen table
how I miss my
window
Pat Davis
long before the term
multipurpose room
our kitchen
Pat Davis
busy bakers
in an old folks’ home
their cookbook wins a prize
Paul Beech
smartphones in hand —
the soup
grows colder
Paul Callus
cleaning
the entire house
guests gather in our kitchen
Paula Sears
sifting through
grandma’s recipe box
she practices cursive
Paula Sears
preacher day
one chicken and cobbed corn
fills us all
Pris Campbell
dinner call
my imaginary playmate’s
empty plate
Pris Campbell
alone . . .
mother learns
to microwave
Pris Campbell
nearly winter thyme drying in the oven
Richard Matta
morning tea
splashes of grey
on my saucer
Richard Matta
monday, let’s do this
crock pot slowly works magic . . .
dinner served at six
Roberta Beach Jacobson
new refrigerator the dent that came with it
Susan Burch
elbows off the table
so we don’t squash
the fairies
Theresa A. Cancro
practicing arabesque
a kitchen chair stands in
for his arm
Theresa A. Cancro
that Portland bar
i baked pan pizzas in an old stove
black as a train
Tina Wright
in the kitchen
my “personal things”
top shelf
Tom Clausen
two teacups
the years they have sat
side by side
Tom Clausen
hovering mom-in-law
my kitchen is now
a sanity-free zone
Vandana Parashar
by the kitchen window
pigeons repair
last year’s nest
Vibeke Laier
autumn moon
shadows of the old oak tree
on my kitchen wall
Vibeke Laier
third coffee
just before dawn
new haiku
Wieslaw Karlinski
middle of autumn
granddaughter bakes on her own
rice cakes
Wieslaw Karlinski
his and hers
cream cheese on my waffle
maple syrup on his
Wilda Morris
after all these years
still reading the directions . . .
hard boiled eggs
Zee Zahava
Thursday, September 1, 2022
homeplace
Welcome to the September 2022 issue of brass bell: a haiku journal.
The theme of this month’s collection is “homeplace”
Contributing poets are from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Ecuador, India, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Malta, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Wales
old malaya
the only way back
is to dream
ai li
dallas, texas
tarzan matinee starting
all bike racks filled
Al Gallia
berkeley everything expected begins again
Alan Bern
bowburn, england
putting granddad back
in the garden
Alan Peat
cairnbrook, pennsylvania
first grade photo
my bangs crooked
Alexis Rotella
bucharest, romania
not visible when I
spin the globe
Ana Drobot
avigliano, italy
mother teaches me
to knit
Angela Giordano
camogli, italy
the wind tastes of salt
and fried fish
Angiola Inglese
northern appalachia
the abandoned quarry
our riviera
Barbara Sabol
akron, ohio
planting a row of catnip
for the kittens
Barbara Tate Sayre
linden, new jersey
hungry in Hebrew school
for five years
Barrie Levine
greensburg, kansas
chasing crows
down rows of cornstalks
Blue Waters
banstead, england
watching the cricket game
from high in a may tree
Bryan D. Cook
belleville, illinois
the geese that pass through
twice a year
Bryan Rickert
dayton, ohio
stars and clouds all know my name . . .
autumn insects hum
C. Robin Janning
pearl harbor
the oval roof
of our quonset hut
Carol Judkins
santa fe trail
beneath the wind-bent grass
the ruts of ages
Charles Trumball
fuzhou, fujian
carrying water home
in buckets
Chen Xiaoou
old map of taipei . . .
lost again in the backstreets
of my mind
Chen-ou Liu
borneo
bamboo longhouses
i worry about fire
Christina Chin
great neck, long island
the old house
fireflies
Christina Martin
penang road, singapore
sitting like a boss
poking through dad’s desk
Christina Sng
christmas in manila
the sound of tambourines
made of bottle caps
Christine L. Villa
new mexico desert
dad lays out
mom’s japanese garden
Christine Wenk-Harrison
midland, texas
crouched under my first-grade desk
nuclear bomb drill
Claire Vogel Camargo
saskatchewan plain(s)ongs meadowlarks on my mind
Debbie Strange
reading, massachusetts
her ghost stories keep me
wide-eyed until dawn
Deborah Burke Henderson
northern spain
pink foggy breath
awakens the river
Elena Calvo
somewhere in bucharest
the apricot tree
my childhood hideout
Elena Malec
unteni, romania —
the scarecrow still wears
my school uniform
Florin C. Ciobica
thibodaux, louisiana
swimming in the bayou
until caught
Geoff Pope
rawalpindi, pakistan
exchanging little secrets
roof to roof
Hifsa Ashraf
a bronx apartment
aunts, uncles, and grandparents
a poor kid’s kingdom
Jack Goldman
taipei, taiwan
oyster omelets sizzle
in the night market
Jackie Chou
philadelphia
mustard on warm soft pretzels
dense and chewy
Janice Doppler
edina, minnesota
my scraped knee skin cells
still mixed with the asphalt
Jenna Le
pennsylvania avenue —
our front lawn generous
with four-leaf clovers
Jill Lange
ithaca, new york
pulled by my hair
swimming-hole rescue
Jim Mazza
pittsburgh, pennsylvania
making my own soda
in dad’s drugstore
Joan Leotta
the pennine hills
curlew cries
through the mist
Joanna Ashwell
bronx apartment
a stool by the stove
watching babeh make kugel
Joel Savishinsky
alton, illinois
we rotate potted plants beneath
our leaky roof
John J. Dunphy
north adams, massachusetts
my father picked berries
for school clothes money
John Pappas
chivilcoy, argentina
home from school
my smock stained with red berries
Jorge Giallorenzi
new freedom, pennsylvania
picking wildflowers
between the train tracks
Joshua St. Claire
cordoba, argentina
the sound of bells
among the raindrops
Julia Guzman
bountiful, utah
still in the backyard
eating sour plums
Julie Bloss Kelsey
staten island
my bedroom nightlight
was manhattan
Kath Abela Wilson
curwensville, pennsylvania
tannery whistle
seven, noon, and five
Kathy Kramer
san francisco fog
only the golden gate bridge
says where we still are
Katya Sabaroll Taylor
kerala, india
grandpa sings stories
of the temple elephants
Lakshmi Iyer
black lake, new york
daily chore
raking up dead fish
Laurinda Lind
wisconsin farm land
the cows
in our driveway
Lorraine A Padden
mansfield, ohio
engines from the sports car course start
the summer heat
Marcie Wessels
arlington, virginia
pretending to paint the house
with real mud
Margaret Fisher Squires
pawleys island, south carolina
flip flops
in the pluff mud
Margaret Walker
charleston lake, canada
breaking through the thin ice
with our canoes
Marianne Paul
calivil, victoria
moving the cattle herd
lost in dust
Marilyn Humbert
old Warsaw ruins
a crate of mossy wine bottles
in the cellar
Marta Chocilowska
buffalo, new york
our childhoods shaped
by snow & more snow
Mary Kendall
buffalo, new york
home of the buffalo bills
i love the t-shirts
Masha M.
auburn, new york
hitching to my first job
running the merry-go-round
Michael Flanagan
rahway, new jersey
oil refineries upwind
pool covered in soot
Michael G. Smith
achill islanders
forever facing out to sea
living and dead
Mike Gallagher
manipur, india
grandpa says
“we gave the world the game of polo”
Milan Rajkumar
hyde park library
fortnightly destination
ten books, one doughnut
Mimi Foyle
bucovina, romania
on my grandparents’ porch
just an old cricket
Mirela Brailean
crossing the george washington bridge lower level we call her martha
Miriam Sagan
lucknow, india
wishing upon the star
mom became
Neena Singh
east boston
the front stoop
where everything was shared
Pat Davis
lancashire mill town
with my thruppence
I buy sherbet lemons
Paul Beech
hal safi, malta
struggling up the ladder
the old lantern lighter
Paul Callus
pageland, south carolina
posed on watermelons
for tv news
Pris Campbell
new york’s hudson valley
summers finding fossils
on the hillside
Richard L. Matta
saddle brook, new jersey
sweat pouring down our faces
stoop ball
Robert Epstein
rural ohio
enough poison sumac
for everybody
Roberta Beach Jacobson
all rhode island
my arms and legs
your harbors
Ron Scully
manaus, brazil
the river showed my face
and I bowed to it
Rosa Clement
frederick, maryland
begging for a quarter
for the vending machines
Susan Burch
silver spring, maryland . . .
raising baby bunnies
in the playhouse
Theresa A. Cancro
moravia, new york
home revealed to me reading
winesburg, ohio
Tina Wright
ithaca, new york
every time i leave
i have returned
Tom Clausen
ambala cantt, india
a squirrel and I race
for the last guava
Vandana Parashar
randers, denmark
shadow of the old oak tree
all my sleeping dolls
Vibeke Laier
iowa city
walking home on the frozen creek —
in trouble again
Wilda Morris
bronx, new york
we put olives on our fingers
and call them puppets
Zee Zahava
Monday, August 1, 2022
water haiku
Welcome to the August 2022 issue of brass bell: a haiku journal.
The theme of this month’s collection is “water.”
Contributing poets are from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Ecuador, England, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Malta, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Wales
koi —
the pond’s smile
in one bubble
Adjei Agyei-Baah
a leak
my roof
crying
ai li
hose on
discovering water’s pressure
tiny grandson
Alan Bern
raining
and raining
a swan’s folded neck
Alan Peat
live cam
four different views
of the rain
Alan Peat
the ghost lines
of offshore turbines
flickering moon
Alan Summers
dust devils running from the rain
Alexis Rotella
puddle —
the reflected moon
vibrates in the wind
Angela Giordano
cut roses
in a glass beaker
broken stems
Angiola Inglese
swimming in the great lake sturgeon moon
Barbara Sabol
summer camp
bound by no boundaries
the old fishing hole
Barbara Tate Sayre
foot fountain —
leaving the sand
at the public beach
Barrie Levine
swim team
all through school
my wet hair
Barrie Levine
pulling our blanket
out of the way . . .
afternoon tide
Barrie Levine
in the standing water
two children
standing
Bill Waters
endlessly
the fountain
shooting skyward
Bill Waters
picking up a pebble the river after
Billy Antonio
more rain
after the rain
bamboo forest
Billy Antonio
wanting to spit
like Kansas cowboys —
practicing my aim intently
Blue Waters
eighteenth hole
a puddle of snowmelt
in the plastic sled
Brad Bennett
watering the garden
except the monarchs
and painted ladies
Bryan D. Cook
sudden rain
pill bugs from out
of nowhere
Bryan Rickert
muting the trumpet flowers morning rain
Bryan Rickert
dialing down
my blood pressure . . .
hot springs
Carol Judkins
lavender rain
my purple umbrella
dripping
Carole Johnston
in and out
of the sprinkler’s spray
hummingbird
Carole MacRury
departing geese —
a bit of the lake
still on their wings
Carole MacRury
sweltering heat
the weight of wasps
on duckweed
Caroline Skanne
monks’ ferry rope
frozen
in the river ice
Charles Trumbull
prolonged drought
throwing stones in the pond
without a splash
Chen Xiaoou
moonlight lapping
against the Pacific shore
the home left behind
Chen-ou Liu
snorkeling
among the seagrass
a scallop shoots up
Christina Chin
after a run my cat licks my arm
Christina Sng
liberation
her first test
of an outdoor shower
Christine Wenk-Harrison
imagining
living where once there was
the Permian Sea
Claire Vogel Camargo
dog days
the only fountain
in the park
C.R. Harper
calving glacier
i decide when
to let go
Debbie Strange
the Buddha
contemplates life —
reflection pool
Deborah Burke Henderson
drips of sweat
on her cleavage
ice cubes swirl
Donna Fleischer
fish bowl
in the cat’s iris
a guppy
Elena Malec
wishing well
my coin
turns green
Florin C. Ciobica
waterfall icicles hang like frozen fangs
Frank Muller
glassy lake —
water skiing to the end
of summer
Geoff Pope
where two rivers meet
we renew our vows . . .
tugboat horn
Geoff Pope
next door’s lies
coiled in the grass
hosepipe ban
Helen Buckingham
monsoon rain
simmering down
the stew of dals
Hifsa Ashraf
watering my plants
I sometimes forget their names
they don’t seem to mind
Jack Goldman
seaside picnic . . .
length of an eyeblink
porpoise fin
Janice Doppler
long afternoon the slow drift of pond scum
Jay Friedenberg
sipping water
before my blood test
whirlpool in my stomach
Jenna Le
back strokin’
at the neighborhood pool
the new person i become
Jill Lange
today this t-shirt
words of a favorite teacher
“go as a river”
Jill Lange
first college exam
sweating the outcome
of the freshman swim test
Jim Mazza
dad says “swim!” —
my arms move but
toes remain on stones
Joan Leotta
kitchen sink
the pop of bubbles
all around us
Joanna Ashwell
summer showers
more gulls land on the
cricket field
Joe Sebastian
testing testing a new baby’s bath water
Joel Savishinsky
drought water-rationing
I fill my birdbath
with Evian
John J. Dunphy
floating out to sea our frisbee
John J. Dunphy
used-book store
owner empties
a bucket of rain
John J. Dunphy
rain on the wind chimes
even the snails
listening
John Pappas
another autumn
old rowboat
filling up with rain
John Pappas
birthday —
mom’s vase
with very little water
Jorge Alberto Giallorenzi
upslope fog
the Atlantic swallows
Backbone Mountain
Joshua St. Claire
beach day —
the children’s laughter
louder than the waves
Julia Guzman
mom wrote
her name on water
lily of the Nile
Kath Abela Wilson
family picnic
dad rowed the boat
at Wolf’s Pond Park
Kath Abela Wilson
another hot day
twelve guernsey cows
wade in the river
Kathleen Kramer
today, needing to be empty
i went to the lake and wept
until i was
Kathleen Kramer
sometimes all I need
is a rippling summer pond
and one white egret
Katya Sabaroff Taylor
the pond where the moon sleeps all day
kris moon kondo
all my tears
let them make
a pond
kris moon kondo
either sky or ocean the first blue puzzle piece
Kristen Lindquiet
rusted water fountain . . .
the pigeons keep pecking
inside the nozzle
Lakshmi Iyer
mosquito hatcheries
the puddles
that never dry
Laurinda Lind
occasional drizzle
ink landing
in the right place
Lorraine A Padden
park walk
the dog brings in the puddle
drip by drip
Madhuri Pillai
the damp spots
on father’s forehead and shirt
holy water
Marcie Wessels
dry forecast
stonecrop
in the withered lake
Marcie Wessels
ocean’s timelessness
sand castle’s impermanence
my footprints between
Margaret Fisher Squires
another puddle
mud pies
on the menu
Margaret Walker
the wake
of a pelican’s landing
his wide grin
Marilyn Humbert
long rain
the great grey slugs
crawl out
Marta Chocilowska
washed up
without a song
moon shell
Mary Kendall
icy rain —
somehow this ache
just won’t leave
Mary Kendall
half-dried swamp
the spatterdock still
in full bloom
Maya Daneva
again
but with stronger words
receding wave
Maya Daneva
I stop shaking this snow globe all becomes clear
Michael Flanagan
wandering the beach
driftwood
suddenly scarce
Michael Flanagan
city lake
camp kids practicing
whitewater kayak rolls
Michael G. Smith
tear-soaked
at the kitchen table
family history
Mike Gallagher
temple bell
the bowl of water ripples
for a moment
Milan Rajkumar
dew drop prisms flash
from spider’s web
sun-saturated
Mimi Foyle
raindrops dangling from a papaya stem . . . . liquid moonstones
Mimi Foyle
so much water
in the acequia
am I dreaming
Miriam Sagan
walking in the rain
this half-rainbow
between us
Neena Singh
a water lily
rises above itself . . .
meditation
Neena Singh
incoming tide
the slow roll
of a new plan
Pat Davis
wriggling
out of the mist
the heron and a fish
Pat Davis
gulls squawk
the river flows on
beneath the castle ruins
Paul Beech
the rock pool crab
meets me eye-to-eye
I back off
Paul Beech
falling rain a pluviophile pulls on his boots
Paul Callus
health gone
a different rolling sea
beneath my feet
Pris Campbell
turning five
my neighbor’s goldfish
hit of the party
Pris Campbell
lake fishing
snagging a kite
caught in a tree
Richard Matta
summer heat
two wrens bathing
in a dog’s bowl
Richard Matta
bathroom window —
a mockingbird’s song
joins me in the shower
Robert Epstein
dewdrops on the tulips my aching heart
Robert Epstein
walking the reservoir that woodpecker’s knock-knock-knock
Robert Epstein
steaming
her wallpaper off
gran’s tea kettle
Roberta Beach Jacobson
hauling water
making up verses
of shared songs
Roberta Beach Jacobson
staycation ring around the bathtub
Roberta Beach Jacobson
waterwheel
off the hotel lobby
check in / check out
Ron Scully
deserted beach
waves take back
a few ghost crabs
Rosa Clement
dreaming of a woman
trapped under water —
my leg in a cast
Seretta Martin
first love jumping through sprinklers
Susan Burch
summer improv shampoo bottle squirt guns
Susan Burch
on mother’s death bed
a sponge bath
never had such intimacy
Teresa Bakota Yatsko
drizzle . . .
so many
verbs to conjugate
Theresa A. Cancro
an endless ocean
such are
the dreams of mine
Tiffany Shaw-Diaz
new day
she goes around spritzing
each plant
Tom Clausen
the way gravity
takes water over stones
creek song
Tom Clausen
morning chores a puddle within a puddle
Vandana Parashar
flotation tank
do I need to have
all the answers
Vandana Parashar
hospital window
the rain meant for me
falls on the tree
Vandana Parashar
full moon
a forest lake
with frozen stars
Vibeke Laier
a pebble from the sea
with a trace of
lipstick
Wieslaw Karlinski
summer breeze plastic bags blowing into the pond
Wilda Morris
folksongs the ‘60s here come my tears again
Zee Zahava
shallow pond
frog closes his eyes and
disappears
Zee Zahava
Friday, July 1, 2022
sound / no sound
Welcome to the July 2022 issue of brass bell: a haiku journal.
The theme of this month’s collection is “sound / no sound”
Contributing poets are from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, England, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Malta, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Wales
old barber
his scissors snip
around my ears
Adjei Agyei-Baah
the hidden language of dentures
ai li
desert wind . . .
the rusty windmill
squeals all night
Al Gallia
a new crack in the twice-recast Liberty Bell
Alan Bern
amplified in the bird box bees
Alan Peat
footsteps ring along a sidewalk the fog lifting
Alan Summers
a monk
sounding the butterfly
out of the bell
Alexis Rotella
written exam —
the silence interrupted by
a question
Ana Drobot
silence reigns
in this empty house —
I miss you mom
Angela Giordano
yellow zinnias —
the cell phone rings
inside the bag
Angiola Inglese
argument settled
a single clink of her teaspoon
against the cup
Barbara Sabol
solitude
dust gathers in his
empty room
Barbara Tate Sayre
aisle seat
the click of the ticket punch
getting closer
Barrie Levine
storm front!
up and down the street
mothers calling
Bill Waters
loving to hear
what dad didn’t say —
long drives in his truck
Blue Waters
whistling along Wyoming
Brad Bennett
two-minute silence
at the cenotaph
a veteran weeps
Bryan D. Cook
horror flick
the sloppy kiss
of the couple behind me
Bryan Rickert
waking before birds
no song accompanies my
stumbling steps
C. Robin Janning
magic forest
the tintinnabulation
of fairy bells
Carol Judkins
thump thump thump
street basketball
long into the night
Carole Johnston
sleeping in —
the silence
of the cat’s stare
Carole MacRury
a foreign language:
I listen to the poem
just for its music
Charles Trumbull
the clatter
of this rusty gate
foreclosure
Chen-ou Liu
quietude . . .
phlox blossoms round
the stone Buddha
Christina Chin
whisper of wool
nothing
but the crochet hook
Christina Martin
crackling
my son’s voice
changing
Christina Sng
tv yoga
static interrupts
shavasana
Christine Wenk-Harrison
under covers
beneath an open window
angry voices
Claire Vogel Camargo
five a.m. white-crowned sparrow’s etude
C.R. Harper
that dog
he doesn’t know
why he’s barking
David Watts
watersongs the differing frequencies of stones
Debbie Strange
spirit totem
a swallowtail pulsates
around her cairn
Deborah Burke Henderson
because snow quiet
because ancient sun and moon
the way hearts sing
Donna Fleischer
flying
with no sound
origami plane
Elena Malec
first thunder
my boy bursts
his balloon
Florin C. Ciobica
waiting room —
the fidgety clicks
of someone’s pen
Geethanjali Rajan
lead singer
1980s basement band —
hearing loss
Geoff Pope
spring solitude
a chickadee’s thrum
from the knothole
Hifsa Ashraf
my mother singing
along with the radio
tuned in to her dreams
Jack Goldman
morning chill . . .
the squeak of his chalk
on the blackboard
Jackie Chou
street performer
draws a crowd
the clink of coins
Janice Doppler
spilled ice cream
the duck’s quacks
sound like laughter
Jay Friedenberg
the whole room yells
“unmute yourself” as if
they care what he’s saying
Jenna Le
beyond pine shadows
and crickets . . . the clop
clop of an Amish buggy
Jill Lange
in between . . .
the krawk krawk krawk
of a pinyon jay
Jo Balistreri
dancing to my own heartbeat
Joan Leotta
songbirds
suddenly
I’m not alone
Joanna Ashwell
burying our friend
we walk back singing that song
half-moon on gravesite
Joel Savishinsky
the pause
after I ask
if she still loves me
John J. Dunphy
catching my breath
the parp and wheeze
of an old bike horn
John Pappas
frozen snow —
I hear
the loneliness
Jorge Alberto Giallorenzi
the tern’s call the enormity of the sea
Joshua St. Claire
ploughed fields
oxen mooing
under the ombu tree
Julia Guzman
mature garden the squeak of an old wheelbarrow
Karen Harvey
at the Shinto shrine
bow twice, clap twice, bow again
make a little wish
Karla Linn Merrifield
finally getting the right tone singing bowl
Kath Abela Wilson
80 years
of yankees’ games
turning the sound up now
Kathleen Kramer
one hot June morning
blueberry meditation
orbs ping on brass bowl
Katya Sabaroff Taylor
harvest moon . . .
through the violet veiled night
my muse whispers
kris moon
day lilies open wide . . .
loud laughter
from our neighbor’s party
Kristen Lindquist
parched earth
a loud crack of thunder
from an earthen pot
Lakshmi Iyer
so hard
not to slam
the door
Laurinda Lind
morse coding climate change the fireflies
Lorraine A. Padden
insomnia . . .
woodworm working
in the dark
Lucia Cardillo
stale mint gum
the clank of a zipper
in the dryer
Marcie Wessels
like a small distant
elephant trumpeting: fart
under the blankets
Margaret Fisher Squires
sunday dinner
the children’s table
on the porch
Margaret Walker
djembe
the throbbing heat
of summer
Marilyn Ashbaugh
outback night
dingoes’ songs echo
across the gorge
Marilyn Humbert
just married
joyful shivarees
all night long
Marta Chocilowska
lyrics long forgotten
the melody always
in my mind
Mary Kendall
sweet summer peach
slurping the best bit from the pit
Masha M.
summer heat
buzzing flies take refuge
in the basement
Maya Daneva
in that sliver of blackness
between barn and moon
coyote calls his name
Michael Flanagan
uncanny
his lawn mower knows
I meditate
Michael G. Smith
talking
to his plate
alone
Mike Gallagher
summer storm
all these silent talks
between you and me
Milan Rajkumar
night walking alone
i miss the sweet harmonies
i no longer hear
Mimi Foyle
family meal
from the other chair
the cat’s meow
Mirela Brailean
bells chime the hour
uneven stepping stones
across the stream
Miriam Sagan
wakeful child
humming an old lullaby
granny dozes
Neena Singh
laughter
in every language
ESL class
Pat Davis
recovery
the dog who lost its bark
finds it again
Paul Beech
slight of hand —
in response to being duped
hearty applause
Paul Callus
hearing loss
silence flows
from his moving lips
Pris Campbell
seaside concert
the roars of seals
during pianissimo
Richard L. Matta
dad’s death day —
a mourning dove coos
just enough comfort
Robert Epstein
gentle rain . . .
sliding into the weekend
on wet leaves
Roberta Beach Jacobson
mockingbird
knows what you want to hear
cedar waxwing
Ron Scully
zen garden
the flapping wings
of a butterfly
Rosa Clement
dune path —
just before the surf’s boom
we smell it
Ruth Yarrow
Quaker meeting
a lone fly’s hum the only break
in the heat
Sue Norvell
hiccups all the things I can’t control
Susan Burch
the swish of the brush
dad’s shoe propped up
on his shoeshine box
Teresa Bakota Yatsko
handlebar mustache
the way he rolls
his r’s
Theresa A. Cancro
not even twilight can contain this silence
Tiffany Shaw-Diaz
no one hears
the ocean
in my ears
Tom Clausen
noisy tourists
a praying monk
rolls his eyes
Vandana Parashar
midsummer rain
echo of thunder
in the conch shell
Vibeke Laier
noisy tractor
goes silent for a moment
the lark song
Wieslaw Karlinski
sore throat
after six hours
protest march
Wilda Morris
afternoon nap
my sweetheart and i practice
synchronized snoring
Zee Zahava
Wednesday, June 1, 2022
one-line haiku
Welcome to the June 2022 issue of brass bell: a haiku journal.
This month there is no particular theme. Each poem is just one line long (or even a single word!) . . . revealing meaning and depth in a deceptively simple form.
Contributing poets are from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Malta, Poland, Romania, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States
pond’s ripple a koi’s breath
Adjei Agyei-Baah
the sweetness of well water
ai li
so many Alans clumped in the school lunch line
Alan Bern
our packages delivered next door daily with a smile
Alan Bern
fish tank the squared-off edge of leylandii
Alan Peat
family of mice the night train briefly ruffles the snow
Alan Summers
wind whisper the night shifts to owls
Alan Summers
the recluse brings in another stray
Alexis Rotella
smoke from the chimney scribbles across the sky
Angela Giordano
too many words my dry throat
Angela Giordano
on the sandcastle a lollipop
Angiola Inglese
a slight smile in the corner of her mouth the wall still stands
Ann Carter
among the clutter of the junk drawer dad’s old watch
Barbara Sabol
sensory overload i count rotations of a ceiling fan
Barbara Tate Sayre
in plain sight an artist paints the north wind
Barbara Tate Sayre
collateral damage a felled tree’s shadow
Barrie Levine
nightfall the last crossword clue
Blue Waters
ice the riverbanks finally meet
Brad Bennett
breaking my fall a haiku moment
Brad Bennett
power failure still flicking light switches
Bryan D. Cook
blackout the glow of grandma’s oil lamps
Bryan D. Cook
off the beaten path the best poems
Bryan Rickert
aging a rose falls apart on the counter top
C. Robin Janning
dozing until the tea cools ignoring the news
C. Robin Janning
steam train whistles midnight mourning
Carol Judkins
raven on my shoulder first tattoo
Carole MacRury
a little of you in me narcissus
Carole MacRury
again but with more feeling spring breeze
Caroline Skanne
forgetting to remember blue butterflies
Caroline Skanne
the resonance of the bell deep inside
Charles Trumbull
interstellar flight endless night
Chen Xiaoou
misty lake drifting between loon calls
Chen-ou Liu
silence between us the phone lines sagging with May snow
Chen-ou Liu
the waiter’s perfumed wipes extra tips
Christina Chin
calligraphy practice on the blank squares new calendar
Christina Chin
squirrel park more squirrels than trees
Christina Sng
honeysuckle pruning I dream again
Christine L. Villa
tuning up bagpipes in a closed room
Christine Wenk-Harrison
translating the parrot’s new rant unpronounceable
Christine Wenk-Harrison
writing in bursts the rain
Claire Vogel Camargo
meteor gone before i can say it
Debbie Strange
in every boulder crevice a different green
Deborah Burke Henderson
crow caw meditation broken
Deborah P Kolodji
no moon tonight i walk alone
Devoshruti Mandal
how to hold nothing
Donna Fleischer
filled to the brim with emptiness origami cup
Elena Malec
deep meditation a fly fell asleep on my forehead
Elena Malec
blackbird’s song unfolding an old map inside me
Florin C. Ciobica
ants forget wildflowers remember
Frank Muller
what of the dust storm butterfly
Geethanjali Rajan
stepping into the unknown a rainbow
Geethanjali Rajan
cutting an avocado the way we compromise
Geoff Pope
my mirror is up to its old tricks
Jack Goldman
mother’s grave the red roses she never liked
Jackie Chou
beyond my fence a fawn watching me watching red apples
Jill Lange
rosemary for remembrance and spaghetti sauce
Jim Mazza
daily yoga practice weeding the garden
Jim Mazza
heavy fog mountains disappear
Joan Leotta
windswept our words becoming tide
Joanna Ashwell
rainfall skimming along with the dragonfly
Joanna Ashwell
a strand of her hair curled on my pillow crescent moon
Joe Sebastian
dawn greets me with questions
Joel Savishinsky
footprints on the “no trespassing” sign
John J. Dunphy
ginkgo leaves my niece parting her doll’s hair
Joshua St. Claire
moose in the meadow the cow watches
Karla Linn Merrifield
labyrinth now I remember the night I was born
Kath Abela Wilson
I dream my dead mother says she loves my latest poem
Katya Sabaroff Taylor
within each morning glory its own dance
kris moon
drum beats the mountain echoes boomerang
Lakshmi Iyer
rain under my collar the things i forgot
Laurinda Lind
your birthday i miss you we no longer speak
Laurinda Lind
all the glass not found on the beach cataracts
Lorraine A Padden
noon shadow only my feet and the cat
Lucia Cardillo
sinking into piped music delayed flight
Madhuri Pillai
frost the weight i didn’t know i was carrying
Marcie Wessels
invitation to write one-line haiku bag of potato chips
Margaret Fisher Squires
a smidge of this a dash of that used cookbook
Margaret Walker
little by little mayflies zigzagzigging
Marianne Paul
winter soup the swoop and dip of spoons
Marietta McGregor
river’s edge all ducklings in a row
Marilyn Ashbaugh
praying mantis looking the other way
Marilyn Ashbaugh
lucid dreaming wild-eyed pansies glancing back and forth
Mary Kendall
tangy lemon tart the child I was
Maya Daneva
a car alarm my raspy breath flowers for your grave
Michael Flanagan
love all his tennis whites as immaculate as ever
Michael Gallagher
done meditating the Buddha statue winks
Michael G. Smith
beachcombing every shell inhabited
Mimi Foyle
tulips my heart opens first
Mirela Brailean
love letters the different smell of each lie
Mirela Brailean
a pile of stones black teacups mended with gold epoxy
Miriam Sagan
a peacock’s relentless cry your long absence
Neena Singh
hummingbird in the mist seen unseen seen
Neena Singh
mountaintop almost there almost there
Pat Davis
feathers fly fresh seed in the feeder
Paul Beech
another rejection a soap bubble pops
Paul Callus
his touch my throat tightens
Pris Campbell
orange blossoms the taste of morning drizzle
Richard L. Matta
aloha plumeria the scent of her blouse
Richard L. Matta
closing in on 68 the field mouse I am
Robert Epstein
interpreter signs my pause
Roberta Beach Jacobson
s n a i l
Roberta Beach Jacobson
sweet memory my favorite doll belonged to my sister
Rosa Clement
a question posed between night-blooming jasmine
Seretta Martin
in the ocean starfish in starlight
Seretta Martin
happy hour drinks at the birdbath
Susan Burch
her tiny fingers trace the soft blue veins of grandma’s hand
Teresa Yatsko
clear morning slipping on my rose quartz bracelet
Theresa A. Cancro
oh how easily i soak up the folds of a primrose
Tiffany Shaw-Diaz
intimacy like the way freesia exhales
Tiffany Shaw-Diaz
dried spearmint steeping tea new mint greens a patch nearby
Tina Wright
oh no the last short story so i read it real slow
Tina Wright
the news my need to just keep walking
Tom Clausen
puddle portal where does it all go
Tom Clausen
spring cleaning a violet in mother’s old herbarium
Vibeke Laier
after funeral moon fills the empty mirror
Vibeke Laier
teacher’s funeral between loved ones the worst student
Wieslaw Karlinski
snow melt fills the creek skipping stones
Wilda Morris
somewhere in the catskill mountains a tree i once loved
Zee Zahava