Reading More and Writing Better: Tower Cranes Tanka by Chen-ou Liu

written on Labor Day

a gray-haired worker

takes another sip of coffee

from his thermos ...

tower crane after tower crane

against the twilight skyline

FYI: This tanka is inspired by PBS's 14-minute documentary, City of Cranes, a film that "provides a unique perspective on urban construction by focusing on the lives and experiences of crane operators. The term can also metaphorically refer to cities with a high density of construction cranes, such as Toronto, which has frequently ranked highest in North America for its number of tower cranes." 

Butterfly Dream: Daybreak Haiku by Vladislav Hristov

English Original

daybreak

no load

on the crane hook

Frogpond, 45:1 Winter 2022

Vladislav Hristov

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

黎明時刻

一架起重機吊鉤

沒有負載重物

Translation result

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

黎明时刻

一架起重机吊钩

没有负载重物

 

Bio Sketch 

 

Vladislav Hristov is a Bulgarian short form poet. He works as a journalist and a photographer. His haiku have been published in Frogpond, World Haiku Review, Sketchbook, The Heron’s Nest, Modern Haiku, Asahi Haikuist Network, The Mainichi Daily News, and Presence. He is a 2020 "Basho-an” Award Winner. 

Poetic Musings: Elevator Haiku by John Stevenson

jampackedelevatoreverybuttonpushed 

My Red, 2021

John Stevenson

Commentary: This visual haiku is jampacked with letters; when broken apart, it reads “jampacked elevator every button pushed”. This immediately gives off a vividly concrete and relatable image of an elevator crowded with people, who are trying to get to work or go to meeting. Therefore, every single button on the elevator has been pushed. 

Technically speaking, the form, visual one-liner, goes hand in hand with the play on words, jam-packed/"jampacked," and it's because so many people are in the elevator; therefore, there is no "personal space" left between riders. It's most likely that someone is accidentally, or not, doing something irritating to someone else, i.e. someone's emotional button being pushed. Therefore, the concluding phrase, everybuttonpushed, works well on two levels, literal (elevator button) and figurative (someone's "emotional button").

And my kyoka below could be read as a response poem/sequel to John's:

the door

opens and closes

every eye

escapes

into floor numbers

Atlas Poetica, 24, 2016

Butterfly Dream: Night Train Haiku by Alan Summers

English Original 

each window its own night train

Honourable Mention, The British Haiku Society Awards 2018/19

 

Alan Summers

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

每個窗口自己的夜間列車

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

每个窗户自己的夜间列车

 

Bio Sketch

Alan Summers is co-founder of Call of the Page, and founding editor of The Blo͞o Outlier Journal. He believes it’s essential to keep baking bread while creating innovative toppings from marmite and marmalade, not always at the same time, to other delights!

Butterfly Dream: Diner's Dumpster Haiku by Sanja Domenuš

English Original

diner's dumpster overfilled ...

a gray-haired man and flies feast

in gathering dusk

A Fly on a Slice of Bread, 2024

Sanja Domenuš

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

餐車的垃圾箱已經滿了 ...

黃昏時分一個白髮男子和蒼蠅

共享豐盛的晚餐

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

餐车的垃圾箱已经满了 ...

黄昏时分一个白发男子和苍蝇

共享丰盛的晚餐

Bio Sketch

Sanja Domenuš was born in 1966 in Sisak, Croatia. She has been writing poetry and poetry since 2017. Her poetry has been awarded and included in many anthologies and magazines. She lives and works in Sisak, where she participates in numerous poetry events and festivals. And she is the author of four poetry books: The Girl Who Ate Stones, Squid Cleaner, Walk with Szymborska and A Fly on a Slice of Bread.

A Room of My Own: 100 Square-Foot Freedom Haiku

Re-Homing in the Maple Land, I

another rent strike ...

this 100 square-foot freedom

with a skylight

FYI: A queen-sized bed is 33 square feet

Added: Re-Homing in the Maple Land, II

a mattress 

crammed into a space

at the top

of this spiral staircase ...

now a home away from home

Added: Re-Homing in the Maple Land, III

this old man thanks me

and his beagle thanks me too

with its tail wagging ...

then he replies, I feel more homeless

in the shelter system

Added: Re-Homing in the Maple Land, IV

in dim light

this windowless closet room ("renting for $800," CBC News, May 27)

my friend's new home ...

his looks when he first came out

in the Vancouver Pride Parade

Added: Re-Homing in the Maple Land, V

renoviction ...

this 80-square-foot shelter

on four wheels

A Room of My Own: Abundance Tanka

new neighbor's sign

that reads B & B in bold

staked in long grasses

I wonder at this abundance

that other manicured lawns lack

FYI: CBC News, May 12, 2022: The case for leaving the perfectly manicured lawn behind: Why a more diverse and hands-off garden makes for a better environment 

North Americans have had a longstanding love affair with crisp blades of grass and the perfectly manicured lawns we shape them into. The tidy turf tradition isn't homegrown though: the concept was hauled across the Atlantic by colonists who maintained lawns in Europe going back to the 17th or 18th century. The growth became a staple of the leisure class who revelled in lawn games like croquet and tennis and turned it into a status symbol, since bringing neatness to nature's chaos required deep pockets. And so, keeping up with the trim-turfed Joneses began.

Added:

the rise and fall

of my old dog's snores ...

alone in TV's light

Added:

alone and sandwiched

between Tucker Carlson's fans and foes

reunion buffet

FYI: Bess Levin, VanityFair, April 24: World Reacts to Tucker Carlson’s Departure From Fox News Like the Allied Forces Just Defeated the Nazis

And Rae Hodge, Salon, April 24: "American hero": Tucker Carlson's fans mourn as star right-wing pundit departs Fox News

Added: Game Show 2024, XIX

written in response to Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, April 24: The Trump-Biden Rematch Is Inevitable: The choices will be a traditional [i.e. Mediocre] American politician or a de facto [MAGA] cult leader—again.

2024 re-match ...

Washington apple cut in half

with core rot

FYI: Washington is the top U.S. producer of apples; however, the apple tree is not native to the northeastern United States, where it was first declared “America’s fruit.” The apple traveled to North America the same way the Pilgrims did in the 1600s. 

After 1918, people started associating apple pie with the "freedom and prosperity" they enjoyed as Americans. When the United States joined World War II, soldiers said they were entering the war for "Mom and apple pie."

Butterfly Dream: Coin-Shaped Eyes Haiku by Isabel Caves

English Original

door to door

the coin-shaped eyes

of a girl scout

Haiku Pea Podcast, Series 2, Episode 2

Isabel Caves

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

從一家到另一家

一名女童子軍

有錢幣形狀的眼睛

Chinese Translation (Simplified) 

从一家到另一家

一名女童子军

有钱币形状的眼睛

Bio Sketch

Isabel Caves is a haiku poet living in Auckland, New Zealand. Her haiku have appeared in several journals including Stardust Haiku, Wales Haiku Journal and Femkumag. She is a regular contributor to the Haiku Pea Podcast.

Butterfly Dream: Mannequin’s Eyes Haiku by Praniti Gulyani

English Original

window shopping

in the mannequin’s eyes

a flickering light 

Praniti Gulyani 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

逛街購物

時裝模特兒眼中

閃爍的光

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

逛街购物

时装模特儿眼中

闪烁的光

Bio Sketch

An avid practitioner of the Japanese short forms of poetry, Praniti Gulyani aspires to become a full time writer when she grows up. She has published a print collection of haiku, and an ebook of haibun, both of which have been reviewed by world renowned haiku poets.

One Man's Maple Moon: Heartbeat Tanka by Barry George

English Original

in my high-rise

apartment

ear to the floor

I listen for a heartbeat

anything

The One That Flies Back,  2015

Barry George 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

在我的高樓

大廈裡面

耳朵貼近地板

我傾聽心跳

或是任何聲音

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

在我的高楼

大厦里面

耳朵贴近地板

我倾听心跳

或是任何声音

  

Bio Sketch

Barry George is the author of Wrecking Ball and Other Urban Haiku and The One That Flies Back, a tanka collection. A regular contributor to haiku and tanka journals, he has won numerous short-form competitions, including First Prize in the Gerald R. Brady Contest. He lives and teaches in Philadelphia. 

One Man’s Maple Moon: Strangers Tanka by Michael McClintock

English Original

in a city 

drifting among 

strangers 

sometimes I want 

nothing more 

Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka, II, 2009

Michael McClintock

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

    

在一個城市

的陌生人當中

飄蕩

有時候

我什麼都不要

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

在一个城市

的陌生人当中

飘荡

有时候

我什么都不要

Bio Sketch

Michael McClintock's lifework in haiku, tanka, and related literature spans over four decades. His many contributions to the field include six years as president of the Tanka Society of America (2004-2010) and contributing editor, essayist, and poet for dozens of journals, anthologies, landmark collections and critical studies. McClintock now lives in Clovis, California, where he works as an independent scholar, consultant for public libraries, and poet. Meals at Midnight [tanka], Sketches from the San Joaquin [haiku] and Streetlights: Poetry of Urban Life in Modern English Tanka, are some of his recent titles.

Butterfly Dream: Mumbai Commute Haiku by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

Mumbai commute

each train window

colored with people

Wild Plum, Spring 2015

Sonam Chhoki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

孟買通勤

豐富多彩的民眾填滿

每個火車窗口

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

孟买通勤

丰富多彩的民众填满

每个火车窗口

Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

Poetic Musings: Mannequins Haiku by Martin Shea

the long night

of the mannequins --

snow falling

The Mamba, 5, March 2018

Martin Shea

Commentary: In Shea’s haiku, the pause occurs before the last line. In this case the poem’s moment is long -- an entire night. It’s not just the snow that might be keeping shoppers away but the long hours of night when the store is closed. This poem extends empathy to the mannequins and their seeming loneliness in this situation. Every night is surely the same, but this particular night feels even longer because of the snow -- excerpted from "Thirteen Ways of Reading Haiku" by Michael Dylan Welch

Note: You can read the full text here, To the Lighthouse: "Thirteen Ways of Reading Haiku" by Michael Dylan Welch

Butterfly Dream: Porch Pirate’s Breath Haiku by LeRoy Gorman

English Original

Holy Saturday

the door cam catches

a porch pirate’s breath

tinywords, 21:1, April 2  2021

LeRoy Gorman


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

聖週六

大門攝影機捕捉住到

門廊海盜嘴裡呼出的氣息

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

圣周六

大门摄影机捕捉住到

门廊海盗嘴里呼出的气息

Bio Sketch

LeRoy Gorman lives in Napanee, Ontario. His poetry, much of it minimalist and visual, has appeared in publications and exhibitions worldwide. He is the author of two dozen poetry books and chapbooks. He is also the winner of the 2017 Dwarf Stars Award

Butterfly Dream: Change of Trains Haiku by Garry Eaton

English Original

change of trains

a busker hurries through

the minute waltz

tinywords, 18:2, January 30 2019

Garry Eaton

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

換乘火車

在蕭邦小狗圆舞曲樂聲中

一位街頭藝人匆忙穿過

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

换乘火车

在萧邦小狗圆舞曲乐声中

一位街头艺人匆忙穿过

Bio Sketch

Garry Eaton was a Canadian poet from British Columbia. He started writing haiku in 2006 and was published occasionally in the major haiku magazines. He volunteered as the digital librarian for The Haiku Foundation Digital Library.

Butterfly Dream: Train Journey Haiku by Alan Summers

English Original

train journey

the spreadsheet

of city lights

Stardust, 22, October 2018

Alan Summers

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

火車旅行

城市燈光看起來像是

展開的電子表格

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

火车旅行

城市灯光看起来像是

展开的电子表格

 

Bio Sketch

Alan Summers is President of the United Haiku and Tanka Society, and co-founder of Call of the Page. He enjoys watching classic episodes of Dr. Who, all over again, as his ten year old nephew has discovered them for himself. Website: www.callofthepage.org

Poetic Musings: "For Sale" Found Haiku by Ernest Hemingway

For sale:

baby shoes,

never worn.

Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak, 2009

Ernest Hemingway

Commentary: L1 sets the theme of Hemingway's six-word story/found haiku while unexpected yet curious L3 unlocks the reader's imagination, and invites the reader to cooperate in the construction of the larger narrative that is obliquely limned by these six words, which might imply miscarriage or sudden infant death. In its terseness, the six-word story/found haiku is a perfect encapsulation of Hemingway's economic writing style. And each word in his found haiku is chosen to unlock a world of the evoked sensation in the reader. 

When a writer composes a haiku, it’s only half finished. The reader is co-creator, and his or her reading can carry the poem out beyond the page and make it almost a new poem altogether. -- Aubrie Cox 

Butterfly Dream: Rectory Haiku by Jack Galmitz

English Original

at the rectory 

under the bare bulb 

two men shooting up

non-zero-sum, 2015 

Jack Galmitz

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

牧師宅邸旁邊

在沒有燈罩的電燈泡下

兩名男子注射毒品 

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

牧师宅邸旁边

在没有灯罩的电灯泡下

两名男子注射毒品 

Bio Sketch 

 

Jack Galmitz was born in NYC in 1951. He received a Ph.D in English from the University of Buffalo.  He is an Associate of the Haiku Foundation and Contributing Editor at Roadrunner.  His most recent books are Views (Cyberwit.net, 2012),  Letters (Lulu Press, 2012), yards & lots (Middle Island Press, 2012), not-zero-sum (Impress 2015) and Takeout (Impress, 2015).  He lives in New York with his wife and stepson.

Butterfly Dream: Vendor’s Children Haiku by Angelee Deodhar

English Original

asleep
among watermelons
the vendor’s children

edge of light, 2003

Angelee Deodhar


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

在一堆西瓜中
一位攤販的孩子們
睡著了

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

在一堆西瓜中
一位摊贩的孩子们
睡着了 

 

 

Bio Sketch

Angelee Deodhar of Chandigarh (India) was an eye surgeon by profession as well as a haiku poet, translator, and artist. Her haiku/haiga had been published internationally .She didn't have her own website.To promote haiku in India, she had translated six books of haiku from English to Hindi.

Butterfly Dream: Texting Haiku by Srinivasa Rao Sambangi

English Original

snail pace traffic
now and then
faster texting

Cattails, October 2017

Srinivasa Rao Sambangi 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

蝸牛步調般的交通
不時地
更快地發短信

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

蜗牛步调般的交通
不时地
更快地发短信


Bio Sketch

Srinivasa Rao Sambangi, a Master Black Belt in Six Sigma, is currently working in a pharmaceutical company as Head of Operational Excellence. He lives in Hyderabad, India