A Room of My Own: No Politics Sign Tanka

written in response to  How to handle hot-potato election issues at Thanksgiving dinner

the Maple Leaf

swinging this way

and that ...

a No Politics sign

on the dining room wall

Note:  Today is Canadian Thanksgiving Day (occurring on the second Monday in October and six weeks earlier than American Thanksgiving Day).  And the 2019 Canadian federal election is scheduled to take place on October 21 (See more haiku and tanka about Thanksgiving Day).

Butterfly Dream: Death Watch Haiku by LeRoy Gorman

English Original

death watch
aspens rattle
at the window

The Heron’s Nest, 19:1, March 2017

LeRoy Gorman


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

守望死囚
白楊樹枝敲打窗戶
發出嘎嘎聲

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

守望死囚
白杨树枝敲打窗户
发出嘎嘎声


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

One Man's Maple Moon: Ragpicker Tanka by Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy

English Original

a city unfolds
along the railroad
by the trash
a ragpicker rocks
himself to sleep

Presence, 58, 2017


Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一座城市
沿著鐵路發展
在垃圾旁
一位拾荒者不停地搖晃
直到入睡

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一座城市
沿着铁路发展
在垃圾旁
一位拾荒者不停地摇晃
直到入睡


Bio Sketch

Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy is a psychiatrist from Bengaluru India,  living in England. A trained vocalist and a composer in Indian classical music, he writes in Kannada, Sankethi, Tamil and English languages. His haikai writings have been published in reputed journals and anthologies and won prizes, worldwide. He is currently the Editor of Blithe Spirit, journal of The British Haiku Society.

Butterfly Dream: Hospital Papers Haiku by Elizabeth Crocket

English Original

hospital papers
handed back to me ...
a gap in the clouds

Elizabeth Crocket


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

醫院的文件
交還給我 ...
雲層中的縫隙

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

医院的文件
交还给我...
云层中的缝隙


Bio Sketch

Elizabeth Crocket has been published in most of the leading haiku journals. She has two chapbooks published by Red Moon Press. One of them was shortlisted for the Touchstone Distinguished Book Award. Elizabeth also writes women's fiction novels. website: Elizabethcrocket.com

Butterfly Dream: Daybreak Haiku by Elehna de Sousa

English Original

daybreak --
before the birds
the stillness

Wordless 2017: Haiku Canada 40 Years of Haiku

Elehna de Sousa


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

黎明 --
在鳥兒歌唱之前
的寂靜

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

黎明 --
在鸟儿歌唱之前
的寂静


Bio Sketch

Elehna de Sousa was born and raised in HongKong. She came to Canada in 1967 for higher studies and has stayed every since. Formerly a psychotherapist, she now is active in the world of mixed-media art, photography and short form Japanese poetry. She currently lives on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia where her creativity is nurtured by the quietude and beauty of her living environment, surrounded by forest and sea. In 2005, she published a limited edition book of photography and haiku, A Shower of Blossoms.

A Room of My Own: Extinction Rebellion Tanka

Extinction Rebellion has a message for the world: We’ve only just begun.1

Charging Bull 2

covered in fake blood

men and women

strewn on the ground

with a coffin

Notes:

1 See To the Lighthouse: Joshi (Prefatory Note) as a Poetic Device.

2 Charging Bull, a symbol of American capitalist might, is a bronze sculpture that stands in the Financial District in Manhattan, New York.

One Man's Maple Moon: Orlando Shooting Tanka by Elena Calvo

English Original

consoling my daughter
after the Orlando
shootings
my sudden burst of anger
at something trivial

Gusts, 24, Fall/Winter 2016

Elena Calvo


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

奧蘭多槍擊事件
發生之後
我安慰我的女兒
然而為了一些瑣碎的事
我突然發怒不止

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

奥兰多枪击事件
发生之后
我安慰我的女儿
然而为了一些琐碎的事
我突然发怒不止


Bio Sketch
 

Elena Calvo started journaling and writing poetry at the age of seven in her native land, Spain. She writes lyric poetry, essays, aphorisms, haiku and tanka in both English and Spanish. Her work has appeared in different anthologies published in Canada, as well as in OIW, HC, KaDo and Gusts.

Butterfly Dream: Missing You Haiku by Julie Warther

English Original

two ends of a circle missing you

Second Place, 2018 Lyrical Passion Monostich Contest

Julie Warther


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一個圓圈的兩端想念你

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一个圆圈的两端想念你


Bio Sketch

Julie Warther serves as Midwest Regional Coordinator for the Haiku Society of America , is an associate editor at The Heron's Nest  and was instrumental in establishing The Forest Haiku Walk in Millersburg, Ohio and the Seasons of Haiku Trail at The Holden Arboretum in Kirtland, Ohio.

Butterfly Dream: Flag-Draped Casket Haiku by Jo Balistreri

English Original

flag-draped casket
the diminishing skirl
of bagpipes

Akitsu, spring 2018

Jo Balistreri


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

覆蓋國旗的棺材
不斷減弱風笛刺耳
的哭泣聲音

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

覆盖国旗的棺材
不断减弱风笛刺耳
的哭泣声音


Bio Sketch

Jo Balistreri is grateful for the haiku community and the ability to keep writing

A Room of My Own: A Woman in Red Tanka

a butterfly
pauses between sunlight
and dappled shade
this lingering scent
of a woman in red

Butterfly Dream: Midnight Stroll Haiku by Agus Maulana Sunjaya

English Original

midnight stroll
a stray dog leads me
out of the mist

Wales Haiku Journal, Summer 2018

Agus Maulana Sunjaya


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

午夜漫步
一隻流浪狗引導我
走出薄霧

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

午夜漫步
一只流浪狗引导我
走出薄雾


Bio Sketch

Agus Maulana Sunjaya is 49 years old , a  married man with a lovely wife an 4 beautiful daughters. He  lives in Tangerang, Indonesia, teaching physics and math in a high school. 

Butterfly Dream: Day's End Haiku by Rachel Sutcliffe

English Original

day’s end
the last crows slip
into shadows

Autumn Moon Haiku, 1, 2017

Rachel Sutcliffe


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一天結束了
最後一群烏鴉滑入
一片陰影

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一天结束了
最后一群乌鸦滑入
一片阴影


Bio Sketch

Rachel Sutcliffe had suffered from a serious immune disorder for over 16 years; throughout  this time writing had been her therapy, and it kept her from going insane! She was an active member of the British Haiku Society and had been published in various journals including  Prune Juice, Failed Haiku and Hedgerow.

Poetic Musings: Alone in a Crowd Tanka by Kenneth Tanemura

alone in a crowd

even the seat

in this café

doesn’t

fit

The Tanka Anthology, 2003

Kenneth Tanemura

 

Commentary: Kenneth Tanemura takes this cliche, "alone in a crowd," and refreshes it in a comic way: "even the seat/ in this café/ doesn’t/ fit." He effectively builds this sense of isolation/loneliness by decreasing syllables with each line. The last two lines/words (three syllables in total) strike the reader hard. 

Butterfly Dream: Desert Journey Haiku by Pravat Kumar Padhy

English Original

desert journey --
camels follow shadow
after shadow

Highly Commendation, 2015 Creatrix Haiku Prize

Pravat Kumar Padhy


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

沙漠之旅 --
一列駱駝跟隨一個影子
又一個影子

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

沙漠之旅 --
一列骆驼跟随一个影子
又一个影子


Bio Sketch

Pravat Kumar Padhy hails from Odisha, India. He holds Masters in Science and Technology and a Ph.D from IIT- Dhanbad. His literary work cited in Spectrum History of Indian Literature in English, Alienation in Contemporary Indian English Poetry, Cultural and Philosophical Reflections in Indian Poetry in English, etc. His Japanese short forms of poetry appeared in various international journals and anthologies. His tanka, ‘I mingle’ is featured in the “Kudo Resource Guide”, Cal Performances, University of California, Berkeley, 2014/2015 Season.His haiku won Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Honourable Mention Award, Canada, UNESCO International Year of Water Co-operation, The Kloštar Ivanić International Haiku Contest, Creatrix Haiku Commendation Award, IAFOR Vladimir Devide Haiku Award and 7th Setouchi Matsuyama International Photo Haiku Award. 

One Man's Maple Moon: Beach Combing Tanka by Michele L. Harvey

English Original

beach combing
with its endless choice of shells…
in a sudden flash
I finally understand
your infidelity

Moonbathing, Spring/Summer 2017

Michele L. Harvey


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

梳理海灘
有無盡的方法選擇貝殼 ...
突然之間
我終於明白了
你的不忠

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

梳理海滩
有无尽的方法选择贝壳...
突然之间
我终于明白了
你的不忠


Bio Sketch

Michele L. Harvey is a professional landscape painter living in New York. Her year is divided between rural  central NY and New York City, providing a lively contrast. Her poetry has been accepted by most of the current short form poetry publications and she has won numerous national and international Japanese short form poetry contests, both in haiku and tanka. You may view both her paintings and examples of her poetry  online at micheleharvey.com