A Room of My Own: Domino Pieces Tanka

One Hundred Sixty-Fourth Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary 

domino pieces

patterned in a shape 

of covid-19 ...

this one-year-old dream never dies,

just the old dreamer

Added: a tanka for  Eugene Burdick and William Lederer, authors of an award-winning political novel, The Ugly American

Trump tops the list

for the Most Admired Man

in black and white

I watch It's A Wonderful Life

on the dying day of the year

FYI: People, December 30, 2020: Michelle Obama Named ‘Most Admired Woman,’ While Donald Trump Ends Barack Obama’s Record Streak. Business Insider, December 31, 2020: Trump is a chaos agent in his final days between fighting with Congress, raising fears of war with Iran, and continuing his futile effort to overturn the election. And The New York Times, Jan. 1 2021: 'COVID, COVID, COVID': In Trump's Final Chapter, a Failure to Rise to the Moment.

Butterfly Dream: New Year's Eve Haiku by Natalia Kuznetsova

English Original

snowbound pines
glimmer against starry skies --
New Year’s Eve

Oku-no-hosomichi Soka Matsubara International Competition, 2020

Natalia Kuznetsova


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

大雪覆蓋的松樹

在星空之下閃閃發光 --

除夕夜

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

大雪覆盖的松树

在星空之下闪闪发光 --

除夕夜

Bio Sketch

Living in Moscow, Russia, Natalia Kuznetsova is an assistant professor of English and freelance interpreter. Before discovering the haiku world, she wrote poetry in Russian. She started writing tanka and mostly haiku in English several years ago, and participated in numerous competitions worldwide and won some awards. She now contributes regularly to World Haiku Review, Mainichi Daily, Asahi Haikuist Network, Shiki Kukai and other traditional and on-line publications. She was included on the list of "European Top 100 Most Creative Haiku Authors" from 2010 to 2013.

Butterfly Dream: Pregnant Mother Haiku by Tomislav Maretić

English Original

city bus stop ...

a boy squats in the shadow

of his pregnant mother

Grand Prix, 2012 Vladimir Devidé Haiku Award

Tomislav Maretić

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

城市公交車站 ...

一個男孩蹲在懷孕母親

的陰影裡

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

城市公交车站 ...

一个男孩蹲在怀孕母亲

的阴影里

 

 

Bio Sketch

Tomislav Maretić (1951) is a physician and an infectious disease specialist, and he has been working for  almost 40 years in University Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Zagreb. He has been writing haiku for forty years. His haiku have received several awards and have been published in several journals and magazines.

Poetic Musings: Drought Tanka by Kathy Kituai

strumming on the roof

refrains not played during drought

am I humming

in the identical key

farmers will be singing?

Straggling into Winter, 2007

                                     

Kathy Kituai

Commentary: In this tanka Kathy Kituai gives us a feast of sound – hum, sing, key, refrain. And the considered use of 4 ing-words gives a lyrical and musical quality to the poem that makes it sound pleasant, very much like the ping of rain on a galvanized roof. 

-- excerpted from "To the Lighthouse: Sensing Tanka: Perceiving Life Beyond the Ordinary" by David Terelinck

Butterfly Dream: Hospital Curtain Haiku by Lori A Minor

English Original

hospital curtain

her last breath lingers

in the ripples

Short List, 2018 H. Gene Murtha Senryu Contest

Lori A Minor

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

醫院窗簾

她的最後一口氣縈繞

在窗簾的波動中

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

医院窗帘

她的最后一口气萦绕

在窗帘的波动中

 

 

Bio Sketch

Lori A Minor is a feminist, mental health advocate, and body positive activist currently living in Norfolk, Virginia.  She has received various awards and nominations, including short list for the 2017 Touchstone Award. Alongside writing, Lori is also the founder and editor of #FemkuMag.

Butterfly Dream: Snowdrops Haiku by Tia Haynes

English Original

snowdrops ...

the first ultrasound

becomes the last

Ephemerae, 1:C,  2018

Tia Haynes

 

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一朵朵雪花蓮 ...

第一次超音波檢查

成為最後一次

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一朵朵雪花莲 ...

第一次超音波检查

成为最后一次

 

 

Bio Sketch

Tia Haynes is a New Resonance poet whose love of haiku stems from a place of gratitude. Her work has appeared in  journals, such as The Heron's Nest, Modern Haiku, and Frogpond. She currently resides in Ohio.

One Man's Maple Moon: Swallow’s Egg Tanka by Corine Timmer

English Original

the swallow’s egg

falls from the nest

onto the bin ...

our fourth attempt 

at IVF      

Blithe Spirit, 28:3, August 2018

Corine Timmer

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一顆燕子的蛋

從鳥窩裡掉落

到垃圾箱上 ...

我們第四次嘗試

體外人工受孕

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一颗燕子的蛋

从鸟窝里掉落

到垃圾箱上 ...

我们第四次尝试

体外人工受孕

Bio Sketch

Corine Timmer lives in the countryside in the south of Portugal. She is an interior designer, animal lover, and a self-published author. Haiku crossed her path by accident in 2015 and she’s been hooked ever since. Corine’s haiku have been published in several on and offline haiku journals and anthologies. She won awards in 2017 and 2018.

A Room of My Own: Under the Mistletoe Haiku

One Hundred Sixty-First Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary

under the mistletoe 

we air-kiss each other 

Christmas moonlight

Added: 

a cracked display window

of the American Dream Store --

Trump's pardon spree

FYI: This store is in this famous "American Dream Mall," a retail and entertainment complex in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The mall has 450 stores and 33ooo parking spaces and was shut down during the first wave of Covid19. And I published this haiku below (the third haiku of the 4-haiku sequence, Reality Show Host (the Seventh Entry), where every L1 of all the haiku are words quoted from the "President."):

Relax, it all will pass ...

this infectious silence

of the American Dream Mall

 

Added: 

 

in dim light
their Christmas wreath
hangs askew --
a renoviction notice
falling onto the doormat

Added:

a street kid

stares at the reflection

in a Christmas window ...

a gingerbread monolith

on the San Francisco hilltop  

Butterfly Dream: Covid Christmas Haiku by Marion Alice Poirier

English Original

Covid Christmas

nothing but snow

in Santa's sleigh

Marion Alice Poirier


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

冠狀病毒聖誕節

在聖誕老人的雪橇上

除了雪什麼都沒有

    
Chinese Translation (Simplified)

冠状病毒圣诞节

在圣诞老人的雪橇上

除了雪什么都没有

Bio Sketch

Marion Alice Poirier is a lifetime resident of  Boston, MA. She began writing haiku in 2001 and eventually began to teach haiku in workshops on Poetry Circle and Emerging Poets. She also write short poetry and have been published in on-line haiku and short poetry journals like Tinywords, Hedgerow and The Heron's Nest.

Poetic Musings: Burnt House Haiku by Shokyu-ni

On my return from Tsukushi at the close of March, I found that my hut had been destroyed by fire. Looking at the ruins, I composed this verse.

violets here and there

in the ruins 

of my burnt house

Haiku Mind: 108 Poems to Cultivate Awareness and Open Your Heart

Shokyu-ni

Commentary: As her poetic response to a personal tragedy depicted in the joshi (prefatory note) , Shokyu-ni's haiku addresses centuries-old question: how to confront or deal with the adversity in one's daily life? We can't control what happens, but we can control our response to what happens. And our response depends on our way(s) of seeing the reality on the ground: "the paradox, the complexity, how the good and bad are often intertwined... violets in the ruins" (p. 14)

And the following haiku could be read as a sequel:

wild violet

making a home

where I am

tinywords, 23:2, December 1, 2023

Jeff Hoagland

One Man's Maple Moon: Crowded Street Tanka by Mary Vlooswyk

English Original

an old woman 
sells silver earrings
on a crowded street
for a moment 
our lives touch

Mary Vlooswyk 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一位老婦人

在擁擠的街道上

叫賣銀耳環

我們的人生

相互接觸一會兒

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一位老妇人

在拥挤的街道上

叫卖银耳环

我们的人生

相互接触一会儿

Bio Sketch

Mary Vlooswyk is from Calgary, Canada.  She is a poet and cellist who also likes to dabble in visual arts. Her haiku and tanka has been published in the book, A Pebble In My Shoe and various international magazines.

Butterfly Dream: Floating Bones Haiku by Jack Galmitz

English Original

alone             floating bones

yards & lots, 2012

Jack Galmitz


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

獨自一人      漂浮的骨頭

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

独自一人      漂浮的骨头

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.

A Room of My Own: Today's Daily Bread: First Isolation, 12:20 - 1:3

One Hundred Fifty-Eighth Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary

In front of a wall of giant maple leaf flags, the silver-haired retired general, who will be heading up the province's vaccine distribution task force, pauses for a while, takes a close look around the conference room, and finally rests his eyes on the youngest reporter. Then he speaks in a low, firm tone, 

"People are tired and some of them even say, 'Oh, my goodness! we can't carry on.' Well, guess what --each and every one of you can! Please remember this: it is not the first time in our history that we have faced these seemingly insurmountable challenges and gotten through. Our grandfathers could storm the 50-mile stretch of Normandy coast three-quarters of a century ago. Today, we definitely can stay at home, away from everybody else for just two more weeks."

no body

loves holiday gatherings

more than covid ...

I murmur to myself

and my beagle on the couch

Added: One Hundred Fifty-Ninth Entry

like E.T.

he puts forth his finger

to touch my son's ...

the maskless mall Santa

inside the giant snow globe

Added: One Hundred Sixtieth Entry, written in response to Donald Trump's conspiracy theorist Sidney Powell pick for special counsel investigating voter fraud, The Guardian, Dec. 19 

Donald Trump

dragged kicking and screaming

out of the White House

a mask-free Santa Claus

in my Christmas dream

One Man's Maple Moon: Horse's Mane Tanka by Shuji Terayama

English Original

a horse's mane

inserted

between pages

of the diary

he kept in prison

Kaleidoscope, 2007 

Shuji Terayama


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一匹馬的鬃毛

插入保存

在他監獄裡

的日記本

頁面之間

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一匹马的鬃毛

插入保存

在他监狱里

的日记本

页面之间

 

 

Bio Sketch

The avant-garde stage and film director, poet, critic, author and founder of the experimental theater group Tenjo Sajiki, Shuji Terayama was born in 1935 in Aomori, Japan. He started writing tanka in his late teens and received the Tanka Kenkyu Award for Emerging Poets. He published several tanka collections before he stopped writing at the age of 30. Many of his tanka read more like scenes from a movie scene or short story. He died in 1983. The first English language collection of his tanka, Kaleidoscope, was published by The Hokuseido Press in 2008 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of  his death.

Butterfly Dream: River's Bend Haiku by Martin Gottlieb Cohen

English Original

only the wake
at the river's bend 
autumn light

The Heron's Nest, 19:4, December 2017 

Martin Gottlieb Cohen


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

在拐彎之處

只有河水被劃過的痕跡

秋光

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

在拐弯之处

只有河水被划过的痕迹

秋光

Bio Sketch

Martin Gottlieb Cohen was born in the South Bronx somewhere on Simpson Street, went to a Yeshiva on East Broadway and Canal Street, and then lived in the South of Brooklyn, the South of Long Island, The Southern Tier of Upstate New York, The South of Manhattan, and finally South Jersey in Egg Harbor

One Man's Maple Moon: Summit Tanka by Keitha Keyes

English Original

breathless
on the summit
with you …
no looking back
now my life is complete

Gusts,  27, Spring/Summer 2018

Keitha Keyes 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

與你一起

站在山頂上

喘不過氣來 …

不再回顧過往

現在我的生活已經完滿

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

与你一起

站在山顶上

喘不过气来 …

不再回顾过往

现在我的生活已经完满

Bio Sketch

Keitha Keyes lives in Sydney, surrounded by antique irons and ship models. She enjoys writing tanka, haiku, senryu, cherita and related genres. Her work is published in many journals and anthologies in Australia and overseas.

Butterfly Dream: Hard Frost Haiku by H. Gene Murtha

English Original

hard frost

a dumpster's lid

slams shut

The Heron's Nest, 11:1, March  2009

H. Gene Murtha 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

凍霜

垃圾箱的蓋子

大力地關閉

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

冻霜

垃圾箱的盖子

大力地关闭 


Bio Sketch

H. Gene Murtha, a naturalist and poet, sponsored and judged the first haiku contest for the inner city children of Camden, NJ., for the Virgilio Group, of which he was a lifetime member. He was widely published for his work in haikai literature from the USA to Japan.

A Room of My Own: Don't Let it Dominate You

One Hundred Fifty-Fourth Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary

an entry, which mysteriously disappeared two months ago and was discovered early this morning by my drunken Muse 😁, written for a History-Making Loser, Donald Trump

the Press Secretary

responding to questions ...

the Energizer bunny 

thumps its relentless drum 

across the screen of my mind

After his three-night hospital stay, the President removes his face mask upon arrival at a White House balcony. He waves, gives a thumbs-up and poses for pictures. He then turns to walk inside, the mask still in his pocket.

The cover of Time magazine features the red clouds of coronavirus spewing from the White House, now the center of an outbreak. These thick clouds even obscure the Time logo.

FYI: CBC News, Dec. 15: No one has lost quite like Donald Trump in nearly 150 years

Added: One Hundred Fifty-Fifth Entry, written in response to CovidiotInChief Donald Trump's remark:It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear. February 27, 2020

the first shot

in grandpa's arm ...

all day long

rubbing prayer beads

grandma recites the Heart Sutra

Added: One Hundred Fifty-Sixth Entry, inspired by the "largest protests in human history"

Dilli Chalo 

echoing through the market ...

a farm boy 

rides his masked father's shoulders

with his fist raised high

FYI: "Dilli Chalo" means "Let’s go to Delhi"

Butterfly Dream: Empty Shell Haiku by Carole MacRury

English Original

an empty shell
fills with moonlight
winter’s end

Dreams Wander On: Contemporary Poems of Death Awareness, 2011

Carole MacRury 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一個空的貝殼

填滿了月光

冬天的盡頭

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一个空的贝壳

填满了月光

冬天的尽头

Bio Sketch

Carole MacRury resides in Point Roberts, Washington, a unique peninsula and border town that inspires her work.  She is the author of In the Company of Crows: Haiku and Tanka Between the Tides (Black Cat Press, 2008, 2nd Printing, 2018) and The Tang of Nasturtiums, an award-winning e-chapbook (Snapshot Press 2012).  

Butterfly Dream: Doctor's Mask Haiku by John Hawkhead

English Original

winter light 

the doctor’s mask

softens the news

John Hawkhead 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

冬日之光

醫生的口罩緩解

診斷的信息

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

冬日之光

医生的口罩缓解

诊断的信息

Bio Sketch

John Hawkhead is a writer of poetry, haiku, small plays and stories who has been published all over the world. His new book of haiku and senryu, Small Shadows, from Alba Publishing

One Man's Maple Moon: Dead Leaves Tanka by Kirsten Cliff Elliot

English Original

sipping coffee

to the sound of dead leaves

sweeping across the path …

my definition of success

changing day by day

A Hundred Gourds, 3:1, December 2013

Kirsten Cliff Elliot 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

啜飲咖啡

聆聽枯葉橫掃過路面

的聲音 ...

我對成功的定義

每天都在改變

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

啜饮咖啡

聆听枯叶横扫过路面

的声音 ...

我对成功的定义

每天都在改变

Bio Sketch

Kirsten Cliff Elliot is a New Zealand poet and writer. She works in a high school library and is studying towards a BA in Information and Library Studies. Together with her husband, she blogs at Help! My husband has Asperger’s: Our life on the spectrum’s edge.

Butterfly Dream: Premature Birth Haiku by Marion Clarke

English Original

premature birth
moonlight leaks 
into the barn

The Heron's Nest, 17:2, June 2015

Marion Clarke 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

早產

月光滲入

穀倉

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

早产

月光渗入

谷仓

Bio Sketch

Marion Clarke is from the east coast of Northern Ireland. Growing up surrounded by the scenic shores of Carlingford Lough, the Mourne Mountains and Kilbroney Forest Park,  she was destined to write haiku.

One Man's Maple Moon: These Traces Tanka by Thelma Mariano

English Original

after you're gone

these traces of your scent

on my pillow

while outside the wind

howls a little louder

Fire Pearls, 2006

Thelma Mariano

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

自從你走後

你的氣味仍殘留

在我的枕頭上

此時外面的風

大聲呼嘯

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

自从你走后

你的气味仍残留

在我的枕头上

此时外面的风

大声呼啸

 

 

Bio Sketch

Thelma Mariano is the author of Night Sky: a Selection of Tanka Poetry. She lives in Montreal and has published her tanka in literary journals as well as in various anthologies including Fire Pearls and Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka.

A Room of My Own: Quarantined Mind and Hanukkah Dream Haiku

One Hundred Fifty-First Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary

bubbles of light

float in my quarantined mind

Hanukkah dream

FYI: Hanukkah, an eight-day winter festival of lights, is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah, traditional foods, games and gifts. This Jewish festival celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and of spirituality over materiality.

Added: One Hundred Fifty-Second Entry

             the

          weight

second        lockdown

             of 

           snow 

             on

           snow

Butterfly Dream: Shells and the Ocean Haiku by LeRoy Gorman

English Original

beach littered with shells

the ocean whispers

in vitro

tinywords, 16:2, December 30 2016

LeRoy Gorman


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

滿是貝殼的沙灘

在大海之外一片

低語聲

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

满是贝壳的沙滩

在大海之外一片

低语声

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: Forget-Me-Nots Tanka by Mary Gunn

English Original

forget-me-nots

in a blue ceramic pot

pondering

why I am attracted to colors

that suit me

Moonbathing, 16, 2017 

Mary Gunn 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

勿忘我花

放在一個藍色的陶瓷罐中

我渴望知道

為什麼被適合我的顏色

深深地吸引

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

勿忘我花

放在一个蓝色的陶瓷罐中

我渴望知道

为什么被适合我的颜色

深深地吸引

Bio Sketch

Mary Gunn has been writing haiku, tanka and cherita for several years. Her tanka has appeared in a variety of publications, both online and in print, including Eucalypt, Blithe Spirit, Presence, Moonbathing, Atlas Poetica, Cattails and Poetry Quarterly.

Butterfly Dream: Sultry Night Haiku by Lucia Cardillo

English Original

sultry night ...

a mosquito sips

my dream

Shamrock, 40, 2018

Lucia Cardillo

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

悶熱的夜晚 ...

一隻蚊子啜飲

我的夢想

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

闷热的夜晚 ...

一只蚊子啜饮

我的梦想

Bio Sketch

Lucia Cardillo lives in Rodi Garganico (Foggia) Italia with her husband and two sons. She began writing haiku in July 2016 and never stopped since then. Her haiku have been published in various online and print  journals, such as The Mainichi, The Asahi, Otata, Failed Haiku, Haikuniverse, THF, Brass Bell, Stardust, Under the Basho, Wales Haiku Jounal, etc.

Poetic Musings: Hunter's Silence Haiku by Winona Baker

moss-hung trees

a deer moves into

the hunter's silence

Moss-Hung Trees, 1992

Winona Baker 

Commentary: L1, "moss-hung" trees, depicts and accentuates the stillness of a forest scene while L3 shows that the hunter holds his breath, waiting for the right moment to shoot. Only the deer in L2 takes a few steps forward. This image of "killing silence" brings up the questions about hunter and hunted/predator and prey, stillness and movement, life and death, for the reader to ponder.

A Room of My Own: Covid Heat Map and Four More Years Tanka

One Hundred Forty-Seventh Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary

the heat map 

turns from red to dark red

in Georgia's sunshine

the President pumps his fist

when the crowd chants, four more years

FYI: The New Yorker, Dec. 4: "Donald Trump, George Wallace, and the Influence of Losers"  by Steve Coll

Donald Trump will leave the White House in January, but Trumpism—that amorphous mobilization of nationalism, white nostalgia, and anti-élite grievance, twisted by disinformation—will likely remain a force in American politics for years.

Added: One Hundred Forty-Eighth Entry

autumn deepening

as new cases surge

a lone crow

caws into the dark

on the power line

Added: One Hundred Forty-Ninth Entry

surge upon surge ...

a phalanx of men with "grow up

mask up "sandwich boards

Added

row upon row

of tattered Stars and Stripes

outside the prison wall --

another five inmates

waiting for their last meals

FYI: Associated Press, Dec. 7: Trump (the "most prolific execution president in over 130 years") ratchets up pace of executions before Biden inaugural.

Special Feature: TSA 20th Anniversary Taiga Showcase

My Dear Readers:

To commemorate the Tanka Society of America's 20th anniversary, Susan Burch solicited and compiled "taiga" (haiga featuring tanka) to display on the society's Facebook page. And Christine L. Villa put together a video featuring these taiga and posted it on YouTube, titled TSA 20th Anniversary Taiga Showcase. 

Selected Tanka (featured in Taiga Showcase):

beginning again

without you

every day

a journey

into foreign lands

Julie Thorndyke

slowly I surrender

to my hearing loss

the quietness

of hard rain

pelting windows

Pamela A. Babusci

in this world

love has no color --

yet how deeply

my body

is stained by yours

Izumi Shikibu

biking

through the redwoods

this existence

bigger than my mind

can grasp

Susan Burch

hair damp

from the salt air

my toes

anchor into this strange beach

your last kiss still lingering

Pris Campbell

rootling

in the window sill ...

how long

until I feel the earth

under my feet

Julie Bloss Kelsey

Happy Viewing/Reading

Chen-ou

One Man's Maple Moon: Urge Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

deep winter
untrammelled by the urge
to sow, weed and reap
I let things be
revisit ancestral dreams

Otata, August 2017

Sonam Chhoki 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

深冬

不受播種，除草和收割

慾望的驅使

我就讓事情隨它去

並重溫祖先的夢想

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

深冬

不受播种，除草和收割

欲望的驱使

我就让事情随它去

并重温祖先的梦想

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.

Butterfly Dream: Canning Day Haiku by Jan Benson

English Original

canning day
apple peels quilt
the table top

tinywords, February 12 2014
 
Jan Benson


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

做罐頭日

蘋果皮覆蓋

整個桌面

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

做罐头日

苹果皮覆盖

整个桌面

Bio Sketch

Jan Benson was a Pushcart Prize nominated haiku poet. Her haiku were published in many of the world's leading haiku journals and magazines. Jan was a member of The World Haiku Association and Poetry Society of Texas. Jan's profile can be found on The Haiku Foundation "Poet Registry" and online at The Living Haiku Anthology.

Butterfly Dream: Granite Headstone Haiku by Marian Olson

English Original

granite headstone
the remains
of her stubbornness

Modern Haiku,  39:2, Summer 2008

Marian Olson


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

花崗岩墓碑

她的

殘留的固執

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

花岗岩墓碑

她的

残留的固执

Bio Sketch

Marian Olson, non-fiction writer and widely published international poet, was the author of nine books of poetry, including the award winning haiku in Songs of the Chicken Yard, Desert Hours, Consider This, and Moondance.  Published in 2017, The Other and Kaleidoscope were her first books of tanka.

One Man's Maple Moon: Journey Tanka by Marilyn Humbert

English Original

his journey

across wide gibber plains

bruises my feet

-- every word

I've spoken in anger

Cattails, October 2017

Marilyn Humbert


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

他的旅程

橫跨寬闊的吉布平原

挫傷了我的腳

-- 每句話出自我的口

都是氣話

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

他的旅程

跨越宽阔的吉布平原

挫伤了我的脚

-- 每句话出自我的口

都是气话

Bio Sketch

Marilyn Humbert lives in the Northern suburbs of Sydney NSW Australia. Her tanka and haiku appear in international and Australian journals, anthologies and online. Her free verse poems have been awarded prizes in competitions and some have been published.

A Room of My Own: Pool Spray

The Reuters journalist keeps pushing the question. "You're just a lightweight. Don't talk to me that way!" the President says loudly with a twist to his mouth. Silence penetrates the room.

night news on mute 

my Mexican parrot yells

concede, concede ... 

FYI: A pool spray is an American political/journalistic term for an event in which photographers and other members of the news media are allowed to visit briefly with the US President. This haibun was inspired by   Business Insider, Nov. 27: Trump snapped at a reporter quizzing him about his election defeat, saying "Don't ever talk to the president that way."

Added: One Hundred Forty-Sixth Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary

Faith Like a Mustard Seed

a 12-foot

monolith in the red-rock desert

appeared then vanished...

I recall the President's words

like a miracle, it'll disappear

the White House

shrouded in a cloud

of ravens 

in infectious dreams

I chant, January 20th

FYI: Insider, Nov.29: "The strange, metal monolith recently found in the remote Utah desert has mysteriously vanished" and CNN, Dec. 1: "'It's going to disappear': A timeline of Trump's claims that Covid-19 will vanish."

Added: written in response to Donald Trump's so-called "most important speech" delivered on Wednesday and for Leonard Cohen who remarked, There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.

his twisted smile

and a crack in the wall 

between two flags--

the Stars-and-Stripes

and the presidential seal

Poetic Musings: Spiraling Thoughts Haiku by Kala Ramesh

a tornado spiraling thoughts to the sky 

Under the Basho, 2013

Kala Ramesh

Commentary: The link word acts as a media to create subtle images. Here, if we take out "thoughts", it would be a simple prosaic sentence. The word "thoughts" drives the inner urge of the reader to look up the sky and action-based spiraling of tornado for detail logical deliberation. Moreover, it can be classified as a classical monoku with multiple meanings... (excerpted from To the Lighthouse: Monoku: An Experiment with Minimalism in Haiku Literature by Pravat Kumar Padhy)

One Man's Maple Moon: Insomniac Poet Tanka by Aya Yuhki

English Original

an insomniac poet

looking for words at midnight --

through the window

a tower glazed with rain

at the end of town

Gusts, 31, Spring/Summer 2020

Aya Yuhki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional) 

失眠的詩人

在午夜尋找書寫材料 --

眼望窗外

看到在小鎮的盡頭

被雨水洗淨的塔樓

Chinese Translation (Simplified) 

失眠的诗人

在午夜寻找书写材料 --

眼望窗外

看到在小镇的尽头

被雨水洗净的塔楼

Bio Sketch

Aya Yuhki was born and now lives in Tokyo. She started writing tanka more than thirty years ago and has expanded her interests to include free verse poetry, essay writing, and literary criticism. Aya Yuhki is Editor-in-Chief of The Tanka Journal published by the Japan Poets’ Society. Her works are featured on the homepage of the Japan Pen Club’s Electronic Library.