Biting NOT Barking: Gun in the Wildflowers Haiku by William J. Higginson

English Original

a gun in the wildflowers

one young man

more or less

The Unswept Path: Contemporary American Haiku, 2005

William J. Higginson

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

野花叢中的一把槍

一個年輕人

差不多吧

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

野花丛中的一把枪

一个年轻人

差不多吧

 

Bio Sketch

William J. Higginson (1938–2008) was an influential American haiku poet, translator, editor and teacher. A founding member and former president of the Haiku Society of America, he helped shape the development of English-language haiku. His influential publications include The Haiku Handbook (with Penny Harter), Haiku World and The Haiku Seasons. He was also a dedicated mentor and advocate for haiku internationally.

Butterfly Dream: Kaleidoscope Haiku by Ellen Compton

English Original

kaleidoscope

the little sound of a star

shattering

Modern Haiku, 23:1, 1992

Ellen Compton

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

萬花筒

一顆破碎星星

的細微聲響

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

万花筒

一颗破碎星星

的细微声响

Bio Sketch

Ellen Compton was an award-winning haiku poet with a background in visual and theatre arts. Her haiku  collection, Gathering Dusk, received a Snapshot Press Book Award. And she was an editor emerita of The Red Moon Anthology series and a founding member of Towpath. Ellen credited her childhood in the Ohio River Valley for her deep love of the natural world and for her awareness of its fragility. 

Butterfly Dream: Blue Night Haiku by Randy Brooks

English Original

afloat out of body

the lightness

of Chagall’s blue night

Randy Brooks

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

漂浮在肉體之外

夏卡爾的藍色之夜

的輕盈

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

漂浮在肉体之外

夏卡尔的蓝色之夜

的轻盈

Bio Sketch

Dr. Randy Brooks is Professor of English Emeritus at Millikin University where he teaches courses on haiku and tanka. He and his wife, Shirley Brooks, are publishers of Brooks Books and co-editors of Mayfly haiku magazine. His most recent publication is HAIKU DECK, with 52 haiku or senryu on 52 cards.

Butterfly Dream: Remains Haiku by Elmedin Kadric

English Original

what remains of her remains ocean stars

Modern Haiku, 56:1, 2025

Elmedin Kadric 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

她遺骸的殘留海洋之星

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

她遗骸的残留海洋之星

Bio Sketch

Elmedin Kadric was born in Novi Pazar, Serbia, but writes out of Helsingborg, Sweden. His first collection, buying time (2017), was published by Red Moon Press.

Butterfly Dream: Feathered Eyes Haiku by Gareth Nurden

English Original 

summer blue

the peacock stills

feathered eyes

Gareth Nurden 

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

夏日湛藍

一隻孔雀靜止

眼睛般的羽毛

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

夏日湛蓝

一只孔雀静止

眼睛般的羽毛

 

Bio Sketch

Gareth Nurden was born in Newport, Wales and has had several-hundred pieces of haiku, senryu and haiga published in over twenty countries worldwide such as Wales, Canada, Russia, Japan, Australia and more and has had several pieces nominated for Haiku Foundation Touchstone Award for individual poem in 2024 and 2025.

Butterfly Dream: Blue Bones Haiku by Susan Constable

English Original

knife cold swimming into blue bones

Modern Haiku, 44:1, 2013

Susan Constable

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

刀刃冰冷般地游入藍骨

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

刀刃冰冷般地游入蓝骨

Bio Sketch

Susan Constable (1943–2026) was an award-winning Canadian poet whose haiku and tanka appeared widely in global journals. She authored the acclaimed collection The Eternity of Waves and served as tanka editor for A Hundred Gourds (2012–2016). Constable also co-edited multiple anthologies and judged numerous international short-form poetry contests. 

Biting NOT Barking: Identity Haiku by Fay Aoyagi

English Original

I

dent

it(ch)y

Modern Haiku, 52:3, Autumn 2021

Fay Aoyagi

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

我

受傷彎身

開始(發癢)了

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

我

受伤弯身

开始(发痒)了

 

Bio Sketch

Fay Aoyagi （青柳飛）was born in Tokyo and immigrated to the U.S. in 1982. She is currently a member of Haiku Society of America and Haiku Poets of Northern California. She serves as an associate editor of The Heron's Nest.  She also writes in Japanese and belongs to two Japanese haiku groups; Ten'I (天為) and "Aki"（秋), and  she is a member of Haijin Kyokai (俳人協会).

Butterfly Dream: Salamander Haiku by Fay Aoyagi

English Original

salamander

gerrymandering

river stones

Mariposa, 48, Spring/Summer 2023

Fay Aoyagi

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

蠑螈

將一堆河石劃分成

大小不勻的區塊

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

蝾螈

将一堆河石划分成

大小不匀的区块

 

Bio Sketch

Fay Aoyagi （青柳飛）was born in Tokyo and immigrated to the U.S. in 1982. She is currently a member of Haiku Society of America and Haiku Poets of Northern California. She serves as an associate editor of The Heron's Nest.  She also writes in Japanese and belongs to two Japanese haiku groups; Ten'I (天為) and "Aki"（秋), and  she is a member of Haijin Kyokai (俳人協会).

Biting NOT Barking: Arms Deal Haiku by Simon Hanson

English Original

arms deal

prosthetic legs, too

Simon Hanson

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

武器交易

還有, 義肢

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

武器交易

还有, 义肢

Bio Sketch

Simon Hanson lives in forested Tasmania in the company of animals and birds and the sounds of a trickling creek. Formerly Secretary to the Australian Haiku Society he is currently co-editor of Echidna Tracks. He has an e-book collection; Desert Stones (Snapshot Press) freely available here for you. 

Butterfly Dream: Bookmarks Haiku by Julie Warther Schwerin

English Original

his and her

       bookmarks

leapfrogging

       through Bly

Frogpond,  44:3, Autumn 2021

Julie Warther Schwerin

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

他的和她的

        書籤

交替跳動

        翻閱布萊的書

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

他的和她的

        书签

交替跳动

        翻阅布莱的书

Bio Sketch

Julie Warther Schwerin (she/her - Sun Prairie, Wisconsin) is an associate editor at The Heron's Nest and a member of the Red Moon Anthology Editorial team. She was instrumental in establishing several haiku installations in the Midwest, including, most recently, Words in Bloom: A Year of Haiku at the Chicago Botanic Garden which features the work of haiku poets throughout the garden. 

Biting NOT Barking: Charcoal Smog Haiku by Kala Ramesh

English Original

charcoal smog

chuk-chuk rail gaadi 

                darkens

into its noise

 

Frogpond, 47:2, Spring/Summer 2024

Kala Ramesh 

Chinese Translation (Traditional) 

木炭煙霧

楚克, 楚克, 火車引擎的聲音

                  漸漸變得低沉

化為它自己的噪音

Chinese Translation (Simplified) 

木炭烟雾

楚克, 楚克, 火车引擎的声音

                 渐渐变得低沉

化为它自己的噪音

Bio Sketch

Kala Ramesh is the Founder and Director of Triveni Haikai India, the Founder and Managing Editor of haikuKATHA Journal, an anthologist, and an external faculty member of Symbiosis International University Pune, where she taught a 60-hour haikai course from 2012 to 2021 — a first in India. She has organised eight major haiku festivals and to bring haiku into everyday spaces, Kala has initiated several successful projects in India.

Biting NOT Barking: Hyphen Haiku by Fay Aoyagi

English Original

spring mud

the hyphen

before American

Frogpond, 44:2, Summer/Spring 2021

Fay Aoyagi

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

春天的泥漿

放在“美國”之前

的連字符

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

春天的泥浆

放在“美国”之前

的连字符

 

Bio Sketch

Fay Aoyagi （青柳飛）was born in Tokyo and immigrated to the U.S. in 1982. She is currently a member of Haiku Society of America and Haiku Poets of Northern California. She serves as an associate editor of The Heron's Nest.  She also writes in Japanese and belongs to two Japanese haiku groups; Ten'I (天為) and "Aki"（秋), and  she is a member of Haijin Kyokai (俳人協会).

Biting NOT Barking: Flag-Covered Coffin Haiku by Nick Virgilio

English Original

flag-covered coffin:

the shadow of the bugler

slips into the grave

Selected Haiku, 1988

Nick Virgilio

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

覆蓋國旗的棺材：

一位吹號手的影子

滑入墳墓

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

覆盖国旗的棺材：

一位吹号手的影子

滑入坟墓

Bio Sketch

Nick Virgilio (June 28, 1928 – January 3, 1989) was an internationally acclaimed poet who played a pivotal role in popularizing haiku in the United States. Following his debut publication in American Haiku in 1963, Virgilio composed thousands of poems over a career spanning more than two decades. His seminal 1988 collection, Selected Haiku, remains one of the most influential volumes in American haiku history. To explore his legacy further, read Cor van den Heuvel’s 1990 essay, "Nick Virgilio and American Haiku: Creating Haiku and an Audience," originally prepared for the International Haiku Forum in Matsuyama, Japan.

Biting NOT Barking: Prayer Plant Haiku by Barbara Sabol

English Original

another shooting

leaves of my prayer plant

unfurl

Modern Haiku, 53:1, Winter/Spring  2022

Barbara Sabol

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

又一次槍擊

我的祈禱樹葉

一片片展開

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

又一次枪击

我的祈祷树叶

一片片展开

Bio Sketch

Barbara Sabol’s most recent collection, Connections: core & all, was published by Bird Dog Press in 2022. She is the associate editor of Sheila-Na-Gig online. Barbara conducts poetry workshops through Literary Cleveland. She lives in Akron, Ohio with her husband and wonder dogs. 

Butterfly Dream: Mother and Ocean Haiku by Kobayashi Issa

English Original

mother I never knew,

each time I see the ocean,

each time --

The Essential Haiku, 1995

Kobayashi Issa 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

我從未謀面的母親,

每次我看到大海,

每次 --

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

我从未谋面的母亲,

每次我看到大海,

每次 --

 

Bio Sketch

Kobayashi Issa (1763–1828) was a legendary Japanese poet known for his raw, compassionate haiku. After a childhood marked by his mother’s death and family conflict, he spent decades traveling as a lay Buddhist priest. His work famously captures the beauty in the small and humble—from common insects to crying children

Butterfly Dream: Million Mothers Haiku by Kristen Deming

English Original

my body

out of a million mothers --

budding leaves

plum afternoon,  2017

Kristen Deming

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

我的身體

源自百萬母親 --

剛萌芽的嫩葉

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

我的身体

源自百万母亲 --

刚萌芽的嫩叶

Bio Sketch

Kristen Deming was an accomplished haiku poet and lover of literature. Her haiku collection, Plum Afternoon was a finalist in the Haiku Society of America's Merit Book Award in 2017. As a past president of the Haiku Society of America and active member in the haiku community in Japan for many years, one of Kristen's enduring contributions to the haiku communities around the world was a weekly poetry column in the Japan Times called "Haiku Moments" that she co-wrote with a Japanese colleague for six years, helping to open the world of haiku to English speakers and to give glimpses of Japanese culture through the lens of haiku. 

Biting NOT Barking: New Leaf Haiku by Eric A. Lohman

English Original

turn of a new leaf over and over climate conference

 

Trash Panda, 5, 2023

Eric A. Lohman

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

重啟新頁一次又一次氣候變遷大會

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

重启新页一次又一次气候变迁大会

Bio Sketch

Eric A. Lohman is a psychiatric social worker at a large public teaching hospital in downtown Atlanta,  Georgia, USA. His career focuses on helping the homeless, addicted and chronically mentally ill populations of Atlanta and the surrounding area. Most of his writing serves as a response to that reality. 

Biting NOT Barking: Wagtail Haiku by Gareth Nurden

English Original

a wagtail

before its tail-flick

my phone screen flickers

Gareth Nurden

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一隻鶺鴒

在它搖晃尾巴之前

我的手機螢幕閃爍了一下

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一只鹡鸰

在它摇晃尾巴之前

我的手机萤幕闪烁了一下

Bio Sketch

Born in Newport, Wales in 1988,  Gareth Nuren has been writing poetry since his teenage years and has spent his most recent years focusing on writing senryu and haiku and has had nearly one-hundred pieces published in fourteen countries. 

Butterfly Dream: Rain Haiku by Elmedin Kadric

English Original

alone at the door holding open the rain

Noon, 16, February 2020

Elmedin Kadric 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

獨自一人守在門口敞開迎接雨水

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

独自一人守在门口敞开迎接雨水

Bio Sketch

Elmedin Kadric was born in Novi Pazar, Serbia, but writes out of Helsingborg, Sweden. His first collection, buying time (2017), was published by Red Moon Press.

Butterfly Dream: Wren Song Haiku by Claire Everett

English Original

just-fledged light

chips of wren song

from the log pile

Presence, 45, 2012

Claire Everett

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

初生的光芒

來自木堆鷦鷯

零碎的鳴叫聲

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

初生的光芒

来自木堆鹪鹩

零碎的鸣叫声

Bio Sketch

Claire Everett lives with her husband and children in North Yorkshire, England. Her poetry has been published in short form journals worldwide. She served on the editorial team for Take Five Best Contemporary Tanka, Volume 4, 2011 and in December of the same year she became Tanka Prose Editor for Haibun Today. Claire launched Skylark in April 2013, a UK tanka journal dedicated to tanka in all its forms.