A Room of My Own: Crimson Sunset Glow Haiku

hospice garden

crimson sunset glow

across her face

FYI: This could be read as a prequel to my haiku below:

hospice garden

the wishing fountain fills

with fallen leaves

Ink Sweat & Tears, April 17, 2025 

Added:

echo of footsteps

in the psych ward hallway

EXIT blinking

Added:

hushed silence

before and after

a midnight scream

Added:

war cemetery

in slanted moonlight

new row of graves

FYI: This could be read as a prequel to my haiku below:

war cemetery 

birthday on this tombstone

uncarved

NeverEnding Story, September 5 2023

One Man's Maple Moon: Cold Light Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

throbbing headache

blinds drawn against the dawn

I picture

in the rise and fall of notes

birds flitting in the cold light

A Hundred Gourds, 1:4,  September 2012 

Sonam Chhoki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

劇烈的頭痛

並把窗簾緊閉以阻擋黎明

我彷彿看到

在聲調的起伏中

鳥兒飛掠冷光

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

剧烈的头痛

并把窗帘紧闭以阻挡黎明

我仿佛看到

在声调的起伏中

鸟儿飞掠冷光

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.

One Man's Maple Moon: Evening of Life Tanka by Fumi Saito

English Original

a husband paralyzed

my old mother blind

on both sides

this evening of life

I enter autumn

White Letter Poems, 1998

Fumi Saito

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

丈夫癱瘓了

老母親雙眼失明

雙方親戚都是如此

生命的這個夜晚

我步入秋天

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

丈夫瘫痪了

老母亲双眼失明

双方亲戚都是如此

生命的这个夜晚

我步入秋天

 

 

Bio Sketch

Daughter of a military officer who was noted for his verse-writing talent, Fumi Saito began writing poetry in the traditional 31-syllable tanka form in her early teens. Her first book of tanka, Fish Songs, published in 1940, immediately established her as a brilliant young poet. She was inducted into the Japan Art Academy in 1993 and invited to serve as meshiudo (a position similar to the Poet Laureate's) at the Imperial Palace in 1997.

One Man's Maple Moon: Sprays of Wisteria Tanka by Masaoka Shiki

English Original

sprays of wisteria

arranged in a vase --

the blossoms hang down,

and by my sickbed

spring is coming to an end

Dawn to the West: Japanese Literature of the Modern Era, 1984

Masaoka Shiki

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一簇簇紫藤

插在花瓶裡 --

它們的花朵下垂,

在我的病床旁

春天即將結束

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一簇簇紫藤

插在花瓶里 --

它们的花朵下垂,

在我的病床旁

春天即将结束

 

 

Bio Sketch

Masaoka Shiki (October 14, 1867 -- September 19, 1902) was a Japanese poet and literary critic in Meiji period Japan. Shiki is regarded as a major figure in the development of modern haiku, and he also published articles on the reform of tanka. Some scholars and poets consider Shiki to be one of the four great haiku masters, the others being Matsuo Bashō, Yosa Buson, and Kobayashi Issa.

Butterfly Dream: Toothless Grin Haiku by Elliot Nicely

English Original

dentist office window:

the jack-o'-lantern's

toothless grin

Frogpond,  36:1, Winter 2013

Elliot Nicely

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

牙醫診所的窗戶：

一盞南瓜燈

的無齒笑容

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

牙医诊所的窗户：

一盏南瓜灯

的无齿笑容

Bio Sketch

Elliot Nicely is the author of The Black Between Stars (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2017) and Tangled  Shadows: Senryu and Haiku (Rosenberry Books, 2013). He resides in Lakewood, Ohio.

One Man's Maple Moon: Ring Marks Tanka by M. Kei

English Original

ring marks 

in the swollen knuckle ... 

a little more

middle age

this morning

Lyrical Passion Poetry E-Zine, 2012-13

M. Kei

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

腫脹手指關節

的戒指環狀痕跡 ...

今天早晨

看起來更像是

中年男人

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

肿胀手指关节

的戒指环状痕迹 ...

今天早晨

看起来更像是

中年男人

Bio Sketch

M. Kei is a tall ship sailor and award-winning poet who lives on Maryland’s Eastern shore. He is the editor of Atlas Poetica: A Journal of World Tanka. His most recent collection of poetry is January, A Tanka Diary. He is also the author of the award-winning gay Age of Sail adventure novels, Pirates of the Narrow Seas. He can be followed on Twitter @kujakupoet, or visit AtlasPoetica.org.

A Room of My Own: The Last Year of My Father's Life

A haiku sequence for my father who was born in mainland China, lived most of his adult life in Taiwan, died and was buried there in 2022

a slice of my life 

in father's foggy mind

birthday sunset

father silver-haired

now my child

foggy winter night

ventilator hiss

Father's face blurry

and blurrier...

this faded photo ...

the story father told us

as mother grinned

this weight

of the words half spoken

a stone on Father's grave

FYI: For more about my father's story, see my tanka prose below:

A Chain Smoker of Few Words

My father, who was born in mainland China, quit his studies to defend his country against the Japanese invasion. Later, he fought his fellow countrymen for the sake of unifying war-torn China. Retreating to Taiwan along with the defeated Chinese Nationalist Army, he was separated from his family in China for four decades. He spent most of his adult life in Taiwan, worked hard to support his new family, died and was buried there without ever again seeing any of his family members from China.

this dream loop:

riding on my shoulders

into the Taiwan Strait

Father cries out, Mama

wait for me, I'm coming home

Contemporary Haibun Online, 19:3, 2023

Added:

for ten days

onslaught after onslaught

of writer's block ...

I look out the window

at the moon, its fullness

Added:

white sand

slips through my fingers

a flash 

of morning sunlight

in each grain

Added:

one brown patch

after another, another

on the lawn ...

we speak less day by day

as the end of spring approaches

Butterfly Dream: Twilit Crossroads Haiku by Lorraine Pester

English Original

twilit crossroads

i'm done with being

a patient

Lorraine Pester

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

暮色中的十字路口

我不再

做一名病人

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

暮色中的十字路口

我不再

做一名病人

Bio Sketch

Being curious and staying open to possibility is Lorraine Pester’s way of keeping her haikai fresh. She shies from no topic that presents itself. Her deliberate interactions with birds while dog walking is a frequent theme. She lives with her husband and  Abbey schnauzer in south Texas. 

Butterfly Dream: Crowded Waiting Room Haiku by Al Fogel

English Original

crowded waiting room

the one without a smartphone 

stares at us

Holding Hand-Helds, 2013

Al Fogel

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

擁擠的候診室

這個沒有智慧型手機的人

盯著我們

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

拥挤的候诊室

这个没有智慧型手机的人

盯着我们

Bio Sketch

Al Fogel, 79, began his haiku journey about 14 years ago and has been writing haiku, senryu, tanka and haibun ever since. Some of his work has appeared in leading haijin journals around the globe. He has recently published two books: So Little Time and  Holding Hand-helds

A Room of My Own: ECG Beeping Haiku

ECG beeping ...

her heart once beat 

against my chest

Added:

false dawn

in dreams I see her turn back

... not turn back

Added:

a shooting star 

the night we slept together

like a dream, and yet ...

One Man's Maple Moon: Skin Rash Tanka by Kozue Uzawa

English Original

irritating

skin rash around the neck

am I angry

at someone,

someone inside me?

Gusts, 15, Spring/Summer 2012

Kozue Uzawa

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

這真的很煩

脖子周圍出現了皮疹

是我對某人

生氣了嗎,

還是我內心的某人?

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

这真的很烦

脖子周围出现了皮疹

是我对某人

生气了吗,

还是我内心的某人?

 

 

Bio Sketch

Kozue Uzawa is a retired university professor. She works as editor of the English tanka journal GUSTS. She composes tanka both in Japanese and English. She also translates Japanese tanka into English and co-published Ferris Wheel: 101 Modern and Contemporary Tanka (Boston: Cheng & Tsui, 2006), and Kaleidoscope: Selected Tanka of Shuji Terayama (Tokyo: Hokuseido Press, 2008). Ferris Wheel received the 2007 Donald Keene Translation Award for Japanese Literature from Columbia University.

Poetic Musings: Without Love Tanka by M. Kei

a migraine,

a pill,

a sweltering afternoon,

clouds without rain,

days without love 

January, A Tanka Diary, 2013

M. Kei

Commentary: This poem is a fine example of list tanka, a subgenre of list poetry. It's a deliberately organized 5-line poem containing a list of things or images that build up to describe the poem’s subject matter. 

The first four lines show the N's daily activities in the forms of illness (L1), medication (L2), and weather impact (L3) and observation (L4), and the last line reveals the N's existential state of life (L5).

Thematically or emotionally speaking, a list tanka can be divided into two contrasting parts with the last line having the most weight. A list tanka often concludes with a startling or surprising phrase or image. For more examples, see To the Lighthouse: List Tanka

Butterfly Dream: Fieldstone Wall Haiku by Kat Lehmann

English Original

fieldstone wall 

the illness that grandmother 

kept to herself

The Heron's Nest, 25:1,  March 2023

Kat Lehmann

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

粗石牆

祖母隱瞞

她的病

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

粗石墙

祖母隐瞒

她的病

Bio Sketch

Kat Lehmann is a Founding Co-Editor of whiptail: journal of the single-line poem. She serves as a panelist in The Haiku Foundation Touchstone Distinguished Books Award. Kat lives in Connecticut, USA, with her family on the edge of a fairy forest. Website: https://katlehmann.weebly.com/

Butterfly Dream: Tea Leaves Haiku by Marilyn Humbert

English Original

self-isolation

tea leaves float

to the surface

 

Stardust Haiku, 40, April 2020

Marilyn Humbert

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

自我隔離

茶葉飄浮

到茶水的表面

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

自我隔离

茶叶飘浮

到茶水的表面

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.

One Man's Maple Moon: Countless Needles Tanka by Kozue Uzawa

English Original

this acupuncturist

inserts countless needles

on my back

accurately detecting

my deeply rooted sorrow

red lights, 5:1, 2009

Kozue Uzawa

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

這位針灸師

在我背上

插入無數的針

準確地檢測出

我深沉的悲傷

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

这位针灸师

在我背上

插入无数的针

准确地检测出

我深沉的悲伤

 

 

Bio Sketch

Kozue Uzawa is a retired university professor. She works as editor of the English tanka journal GUSTS. She composes tanka both in Japanese and English. She also translates Japanese tanka into English and co-published Ferris Wheel: 101 Modern and Contemporary Tanka (Boston: Cheng & Tsui, 2006), and Kaleidoscope: Selected Tanka of Shuji Terayama (Tokyo: Hokuseido Press, 2008). Ferris Wheel received the 2007 Donald Keene Translation Award for Japanese Literature from Columbia University.

A Room of My Own: Chemical Queen Tanka

darkness between the stars

this sultry night my roommate

vanishes again

into the hive of drug addicts

to serve his chemical queen

Added:

smell of summer heat

shards of glass and syringes

around the dumpster

Added:

the cardboard box

in a high-rise shadow

bread crumbs

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LXXXIII: "thousand-yard stare"

her thousand-yard stare ...

a young woman hugs a doll

dripping blood

FYI: "The thousand-yard stare or two-thousand-yard stare is a military phrase coined to describe the limp, unfocused gaze of a battle-weary soldier, but the symptom it describes may also be found among victims of other types of trauma."

Added:

a growth of moss

on the high fence between me

and my neighbor ...

could anything change

if I apologized first

FYI: This could be read as a sequel to my tanka below:

my morning glories

climb her white fence ...

between us

in the backyard

there's a new divide

Haiku Canada Review, 11:2, 2017 

A Room of My Own: Aftermath Tanka

the aftermath

our first-and-last therapy:

she uncorked a drain

at the bottom of my heart

and let each secret spill out

FYI: This character tanka could be read as a sequel to the following:

I close my eyes

and slip into childhood ...

these ghostly thoughts

jostling one another

on the therapyist's couch

Shot Glass Journal, 41, 2023

Chen-ou Liu

And for more about character tanka, see To the Lighthouse: Character/Persona Tanka

Added:

my mother

loves her husband, my stepfather

more than me ...

in the dark, this nine-year-old

folds her abuse into silence

FYI: This tanka was inspired by Alice Munro’s daughter' sexual abuse story. 

Toronto Star, July 10: How did what happened to Alice Munro’s daughter stay quiet so long? Start with our uniquely Canadian devotion to silence

Andrea Skinner’s memoir amounts to a national horror story, a specifically Canadian conspiracy of silence, and evidence of a national pathology: It reveals so much of our desire not to tell stories.

Added:

eulogy to her father

the weight of what is left

unspoken

Added: Game Show, 2024, LX

written in response to The New Yorker's July 13 remark: an indelible portrait of our era of political crisis and conflict

with his fist raised

flanked by a giant flag 

bloodied and defiant

Donald Trump mouths to the crowd, fight...

the night gets louder and darker 

FYI: The New Yorker, July 14: A Nation Inflamed

After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, who can heal a country so threatened by menace, violence, and division?

Robert F. Kennedy, spoke to the Cleveland City Club about the “mindless menace of violence in America which again stains our land and every one of our lives.”

Violence, whether it is carried out by one man or a gang, degrades an entire nation

Yet we seemingly tolerate a rising level of violence that ignores our common humanity and our claims to civilization alike. We calmly accept newspaper reports of civilian slaughter in far off lands. We glorify killing on movie and television screens and call it entertainment. We make it easy for men of all shades of sanity to acquire weapons and ammunition they desire. . . . Some look for scapegoats, others look for conspiracies, but this much is clear; violence breeds violence, repression brings retaliation, and only a cleaning of our whole society can remove this sickness from our soul.

A Room of My Own: The Last Years of My Father's Life

in memory of my father who was born in mainland China, lived most of his adult life in Taiwan, died and was buried there in 2022

alone again

in the gathering dark

my father tries

to use his hammer of anger

to break walls of dementia

quiet and quieter

and unable to walk

on his own --

my father's years-long

marathon with dementia

in fading light

on Taiwan's north coast

I finger-write

my father's name in the sand

and watch it wash away

Added:

snowflakes drift

from silence to silence

weight of Father's urn

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LXIX: "ruins"

written on Father's Day

an old man's stare

late night lightning connects

heaven and Gaza's ruins

One Man's Maple Moon: Memoir Tanka by Lorraine Pester

English Original

this soreness

in unexpected places ...

a memoir

of my muscles

thrashing

Lorraine Pester

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

在料想不到的地方

這種酸痛 ...

一部我的肌肉

遭受毆打

的回憶錄

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

在料想不到的地方

这种酸痛 ...

一部我的肌肉

遭受殴打

的回忆录

Bio Sketch

Being curious and staying open to possibility is Lorraine Pester’s way of keeping her haikai fresh. She shies from no topic that presents itself. Her deliberate interactions with birds while dog walking is a frequent theme. She lives with her husband and  Abbey schnauzer in south Texas. 

One Man's Maple Moon: Without Love Tanka by M. Kei

English Original

a migraine,

a pill,

a sweltering afternoon,

clouds without rain,

days without love 

January, A Tanka Diary, 2013

M. Kei

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

偏頭痛，

一粒藥，

一個悶熱的午後，

有雲無雨，

沒有愛的日子

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

偏头痛，

一粒药，

一个闷热的午后，

有云无雨，

没有爱的日子

Bio Sketch

M. Kei is a tall ship sailor and award-winning poet who lives on Maryland’s Eastern shore. He is the editor of Atlas Poetica: A Journal of World Tanka. His most recent collection of poetry is January, A Tanka Diary. He is also the author of the award-winning gay Age of Sail adventure novels, Pirates of the Narrow Seas. He can be followed on Twitter @kujakupoet, or visit AtlasPoetica.org.