One Man's Maple Moon: Haze Tanka by Susan Constable

English Original

ocean salt

spatters the windows

by winter’s end

I peer through a haze

of might-have-beens

The Eternity of Waves, 2017

Susan Constable

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

海鹽

濺落在窗戶上

到了冬末

透過一層薄霧我凝視

那些可能發生卻未發生的事情

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

海盐

溅落在窗户上

到了冬末

透过一层薄雾我凝视

那些可能发生却未发生的事情

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.

Butterfly Dream: Fireplace Haiku by Chuck Brickley

English Original

slow harmonica

the glow of the fireplace

on his closed eyes

Earthshine, 2017

Chuck Brickley

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

悠揚的口琴聲

壁爐的火光映照

在他緊閉的雙眼

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

悠扬的口琴声

壁炉的火光映照

在他紧闭的双眼

Bio Sketch

A native San Franciscan, Chuck Brickley lived in rural British Columbia for 35 years. His book of haiku, earthshine, won the THF Touchstone Award for Distinguished Books 2017; the HSA Merit Book Award 2017, Honorable Mention; and the inaugural Marianne Bluger Book Award 2020, Honourable Mention. His haibun,“Is Where The Car Is," was nominated for a Pushcart Prize 2018, and another haibun, "A Banishing," received a Sonders Best Small Fiction Award nomination, 2019

Butterfly Dream: Buttonhole and Winter Wind Haiku by Robert Epstein

English Original

one buttonhole begins to sing the winter wind

Whiptail, 11, 2024

Robert Epstein

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一個紐扣孔開始吟唱冬風

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一个纽扣孔开始吟唱冬风

Bio Sketch

Robert Epstein, a psychologist and haiku poet/anthologist, lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has edited four anthologies:  The Breath of Surrender; Dreams Wander On; The Temple Bell Stops; and Now This.  He has written two books of haiku:  A Walk Around Spring Lake; and Checkout Time is Noon, as well as a chapbook titled, What My Niece Said in His Head:  Haiku and Senryu 

Poetic Musings: Haze Tanka by Susan Constable

in memory of Susan Constable

an early supporter of NeverEnding Story, who passed away on the evening of March 18.

ocean salt

spatters the windows

by winter’s end

I peer through a haze

of might-have-beens

The Eternity of Waves, 2017

Susan Constable

Commentary: This tanka follows the classic structure beautifully, beginning with a sharp, physical image in Ls 1-3 before shifting into an emotional realization in Ls 4&5. The transition in L 3, “by winter’s end,” is both thematically and emotionally effective. It moves the reader from the external, cold grime of the world into the internal reflection of the self.

The choice of “ocean salt” as the metaphor for the haze of regrets is tactile and resonant. Salt is both abrasive and preserving, adding depth to the concept of “might-have-beens.” It's a fitting symbol for regret: something that wears down but also lingers, much like the residue of the past.

And while the phrase “might-have-beens” can sometimes verge on cliché, it feels earned here. Grounded in the image of the dirty window, it resonates with the specific end-of-winter lethargy—where everything feels slightly blurred and stagnant, and the weight of what could have been lingers in the cold, quiet air.

Butterfly Dream: End of Winter Haiku by Bruce Ross

English Original

darkness

in the old growth pine

end of winter

The Mainichi, April 2, 2019

Bruce Ross

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

古老松樹林中

的一片黑暗

冬季結束

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

古老松树林中

的一片黑暗

冬季结束

Bio Sketch

Bruce Ross, Ph.D., former president of the HSA, was the editor of anthologies such as the seminal Haiku Moment and, more recently, co-editor of A Vast Sky. He was the founding editor of the online Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, and he authored many collections of haiku and haibun.

Butterfly Dream: Low Winter Moon Haiku by Elliot Nicely

English Original

low winter moon

the silhouettes

of shuttered steel mills

Frogpond, 48:3, 2025

Elliot Nicely

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

冬日低垂的月光

廢棄鋼鐵廠

的殘垣斷壁輪廓

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

冬日低垂的月光

废弃钢铁厂

的残垣断壁轮廓

Bio Sketch

Elliot Nicely is the author of Sine Qua Non (Red Moon Press, 2024). He resides in Lakewood, Ohio.

Butterfly Dream: First Ice Haiku by Jacek Margolak

English Original

first ice --

last year’s calendar

on the kitchen wall

Jacek Margolak 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

第一次結冰

掛在廚房牆上

是去年的日曆

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

第一次结冰

挂在厨房墙上

是去年的日历

Bio Sketch

Born in Rzeszów, Jacek Margolak now lives in Kielce, Poland. A printing technologist by profession, he has spent nearly twenty years writing Japanese short-form poetry, sometimes blending haiku with prose. His work appears in leading international journals and has received awards in Polish and Japanese competitions. 

Butterfly Dream: Half-Heart Haiku by Al Fogel

English Original

winter solitude

a tarnished half-heart

in the jewelry box

Third Place,  2011 Haiku Pen Contest

Al Fogel

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

冬日孤寂

在首飾盒裡

黯淡的半顆心

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

冬日孤寂

在首饰盒里

黯淡的半颗心

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

Butterfly Dream: Miso Soup Haiku by Margaret Chula

English Original

cubes of tofu

float in my miso soup

winter deepens

Winter Deepens, 2018

Margaret Chula 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

豆腐塊

漂浮在我的味噌湯裡

冬日漸深

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

豆腐块

漂浮在我的味噌汤里

冬日渐深

Bio Sketch

 

Margaret Chula has published two collections of tanka: Always Filling, Always Full and Just This. She has promoted tanka through her one-woman dramatization, “Three Women Who Loved Love”, which traveled to Krakow, New York, Boston, Portland, Ottawa, and Ogaki, Japan. And from 2011 to 2015, Maggie served as president of the Tanka Society of America.

Butterfly Dream: Winter Rain Haiku by Elliot Nicely

English Original

the stillness

of the porch swing

winter rain

Presence, 68, 2020

Elliot Nicely

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

門廊鞦韆

的靜止不動

冬雨

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

门廊秋千

的静止不动

冬雨

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.

Butterfly Dream: Refugee Camp Haiku by Neha Singh Soni

English Original

tents go dark

in the refugee camp

winter moon

Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, 9:1, 2025/26

Neha Singh Soni 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

難民營的帳篷

一片漆黑

冬月

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

难民营的帐篷

一片漆黑

冬月

Bio Sketch

Neha Singh Soni is a chartered accountant from India with a deep love for poetry especially haiku. Her poetry has been published in many international journals. Through her poems Neha aims to celebrate life's simple moments and connect with the readers on a profound level. 

Butterfly Dream: Blue Winter Sky Haiku by Bruce Ross

English Original

blue winter sky

the little peck holes

up a pine tree

Summer Drizzles, 2005

Bruce Ross

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

冬日藍天

一棵松樹上

啄出的小洞

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

冬日蓝天

一棵松树上

啄出的小洞

Bio Sketch

Bruce Ross, Ph.D., former president of the HSA, was the editor of anthologies such as the seminal Haiku Moment and, more recently, co-editor of A Vast Sky. He was the founding editor of the online Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, and He authored many collections of haiku and haibun.

One Man's Maple Moon: Winter Dusk Tanka by Marion Alice Poirier

English Original

in winter dusk

an ocean flows between us ...

I play our song

and wonder, can you hear it

beneath the sickle moon?

Marion Alice Poirier

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

冬日黃昏

我們之間隔著一片海洋 ...

我彈奏我們的歌

不禁思忖, 在那鐮刀月光下

你是否聽得到?

    

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

冬日黄昏

我们之间隔着一片海洋 ...

我弹奏我们的歌

不禁思忖, 在那镰刀月光下

你是否听得到?

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: Dash and Dot Haiku by George Swede

paper-white winter sky

the crow becomes a dash

then a dot 

Frozen Breaths, 1983

George Swede

Commentary: L1, “paper-white winter sky,” immediately sets a clean, blank sheet while the movement in Ls 2&3, the crow shifting from dash → dot, gives the haiku a sense of distance, time, and vanishing. And short L3, "then a dot," lands softly and conclusively—almost like the last mark on the page.

A fresh and poetic imaginative haiku about a crow's "wordless skywriting!"

Butterfly Dream: Bread and Poems Haiku by vincent tripi

English Original

winter evening --

grandma's recipe for bread

among my poems

Global Haiku, 2000

vincent tripi 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

冬日的夜晚 --

在我的一堆詩稿中

奶奶的麵包食譜

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

冬日的夜晚 --

在我的一堆诗稿中

奶奶的面包食谱

Bio Sketch

Founder of The Haiku Circle, vincent tripi was closely associated with the spiritual movement in American Haiku. He wrote haiku for over 35 years, and published 14 books of haiku. Most of his haiku reflect a Buddhist foundation.

Butterfly Dream: Dash and Dot Haiku by George Swede

English Original

paper-white winter sky

the crow becomes a dash

then a dot 

Frozen Breaths, 1983

George Swede

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

冬日雪白的天空

烏鴉演變成標點符號破折號

然後一個點

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

冬日雪白的天空

乌鸦演变成标点符号破折号

然后一个点

Bio Sketch

George Swede's most recent collections of haiku are Almost Unseen (Decatur, IL: Brooks Books, 2000), Joy In Me Still (Edmonton: Inkling Press, 2010) and micro haiku: three to nine syllables (Inspress, 2014). He is a former editor of Frogpond: Journal of the Haiku Society of America (2008-2012) and a former Honorary Curator of the American Haiku Archives (2008-2009).

Butterfly Dream: Graveyard Watch Haiku by Srinivasa Rao Sambangi

English Original

graveyard watch

the rhythm of winter

in the old man's teeth

Presence, 67,  2020

Srinivasa Rao Sambangi

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

墓園視察

老人的牙齒隨著

冬天的韻律打顫

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

墓园视察

老人的牙齿随着

冬天的韵律打颤

Bio Sketch

Srinivasa Rao Sambangi, a Master Black Belt in Six Sigma, is currently working in a pharma company in Hyderabad, India. His haiku are regularly published in all the leading haiku journals

A Room of My Own: A Season of Regret

snowed in

for three straight days

again, I check

the machine for the sound

of your voice

I dream 

that winter dream again ...

sadder than then

as I look out the window

at the sky, endless gray

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

It's me

I just wanted to hear

from you ...

fifteen seconds of soft voice

after ten years of silence

Gusts, 35, Spring/Summer 2022

Added: Trump Empire, Inc., XV

Day and Night, Forever?

for Mark Twain who claimed, "Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason."

step after step

one by one to the exit

DOGE cuts

red district town hall 

a crowd-fest 

of boos and jeers 

distant sirens

free-ranging dogs pee

on the Trump Mural

Liberation Day!

the news on mute, I change

my baby's diaper

bursts of spring snow

Tariffs are a tax cut,  a twist

to Trump's mouth

FYI: DOGE stands for the Department of Government Efficiency. And the Convicted Felon Donald Trump is set to roll out his massive tariff plan on April 2, which he has touted as "Liberation Day in America."

April 3: On Fox Business, former Republican Senator Pat Toomey warns Trump's tariffs will be “probably the largest tax increase on American consumers in the history of the country”

And Daily Beast, April 3: JD Vance Tells Paycheck-to-Paycheck Americans to Suck Up Tariffs Pain

JD Vance is telling Americans living paycheck to paycheck that the pain from President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs will all be worth it—at some point.

Added: Trump Empire, Inc., XVI

10% tariff on goods from the manless islands near Antarctica

the fight with one man

a sea of king penguins

trumpeting

FYI: USA Today, April 6: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Sunday defended President Donald Trump's tariff rollout last week when asked why two uninhabited islands were hit with the fees, saying in a new interview "whatever."

Added: Trump Empire, Inc., XVII

wecan'twaitfor 

$10, 000 made-in-USA

iPhones. iPhones now ...

flanked by a spray of flags

red-hattedTrumpistsshouting 

Added:

a dollhouse

in the rain-streaked window

of a thrift store

a girl holds her mother's hand

tight ... and tighter 

Added:

frost flowers

on my son's study room window

paper planes gather dust

Butterfly Dream: Winter Afternoon Haiku by Patricia Donegan

English Original

winter afternoon

not one branch moves --

I listen to my bones

Haikun Studio, 1991

Patricia Donegan 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

冬日午後

沒有一根樹枝移動 --

我聆聽我的骨頭

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

冬日午后

没有一根树枝移动 --

我聆听我的骨头

Bio Sketch

Patricia Donegan (1945 -- 2023) led a life of creative exploration, meditation, writing, translating and teaching haiku, and teaching haiku. Three of her most famous books of haiku Love Haiku: Japanese Poems of Yearning, Passion & Remembrance (co-translated with Yoshie Ishibashi), Haiku Mind: 108 Poems to Cultivate Awareness and Open Your Heart, and Chiyo-ni Woman Haiku Master (co-translated with Yoshie Ishibashi). In 2017 she was named the honorary curator of the American Haiku Archives.

Butterfly Dream: North Star Haiku by Jan Benson

English Original

north star

the yodel of a coywolf

on winter's wind

Hedgerow, 122, Winter 2017

 

Jan Benson

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

北極星

在冬天大風中

郊狼的叫聲 

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

北极星

在冬天大风中

郊狼的叫声

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.