#1246 (#327)

baked and bean covered,

cheese below and cheese on top -

one fine potato

#1245 (#326)

wond’ring where they are

the clear waters of autumn

and how cold they are

#1244 (#325)

dew frost stripes the grass,

ice fingers reach across glass…

i wall myself in

#1243 (#324)

falling snow melting

instantly on the dry leaves

turns into a mess

#1242 (#323)

the stags gathering…

remember those groups of deer?

and escaping does!

#1241 (#322)

autumn is clearing 

countryside skylines to form

skeleton tree hills

#1240 (#321)

steam rising to meet

my nostrils above the bowl

of new soba soup

#1239 (#320)

the new rice relief

the joy at reaching harvest

the weight that’s lifted

#1238 (#319)

now autumn deepens

far into cold and colour

before it all fades

#1237 (#318)

the desolate cold

makes me question the season

e’en as the leaves fall

#1236 (#317)

night chill wakes me up

shows me the duvet’s fallen

helps me pick it up

#1235 (#316)

i’ve heard the worms cry

as the autumn’s got colder

i’ve been knitting scarves

#1234 (#315)

hiding in haystacks;

for fun, for love, for safety -

the fields see it all

#1233 (#314)

keeping watch on us

the creature in the lantern

that makes the light bright

#1232 (#313)

trying not to start

a packet of nuts and seeds

too close to lunchtime

#1231 (#312)

spheres of aroma

floating rolling yuzu fruit

creating my bath

#1230 (#311)

at the museum

the smell of chestnuts roasting

at least i thought so

#1229 (#310)

mushrooms in the woods,

waiting for the wind to come.

don’t be a mushroom.

#1228 (#309)

morning cold wakes me

gives me a little old shove

and ends my dreaming

#1227 (#308)

autumn's voice whispers

along the roads and verges

as the cars roar by

#1226 (#307)

panic stations now

the day and autumn deepens

publish or be damned

#1225 (#306)

apple tree goal post

took one hell of a beating

look back now with guilt

#1224

a prayer moonwards sent

a dark one this time of year

with hope underneath

---

Started to be written for the Tricycle September 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn season word, moon; but not finished until now.

#1223 (#305)

autumn air chilling

cutting right through to the bone

an open shut door

#1222

a vacant moon stare

he fell long before the fall

lost his sunshine blaze

---

Written for the Tricycle September 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn season word, moon. 

#1221 (#304)

cassette player on 

delivering free papers

in the autumn dusk

#1220

cold nights on the street

with the moon my only friend

the questions i asked

---

Written for the Tricycle September 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn season word, moon. 

#1219 (#303)

pushing up its head

as if to say hello there

little goby fish

#1218

moon watches, lonely,

regretting how he treated

his wife, mother earth.

---

Written for the Tricycle September 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Autumn season word, moon. 

#1217 (#302)

moon waits with me now

as i smoke outside the pub

sending him haloes

#1216 (#301)

the orchid we brought

home from the wedding lasted

but not to this line

#1215 (#300)

spiky plastic bags

full of the treasure we sought

half term chestnut hunt

#1214 (#299)

the house now painted

that shade of red that comes from

japanese ivy

#1213 (#298)

lunch neatly arranged

all parts in small compartments

veg, sarnies, quail’s eggs…

#1212 (#297)

trying to write on

quail eggs but they are too small

and not enough time

#1211 (#296)

just a kid thinking

their autumn contemplation

kicking leaves around

#1210 (#295)

a wrapped nashi pear waiting in the hushed silence before the guests come

#1209 (#294)

i remember her 

sitting so still I thought the

cockscomb flowers real 

#1208 (#293)

i wonder how those

Cornish banana plants are;

and the sound they make

*

Note from The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words by Kenkichi Yamamoto: banana plant (bashoo, all autumn). From which the poet Bashô took his name… A poetical subject because of the sound of its broad, fragile leaves in the autumn wind and rain.

#1207 (#292)

end of the road lost

to the fog bubble in which

we must all now live

#1206 (#291)

lightning painted on

my memory of that day

as if a photo

#1205 (#290)

early rice welcome

it’s good to start however 

hard and long the job

#1204 (#289)

saturday mornings

waiting for sumo wrestling 

on transworld sports show

#1203 (#288)

soaked down to the bone

although it feels much further

to marrow and soul

#1202 (#287)

not quite right yet these

orchids have beauty all right

just like those ruins 

#1201 (#286)

autumn's voice returns

alleyways reverberate

with crunchy leaf sounds

#1200 (#285)

first dew frost arrives -

“where is my winter coat at?”

i wonder, frozen.

#1199 (#284)

autumn's voice drowned out

lost underfoot in the rain

no crisp-crunch today

#1198 (#283)

all of the long night

i will be awake thinking

about The Substance

#1197 (#282)

food preparation

in the style of a shrike

impale it and wait

#1196 (#281)

autumn lamplight in

the gloaming, slipping backward

toward dinnertime

#1195 (#280)

prize chrysanthemums 

crushed by his competitor

or so he had thought

#1194

tea from the buddha

brewed from a hydrangea’s leaves

that is the poem

---

Written for the Tricycle August 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, hydrangea. 

#1193 (#279)

the fulling block sounds 

mark the time of day and year

reassure us all

#1192

a neighbourly feud

erupts in a riot of

hydrangea petals

---

Written for the Tricycle August 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, hydrangea. 

#1191 (#278)

so chilly outside

so in denial inside

won’t wear my big coat

#1190 (#277)

a fallen apple

on the lawn of my garden

and a race begins

#1189 (#276)

jealousy returns

as i watch migrating birds

fly off through the rain

#1188 (#275)

now willow leaves fall

weeping into the river

off to make new life

#1187 (#274)

they say the worms cry

this time of the year but not

on this city block

#1186 (#273)

last summer colour 

hanging on against the rot

those blue bell flowers

#1185 (#272)

along the river

a rumoured whisper of change

the wind in the reeds

#1184 (#271)

went off leaf peeping

but it seems there’s a limit

now i’m leaf peaking

#1183 (#270)

everything sends me 

to autumn contemplation

avoiding winter

#1182 (#269)

the sound of the fall

of one pawlonia leaf

and it all changes

#1181 (#268)

imagine yourself

warm, cosy, comfortable, like

an apple crumble

#1180 (#267)

the scarecrow watches

over and protects a field

it will never see

#1179 (#266)

in goal thinking more

about how the hills were gone

hidden by the fog

#1178 (#265)

a tin of sardines 

warmed up and spread out on toast

waiting for me there

#1177 (#264)

the flower garden

of my mind is walled and just

for the use of me

#1176 (#263)

scooping up what's left 

resembling those we ignore

rice sparrows visit

#1175 (#262)

moon viewing, is it?

more like big bright cloud watching!

only mystery.

#1174 (#261)

the wind in the reeds

shakes them like they haven't felt

for many months now

#1173 (#260)

the giant fish too 

big to see covers the sky,

its scales mackerel clouds

#1172 (#259)

watch when the pears fall

scramble to get to them first

before the foxes

#1171

a bench in a park under a shade tree looks nice sweat on a treadmill

---

Written for the Tricycle July 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, shade tree, but was not entered. 

#1170 (#258)

watching the wagtails

through the classroom window i

waited for playtime

#1169

that first moment when sitting under a shade tree like a new found land

---

Written for the Tricycle July 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, shade tree. 

#1168 (#257)

that autumn dusk chill

and that accompanying smell…

can you picture it?

#1167

the dripping wet fox

dreaming about the shade tree

even without leaves

---

Written for the Tricycle July 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, shade tree. 

#1166 (#256)

the first autumn storm

suddenly ended summer

and brought us the chill

#1164 (#255)

tired campsiters 

after dinner staring up

at the milky way

#1165

a moment in time

under the perfect shade tree

lasts the whole day long

---

Written for the Tricycle July 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, shade tree. 

#1163

the only child

sitting under the shade tree

watching all the rest

---

Written for the Tricycle July 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, shade tree. 

#1162 (#254)

removed from the storm

watching from across the bay

lightning lit the hills

#1161

the shade tree throws shade

(not the type that keeps you cool)

avoid it like plague

---

Written for the Tricycle July 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, shade tree. 

#1160 (#253)

that chargrilled sea bass

memory from the summer

warming me right now

#1159 (#252)

the peach juice runneth

like rivers this time of year

our contours for beds

#1158 (#251)

i feel like knotgrass

has been used to fill my face

this dust allergy

#1157

meet nicky fontaine:

after these three lines are read

we will know nothing

#1156 (#250)

less broad, but fragile

as the leaves of the bashoo plant.

(inedible too).

#1155 (#249)

stone lantern patterns

getting clearer by the night

as we tell stories

#1154 (#248)

refreshing autumn air

on my first day back at work

reviving my brain

#1153 (#247)

a slow arrival 

is the coming of autumn 

unlike the tourists 

#1152 (#246)

a baked potato 

crispy outside, fluffy in

a super comfort 

#1151 (#245)

dry red leaves stand out

against the hot clear blue sky

this first autumn day

#1150 (#244)

burning hot, Turkey,

relaxing where the air's cool

a good summer's end

#1149 (#243)

cloud peaks from above

another world to explore 

but not to conquer

#1148 (#242)

the sound of the thing

was nothing next to its size

giant mosquito

#1147 (#241)

the cicadas came

and everything changed round here

but just for a bit

#1146 (#240)

a scant refuge

is the shade of a date palm

from the sun's hot rays

#1145 (#239)

"eat melon first and

you'll be able to eat more," 

her breakfast advice.

#1144 (#238)

lioness quiet 

on the approach to the moth

then trap and release

#1143 (#237)

turned round the corner

to a find a cat stretched right out

on the shady side

#1142 (#236)

the night, morning, day

autumnal at August's end

strong wind shakes the trees 

#1141

the summer grasses

trodden down to make the trails

we ran as infants

#1140 (#235)

today autumn’s near:

a grey sky, gusty winds blow -

will they tomorrow?

#1139

waiting to unlock

an idea that’s started

but is sat waiting

#1138 (#234)

dry cicada shell

in a glass case on a desk

memento eius

#1137 (#233)

drying out the bugs

airing all the clothes and sheets

and saying goodbye

#1136 (#232)

cormorant fishing:

when a trade meets tourism

there’s double money

#1135 (#231)

meeting new neighbours,

airing clothes after the rains,

with a hot teapot

#1134 (#230)

aloo baingan and

roti, then gulab jamun -

that's true poetry.

#1133

learner bulliers 

overtaking not waiting

they will go to hell

#1132 (#229)

on and off season -

a sea of clouds comes and goes 

like tides in the sky

#1131

building fronts darken as the sky lightens brightens even as it fades

#1130 (#228)

a moon flower gift on a fan, its poem sweet how could he not fall?

#1129

anti bac spray guilt:

feel bad because none was there

and i walked away.

#1128 (#227)

short shifts summer moon

a time to rest and prepare

before the harvest

#1127

orange glow in the

frosted windows brings warmth in

to the swimming hall

#1126 (#226)

watching the cloud peaks

while lying down on the beach

letting the time pass

#1125 (#225)

fireworks again!?!

but it’s not a special day!!!

are they year round now!?!

#1124 (#224)

beauty spot ruined

by the smell of the rank weeds

but it's so quiet

#1123 (#223)

growing from the ground

all the pinks of the season

just part of a whole

#1122 (#222)

a peaceful soundtrack

relaxing on the sofa

to evening downpour

#1121

unreal lights in grass

put me in mind of the wisps

yet still i cheer loud

#1120 (#221)

lowering slowly

into a sitz bath unsure

of what to expect

#1119

dangling down house fronts,

just like fireflies on strings -

it’s wedding season!

---

Written for the Tricycle June 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, firefly. 

#1118 (#220)

infant feet running

round the summer grasses trail

like big elephants 

#1117

in celebration

of themselves, fireflies dance

every night away

---

Written for the Tricycle June 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, firefly. 

#1116 (#219)

mini sunflower

looks away as i vomit

in the kitchen sink

#1115

firefly lit lawn

all creatures stare in equal

wonder once again

---

Written for the Tricycle June 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, firefly. 

#1114 (#218)

mini sunflower

watching the garden each day

tracking its changes

#1113 (#217)

hidden waterfall

so hidden yesterday i

forgot to go in

#39

letting the breeze in

through thin clothes to blow coldly

over your hot skin’s

like inviting a lover

to relieve the ache inside

#1112

jelly-suspended

or sat atop a cheesecake

those childhood fruits

#1111 (#216)

sat peacefully on

a lotus throne i watch him

seeking the same peace

#1110

thinking thoughtless thoughts

against an empty backdrop

in a nowhere place

#1109 (#215)

the cicada call.

is it summer’s start or end?

it makes me forget.

#1108

great great grandfather

how come your haircut looks just 

like my teenage one

#1107 (#214)

wish i was there now

the new intensified peace 

seaside evening lull

#1106

everyone's asleep

i'm getting very lonely

when should i wake them?

#1105 (#213)

dressed in thin clothes,

the breeze blowing in slowly

over your hot skin.

#1104

preoccupations

thoughts and ideas repeat

patterns through the years

#1103 (#212)

at the fountainhead

i find myself, i find peace,

i lie down and think.

#1102 (paracetemol)

dull the migraine pain

let it sit there on the side

until it gets bored 

#1101 (#211)

blessed nudity

home alone on a hot day

the fan turned up high

#1100

future of the past

in a loudspeaker design

in the swimming hall 

#1099 (#210)

lucky until now

a busy and a small sharp sting

a mosquito strikes

#1098

naive for too long

you learn nothing on your own

come and speak to me

#1097 (#209)

those scorching hot days

when only melon will do 

refreshing cold squares

#1096

no worries: no, none.

none at all to worry on

nope, no: no worries.

#1095 (#208)

i glide through the day,

a one-layered kimono

keeping heat at bay

#1094

the door is open

the green bamboo blind is down

i bathe in the shade

#1093 (#207)

hiked to the wellspring

to search for good ideas

and found the well head

#1092

i dunno what’s this

i don’t know how this all works

does anyone else?

#1091 (#206)

cooling on the porch

not a very british thing

yet i imagine

#1090

the migraine man con

fuses and confuddles me

he won’t stop talking

#1089 (#205)

the old bush warbler,

its song practiced, perfected,

proudly sings aloud.

#1088

ear pods gym treadmill

getting real emotional

nostalgia/fitness

#1087 (#204)

office workers stare

as the afterglow of the 

past day fills the sky

#1086

the scratching that fills

the world between my pen and 

my head creates worlds

but really it is

keyboard tapping and screen light

nothing romantic

#1085 (#203)

even on ‘a’ roads

it looks like the countryside:

myriad green leaves

#1084

the ancient woodland

is alive with the mem’ries

it keeps to itself

#1083 (#202)

sweetfish on skewers

pinned as if swimming over

the fires below

#1082

a pilgrimage to

a place that was once sacred

is a waste of time.

#1081 (#201) (a yuri fiction)

lilies she gave and 

that's how she came out to me

all those years ago

#1080

the student loan tree

mocks me as I sit and wait

for the hold song's end

#1079 (#200)

summer kimono

shining bright and keeping cool

as the city melts

#1078

different eras

on view from left right to right

built on an old one

#1077 (#199)

the young leaves sprouting

know nothing of what's to come

they just bear witness

#1076

skin getting too hot

standing, staring and writing

just take a damn photo

#1075 (#198)

the fly in the field

gathering data on humans

waiting for the day

#1074

silence in view of

the city, near yet so far

a new time and place 

#1073 (#197)

thunder is a sound

that would be very welcome

in this cold summer

#1072

the quiet water 

of the docks no longer used

ripple memories

#1071 (#196)

remembered swimming:

the stress, the relaxation,

a water lifeline

#1070

too much caffeine :^S

concentration levels down

channelled into this

#1069 (#195)

hiding from my life 

water rail among grasses

comfort fills my breast

#1068

my attention span

not what it once was

#1067 (#194)

the light and the shade

of my green bamboo blinds is

the best place to hide

#1066

wind blows in and out

the seashell breathes as we do

though the life has left 

---

Written for the Tricycle May 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, seashell. 

#1065 (#193)

my bubble cliche

played out in the tall flowers

of summer meadows

#1064

guarded so closely

(seashells and pebbles ratt’ling)

his pocket treasures

---

Written for the Tricycle May 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, seashell. 

#1063 (#192)

the only summer 

thing about this summer is

the luxuriance

#1062

the seashell walked down

the beach, joining us for a

constitutional.

---

Written for the Tricycle May 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, seashell. 

#1061 (#191)

the crunch underfoot

of fallen evergreen leaves

as i hide from seek

#1060

we celebrate shells

found on the beach yet shrink from

skeletons and bones

---

Written for the Tricycle May 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Summer season word, seashell. 

#1059 (#190)

feel it in the air

see it all over the car

the south wind is here

#1058 (#189)

we've waited it out -

now preserved green plums on ice,

take the heat away!

#1057 (#188)

morning cloudiness

makes me fear until a change -

sunlight clarity

#1056 (#187)

each one’s the future

so many meals for the year

they say, rice planting

#1055 (#186)

in bed sick worries

mandarin orange blossoms

a good one to use 

#1054

along the grass paths

through the long grass paths

underneath the willow tree

#1053 (#185)

the crowds gather there

watching with wondrous smiles

tourist waterfall

#1052 (#184)

ants scurry through holes

across rooms and through the house

on ancient pathways

#1051 (#183)

a feather ruffle

and a small, knowing, smile

cormorant fishing

#1050 (#182)

cup on saucer placed

that familiar dull chink

relaxed with new tea 

#1049 (#181)

if the woodpecker 

sees you pick the peonies

it will take your eyes

#1048 (#180)

avoiding the heat

but not the cold moths enjoy 

summer's nighttime air

#1047 (#179)

the breeze blowing through

the summer meadow brings peace

to a busy mind

#1046 (#178)

starting the cycle

of opening windows to

shepherd hot air out

#1045 (#177)

barley autumn peace:

the quiet before the storm

of the harvest time.

#1044 (#176)

young maple leaves glow

at the start of their journey

from branch to the earth

#1043 (#175)

everyone stock still 

as the kingfisher waiting

for its meal to come

#1042 (#174)

only place to be

under the shade of a tree

just a book and me

#1041

"no sides - - -"

he left a pause, let it sink,

"we work together."

#1040 (#173)

those showers of blobs

that come from nowhere at all:

plum rain fits it well.

#1039 (#172)

the path carpeted

with fallen bamboo leaves a

temporary home

#38

the dandelion:

time piece and love predictor?

all in just one plant?

no, the latter is daisies -

i can’t just ignore that now.

#1038 (#171)

hototogisu!

the cries heard across the town

as lovers depart.

#1037

in the swimming hall

surprised to still be in gloom

when half way through June

#1036 (#170)

barriers put up

by those who do not wish to

breathe the fragrant breeze

#1035 (#169)

we escaped the rain,

(it was biblical) and found

a rearview rainbow.

#1034 (#168)

the myriad green

becomes, in this wet weather,

a pathway to dreams.

#1033 (#167)

the evening clinking

of moths attracted to lights

and bumping the bulbs

#1033 (#166)

short night, early morn - 

wake at the first sight of light

and rise with the dawn

#1032 (#165)

the stink of lilies.

why does something so vile

equal purity?

#1031 (#164)

the temple of cool

that is a summer grove

full of light and shade

#1030 (#163)

the blossoms cleared out,

the leafing cherry turns green

and we all calm down.

#1029

the handsome foxes

of the animal highway 

are always dressed up

#1028 (#162)

that one fly flying

that won’t fly out the window

despite all your help

#1027

eyes of haiku blue

reading what I wrote for them

…

and then they react…

#1026 (#161)

her hope blown away,

the new buds of a burned, hollow,

phoenix tree give life.

#1025 (what i remember)

the squirrel rising

the screams of the witnesses

the car not caring

#1024 (#160)

fallen bamboo leaves

creating a new carpet

that crunches crisply

#1023

peonies and koi,

lions, tigers and dragons

flashing past in droves

#1022 (#159)

flighty fawns fumble 

their way across bumpy ground,

learning with each step.

#1021

wind in the verdure:

trees greet their bird visitors

while whispering

#1020 (#158)

crossing the road to

the shady side of the street

and reach its relief 

#1019

city butterflies

glide over concrete forests

yet eat the whole world

---

Written for the Tricycle April 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Spring season word, butterfly.  I also cheated a bit this time and entered two previously written: #877 and #913 (#080).

#1018 (#157)

waiting patiently

my net spread out like a weir

watching the stream flow

#1017 (#156)

the movement of leaves, 

the changes in the colour -

wind in the verdure.

#1016 (#155)

the manly flower,

tattooed on his forearms the

peonies shone bright

#1015 (#154)

first night in Japan,

first seared bonito in the

land of lights and dreams

#1014 (#153)

still mostly in long

trousers - a slow start to the

switching of clothing

#1013 (#152) (a poor end to spring, reflected by the weather and my headache)

another dropwort

attempt but got the wrong one

too many parsleys

#1012 (library assistant dangers)

pushed into a room

to deal with a winter bee

slow but scary huge

#1011 (#151)

spring rain carries on

even as we see its end

(or think that we do)

#1010 (#150)

the sounds and the feels

of a new find in the sand -

beach combing, low tide.

#1009 (#149)

feet in spring mud is

like half frozen ice cream that's 

waiting for summer

#1008 (#148)

“you occupy my

thoughts,” purple violets say,

but I don't want to.

#1007 (#147)

so late in the day

waterweeds grow in my pond

and my brain fogs up

#1006 (#146)

lone frog in the rain

showers streaming over it

relaxing, it waits

#1005 (#145)

is deep spring summer?

when do we cross the threshold?

where is the doorway?

#1004 (#144)

blocked until the wind

lets loose the seeds that were stuck

reed ears relax

#37

thunder born in spring

is a fresh newborn thunder -

it makes us smile.

(bizarre nonsense written to

fill the syllable count up).

#1003 (#143)

rolling over hills

recently tilled and seeded,

the spring thunder plays.

#1002 (#142)

the start of something

in a rice seedling patch that

will sustain us all

#1001 (#141)

as the sun shines more,

passing spring, i am sorry

we do not mourn you.

#1000 (#140)

butterfly flies by,

a living flower, one that

blooms on the breeze.

#999

an age old problem

bending the wire for sound 

sometimes desp'rately

#998 (#139)

planting seeds in lines

each one a diff'rent future

take care as you go

#997

the teams meeting

my head - front and back - on view

checking my bald spot

#996 (#138)

many baby birds

so many baby birds all

cheeping so early

#995

hazy summer day

no need to rush around, no

hazy sunmer day

#994 (#137)

hazy moon and head,

the sky as fuzzy as me

(the ground still hard though)

#993 (#136)

with doors wide open

bugs come out and come on in -

cue mad arm flapping

#992 (#135)

the bush warbler floor

squeaks not from intruders but

a welcome embrace

#36

looking down the list

i see the phrase heat shimmer

and i remember

i saw one at the weekend

but where and when i’m not sure

#991 (#134)

looking down the list

i see the phrase heat shimmer

and i remember

#990 (#133)

a gas mask to see

the most hardy mulberry

gifts for royalty

#989 (#132)

throat, ears and eyes

under attack from the

remaining blossoms

#988 (#131)

when it finally

comes it's like bales full of air

living the spring dream

#987 (#130)

tadpoles in the pond

only seeking a next day

one step at a time

#986 (#129)

a frog underfoot head squashed under my big toe a leap and a run

#985

tiny hands plucking 

seeds as small feet grip the fence 

squirrelling a feast

---

Written for the 2023 British Haiku Society Awards Competition

#984 (#128)

a quiet pond scene

broken by rising carp sounds

and silenced with bread

#983 (Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar)

the air is so still

time stopped in memoriam,

though the well still cries.

---

Written for the 2023 British Haiku Society Awards Competition

#982 (#127)

first forays outside

as we prepare for dinner

by gathering herbs

#981

the pond surface is

as alive as my mind is

taking it all in

---

Written for the 2023 British Haiku Society Awards Competition

#980 (#126)

long days upon us:

great when you get home from work,

but when it wakes you…

#979

the cats and foxes

of the animal highway

walk with real purpose

#978 (#125)

the light through the leaves

underneath the willow tree

reveals the ghost girl

#977

the sheer joy of it

breaking through each barrier

pushing yourself on

#976 (#124)

spring lantern light flicks

and licks everything around:

washing, making new.

#975

The Tulip Field Bar -

each colour a new flavour

in bee wine glasses 

---

Written for the Tricycle March 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Spring season word, tulip.

#974 (#123)

read about it all

couldn't quite find the angle

on mulberry trees

#973

we glow the colours

of the tulips in the field

most-times more than one

---

Written for the Tricycle March 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Spring season word, tulip.

#972 (#122)

so high on the swing,

that moment the world stops and

everything is sky

#971

fields of tulips wait

gently blowing in the breeze

to be harvested

---

Written for the Tricycle March 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Spring season word, tulip.

#970 (#121)

dandelion clocks

have never been accurate

but i still use them

#969 (#120)

serene spring sunshine

fills the garden completely

even the shadows

#968 (#119)

spring rain incessance

reminds us it's not all lambs

and sunshine each year

#967 (#118)

wind starting to shake,

reed ears open, waiting

for seeds to blow out

#966 (#117) (kai-awase)

cherrystone clam shells

intricate paintings within

find the matching pairs

#965 (#116)

this bamboo autumn

we wait for the spring to start -

still feels like winter!

#964 (#115)

piglet trot clip clop

across the concrete courtyard

to the mud pit squelch

#963 (#114)

the swan protecting

her cygnets on the river

a wall of feathers

#962 (#113)

the gosling story -

can't remember the bird type,

only the ending.

#961

pony down the mine

not seen sun since the summer

a pony no more

#960 (#112)

kids ride farm pony

approaching retirement

a spring in its step

#959 (#111)

first steps of the colt 

probing, uncertain, learning

soon it shall gallop

#958 (#110)

the garden edges

are covered with young green plants

each waiting their turn

#35

this is not one thing

or the other, ‘snot static,

spring melancholy.

this is weather dependant,

this is very changeable.

#957 (#109)

spring field turned and tilled:

a bed made for the future,

from where the past grew.

#956 (sunday morrning)

in the swimming hall

seats that remind me of church

my boy is now god

#955 (#108)

climbing the steep hill

just for a glimpse of new lambs,

a spring tradition.

#954

my turnip children

tucked up and sleeping gently

until wake up time

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Winter season word, turnip, but was not entered.

#953 (#107)

spring melancholy

comes and goes with the ever 

changing weather fronts

#952

turnip tops poking

out the soil tempting all

the scarecrow stands guard

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Winter season word, turnip, but was not entered.

#951 (#106)

it’s now bugs come out 

and terrorise the whole house:

the bad part of spring.

#950

vibrations among 

the turnip tops - see them shake

as predators near

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Winter season word, turnip.

#949 (#105)

want hysteria?

then let wisteria bloom

and see the people!

#948

i hold the turnip

as too the sister once did

i see nothing else

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Winter season word, turnip.

#947 (#104)

the departing geese,

unlike my departing love, 

destined to return.

#946

how can you escape

a turnip shaped like a… well…

well… - like a thingy!

---

Written for the Tricycle February 2024 Haiku Challenge using the Winter season word, turnip.

#945 (#103)

crest on the garden 

horizon - a skylark brought

down to earth with us

#944 (#102)

baby animal

cliches abound everywhere

but then it is spring

#943

the hands of control

over both bodies and minds

massage just themselves

#942 (#101)

the warmth of sunshine

anytime of year is gold

but after winter…

#941

shadow man and dog

overlooking the river

together / apart

#940 (#100)

wandering the woods

knowing that primroses bloom

but not how they look

#939

we stumble between

the perceived and realised 

the known and unknown

#938 (#099)

the first blossom’s out - 

the whole palette lightening

in the spring sunshine

#937 (#098)

snail, scroll, shepherds crook

or a stringed instruments top?

fiddlehead fern fronds

#936 (#097)

spring but it's still cold /

yokan: not just a broken 

record in Britain?

#935 (#096)

a spring mist across

the hills and sea obscuring

the view we paid for

#934 (#095)

dying narcissus,

drooping discoloured flower

bends towards its bed

#933

 

#932 (#094)

with all of this rain

we want to skip the springtime

and see the swallows

#931 (#093)

the rain drumming sound

another cloudy spring day

hunkered down indoors

#930 (#092)

soup or salad day?

we wait and see which it is -

wakame choices

#929 (#091)

twittering through the

open window, Easter morn -

a (symbolic?) treat.

or

twittering through the

open window, Easter morn -

a (non-choc'late) treat.

#928 (#090)

the yellow head of 

a dandelion picked by

a boy for a god

#927

an abandoned tea

sat waiting in the kitchen 

but she’s gone away

#926 (#089)

pinwheel spinning sound

flapping across the lawn on

a peaceful spring day

#925

trees are changing from

white to green as the leaves grow

and the petals fall

#924 (#088)

frogs meeting, greeting,

green streams writhing and wriggling,

getting acquainted.

#923

jumping ahead. wait.

sit and take everything in

make sense, don’t just guess

#922 (#087)

on a country walk

bright yellow wild roses

i did not expect

#921

an open window

first thing and through the morning

like being reborn

#920 (#086)

tapas whitebait plate

with cold beer, sunshine, and friends

in Barcelona

#919 (#085)

soap bubble dreams drift

precariously at the

mercy of the breeze

#918 (#084)

the plough turns the earth 

as the earth moves itself round

and day turns to night

#917 (#083)

why does the yellow

dust always come when I have

just had the car washed?

#916 (#082)

it is barely spring -

each moment of sunshine hope

is quickly cloud crushed.

#915 (#081)

always a surprise,

these strange new lingering days -

and always welcome!

#914

20 m.p.h.

feels so slow up Forest Lane -

i think of the lives…

#913 (#080)

a moment of calm

sat alone in the meadow

a butterfly lands

#904, #34, #905, #906, #907, #908, #909, #910, #911 and #912 (feelings at a conference)

#904

why'm i so awkward

and what is this barrier

between me and them?

#34

how does it happen?

how can people just talk, talk

when they've never met?

why have i a barrier

up against these normal things?

#905

time alone is gold

but time alone makes me meek

when I should be bold 

#906

stand back, people watch

find a certain comfort in

all my discomfort

#907

in the quiet space

i can just sit and be me

forget my worry

#908

(is it bad or not 

that i don't want to talk or 

even interact?)

#909

and then you do it.

you talk to a stranger and

you thaw a little.

#910

the relief when the

automatic lights are off

in the men's toilets

#911

too tired for the

last session of the two days.

i’ll try art instead…

#912

days later and i’m

reflecting on what that was,

planning the next one.