2012 First Haiku Meeting: January 21
Moderator: Catherine Urquhart

a cup of hot coffee
on a chilly morning ---
counting my blessings
Junko Saeki


thoughts on
the departing year
Karajan LP crackles
Ikken Ikemoto


plane trees
line winter’s walkway
-- a perfect perspective
Takashi Ikari


sunset ---
black silhouettes of geese
over the snowy fields
Tomislav Maretic (Croatia)

in the winter sun,
now green, now blue
the mallard’s head
Tomislav Maretic (Croatia)


not a myth to him
the fact of global warming
stranded polar bear
Royal T. Fruehling (Hawai'i, USA)


first snow in the capital
-- reading a letter
from Hokkaido
Kiyoshi Sugita


raking leaves ---
the scent
of nostalgia
Michiko Murai


icicles ---
if only
I could have tusks
Tenshi Sakai


hard frost ---
two sparrows warm themselves
chirping
Vasile Moldovan (Romania)


the naked rowan
discloses the empty nest
of our two magpies
Hanne Hansen (Denmark)


friendship
finally restored
--- a new year’s card
Midori Suzuki


if asked
“Why the hurry”, I would reply
“The sun is sinking”
Shinya Ogata


through the bush
a heron eyes a fish
--- spring afternoon
Hideo Ebihara


he seems happy
nobody blames me
so, why this uneasiness?
Masako Omaki


buds on bare branches
looking up earnestly
once I was young
Sachiko Kondo


after the performance
his silhouette dancing
on the cold moon
Maki Hatanaka


new year cards
full of joyful pictures
of overseas
Takeo Hanaoka


the wrecked cruise ship
no tsunami
no captain
Yasuomi Koganei


snowy morning
almost drowned
in the scent of winter sweet
Yasuhiko Shirota


pouring tea
wrapped in the steam
--- winter morning happiness
Midori Tanaka


new year sun
glinting in the dragon’s eye
--- sublime cloud
Sugita Yuzu


red berries of spear flower
adorning my room
right into the new year
Masaaki Oka


the long line of white breath
stretching to the shrine
New Year’s Eve
Momo Nishimura



2012 2nd Haiku Meeting: February 11
Moderator: Catherine Urquhart

old people unable
to clear snow from their roofs
where are their children?
Junko Saeki


fuoco in cucina
questa sera il tramonto
viene a cena
Antonella Filippi (Italy)

fire in the kitchen
this evening the sunset
calls in for dinner
Antonella Filippi (Italy)


mild weather-
from the snowman's eyes
true tears
Vasile Moldovan (Romania)


on a chilly night
unexpected illumination
along the Marunouchi street
Momo Nishimura


beautiful they are
faces mirroring the world
Hawai'i's children
Royal T. Fruehling (Hawai'i, USA)


Notre-Dame bathed
in crystal clear winter sun
young couples kissing
Hanne Hansen (Denmark)


angler
now angling, now bathing
in winter sunshine
Tenshi Sakai


signs
from under the soil
-early spring
Michiko Murai


books on the desk
rug on my knees
nodding off
Sachiko Kondo


people snowed up
for days on end
a stone’s throw away
Masako Omaki


at his graveside
the three of us
winter sparrows
Ikken Ikemoto


along the curtain of snow
the train’s switchback mingles
with memories
Takeo Hanaoka


long time no see
“Detective Poirot” on TV
-from the fireside
Kiyoshi Sugita


in the icy wind
my pet dog poops at last
-well done!
Shinya Ogata


leafing turnips
out of their role
adorn my window
Motoko Satoh


boys chasing
a demon
-mask festival
Midori Suzuki


early spring
clapping my hands twice
red shrine high
Hideo Ebihara


Waltzing Matilda
sayonara song for a colleague
who became a friend
Masaaki Oka


deep winter
things rippling in the mirror
I face my darkness
Maki Hatanaka


over the streams
haze or radioactive smog?
-garbage plant chimneys
Midori Tanaka


giving the kiss of life
to a dummy
-feeling the cold
Takashi Ikari


girl in snow light
waving, waving, turning
into a pink dot
Yuzu Sugita


from the bottle
ants attempting to escape
-a huge snowfall
Yasuomi Koganei


playing houses
delicious meals of
spiraea
Koji Kurimoto




2012 March Haiku Meeting: March 10
Moderator: Catherine Urquhart

Yuanxiao Festival
fireworks, sweet fillings
radiant smiles
Danyang Feng (China) (Tokyo)


wings flapping
baby sparrow sporting his voice
with a quick vibrato
Michiko Murai


stone steps shining softly
a reminder
of spring rain
Junko Saeki


melting snow-
instead of the snowman
just a puddle
Vasile Moldovan (Romania)


i coriandoli -
dentro le pozzanghere
il carnevale
Antonella Filippi (Italy)

confetti
in the puddles
carnival time
Antonella Filippi (Italy)


Parfum de cires-
aduce o speranta
printre ruine.
Anastasia Dumitru (Romania)

cherry fragrance ----
brings hope
among the ruins
Anastasia Dumitru (Romania)


the smell of rain
on the tops of the mountains
colors of spring
Tatjana Debeljacki (Serbia)


in my summer house
the clock still shows
summer time
Zoran Mimica (Austria)


February 29 --
we get another day
out of the soup
Robert Scott (Stockholm)


cradled by the waves
a lifeless form offshore
his last fishing trip
Royal T. Fruehling (Hawai'i, USA)


to visit mother
travelling by local bus
the only passenger
Hanne Hansen (Denmark)


old plum tree
blooms diligently
but just a little
Shinya Ogata


the earth is
not only for human beings
-worms awakening
Midori Tanaka


fresh tree stump
with 90 annual rings
-what are you thinking?
Motoko Satoh


slow afternoon
subway passengers
each to his own
Masako Omaki


bullfrog
dives into the Fossa Magna
crash!
Ikken Ikemoto


an elderly woman
struggling on slippery pavements
-snowfall in Tokyo
Kiyoshi Sugita


soft sunlight
on plum blossoms
dimples on a smiling face
Takeo Hanaoka


flower viewers happy enough
with only a few
apricot blossoms
Takashi Ikari


silent garden
full of grieving plum blossoms
old man is gone now
Midori Suzuki


sharply remaining
scars of the disaster
spring still cold---
Hitoshi Ichinose


early spring
a ball thrown back into the playground
smiling children
Masaaki Oka


mom’s journey to heaven
snow
on her red plum blossom
Yuzu Sugita


purring, rolling
on the ground by tombstones
cats in love
Sachiko Kondo


arrow box on his back
showered in cherry blossoms
Samurai Donald Keene
Hideo Ebihara


the tsunami-ravaged pine tree
once again cradling
the spring moon
Yasuomi Koganei


blown over the fence
the neighbour’s cherry blossom
lands on my lawn
Rado Majkut (Poland) (Tokyo)

no plum blossoms yet
our typhoon-battered tree
on crutches
Rado Majkut (Poland) (Tokyo)


sounds from the stable
thudding on the soil
hungry for the morning meadow
Juichi Masuda


soaking in my bathtub
the sunlight dazzling
this snowy morning
Momo Nishimura


a rock-anchored pine
pruned by the wind
bonsai master
Stephen M. Block (USA)




2012 4th Haiku Meeting: April 14
Moderator: Catherine Urquhart

cherry blossoms in the park
cleared
of homeless persons
Junko Saeki


hangover -
the voice of a blackcap
clearing my mind
Tomislav Maretic (Croatia)


lingering cold -
my daughter skips stones
across the ice
Robert Scott (Stockholm)


Easter night-
all around the church
candles and plum blossoms
Vasile Moldovan (Romania)


black hats, black ringlets
rushing to the synagogue
--Passover
Hanne Hansen (Denmark)


mountains
beyond mountains
in all the glory of spring
Sachiko Kondo


stormy night
awake in bed
alone
Masako Omaki


ｒaft of cherry petals
ｄrifting on the river
--the characters のand く
Ｈｉｄｅｏ　Ｅｂｉｈａｒａ


spring mist
taking Tokyo Tower
out of my sight
Michi Umeda


raindrops
breaking apart the raft
of cherry petals
Hitoshi Ichinose


wild cherry blossoms
in the moonlit mountains
a true gift from the gods
Juichi Masuda


meeting today
parting tomorrow
--a spring storm
Shinya Ogata


finest spring day
--the soundtrack to my stargazing
a kalavinka song
Ikken Ikemoto


first years all smiles
thronging on the mats
of cherry petals
Motoko Sato


from here on
cherry blossoms
head north
Takeo Hanaoka


over the hills of rubble
a cherry petal blizzard
blown into the Pacific
Yasuhiko Shirota


pruned rose
named after an old love song
--harbor of memories
Midori Tanaka


stepping out
into the moonlight
nothing fallen but pollen
Yasuomi Koganei


a false start
of cherry blossom parties
few branches in bloom
Takashi Ikari


untying knots
cherry blossoms open
unhurriedly
Tenshi Sakai


evening drizzle
--the white breath
of a guide dog
Midori Suzuki


botanical gardens
cherry trees stand alongside
Newton’s grafted apple tree
Masaaki Oka


patissier’s art
rich bright colors abound
spring has sprung
Michiko Murai


this weekend peaceful
for viewing the last cherry blossoms
--failed missile launch
Kiyoshi Sugita


the aged sakura tree
blooms and sheds her blossoms
all is life
Yuzu Sugita


a nice day in May
two clouds
shaped like England
Osami Kawasaki


Noh stage afloat
on the flicker of torches
--cherry branches sway
Momo Nishimura



2012 5th Haiku Meeting: May 12
Moderator: Catherine Urquhart

cold day of cherry blossoms --
walking to the station
my back getting warm
Momo Nishimura


May
suddenly, people everywhere
in lighter clothes, in lighter spirit
Junko Saeki


midnight cool
rain to snow
--is this spring?
Navita Kalra (Canada)


nothing more common
than a daffodil except
the first one in spring
Stephen M. Block (USA)

over the walls
of five-seven-five
a ceiling open to the sky
Stephen M. Block (USA)


after the hailstorm --
broken petunias spreading
their fragrance
Tomislav Maretic (Croatia)

boy's day --
looking at the photo album
of my deceased father
Tomislav Maretic (Croatia)


May twelve perigee
moon comes nearer to the earth
for a better look
Royal T. Fruehling (Hawai'i, USA)


Stablo starog
Lesnika podilzi
Mravlja jeza
Tatjana Debeljacki (Serbia)

the old hazelnut tree
shivering
with ant chills
Tatjana Debeljacki (Serbia)


prolaze oblaci
prolaze misli
srcem caj
Zoran Mimica (Croatian)

clouds passing by
thoughts passing by
- sipping my tea
Zoran Mimica (Croatian)


as if by magic
wasps vanish
leaving their elaborate home
Sachiko Kondo


able or not
to be a wicked woman?
flowering spirea
Juichi Masuda


behind purple hydrangea
touching up her face
--a rickshaw girl
Hideo Ebihara


many faces
many minds
shelter from a shower
Ikken Ikemoto


bubbles rising
inside each
a child’s dream
Michiko Murai


a miracle
in bloom
--transplanted wisteria
Hitoshi Ichinose


crossing the bridge
I am at one
with the spring breeze
Michi Umeda


thirty years to go
to match my mother’s life
--peach blossoms
Masako Omaki


Shangri-la Tibetan temple
sky burial hill beyond
--birds into clouds
Midori Tanaka


“How about a drink?”
liquor shop owner sprinkles rice
for sparrows in a row
Maki Hatanaka


50 kids planting
50 trees with 50 smiles
--the fragrant breeze
Yuzu Sugita


shaking his hand
after 30 years of light
and darkness
Shinya Ogata


cherry petals falling
hands together I pray
for their souls
Takashi Ikari


Japanese azaleas
luckily away
from the tornadoes
Kiyoshi Sugita


chorus of frogs
the sudden breeze
of old days
Takeo Hanaoka


breezy garden
single banana plant leaf
beckons me in
Motoko Sato


in the floodlight
a bank-guard checking his pistol --
strong sirocco
Yasuomi Koganei


Tagore songs
flowing freely into my heart
--late spring
Masaaki Oka