speaking Elvish
to the Dwarf King
Tolkein's phrasebook

through
Georgia O'Keefe's skull
the desert

Comment by Fay Aoyagi:
The last line is too close to the rest.   

Georgia O'Keefe's skull

I miss the warmth

of my old cat

Well...   I know this is not what you intend to write.    I tried to come up with a feeling of 'desert' or its withered feeling...   :<
****

My revisions:

through
          Georgia
                     O'Keefe's
                                   skull
                                          infinity...
****

Georgia O'Keefe's skull
staring up
at vapour trails

through the confessional screen
the priest's breath

Published (2020) Prune Juice Issue 30  

the silent roar of the waterfall

fried mushroom cloud cuckoo clock face time
****

stormy sea shore line up

battle axe head strong desire

Found haiku:

summer is fading
the leaves fall in ones and twos

From 'Afternoon' by Philip Larkin (2003) Collected Poems Faber, London page 115

On shallow slates the pigeons shift together

From ‘Pigeons’ by Philip Larkin (2003) Collected Poems Faber, London page 178

one more mince pie

I reach for Christmas

winter window

night melting

into evening

shore grass

shivering

light snow

mushroom harvest

before thunder

the road

through dandelion wind

the yellow dawn

beneath morning blossoms

only

whispers

Published (2020) Hedgerow 130 page 13

cicada summer

I dream

of an autumn journey

twelfth night

the street festooned 

with Christmas trees

in the quiet church

just the way

people walk

Commended (2020) UHTS AHA competition

Chinese characters

lost

in calligraphic thoughts

new ink bottle

waiting

for the words to come

****

empty ink bottle

no time left

to finish my story

late bottled vintage

just reflecting

burial or cremation

Published (2020) Poetry Pea Series 3 Episode 12: Ageing
Published (2020) The Poetry Pea Journal of haiku and senryu Summer page 49

taking longer

to reach the creaking step

my old dad

Published (2020) Blithe Spirit Volume 24 Number 5 page 42

demolition

the musty smell

of an old house

The dung heap quartet

fresh morning air

a light frosting

on the dung heap
****

a change in the weather

wisps of steam rising

from the dung heap

****

midsummer day

the hum of bluebottles

in the dung heap

****

the days get shorter

falling silent

the dung heap

cherry blossom

kamikaze petals

on their final mission

The uninhibited joy of the Chinese working class

line dancing

flute playing

dancing in formation

the public park trademark

of this unique nation

old men with caged birds

hanging in trees

children with grandmas

ready to please

slow joggers

limb smackers

backwards walkers

rice crackers

hacking and spitting

great gobbets of phlegm

no one seems to bother

they do it again

mobile phones

another selfie

too much smoking

never healthy

public toilets

easy to find

an awful stink

no one seems to mind

line dancing

flute playing

dancing in formation

the public park trademark

of this unique nation

two birds singing

a songbird

to a jailbird

a goods train

rumbling past
precisely reflecting my mood

blank headstones

jisie

yet to be written

dragon fruit and dragons’ eyes

the myths of China

on a plate

restaurant: The west some tea

perhaps Google translate

didn’t

Published (2019) weird laburnum 1 December

in the fields

the dead ones

still watching the crops

notan landscape

in each tree

a crow’s nest

enlightenment

among the pictographs

as Buddha becomes clear

person

no

Published (2019) weird laburnum 1 December

staring at noodles

wondering

where to begin

childish Twitter war

but...

he started it

pulled one way

then the other

the ying and yang

of ice cold beer

and jasmine tea

Published (2020) The Bamboo Hut Number 1

shelling pistachio nuts

surrounded

by empty promises

this Chinese lake

the perfect place

for poetry

I like bananas

bananas are the perfect fruit

they come in their own box

they never run away from you

they never steal your socks

bananas are a tasty food

they taste like...

...well...

...bananas

and science proves beyond all doubt

they’re better than sultanas

bananas are nutritious

they fill you full of glee

and if you find one long enough

there’s some for you and me

but do take care

and please beware

bananas seem quite friendly

but if you are not nice to them

they make your tummy bendy

so if you see one in a bowl

that comes from further south

pick it up

take off its skin

and stuff it in your mouth

my thoughts

like parallel lines

converging

making a point

with chopstick philosophy

Published (2020) The Bamboo Hut Number 1

in the spirit

of Goldstein

in my Hut of the Small Mind

I seek

my tanka road

Published (2020) The Bamboo Hut Number 1

sucking
entrails
of noodles
realising
life is short

in the underpass
the dan dan man
resting his pole

Chinese hotel
in the washbasin
a long black hair

Found haiku:

Five low-flying cormorants
skim
over darkening waves
****

Something pipes*
in the trees,
a regular note

Audrey Dunne (2014) 'Hessle Foreshore at Sunset' in Humberlands: fifteen poems about the Humber & its landscape Wordspin Publications, Hull

Published (2020) Poetry Pea Series 3 Episode 20 Found Poetry

Published (2021) The Poetry Pea Journal of haiku and senryu Winter page 6

inwardly watching
the bird hop, branch to branch

Audrey Dunne (2016) Londesborough Wordspin Publications, Hull

* accepted (2020) Poetry Pea 

high rise clothesline

high rise clothesline

a red thong

swaying

(edited by Su Wai Hlaing)

Published (2020) Kingfisher Journal Issue 1 June page 14

Chinese night

The kitchen clatter. The cackle of Asian voices. What Marco Polo discovered (or did he introduce them?) is being shared. The waiter knows me from previous visits. “Good morning” he says; it is evening. I point to my items on the menu, recognising the pictures. Ramen and fried rice (is it ever ‘ordinary’). The food arrives and I remind myself not to rush. I am alone this evening with nothing to do:

with every mouthful

a long story

this noodle bar

on the wet decking

snails come out

crunch time

once again

packing for a journey

suitcase origami

Chinese nature park

gobbets of sputum 

marking the way

next to me

an old Chinese man

slurping his noodles 

a kingfisher

only

the splash

Published (2021) The Poetry Pea Journal of haiku and senryu Winter page 54

rush hour over

the beggar’s bowl 

falls silent

looking anywhere

except

at the beggar

return to sender
dementia delivers
another blow
****

not known at this address
dementia delivers
another blow

my renmimbi
all the Chairman Maos
facing the same way

honking back
at the geese
in V-formation

tomato soup
and a white shirt
what could go wrong?

Wuhan underpass
the smell
of roasting yams

Published (2020) The Poetry Pea Journal of haiku and senryu Spring page 53

smelling
fresh footprints
in the long grass

early morning traffic
my sleep
goes with it
****

early morning traffic
drifting
into my sleep

ducks in a row
dripping oil
Chinese market

mother duck
her ducklings in a row
squashed flat

the rat-a-tat-tat
of acorns
on car roofs

upstaged
by a cast
of falcons

a congress of eagles
delegates
come and go

in

                   the

      autumn

                   tree

                           only

  crows

an hour dead

his watch is still ticking

it’s the first thing you remove

Colin Macduff from In Wards, Out Wards 

in a flash
one hawk
no squirrel

Published (2019) Under The Basho - Modern Haiku

children skating
pigeons begging
the sun going down

Anatole Broyard in Kafka was the rage

Italian restaurant
two priests
bless the wine menu

Dupont Circle Metro
a midnight mouse
and sunflowers

Google maps

once again

I take the wrong direction

autumn windfall

Nathan Road

in the Rolex shop

buying time

Genovese cafe

all conversations

public

Published (2019) Under The Basho - Modern Haiku

Boccadasse

in time with The Angelus

sipping  my beer

Canadian geese

distinguishable

by their accent

young priest

his breviary bookmark

an old flame

ponies
gathered under a tree
grey skies

railway tracks
glinting
into the distance

in the railway carriage

someone

peels an orange

we kissed at the barriers

and passing through

she left me

Thomas Hardy

Departure platform 

cat’s chorus

someone

throws a shoe

rush hour metro

someone

had garlic

Published (2019) Under The Basho - Modern Haiku

happy hour

on their faces

not a smile

children

collecting

conkers

walking to Mass

the rat

I don’t want to kill

good idea

turns awkward

shared taxi

Published (2020) Failed Haiku Volume 5, Issue 49, page 104

homeopathy lecture

the speaker

saying nothing

baclava seller

sticking

to his principles

Published (2020) Failed Haiku Volume 5, Issue 49, page 104

autumn morning

trees appearing

through the leaves

an upturned tree

the smell of gravid earth

the mynah bird

pulling down dusk

on the city

Published (2020) The Mamba Issue 3, page 82

digging deep

the therapist finds

how it all started

hometown graveyard

the headmaster

who caned me

Published (2019) BHS Anthology Roots page 38

in my tears

the wooden Buddha

begins to float

ancient Chinese temple

each guide

telling a different story

Published (2019) Blithe Spirit Volume 29 Number 4 page 29

Published (2019) London Haiku Group Anthology 2019 page 37

Shanxi Province Museum

the smell

of ancient toilets

his early rock

her late scissors

the toddler wins again

Yingze Park

even the peonies

sing patriotic songs

sipping the whisky

falling

for the seduction

of the blurb

on the label

ignoring the one-legged beggar

I disembark the train

guilty

the endoscopy begins

with the first live view

of my rear end

daring not

to speak it’s name

boy erased

sixties revival evening

on the wall

a defibrillator

Published (2019) London Haiku Group Anthology 2019 page 37

flowers

taking my breath away

hay fever

stubble on the winter field
the farmer
rubs his chin

Published (2020) Failed Haiku Issue 73 page 120

Senior Rail Card

nearing the end

of the journey 

glass half empty

my sorrow

drowns me

that may have been

my death

haiku

the liminality

of late summer evenings

new morning

the smell

of things yet to come

reaching the low note

on my shinobue

at last

****

A perfect day

reaching the low note

on my shinobue

stubble fires

preparing

to burn all night

a vixen

setting the cornfield

alight

Sappho (translated by Mary Bernard)

the cricket sets

up a high-pitched

singing in his wings

from At noontime 

****

Ambrosia stood

already mixed

in the wine bowl

from Peace reigned in heaven

****

The full moon is shining

Girls take their places

as though around an altar

from And their feet move

****

Stars near the lovely

moon cover their own

bright faces

from Awed by her splendour 

The swans on the river

While a wind blows over

A waste of thistles

from Winter by Philip Larkin

through the old magnifying glass

reading

with my mother’s eyes

Published (2019) Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 45, page 86 

an old cat

stretched out 

on a hot car roof

at the kitchen door 

a half eaten fly

in the spider’s web

New York sequence

Times Square

a busker

plays Summertime

****

Central Park jogger 

on his phone

doing a deal

****

Central Park

she takes her boobs out

for a jog

****

Natural History Museum

the past

captured

****

New York subway

ghost trains

passing overhead

****

42nd St

rough sleepers

waiting for a miracle

****

in hushed tones

the priest

hearing Confessions

****

New York heatwave

only the breeze moving 

on 7th Avenue

Published (2020) 30th Anniversary British Haiku Society Members' Haiku Anthology City page 41

****

Museum of Sex

so

that’s where it went!

Published (2019) Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 45, page 86

****

gracing the table

a Christian couple

hold hands in Starbucks

****

45th St

a half eaten pretzel

on the sidewalk

****

Liberty Island

freedom takes the shape

of a butterfly

****

early morning 

New York goes to work

with a stern face

****

street vendor
one toy dog
running away
****

Manhattan bookstore

reading

between the lines

****

Ellis Island

tourists queuing

to get in

****

on the sidewalk

a homeless man

joins the gum dots

Published (2019) by Failed Haiku Volume 4 Issue 45 page 86 

****

The Guggenheim

ideas spiral

out of control

****

five minutes

until the bookstore opens

time stands still

****

correction bus

siren wailing

a euphemism drives past

****

New York NY

A

M

T

R

A

K

Washington DC

slow service

I read the menu

...again

****

Arlington Cemetery

a squirrel

digs up the past

****

Washington heatwave

emerging

from the Metro

****

on my DC map

an ant strolls

up the National Mall

****

Baltimore backstreet

the American dream

some blocks away

****

Philadelphia slums

not

living the dream

****

Washington DC

K

A

R

T

M

A

New York NY

the Big Apple

preparing

for another bite

****

I wandered 

lonely

in a crowd

****

buttocks quivering

she freewheels past

on the cobblestones

****

New York

even the pigeons

got attitude

Published (2019) by Failed Haiku Volume 4 Issue 45 page 86

****

lilac blossom
sweet scent with just a hint
of wheelie bin

Published (2019) by Creatix Number 46

Published (2019) London Haiku Group Anthology 2019 page 37

Living Haiku Anthology

purple bird shit
midsummer reminder
of cherry blossom

terms and conditions

of course

I read them

BHS IHC 1 June 2019 Translations of Chiyo-ni haiku

full moon –

keeping it in my eyes

on a distant walk

****

bricht moon

aye in ma ee’n

on a lang w’ak

Published (2019) Harmony within diversity (A collection of papers delivered at the International Haiku Conference St Albans, UK 31 May-2 June 2019) page 28

last flight

of the evening

half price sandwiches

Published (2019) cattails October page 36

Found haiku:

At the skim of evening*

Wild geese fly inland

Then the sound of silence

From 'Geese' Kevin Crossley-Holland (1991) New and Selected Poems 1965-1990 Hutchinson, London page 26

Accepted (2020) Poetry Pea

the blackbird's nest
a dinner plate
for the magpie

my fish and chips
wrapped
in fake newspaper

Published (2019)  Frogpond Volume 42:3 page 44

wearing nothing
except
his invisible socks

midsummer day
the only breeze
a hover fly

Published (2019) by the Wales Haiku Journal Summer

Published (2019) London Haiku Group Anthology 2019 page 37

this year's roses
blooming
without her

a bamboo flute!
just what
was I thinking?

in the cathedral

no shorts

another blow to my faith

the fisherman’s wife

boils a kettle

circling gulls

Published (2019) London Haiku Group Anthology 2019 page 37

Portofino

another boatload of cash

arrives 

New World morning

a different

dawn chorus

quinoa

who knew

it was pronounced like that?

another broken tooth

dying

one piece at a time

Published (2019) cattails October page 47

at the kitchen door

freeing the bumble bee

it flies back in

from black through grey

to white

notan morning

monsoon arriving

she battens down

her skirt

Published (2020) Akitsu Quarterly Spring

Nan Lian sequence

Nan Lian gardens

composing

cicada haiku

temple rainwater

dripping

dripping

****

Nan Lian cafe

the waitress

reads her Buddha book

bonsai trees

tortured

into obedience

Published by Poetry Pea 15 July 2019

climate change conference 

he boards

the long-haul flight 

low cloud

obscuring the sun

much mist

my umbrella

bone dry

at home

no urinals

in the women’s toilet

apparently

library cafe

the smell of coffee

mingled with words

in the hotel room

I name the gecko

Chairman Mao

long distance lovers
the space between
his New Year and hers

reunion dinner
just that moment
of hesitation

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 43, page 11

a haiku poet
strolls past
composing

Sunday morning
last night's party
on the pavement

Published (2019) Blithe Spirit Volume 29 Number 3 page 36

waiting for a bee
I write this haiku
anyway

a large headstone

matching

his reputation

their inheritance

he leaves them

his last breath

relationship over

the ring

of metal

early morning market

the smell

of fresh tomatoes

Published (2019) Blithe Spirit Volume 29 Number 3 page 36

Living Haiku Anthology

inflated ideas

a Good Luck balloon

floats past

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 43, page 11

Published (2019) London Haiku Group Anthology 2019 page 37

clay pigeon shoot

the real pigeons

just watching

on a branch

mating pigeons

one moving sideways
****

two pigeons
mating
a shower of leaves

Chernobyl
twenty years on
tongues still clicking

cold spring day
the bees
still sluggish

at the mobile phone

the child’s face 

lit up

crows dripping

from the autumnal tree

the farmer’s gun

the runner

sweating

swigs from a bottle 

in the gym

rich people who don’t work

working out

apple blossom

it makes a change

from cherry blossom

from the summerhouse

just the clink

of ice cubes

laburnum

yellow danger

from the blue sky

offering me her seat

the young woman

pats me on the shoulder

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 43, page 11

kids in pyjamas

uncles with cameras

red..sleek..and..narrow..nosed

the Azuma* arrives

*I was in the first Azuma train to arrive at Hull Paragon station

Ramadan

the smell of ketones

on her breath

Vesak day*
water flowing
at the Banyan tree
****

Vesak day
caged captives
take to the trees

*- Veask day is Buddha's birthday when water is poured under banyan trees (the tree under which Buddha meditated) and birds, animals and fish are set free.

grave stones

just visible

above the undergrowth

early morning 

sparrowhawk soaring

above his breakfast 

a pigeon 

with only one leg

hopping mad

clay pigeon shooting 

a duck flies over...

I think about it

the TV aerial 

serving no purpose

except for a pigeon 

The Wasteland

wasted

on me

evening fruit bats

the dark thoughts

return

the cattle truck

leaving behind

a trail of piss

****

following

the unseen

cattle truck

visa office queue

going nowhere

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 42, page 32

abandoned factory

the clock...

...stopped

lowering my umbrella

lowering my umbrella

I avoid

the beggar’s gaze

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 42 p. 32

wisteria blossom

with rain

dripping down

Published (2020 The Asahi Shimbun 15 May

aroused from sleep

I bid farewell

to my ancestors

writing my will

I hesitate

over the signature

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 42, page 32

funeral plans

so many

final choices

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 42, page 32

making love

with the bedroom door open

empty nest

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 42, page 32

sheltered housing

in the window

new ornaments

small shops

with apostrophe’s

scattered randomly

hailstones

hissing

in the hot hearth

the old priest

remembering me

but not my name

two pigeons

a shower
of leaves
two pigeons mating

hailstorm over
silence
...then birdsong

death next door

death next door
all the family
she never saw

Published in A Moment's Longing HSA Members' Anthology 2019 page 31
****

death next door
the old house
grows cold
****

death next door
at last
a family gathering
****

death next door
that was
her last Christmas

hover flies and mountain ash

hover flies
the joy
of the mountain ash
****

hover flies
making a beeline
for the mountain ash
****

hover flies
still
I don't trust them

next door

the clatter of Maj-jong

I curse quietly

Kunming city

even here

sakura blossoms

Published (2020) The Asahi Shimbun 6 March

four renminbi

in the beggar's bowl

he bows his head

hotel lift

Richard Clayderman still playing 

seven years on

VIP lounge

watching the labourers

outside in the heat

the Chinese farmer

planted in the ground

beside his crops

a Chinese man

urinating profusely

at the roadside

high speed train

fleeting glimpses

of other lives

my reflection

my father’s nose

my goodness!

the removal men

laughing

at our wobbly bed

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 41, page 118

Living Senryu Anthology

the old man

and his cage

walking the bird*

older men in China take their caged birds to the park and then socialise with friends while the cages are hung in the trees

hutong toilet

two men squatting

in full view

wildlife documentary

my weekly visit

to Africa

fundamentalists at the door

the dry season

arrives

long-haul flight

the air pressure drops

and everyone farts

hotel elevator

no eye contact

unwritten rules

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 41, page 118

Living Senryu Anthology

the bare tree

shedding crows

as the train passes

baking foil

in the shopping bag

Sunday lunch

a warm breeze
wafts plum blossom
into reiwa*

Published (2019) The Asahi Shimbun 3 May

*the new era on the Chrysanthemum Throne in Japan; possible meaning 'auspicious peace'.

Living Haiku Anthology

dying

I liberate

my shadow

innovation

a magpie’s nest

in a pylon

four Chinese ladies

viewing blossom

through an iPhone

on the lazy susan

the chicken’s head

sees everything

****

noodles for dinner

this lasting friendship

Hotel haiku

checking in

that hotel smell

greets me

****

first one way

then another

the plastic key

****

hotel room

unpacking

memories

****

always

one light

stays on

****

all packed

but

one last look

my son

now opening jam jars

for me

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 41 p. 118

Living Senryu Anthology

footsteps

following me home

in the snow

Published (2020) The Asahi Shimbun 7 February

dying

his last cup of tea

growing cold

the roller blind

revealing
the red back

Published (2020) Echidna Tracks III 20 July

new birth—

my mother

never knew

the sudden snap

of a mole trap

waves beaching

on pebbles —

exhalation

Peterborough

behind the mosque

a cathedral

glancing up

a roe deer

watches my train

lakeside chapel

a swallow’s nest

in the porch

Published (2021) Temple: BHS Members' Anthology 2021 page 101

al fresco restaurant

chairs

chained up for the night

city walls

against the rain

no defence

Added to: Australian Haiku Society Autumn Equinox Haiku String 2019 (theme: City Life)

searching for pebbles

at last

a smooth one

Wiki page

my death date

still empty

Published (2019) in Prune Juice Issue 28, page 94

magnolia bulbs

already

shedding petals

reading my Kindle

missing the smell

of an old book

magnolia

flowering

too early

reading
the Jataka tales
...enlightenment

rain over
cherry blossom
floating on puddles

thunder storm
cherry blossom and rain
falling together

the woodpecker
no longer
in the same place

the birdsong
outlasting
the bird

with translation
taking
twice as long

award ceremony
a fly
drifts past

at last

the ink

is running out

at the gatepost

an old lady

watching...

****

the old lady

watching

her son grows smaller

****

watching

the old lady

as her son gets smaller

****

watching

the old lady

watching her son go

global warming

the ducks

arrive early

You’ve Been Framed

laughing...

but why?

everywhere at once

a woodpecker

or is it two?

sheep farmers
bleating
about Brexit

Published (2019) in Prune Juice Issue 28, page 94

airplane toilet
the seat
still warm

severe turbulence

even this haiku

does not distract me

after the breakup

orphaned

emojis

****

after the breakup

emojis

are all that’s left

handing over

the wrong currency

jet-lag

Published (2019) Under the Basho - Modern Haiku

Living Senryu Anthology

Living Haiku Anthology

Northern Lights

don’t spoil it with

an explanation

Published (2019) Under the Basho - Modern Haiku

Living Senryu Anthology

Living Haiku Anthology

with a real pipe

the artificial snowman

watches the skiers

****

all the same

I slip and fall

on artificial snow

magpies

on the chimney pot

menacing

seafood restaurant

unable to stop watching

the lobster tank

****

lobsters

claws banded

waiting to be boiled

****

seafood restaurant

could I liberate

the lobsters?

late winter morning

early sunrise

warming up a crow

Published (2020) Akitsu Quarterly Spring

winter to spring

hoping

for light mornings

long rows

of white stones

soldiers’ last dreams

Published (2019) Under the Basho - Modern Haiku

Living Senryu Anthology

Living Haiku Anthology

sweating

at the gym

when will it end

admiring the crocuses

I step

on dog poo

Published (2019) Under the Basho - Modern Haiku

Living Senryu Anthology

a winter field

the horse

following its breath

Published (202) Wales Haiku Journal Winter 2019-20

weekend over
the clank
of recycling bins

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 39, page 14

Living Senryu Anthology

Gamblers' Anonymous
should I go...?

floodlight running track
a lonely goose
joins us

last night's haiku
in the morning
...gone

the skylark
impossible
to locate

closing the curtain
another evening
unfolds

the boxer
preparing
to take a dive

Monday morning
the smell
of sour milk

Published in Blithe Spirit Volume 29 Number 2 page 12

flooded frozen fens

a goose glides

over the ice

leaving

the fog

a landscape

frosty field

where the farmer

has been

freezing fog

sheep

not moving

buttock marks

on the wall

light snow

Published (2019) Wales Haiku Journal Spring

Living Haiku Anthology

Published (2020) Failed Haiku Issue 73 page 120

I quit

the meeting

at ‘low hanging fruit’

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 39, page 14

Living Senryu Anthology

knowing too much

about the woman

behind me

a new country

the police

less friendly

coffee grinder

awake

before the smell

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 39, page 14

Living Senryu Anthology

rain

on a frosty night

more misery

on the train
the big white teddy bear
becomes a baby

underground train

the homeless man

gives his speech

Brisbane

cicadas tuning up

early evening

****

voices raised

as the cicadas

begin to chirrup

****

the cicadas

drowning out

my tinnitus

****

still hearing the cicadas...still

****

the cicadas

mocking our attempts

at conversation

****

early evening cicadas

our voices

raised

questions

going unanswered

from the dental chair

those keys

still there

...but where?

a passing siren
lowers the tone
of our conversation

watching
the snow drift
random thoughts

Published (2020) The Asahi Shimbun 26 February

dry season
only one moon

Published (2019) in  Presence July page 30

sputtering candle
the smell
of burning wax

grandsons' hugs
each time
shorter

boarding pass bookmark
ideas
that didn't fly

tulip garden
offering up
a bumble bee

leaving-do
wishing
I had already left

bad moon dust
peeling bananas
just for fun

early morning

campsite

unzipping the day

discreet

conversations

just out of reach

new semester

an empty bed

and one less toothbrush

Published in Blithe Spirit Volume 29 Number 2 page 12

the priest reads

behind the lectern

behind him, his shadow

dying
the things I never said
to my sons

couple next door
shooting
between wind and water

winter's night
shaking the dewdrop
off the lily

first date
online
she had no accent

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 38, page10

Living Senryu Anthology

Living Haiku Anthology

the clown fish
wondering
who the fuck I am

before sending
I check the grammar
in my sympathy note

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 38, page 10

Living Senryu Anthology

Living Haiku Anthology

turning over in bed
last night's barbecue
still warm

passport control

only her scent

comes with me

Published (2019)  in where silence becomes song (International Haiku Conference Anthology, British Haiku Society) p. 61

...www.wilderness...

panic attack
on the radio
Brexit again

evening train
racing its shadow
home

Published (2019) in Blithe Spirit Volume 29, Number 1, page 54

LHA Ref:
Blithe Spirit 29.1, November 2019

Living Senryu Anthology

Living Haiku Anthology

only the smell of the bins

remaining

- Epiphany

murder mystery night

killing

time

Published (2019) in Failed Haiku Volume 4, Issue 38, page 10

Living Senryu Anthology

Living Haiku Anthology