.
summer visit
an old friend discusses
his speed dating
.

dead-heading roses
a yellow blossom
for my hair

a background
of blues -
clouds improvising

summer fades to fall
pulling up the blanket
to ward off night's chill

summer's end
a racehorse runs behind its shadow

arum maculatum
in his orange breeches
red dogwood stems

Leaves in the pool
drifting colours
time to pull the plug

pulling up the sheet-
didn't know you had gone til
my calves lost their heat

summer left
without saying goodbye-
waking up
in the cool morning,
my arms holding a pillow

end comes
sweet summer time
autumn draws twilight

goldenrod flutters
its lacy fingers waving
goodbye to summer

a rough sea
breaks on the beach,
a thousand
knots unravelling
in my weary head

between grey depths
of sea and sky
a white sail rides the wind

all night listening
under a canvas skin
to the tail of a hurricane

snail trails
over the bird table -
a fat thrush watches

high grass -
an ant in the jungle
of my leg hairs


***

herbes hautes -
une fourmi dans la jungle
des poils de ma jambe

.

nearing my birthday
I meet my uncle 'brother'
for just the first time

.

autumn
blowing in -
dandelion clock's last day

Nagasaki
the vapors of people
glaze on the dome

Victoria plums
succulent from weeks of rain
A61 lay-by

crickets sing old songs
fill cool late summer breezes
marigolds bright blooms

strolling through summer

along city streets the joys of strolling through summer

twist of willow leaf
the thin limb --
homeless woman's stare

cobwebs shimmer;
Fuchsia's pink ballerinas
fall to the ground

tiny spider
spins its yarns
I walk by --
tranquility interrupted

supermarket run
Halloween candy displays
next to summer sale aisle

from the front door
bird hops besides me
to the car

frog plopping
into the pond
disturbing the stars

summer over

summer over
at the end of the bridge
no looking back

photo: emily lin
words: mandy smith

First published on Summer Haiku 2007

the garden
full of thistledown
...leaving

sunlight through
yellowed raspberry leaves;
swifts on telephone lines

.

small hours–

a light summer breeze tilts

the crow's call

note:

6am  and very quiet except for one bird calling, and a crow's almost tentative response.

.

Photo Haiga

From this shore
our tale begins
photo and the haiku

A new site with an old idea please join

August evening -
a cool beer by looking for
the Great Bear


***

soirée d'août -
une bière fraîche en cherchant
la Grande Ourse

in the war zone
a new song rising
in my spirit

horse chestnut leaves
with strange brown blotches
BARCLAYS blue

the sound of nails

on fencewood - a squirrel pours

into the garden

Bindweed trumpets
among buddleia's faded mauves
summer fades

cool rain patters
on an up-turned bucket --
yellow daisies weep

morning break
touch of coolness in the air
filled with birdsong

dying leaf
waiting to fall--
summer's end

across the river
a dance-band:
couples fishtail and glide

fresh blackberries
glistening with morning dew
pots of hot jam

afternoon commute
fruit vendor hawking his wares
flies surround the cut melon

on the cusp

between seasons;

neither here . . . nor there

early morning heat
leans upon my back --

worms rise up from
earthy beds

august heat simmers
sleepy sun sets
yellow orange skies

on the breeze
three cabbage whites
dancing

.
reading Hiroaki Sato's
erotic haiku anthology
summer heat

Hiroaki Sato’s ”Erotic Haiku” ISBN 4-89684-020-8
Stonebridge Press:
http://www.stonebridge.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?Search=Yes&sppp=50&searchcat=
.

Christening morning -
the clematis
sprinkles me with drops

On the south patio
sitting with a cold beer
listen to the towns’ rock festival

summer fire
crocosmia's crests
still stand proud

children playings
in a nearby garden
- august twilight


***

jeux d'enfants
dans un jardin voisin
- crépuscule d'août

I’m trying; God knows I’m trying.

tree swallows shifting through the wing beats

---


Now for something a little different, click me!

like tinnitus
in sunny afternoon garden
grasshoppers

* * *

kuin tinnitus
puutarhan iltapäivässä
heinäsirkat

open window
brave postman
snarling dog

five green leaves
fall in tumbling sunlight
toward summer's end

back-lit leaf

the tree frog’s foot shadow darkens

algae bloom
the green frog jumps
into my green pond

.
bouts of flash rainfall–
too humid for a raincoat
I eat some pretzels

wheat and gluten free pretzels (and more):
http://www.trufree.co.uk/Product/Pretzels/
.

a hawthorn -
like little red apples
in the rain

hammering a tree trunk
a woodpecker
takes over the valley

swirling wind
unscrewing
the blossoms

fresh morning scent
overnight rain
cat prints on counters

after the rain
sprouted grass in the lawn
cats' tails flicking

ozone alert -
my evening footing
with small strides


***

alerte à l'ozone -
mon footing du soir
à petites foulées

.
perfect wedding -
the wonky bow
on her home-made dress

Karen Hoy
Blithe Spirit Vol. 12 No. 3 (September 2002)
http://www.poetrymagazines.org.uk/magazine/record.asp?id=11692
.

.
roadworks at dawn
walking home
in my evening dress

Karen Hoy
Blithe Spirit Vol. 12 No. 3 (September 2002)
http://www.poetrymagazines.org.uk/magazine/record.asp?id=11692
.

nettle sting
the breeze can't console
my burning leg

riverside trees
toppled -
fish through the branches

brisk wind
plums fall from trees
spattered lawns

evening commute
wipers keep time with the radio
children skip in the rain

thrum of grooved pavement
a tuneless syncopation --
highway lullaby

dark river -
from a bird
a heart-breaking song

(for Billie Holiday)

.
library cafe --
we swap lost key stories
as my coffee cools



• Presence haiku magazine #32 (2007) ISSN 1366-5367
• Tinywords.com 27th July 2007
http://tinywords.com/haiku/2007/07/27/
• St Ambrose University, Iowa, U.S.A. O’Keefe Library at SAU April 2007 The O’Keefe Brief
.

.
night rainforest
somewhere a treefrog
to a pocket pen

n.b. Mission Beach, Queensland (night rainforest walk)
Summer in Australia is different months. ;-)
.

.
not knowing what to do
with his belly button fluff -
I put it back

'Hidden'
British Haiku Society Members Anthology 2002
Hub Haiku Series ISBN 1-903746-26-4
.

.
in the cool of the ladies
four identical faces -
twins check their make-up

Karen Hoy
Blithe Spirit Vol. 12 No. 3 (September 2002)
http://www.poetrymagazines.org.uk/magazine/record.asp?id=11692

n.b. 'cool' is a kigo for Summer
.

.
a new month -
different seeds
on the spaniel's ears

Karen Hoy
The Haiku Calendar 2003
Snapshot Press ISBN 1-903543-05-3
.

blackberries
in the hedgerow
nightshade jewels

dog day afternoon
petal droops from rosebush
folks cross the street slowly

disturbing
a wasp's nest - screams
from the slowest runner

the scent of mimosa
catches one
after the fact -- a bit like love

farmers' market
a watermelon rolls off
the cycle cart

-angel

.
Siena rooftops
sketching the shapes
in my mind

Karen Hoy
pub. Yomiuri Shimbun 2004
(Japanese newspaper, circulation 10 million readers)
Go-Shichi-Go Haiku in English / Using poetic color in haiku
.

.
long dry season –
the last flower
a baboon snack

Karen Hoy
Snapshot Press Haiku Calendar

n.b. the long dry season runs through June to September into October.
Tanzania weather and season patterns: Expert Africa weblink

.
crowded carriage
the breeze around
a lone ragwort


Karen Hoy
The Haiku Calendar 2003
Snapshot Press ISBN 1-903543-05-3

n.b. the ragwort season arrives in the early part of the Summer

.

bluebottles:
shape
of the dead mouse

warm green grass
in the cemetery
calls to me

morning air
expectant
waiting for rain

street
of bumping umbrellas -
stream of bright flotsam

veins of rust
trickle down granite face --
sweet peas press for intimacy

dog day afternoon
first hand knowledge for concept
of melting

Lavender spikes
bending under stress -
bumble bees

without wings--
two flying ants
two juggernauts

winner’s circle
golf proYang lifts the blue sky

*PGA Golf Champianship

grabbing and strangling

the curb -

tree root

night rain -
ink-blot patterns
on pavements

the path crack

spilling ants - mopped up

by a waiting wren

grey sky

a white butterfly

dodges raindrops

stiff breeze
cools night air --
curtains billow

night squalls
in the foliage of oaks
- nude at the window

***

rafales de nuit
dans le feuillage des chênes
- nu à la fenêtre

~~

neon green grasshoppers
bump weary raspberry stalks
summer picks up speed

~~

seeded from next-door
a poppy blooms
under leaden skies

on the todo list
making pickles
from freshly picked cukes

the sweat on my brow -
a brisk wall after
it rained

we
abruptly start the fight
after a walk
on slippery hallway
hand in hand

pale moon rides
the rim of trees
pearled edge of lunacy --


* * *


a note of contempt
thrusts forward
conversation dies --

a termite
climbing up the tomb--
my father's grave

sour-fleshed apples -
slugs and wasps
make homes

sticky night-
explaining to the kitties
we can't cuddle tonight

afternoon rain,
a picnic spoiled --
laughter

warm morning
cats stretch twice as long
before rousing

one black ant scurries
across a cream white
constellation --

queen anne's lace

enormous yew
white clover in the grass
fades to a ghost

old man's beard
flowers in chain-link
diamonds

summer drizzle--
a flock flutter through
the rainbow

blue cracks the sky
birdsong filling the air
when the front door opens

August Berries

bright beads
ripen on the
Rowan Tree

August Berries by David

sunny afteronon
no rent for hike this year
lightness in my step

damselflies
dart across the water
a bluer blue

butterflies in a line -
a conga
through the garden

MIRROR

Lost in mirror
models in lingerie:
summer rain

--R.K.SINGH

across the rose petal
yellow beads roll
...cascade transparently

The End of Summer

summer's end
approaching with the speed
of longing



This blog will close on 31st August 2009. Autumn Haiku will open on 1st September. All participants of this blog will be invited to join Autumn by Beatrice, who is also looking for someone to help out with running it. Please contact me or her if you're interested.

Thank you.

raindrops
spatter like bullets;
parasols

frolicking
on the beach
she feels overdressed
and changes her bikini
to a thong

I remember
the New Bridge,
old stone arches,
green hillside beyond.

Turning away
from the Sun
Sunflower field
protect the future
Seeds

'
surprise family visit
the late afternoon gleam
on homemade chocolate

morning sunshine --
an old man cane-taps
through silent streets

tree swallows shifting through the wing beat's sound


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi1u-7hGE7M&feature=related

evening pétanque -
the little girl
counts stars


***

soirée pétanque -
la fillette
compte les étoiles

bikinis
in the garden
apples blushing

empty greenhouse --
the last bedding
planted

4 am

deserted street
a single cry
carried on the chill breeze

clutch of crows
rest in the iris blue shadows
of twilight --
mad dog heat

buckets of rain
batter tomatoes --
chutney

warm rainy morning
finally getting to sleep
as the alarm sounds

.

washed and wrung dry

hung on the washing line -discoloured

--sunset, after the rain

.

Red deer hidden
in the brown crust
of dry grasses

Photo Patrolling Red Stag by bbodien

honeysuckle and nightshade
clamber over archways
bright red berries

midday break
enjoying the sun's warmth
and bubbling brook's spray

morning commute
the smell of fresh cut lawns
fills the car

humidity
trailing from clouds above
to dark yews

enough time away
to find that sense of humor
winking in the sand

sad pergola
after the rain
battered lavender

lazy evening
single fly circles
neighbors' trash can

summer storm -
the sweet smell between
my rabbit's ears.

in the birdbath

a dash of lime -

greenfinch

lemon leaf fall

more on the windowsill

than the plant

light breeze
towels on the line
summer rain

swifts
shriek overhead -
thistledown

5 am

across the deer park
patches of mist –
the ghosts of dawn

pink stench

of Himalyan Balsam -

migraine

rumpled roots
cradle a drift of petals

the wind shifts
geese carve the sky --

weekend drive
blue sky laced with clouds
brings me to tears

the combine
thunders through the barley
a toy lion watches

another sunday
of one hundred degree heat
far away...
thunder

otro domingo

con calor de cien grados

...truenos lejanos

dusk
around a Lammas fire
bats

end of summer
more cucumbers
than neighbors

buddleia -
a cloak of royal purple
turns brown

on the lawn
around three candles they talked
late into the night

Clear

clear summer day
I make plans
without you--
do you miss them, these days
we never spent together?

wilting herbs
the glint of a knife leaves
a little mizzle

mizzle: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mizzle

cherry and willow
compete for height -
convolvulus cares not