Saturday, July 5, 2014

Bird Haiku


Welcome to the July issue of brass bell: a haiku journal. This month's theme: Birds.

You will find work here by 67 contributors, from Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, England, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Switzerland, and the United States. 

Time to take wing and soar, my friends . . .  I hope you enjoy these bird 'ku.
Zee



swift but silent shadow
flying over low branches:
the nightjar at dusk
- Alain Rodari

the grass grows dark
a lamentation of swans
shape my world
- Alan Summers

looking back
a raven waits
vigilance with wings
- Amy Bartell

dawn at the lake
a grebe makes a grab
for the sun
- Anna Mazurkiewicz

wood thrush
its song draws me
to the mountain
- Anne Burgevin

under the feeder
writing in the snow
delicate bird tracks
- Antonia Matthew

morning raga —
another cockatoo warbles
in the backyard
- Archana Kapoor Nagpal

red light —
a hummingbird stopping
for the lobelia
- Barbara Kaufmann

bird chatter —
the phone line
sagging with starlings
- Bill Waters

odd little melody
odd little bird
flying away together
- Blue Waters

chickadee
your call drags me from
dark places
  - C. Robin Janning

about love birds — 
something they don't tell you —
they only love once
- Cady Fontana

overcast sky —
a cracking sound answers
the woodcock's call
- Carl Seguiban

under a copper umbrella
young oriole hides
from the storm
- Carole Russell

in a robin's song
I am reminded —
to use my voice
- Caroline Skanne

house sparrow
on the barbed wire fence
foreclosure
- Carolyn Coit Dancy

thunder —
dandelion fluff
among crows
- Cezar-Florin Ciobica

mist trailing
over the autumn fields . . .
a raven's cry
- Chen-ou Liu

a sandpiper
teeters along a log .  .
my indecision
- Christine L. Villa

hermitage's dome —
a pigeon listens
to the evening prayer
- Daniela Lacramioara Capota

ice skating
on a bluebird day . . .
our winged feet
- Debbie Strange

salt breeze
over the pickleweed
marbled godwits
- Deborah P Kolodji

trumpeter swans —
their wings whip
clouds into shapes
- Devin Harrison

a windfall tree
even the birds
have escaped
- Diana Petkova

the rise
and fall of my life . . .
phoenix
- Dwarakanathan Ravi

on the station
only crumbs and pigeons
day off
- Gergana Yaninska

through tall grass
the sheen of a grackle's head
wild blueberries
- G.R. LeBlanc

birds chat
in the rain —
columbine blooms
- Hideo Suzuki 

between the branches
a sparrow's nest
sprinkled with dew
- Isabella Loverro

an unnoted twig
suddenly lifts from the branch
and becomes a bird
- Jack Goldman

hawk fledgling
wings cracking
into the unknown
- Joan Corr

near water's edge
hanging their feathers to dry
inky anhingas
- Joann Grisetti

the blackbird
follows me about . . .
bean flowers
- John Kinory

in her nightgown
the old lady
sings to the swan
- John McDonald

night falls
in each tree . . .
broken song
- Julian O'Dea

making me feel
like I'm growing a feather
wild parrots
- Kath Abela Wilson

bird-watching . . .
what should i name the ones
that visit my dreams?
- kris moon

a jay calls
and then . . .
silence
- Lance Robertson

muddy stork after rain —
the garden gnome
so clean . . .
- Lavana Kray

one crow
on the snow
— spot of ink
- Lech Szeglowski

hospital window —
outside father's room
an empty nest
- Lee Strong

April snowstorm
the cardinal's feathers
still fiery
- Luminita Suse

a way home
from every signpost
the sparrows' song
- Magdalena Banaszkiewicz

small bird
what is your name?
you seem to be following me
- Marcy Little

a flock of crows
flying over my house —
twilight
- Maria Kowal-Tomczak

hot summer breezes
carry birdsong and the sweet
scent of sun-baked pines
- Margaret Fisher Squires

fallen blossoms . . .
a black bird shatters
the white sky
- Mark Brager

albatross
caught between
sea and sky
- Maureen Sudlow

a shadow
crosses the swamp
black stork
- Maya Lyubenova

autumn wind …
sparrow riding
my car antenna
- Pamela A. Babusci

for just an instant...
barn owl hoots at the
moon's pale face 
- Pat Geyer

before spring blossoms
a flock of cedar waxwings
feasts on dried cherries
- Patricia Longoria

floating clouds birds fly the other way
- Pravat Kumar Padhy

fish and chip shop
overhead clouds
of seagulls
- Rachel Sutcliffe

several layers of wallpaper –
the birds
from my childhood
- Radka Mindova
(translated by Maya Lyubenova)

understanding well
the language of wind . . .
eagle's wing
- Rita Odeh

snowy tree —
a skylark flew away
long time ago
- Robert Kania 

unknown red-naped bird
stares through the window
wondering what I am
- Sharon K. Yntema

bare branches . . .
a lark's trill drowns
the silence
- Shloka Shankar

every morning
the same bird —
different
- Sondra J. Byrnes

dandelions on the lawn
flutter skyward —
a flock of goldfinches
- Susan Lesser

another day
a few birds fly
across the sunset
- Tom Clausen

evening breeze
only the herring gull and me
on the beach
- Vessislava Savova

morning sunlight . . .
closed origami bird
on the window frame
- Vibeke Laier

chasing pigeons
a little girl releases
her father's hand
- Wendy Smith

pileated woodpecker
knocking
on our door
- Yvonne Fisher

slow walk
through birdsong
my body is healing
- Zee Zahava




Previously published:
Alan Summers — the grass grows dark — Blithe Spirit 24:1 (2014)

Carolyn Coit Dancy — house sparrow — Modern Haiku Vol. 43:1 (Winter-Spring 2012)

Deborah P Kolodji — salt breeze — Frogpond (2010)

John Kinory — the blackbird — Blithe Spirit 22:3 (2012)

Magdalena Banaszkiewicz — a way home — A Hundred Gourds 2:1 (December 2012)

Maya Lyubenova — a shadow — from her bilingual haiku collection Flecks of Blue (2010)

Pamela A. Babusci — autumn wind — Heron Quarterly 1:4 (October 1997)

Radka Mindova — several layers of wallpaper — Bulgarian Haiku Contest (2012)

Rita Odeh — understanding well —from her haiku collection Buds of Dream (2014)

Robert Kania — snowy tree —Shiki Monthly Kukai (December 2012)