#50

today we celebrate the 50th issue of hedgerow! the journal started as a vision of a place celebrating the small poem in its various shapes & forms, and a year later we are nearing 30,000 hits & 1000 likes on our facebook page. but numbers aside, it has been an amazing journey. thank you all for being part of it!

october’s resident artist is Alexis Rotella. find out more about the artist behind the art here — https://hedgerowpoems.wordpress.com/poet-artist-in-conversation/

 

with love & kindness.

 

https://www.facebook.com/hedgerowpoems

https://www.facebook.com/wildflowerpoetrypress

 

 

 

even a little
of you
would be
enough —
crescent moon

Paul Smith is a poet from Worcester in the UK. Alongside poetry Paul enjoys Japanese style ink painting, building cigar box guitars and playing old time blues.

 

 

 

Geisha

 

 

 

orion
sleeping pills
dissolving

Mike Andrelczyk is currently living in Strasburg, Pa. Also lived in Los Angeles, Ca. and Lewes, De. He likes writing haiku about the ocean, potatoes, moons, plants – mostly little things except the ocean which is huge, and the moon which looks little but isn’t. Follow on Twitter @MikeAndrelczyk.

 

 

 

Poppies

 

 

 

in a tangle
i plait loose ends…
this twisted life

Pat Geyer lives in East Brunswick, NJ, USA. Her home is surrounded by the parks and lakes where she finds her inspiration in Nature. She is an amateur photographer and poet.

 

 

 

Starlings

 

 

 

The child who collects pebbles
cradles the bones of the earth,
gives them meaning.
She walks her own path
straight to the trees.

Jo Waterworth lives in Glastonbury, UK, where she has been writing poetry for many years. She is published in print and online, and her pamphlet of short poetry is available from Poetry Space of Bristol. You can find her blog at jowaterworthwriter.wordpress.com

 

 

 

Persimmon frost

 

 

 

barber shop mirrors
a young boy wonders
about infinity

.

tree hollow
the ins and outs
of another world

.

incoming tide
the old stingray
crosses the sandbar

Simon Hanson lives in rural South Australia where he often walks the back roads down to the nearby limestone coast. Some of his haiku have been hatched on a clifftop overlooking the Great Southern Ocean and others while tiding the house overlooking the kitchen sink.

 

 

 

Migration

 

the art in this issue was brought to you by Alexis Rotella —

I’ve been playing with words since I was a toddler. I remember sitting
on our front stoop in Southwestern Pennsylvania with a handwritten
letter from Uncle Bill to my mother. I thought if I stared at it long
enough I would be able to read…

 

https://hedgerowpoems.wordpress.com/poet-artist-in-conversation/

 

 

 

#45

welcome to #45 of hedgerow. thrilled to introduce this month’s resident artist Sandi Pray. if you enjoy her art please find your way to her blog — http://ravencliffs.blogspot.com. a big thank you to all the poets contributing to this issue as well as the readers!

with love & kindness.

 

 

 

snow on church steps
the clatter of coins
in his paper cup

Chen-ou Liu is currently the editor and translator of NeverEnding Story, http://neverendingstoryhaikutanka.blogspot.ca/, and the author of five books, including Following the Moon to the Maple Land (First Prize, 2011 Haiku Pix Chapbook Contest) and A Life in Transition and Translation (Honorable Mention, 2014 Turtle Light Press Biennial Haiku Chapbook Competition)

 

 

 

 

 

 

stingray bay
dark shapes glide
through the night

Simon Hanson lives in rural South Australia near The Great Southern Ocean. He relishes these open spaces and the moods of the land and sea from which he draws much inspiration. The more he delves into haiku the more he realises that it is akin to a way of living and there is always so much more to learn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

thunderclouds
a dyer stirs his pot
of indigo

Marietta McGregor is an Australian botanist and writer who has spent much of her life explaining scientific concepts. She now tries to let things explain themselves through an early love, haiku. She lives in Canberra and hopes to capture a sense of the bush, mountains and ocean in her work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

meteor shower
         in the distance
       horse’s hooves

Mike Andrelczyk is currently living in Strasburg, Pa. Also lived in Los Angeles, Ca. and Lewes, De. He likes writing haiku about the ocean, potatoes, moons, plants – mostly little things except the ocean which is huge, and the moon which looks little but isn’t. Poems and fiction have been featured in Modern Haiku, Haiku 2015 (Modern Haiku Press), A New Resonance 8 (Red Moon Press), The Inquisitive Eater, The Bitchin’ Kitsch. Follow on Twitter @MikeAndrelczyk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homecoming

1
table full of crayons & oil
pastels    she draws a
self portrait – green eyes
bloom like sunflowers    hair
redbrown stripes – pink swirl
background  seems placid but
for a well of sad in the eyes
she shows me twenty other self
portraits drawn over seven
years – stormy crags
yellow faces rage off the
sketch pad    a revelation

today’s face stares
I cook her an omelet

2
she has been here bright as
morning sparking up
our days   rock & rolling down
evening with a
sweet song surge no
one else can sing
four months of being our
“only child” like she never
could    when my
mind was fogged with a house
full of spinning spirits storming
in and out like thunder

one summer to know her
will not be enough

3
two of us drive east –north- west up
rivers down mountains
van bursting with paints pots photos
her life    in a capsule summer
ends and we become two again as
paths diverge   I return home a
shade greyer    remembering her
bags left in every chair
bike parked in our living room
shoes abandoned in the middle
of the floor where I never
tripped over them never

nagged   knowing how soon they
would be gone

Carole Johnston lives and writes in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, although she is from “nowhere zen.”

 

 

 

the art in this issue was brought to you by Sandi Pray —

a wild child who roams between mountain and marsh in North Carolina and Florida, http://ravencliffs.blogspot.com.

 

 

 

hedgerow #33

welcome to #33 of hedgerow, bringing you eleven different poets & artists. as always, a big thank you to readers & contributors alike!

https://www.facebook.com/hedgerowpoems
https://www.facebook.com/wildflowerpoetrypress

with love & kindness.

 

 

 

an empty page
in the old typewriter —
new moon

.

gray shadows —
the soft landing
of a puma

.

midnight walk —
cherry blossoms shuffle
the silence

Theresa A. Cancro (Wilmington, Delaware, USA) enjoys observing nature, writing poems and short fiction, especially the challenge of haiku and related short-form poetry. Her work has been published internationally in print and online journals, including Presence, Chrysanthemum, Shamrock, Hailstones, A Hundred Gourds, A Handful of Stones, Cattails, and Kumquat Poetry, among others.

 

 

 

Debbie Strange (Canada) is a published tanka and haiku poet and an avid photographer. She enjoys creating haiga and tanshi (small poem) art. You are invited to see more of her work on Twitter @Debbie_Strange.

 

 

 

When the Dam Won’t Break

Sometimes the dam won’t break
Sometimes the breath holding
  becomes so automatic, lungs
  won’t expand and the oxygen
  in your pores becomes painful

Sometimes the clock won’t tick
Sometimes the unrest stops
  your soul from unfolding
  the heart beats without pumping
  your blood, leaving fingers cold

Sometimes one listen isn’t enough
Sometimes the song mustn’t end
  the music has more love to give
  your ears opening to the sound
  makes you weep silently

Sarah Thursday calls Long Beach, California, her home, where she advocates for local poets and poetry events. She runs a Long Beach-focused poetry website called CadenceCollective.net, co-hosts a monthly reading with one of her poetry heroes, G. Murray Thomas, and just started Sadie Girl Press as a way to help publish local and emerging poets. Her first full-length poetry collection, All the Tiny Anchors, is available now. Find and follow her on SarahThursday.com, Facebook, or Twitter.

 

 

 

The story
settles down
for a ride
in the story.

Kim Peter Kovac lives in Alexandria, VA, USA, where he produces plays for young audiences and writes poetry, prose poetry, creative non-fiction, haiku, haibun, and microfiction.

 

 

 

Try to catch the wind.
Count the ripples in the sea.
Become a child again.

Joan McNerney’s poetry has been included in numerous literary magazines and anthologies such as Camel Saloon, Seven Circle Press, Dinner with the Muse, Blueline, Missing of the Birds, the Bright Hills Press, Kind of A Hurricane Press and Poppy Road Review. She has been nominated three times for Best of the Net. Poet and Geek recognized her work as their best poem of 2013. Four of her books have been published by fine small literary presses.

 

 

 

another morning another crack in the ceiling

.

daydreaming about a garden I can daydream in

.

solitary day alone with the house plants

.

from my afternoon bed eavesdropping on 3 crows

Zee Zahava lives in Ithaca, New York (USA) and is the editor of the online haiku journal “brass bell.”

 

 

 

UNTITLED

In those dreams

You’re out beyond
The shoreline and you’ve
Been there for some time.
You’ve forgotten,
Standing on an outcrop,
That the tide’s been coming in
All the while.

You’ve been
Absorbed in watching some fish
Moving, just below the surface,
Turning in fluid movements with
Their tails swaying back and forth in
Water gravity with buoyance as
Undertow, undertow as buoyance.

Suddenly
You realize the sea has surrounded,
If not engulfed, you with nothing
Left in sight but the shore off in the
Distance and a few rough rocks
Jutting out of the tidal waters
Like a ragged line of stepping stones:
Running down one side
With an occasional anchor sticking
Out of the water, close to shore, with
Their unique rusted surfaces intact.

That’s right, an archipelago of random rocks
And then one anchor after another.
What does it mean?

Who is it?

James Mc Elroy, a native of Belfast, currently teaches at the University of California, Davis. His articles and reviews have appeared in The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times. Recent poetry publications include pieces in Vox Poetica, The Boston Poetry Magazine, and Literature Today.

 

 

 

purple sky
movements beneath moles holes
what the stray cat knows

.

after rains—
blue jay jive in the bird bath
cumulus clouds

.

August eve
long green sunlight
creeps along the grass

Anna Cates resides in Wilmington, Ohio with her two cats, Freddie and Christine, and teaches English and education online for several universities.

 

 

 

Meditation

This is time to pause—
and witness rainbows learn to fly.

Kevin Heaton is originally from Kansas and Oklahoma, and now lives and writes in South Carolina. His work has appeared in a number of publications including: Guernica, Rattle, Slice Magazine, Beloit Poetry Journal, The Adroit Journal, and Verse Daily. He is a Best of the Net, Best New Poets, and three-time Pushcart Prize nominee.

 

 

 

rain-rinsed moonlight —
one by one jasmines unfold
in my garden

Archana Kapoor Nagpal is an internationally published author of four books and three anthologies. Presently, she resides in Bangalore, India. You can visit her Amazon Author Profile to know more about her books and literary contributions.

 

 

 

first star . . .
a swift’s gentle leaf-drop
into the chimney

.

out of the blue
one crow after another
hits the updraft

.

blushing sky . . .
a hummingbird waits
for the morning glory

.

nothing to say until the oriole sings

Julie Warther (@JulieWarther) lives in Dover, Ohio and serves as Midwest Regional Coordinator for the Haiku Society of America. (www.hsa-haiku.org). Her haiku chapbook “What Was Here” is available through Folded Word Press. http://foldedword.bigcartel.com/product/what-was-here

hedgerow #31

welcome to #31 of hedgerow! if you haven’t already passed by our new ‘poet / artist spotlight’, have have a peek here — (https://hedgerowpoems.wordpress.com/poet-artist-spotlight/ ). as always, a warm thank you to readers & contributors alike.

 

with love & kindness.

 

https://www.facebook.com/hedgerowpoems

https://www.facebook.com/wildflowerpoetrypress

 

 

 

ambulance siren –
an albatross dragging the sun
out of waves

.

empty home –
mom’s lipstick on a teacup
so vivid

.

after divorce –
the dog carries your slipper
to its nook

Lavana Kray is from Iasi – Romania. She is passionate about writing and photography. Nature and the events of her life are topics of inspiration. Her work has been published in: Haiku Canada Review, Asahi Shimbun, The Mainichi, World Haiku Association, Daily Haiga, Heron’s Nest, Frogpond, Eucalypt, Acorn, Ardea, Ginyu, Presence, Traversées and others. She has been chosen for Haiku Euro Top 100-edition 2014. This is her blog: http://photohaikuforyou.blogspot.ro

 

 

 

last time
i saw grandpa
just before he died
when I was fourteen
he didn’t know me
but his hand in my hand
knew our kite flying days

Robyn Cairns is a Melbourne based poet who shares her poetry and photography on twitter @robbiepoet.

 

 

 

Tom Slagle loves wilderness, wild rivers, good coffee, literature, travel, play, and kindness. A native of Colorado, he now lives and loves in the desert southwest, USA.

 

 

 

hemming curtains by hand
suddenly my mother…
school summer dresses
sun breaks through the day’s cloud
now I can hang the washing out

Jo Waterworth lives in Glastonbury, UK, where she has been writing poetry for many years. She blogs at jowaterworthwriter.Wordpress.com and has had a pamphlet of short poetry published by Poetry Space of Bristol.

 

 

 

Bear Moon
I’m all out of honey
but please come for tea anyway

 

Walking Moon
in your brand new sneakers
I can hardly keep up with you

 

Worn-Out Moon
now is the time
to sink into a lavender bubble bath

 

Roller Skating Moon
who would have thought you could be
so graceful on wheels?

 

Purple Moon
I almost mistook you
for a field of irises

 

Ice Cream Moon
not everyone can handle 3 scoops
but you can

 

Garden Moon
thank you for reminding me —
nobody owns the flowers

 

Shakespearean Moon
surely it is better to be
than not to be

 

Laughing Moon
I love the way
your belly rises and falls

 

Matchmaker Moon
what a brilliant introduction —
bee, meet flower

 

Midnight Moon
when you can’t sleep
do you count stars?

 

Brave Moon
you stood up for me
I’ll do the same for you

 

Fashionista Moon
on you
the hot pink feather boa is divine

 

Mango Moon
impossible
to get enough of you

 

Thrifty Moon
shopping with you isn’t as much fun
as I thought it would be

 

Tango Moon
claiming the horizon
as your own private ballroom

 

No-Poem Moon
all I can do is love you
there are no words

Zee Zahava lives in Ithaca, New York (USA) and is the editor of the online haiku journal “brass bell.”

 

 

 

enchanted garden…
the languages of flowers,
butterflies and birds
are all that remain
when moonlight ceases

Ed Bremson speaks lovingly of the moon in his forthcoming chapbook, Like a Summer Night, https://finishinglinepress.com/product_info.php?products_id=2375

 

 

 

Tony Johnson lives in Moreno Valley, CA where he writes by the light of the moon, seeking his creativity from a dark past and emerging with poems about love, relationships, and childhood. On the side, he is a amateur photographer.

 

 

 

moon lake
paper boat
rendezvous

Vibeke Laier lives in Randers, Denmark. A few minutes of mindful attention helps her to engage with the world. She likes the process of capturing moments of the day in small sentences and micro poems… it is as a way to be open to the magic.

 

 

 

forgotten frost
the mother
I’ll never be

.

splashing through spring
my goddaughter
in her new pink boots

.

scan results
the shadow of a fly
in the spider’s web

Rachel Sutcliffe, from Yorkshire, UK, has suffered from a serious immune disorder for the past 14 years, throughout this time writing has been her therapy, it’s what keeps her from going insane!

 

 

 

the universe! in each snowflake

Matthew Moffett lives in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, with his wife and two kids. He thanks you for reading his poems!

 

 

 

beachfront
the ebb and flow
of two worlds

.

frog pool
so many eyes
admire the moon

.

silent night
crossing the lake
a falling star

Simon Hanson lives in rural South Australia relishing the open spaces and distant horizons. He spent a number of years in the philosophy department of Flinders University which he thoroughly enjoyed though he did have a difficult time persuading others that Beauty is an objective feature of the universe and not just in the eye of the beholder.

 

 

 

hedgerow #28

welcome to #28 of hedgerow. thanks for stopping by! during the next week we’ll be launching a new section of the journal ‘poet / artist spotlight’ featuring work by four poets. it will be an ongoing feature, along with the ‘poetry / art book review’ page. thrilled! further updates will be posted at the link below. perhaps also have a peek at our sister site wildflower poetry press.

with love & kindness…

https://www.facebook.com/hedgerowpoems

https://www.facebook.com/wildflowerpoetrypress

 

 

 

twilight
the slow pull of
an accordion

Ben Moeller-Gaa is the author of two haiku chapbooks, the Pushcart nominated Wasp Shadows (Folded Word Press 2014) and Blowing on a Hot Soup Spoon (poor metaphor design 2014). His work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Learn more about Ben at http://www.benmoellergaa.com.

 

 

 

rolled-up pants —
bark boats race
beneath the bridge

.

seeing
what will be . . .
first blossom

Julie Warther (@JulieWarther) lives in Dover, Ohio and serves as Midwest Regional Coordinator for the Haiku Society of America. (www.hsa-haiku.org). Her haiku chapbook “What Was Here” is available through Folded Word Press. http://foldedword.bigcartel.com/product/what-was-here

Patricia Hartman is a retired professor of English. She enjoys watching birds and reading poetry in Cleveland, Ohio and was delighted to have this little Chickadee visit her deck.

 

 

 

day long weeding
the last dandelion
under my bench

.

in the compost
tea bags
brewing again

David Serjeant lives in Derbyshire, UK. He is the current editor of Blithe Spirit, journal of the British Haiku Society. His interests include photography and pottering about (escaping everything) on his allotment. He publishes poetry and works in progress at http://distantlightning.blogspot.co.uk/ He also writes about his experiences with multiple sclerosis at https://davesmagicalbrain.wordpress.com/

 

 

 

The Way Memory Slips In and Out

after she rinses out the teapot
she can’t remember what to do with it

standing in the cold pink light of early morning
her robe hanging off her shoulders
her bare feet numb on the linoleum
cradling the clean teapot in her chilly hands

patience    patience

her brain shifts slightly
left, right

oh yes

and she proceeds to make herself
a pot of tea

Zee Zahava lives in Ithaca, New York (USA) and is the editor of the online haiku journal “brass bell.”

 

 

 

first spring
the east wind carries
the smell of home
(for new immigrants)

.

tenth year in exile…
tinge of green on the maple
in my front yard

Chen-ou Liu is currently the editor and translator of NeverEnding Story, http://neverendingstoryhaikutanka.blogspot.ca/, and the author of five books, including Following the Moon to the Maple Land (First Prize, 2011 Haiku Pix Chapbook Contest) and A Life in Transition and Translation ( Honorable Mention, 2014 Turtle Light Press Biennial Haiku Chapbook Competition).

 

 

 

so many dreams…
a life spent skipping stones
across the moon

.

cool side of the pillow…
I wonder why
I still dream of you

.

bonfire guitar…
we let our bodies be marionettes
strung to the shimmering stars

Chase Gagnon is a student from Detroit, who loves staying up all night drinking coffee and writing poetry. His poems have appeared in a number of journals and anthologies over the past two years.

 

 

 

David J Kelly is an ecologist, based in Dublin, Ireland, where he finds scientific and artistic inspiration in the natural world.

 

 

 

Words wander out
by breath to the edge of the sky
where, with time enough
alone, they range over and yonder and,
fledgelings no longer,
migrate finally back to fall,
effortless, into place

Mark Kaplon’s short poems have recently appeared in Lilliput Review, the Aurorean, Right Hand Pointing, Frogpond, Ribbons and elsewhere. His chapbook Song of Rainswept Sand is available on Amazon and from Finishing Line Press. He lives in Hawaii, USA.

 

 

 

hedgerow #26

welcome to #26 of hedgerow, featuring ten different artist / poets. there’s been a lot going on this week… earth day & so forth. let’s hope we can do it justice! also please look out for the launch of poet / artist spotlight (https://hedgerowpoems.wordpress.com/poet-artist-spotlight/) & if you have a book you’d like reviewed send it along (https://hedgerowpoems.wordpress.com/poetry-art-book-reviews/)! thanks & happy friday…

with love & kindness.

https://www.facebook.com/wildflowerpoetrypress

https://www.facebook.com/hedgerowpoems

 

 

 

sleepless
each hour
a deeper darkness

.

fairground ride
we dodge
the deeper issues

Rachel Sutcliffe, from Yorkshire, UK, has suffered from a serious immune disorder for the past 14 years, throughout this time writing has been her therapy, it’s keeps her from going insane!

 

 

 

Debbie Strange (Canada) is a published tanka and haiku poet and an avid photographer. She enjoys creating haiga and tanshi (small poem) art. You are invited to see more of her work on Twitter @Debbie_Strange.

 

 

 

woodpecker at dawn rattles off my to-do list

.

because i said so thunderstorm

Matthew Moffett lives in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, with his wife and two kids. He thanks you for reading his poems!

 

 

 

ninety plus degrees out
they line up a day early
for a chance at a home

.

you’re gone now
I can eat whatever I want
and taste nothing

.

they labeled the trees:
“elm”, “oak”, “crepe myrtle”;
did they expect: “nature poet”?

Perry L. Powell lives in College Park, Georgia, USA. He has a day job as a systems analyst and writes poetry out of love in the evening. His short poems have been published in A Hundred Gourds, Frogpond, Modern Haiku, Presence, Prune Juice, Ribbons, The Heron’s Nest, and small stones.

 

 

 

Karen Harvey, Wales, Uk.

 

 

 

the fox and the owl
nod
on the invisible ladder
to the moon

Mike Andrelczyk is currently living in Strasburg, PA. Also lived in Los Angeles, Ca. and Lewes, De. He likes writing haiku about the ocean, potatoes, moons, plants – mostly little things except the ocean which is huge, and the moon which looks little but isn’t. Follow on Twitter @MikeAndrelczyk.

 

 

 

a patch of sunlight
on the carpet
the cat

 

 

 

Simon Hanson lives in rural South Australia where he loves to walk the back roads at an ambling pace down to the nearby limestone coast. He has given up collecting shells, leaving them instead on the beach where they belong but does sometimes bring home an idea for a haiku or two.

 

 

 

ground fog
shape shifting through tall firs–
spirit walk

.

kneading
the bark of a bare maple—
moon cat

.

river of life–
my guru also disappears
in the mist

Devin Harrison, a writer of regular poetry, recently became addicted to writing Tanka and Haiku/Senyru and has published in journals in the USA and abroad. He is an inveterate wanderer and has spent years in southeast Asia. He recently won the Akita International University President Award

 

 

 

David J Kelly is an ecologist, based in Dublin, Ireland, where he finds scientific and artistic inspiration in the natural world.

 

 

 

hedgerow #24

welcome to #24 of hedgerow! a warm thank you to contributors & readers alike. if you have a look around the site, you will notice a few new additions, including book reviews & poet spotlight. exciting times.

with love & kindness.

 

 

 

the robin dips
below the fence
sunset

.

from
her
balcony
the
starlit
city

.

giving in
for now
low tide

Dave Read is a Canadian poet whose work has appeared in many journals, including hedgerow. You can find his micropoetry on Twitter, @AsSlimAsImBeing.

 

 

 

early morning
before the alarm
the cat

A pharmacist by profession, a haiku poet by nature, Nancy Brady reads and writes, living on the coast of Lake Erie in Huron, Ohio. She has two books of poetry: Ohayo Haiku and Three Breaths.

 

 

 

ice ages and motel mini fridges
tumbling over the
endless mountains

Mike Andrelczyk is currently living in Strasburg, PA. Also lived in Los Angeles, Ca. and Lewes, De. He likes writing haiku about the ocean, potatoes, moons, plants – mostly little things except the ocean which is huge, and the moon which looks little but isn’t. Follow on Twitter @MikeAndrelczyk.

 

 

 

first warm day . . .
leaf-shaped holes
in the ice

.

midway
tying the jacket
around my waist

Julie Warther (@JulieWarther) lives in Dover, Ohio and serves as Midwest Regional Coordinator for the Haiku Society of America. (www.hsa-haiku.org). Her haiku chapbook “What Was Here” is available through Folded Word Press. http://foldedword.bigcartel.com/product/what-was-here

 

 

 

Barbara Kaufmann can be found (or lost) wandering in the woods, beaches and gardens of New York, her camera and notebook in hand, hunting for poems.http://wabisabipoet.wordpress.com/

 

 

 

plum breeze
i breathe petals
into your kiss

Grant Savage is an Ottawa, Ontario, Canada amateur poet and photographer. After the recent, long cold winter in Eastern Canada, he is increasingly being recognized as the fair weather animal he has long considered himself to be. A poetry writing, and perpetually hungry groundhog. Sleepy greetings from Ottawa!

 

 

 

on the shelf
Selected Poems by Chen-ou Liu
a nagging voice
at the back of my mind
says, is that all there is?

held by her words
You’re a useless poet …
I walk out,
slamming the door
behind my old self

she tells me,
I just found
a studio apartment
the eyes I love most
focus somewhere else

for a week
no one but the wind
comes to call …
the flames of self-doubt
envelop my body

Chen-ou Liu is currently the editor and translator of NeverEnding Story, http://neverendingstoryhaikutanka.blogspot.ca/, and the author of five books, including Following the Moon to the Maple Land (First Prize, 2011 Haiku Pix Chapbook Contest) and A Life in Transition and Translation (Honorable Mention, 2014Turtle Light Press Biennial Haiku Chapbook Competition).

 

 

 

a touch of malice
builds in a March wind …
our enthusiasm
for cherry blossoms
begins to wane

Lolly Williams, from California, is a little magpie who collects scraps of words, phrases, images and other shiny things for her short form poetry and mixed media art. Her work can be found in various print and online publications.

 

 

 

Alexis Rotella (Arnold, Maryland, USA) served as Haiku Society of America President in 1984, her famous poem Purple appears in Creative Writing: An Intro to Poetry and Fiction St. Martin’s Press, Teaching with Heart (Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2014).

 

 

 

Queen of Hearts

On our way home from dinner at our favorite Indian restaurant, Blue and I find three playing cards face-down on the sidewalk near our house. Blue turns them over, one by one, as we try to guess what’s on the other side. They are the seven of clubs, three of spades, and queen of hearts. We didn’t guess a single one right, though we both wanted to say queen of hearts but were embarrassed to be that corny. I’m superstitious and don’t want to bring the cards into the house. I hold them by their corners and carry them to the nearby mailbox, leaving them face-down on the rounded top for someone else to discover. By the next day they are gone. But later that week, coming out of a different restaurant, we see another card, the jack of clubs, face-up on the street. We step over it.

hurrying past
the fortune-teller’s window
i stumble

Zee Zahava live in Ithaca, New York and is the editor of brass bell, an online haiku journal:
http://brassbellhaiku.blogspot.com

 

 

 

hedgerow #23

welcome to #23 of hedgerow, featuring 13 different poets & artists. this first issue of April celebrates spring flowers! enjoy.

with love & kindness…

https://www.facebook.com/wildflowerpoetrypress

https://www.facebook.com/hedgerowpoems

 

 

 

pale and watery
in my bones
I need red flowers tonight

even here
atop the ferris wheel
honeysuckle

3 red flowers
in a teapot vase
keeping me company
when you are away

the untuned piano
flowers dying in the vase
even the mail is late —
when will you be home?

lilacs
thank you
for filling my empty spaces

first slow rain of summer
dear iris
there you are
reveling in your
luscious self
making the most of all
your moments

beside the monastery
a plastic chicken
guards baby tulips

Zee Zahava looks for flowers each morning as she walks around her neighborhood in Ithaca, New York

 

 

 

front step. . .
this snail delivering
a plum blossom

cherry blossom moon
my home becomes
a palace

Julie Warther (@JulieWarther) lives in Dover, Ohio and serves as Midwest Regional Coordinator for the Haiku Society of America. (www.hsa-haiku.org). Her haiku chapbook “What Was Here” is available through Folded Word Press. http://foldedword.bigcartel.com/product/what-was-here

 

 

 

graduation day
after the hands land
wondering what to do

Lauren Krauze writes short stories, short poems and long emails. She currently teaches and lives in New York, NY.

 

 

 

Alexis Rotella (Arnold, Maryland, USA) served as Haiku Society of America President in 1984, her famous poem Purple appears in Creative Writing: An Intro to Poetry and Fiction St. Martin’s Press, Teaching with Heart (Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2014).

 

 

 

Repairs of the Week

That week you didn’t call
I was quite busy
plastering myself together
Shoring up the beams
Repairing the glass of an ego
That didn’t withstand the storm.
I swept up the gravel from
A rock hard heart
that remained unflinching
until now.
How unfair to the structure
To shake its foundation so.
How unfair to upend me so.
How unfair…

10 tips on writing a poem

1. Mention things by genus (which crows do you hear screaming like fog horns; which tuber in your garden is making your nose smile?).
2. Describe something as something else (the sun stings like battery acid).
3. It is helpful to mention vast expanses of hilly land with some wind slapping your hair around. Or conversely, the grittiness of your street, the dirt under your nails.
4. Bring in a few details like sights and/or tastes, but remember to describe them as something else (your hair tastes like fury).
5. Stop… Hold time in your palm. Look at it with the precision of a second-hand. Notice your smallness in the world. Or contemplate the vastness of the Milky Way.
6. What do you feel (remember… feel it as something else [your hands, like autumn kisses])? Notice and recount the details.
7. Reveal something so secret it makes others uncomfortable, and so big your priest is repenting from association.
8. Rhyme sparingly and with care. Same with alliteration.
9. Juxtaposition works well at the end.
10. Place your heart on your sleeve and send it off, then wait and wait and wait. Repeat…

Jeri Thompson resides in Long Beach, CA where she spends much quality time with herself and her Trikke (Scarlett Birdie) riding along the beach bike/Trikke path. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2014, she is soon to appear in Pearl Magazine. Also find her in Silver, Green and Summer Anthologies from Silver Birch Press, and online at Cadence Collective, Bukowski on Wry, Cactifur and Carnival Literature Magazine (Vol. 4). CSULB grad, studied with professors G. Locklin, E. Fried, R. Lee and R. Zapeda. LBC resident since 1993.

 

 

 

the potato seeds begin to sprout space station

Mike Andrelczyk is currently living in Strasburg, PA. Also lived in Los Angeles, Ca. and Lewes, De. He likes writing haiku about the ocean, potatoes, moons, plants – mostly little things except the ocean which is huge, and the moon which looks little but isn’t. Follow on Twitter @MikeAndrelczyk.

 

 

 

The Force

(After Dylan Thomas)

This tiny, nondescript, lavender flower,
growing in a crack in the sidewalk–

a divine explosion of cells–

has a power greater
than that of two spiral galaxies colliding
in space–

and you
share in that power.

George Young is a retired physician living in Boulder, Colorado, USA. He has published four books of poetry and has recently become engrossed in writing short, eight-lined poems.

 

 

 

her bookmark
divides The Art of Love —
living apart

moving day …
in her throwaway pile
my first chapbook

snow angel —
the touch of her lips
cold in my memory

Chen-ou Liu is currently the editor and translator of NeverEnding Story, http://neverendingstoryhaikutanka.blogspot.ca/, and the author of five books, including Following the Moon to the Maple Land (First Prize, 2011 Haiku Pix Chapbook Contest) and A Life in Transition and Translation ( Honorable Mention, 2014Turtle Light Press Biennial Haiku Chapbook Competition).

 

 

 

Joann Grisetti writes poetry and short stories. She lives in Florida with her husband and two sons. Joann loves travel and reading.

 

 

 

delicate
in her spring dress
of purple…
oh my, myrtle I say
where is this frock in winter?

Pat Geyer lives in East Brunswick, NJ, USA. Her home is surrounded by the parks and lakes where she finds her inspiration in Nature. Published in several journals, she is an amateur photographer and poet.

 

 

 

they look like snowflakes…
pear tree blossoms falling
past my window

Ed Bremson is retired, but he hopes he never retires from being a poet, just as he hopes he never fails to enjoy the pleasures of Spring.

 

 

 

Barbara Kaufmann can be found (or lost) wandering in the woods, beaches and gardens of New York, her camera and notebook in hand, hunting for poems.http://wabisabipoet.wordpress.com/

 

 

 

each story
sparks to the surface
in spurts
most of the time
I’m just living

Kat Lehmann (@SongsOfKat) lives in Connecticut, USA by the river where she writes. Her first book of free verse poetry, Moon Full of Moons (Peaceful Daily, 2015), was published in February 2015 http://peacefuldaily.com/page/books.

 

 

 

hedgerow #22

welcome to hedgerow #22, featuring eleven different poets and artists. the next issue will be dedicated to spring flowers. send in your your work in time! and, if you haven’t done so already, please have peek at the links below.

with love & kindness…

https://www.facebook.com/wildflowerpoetrypress

https://www.facebook.com/hedgerowpoems

 

 

 

Cardinal and I
eat sour cherries off the backyard tree
at dusk.
“you’re molting”, I say.
and he tells me how he can change
become even brighter
while staying completely true
to his very
nature.

Stacey Crawford Murphy is happiest when her thoughts are clear, short and haiku shaped, but living in Ithaca, NY helps too.

 

 

 

Carole Johnston lives in Lexington, Kentucky USA where she drives around Bluegrass backroads with a notebook and camera in the front seat, capturing the haiku moment. Journeys: Getting Lost, Carole’s first chapbook of haiku and tanka, is now available for presale from Finishing Line Press.
https://finishinglinepress.com/product_info.php?products_id=2211

 

 

 

winter’s end
hearing the stream
sing again

.

back from the vets
opening the car boot
to silence

Rachel Sutcliffe, from Yorkshire, UK, has suffered from a serious immune disorder for the past 14 years, throughout this time writing has been her therapy, it keeps her from going insane!

 

 

 

“Fresh ink?”
“Yeah, the souvenir of my trip,” the youth said,
  with a shy smile.
“Very nice, truly cool.” I meant it
   (although tattoos are not my thing).
Yet both of us have been ritually marked
  –whether obvious or not,
  by experiences in
the land of the Maori.

A pharmacist by profession, a haiku poet by nature, Nancy Brady reads and writes, living on the coast of Lake Erie in Huron, Ohio.

 

 

 

mid-fight
our dog
     sighs

.

in the steam
on the window
a freshly-drawn sun
      drips

Lauren Krauze writes short stories, short poems and long emails. She currently teaches and lives in New York, NY. Discover more of Lauren’s writing at http://www.laurenkrauze.com.

 

 

 

insomnia —
trying to read
grandmother’s bible
in a foreign tongue

Julie Bloss Kelsey’s favorite thing about spring is the emergence of frogs, especially the spring peepers that frequent her back yard. @MamaJoules on Twitter

 

 

 

The Color of Night

Behind the closed doors of my childhood
I have lived my life.
In my room, a separate
Compartment of safety and solitude
From a stormy combination of chemicals,
A bubbling brew called “father.”
Struggling against the rip
Drowning in his tides of darkness,
I fought to stay afloat
Learning comfort comes from solitude.

I walk away too easily, tossing people in my wake,
“It is less trouble to be alone” I repeat.
I fill my days with events and errands,
My nights with marijuana and TV shows I’ve already seen
Attempting to fill an empty space, a birthing place,
A universe filled with my father’s indifference.
I crave what I have no roadmap for
And I search without knowing north.
Am I lost if I don’t know my terrain?

Loneliness is just a frame of mind
A filter to look through
A decision made unconsciously
A badge, a lost battle.
It doesn’t need to define my daylight,
Because it colors my night.

Exsanguination

When he said, “You shine so bright. I am lucky to know you.”
I believed him.
When he said, “You make me want to be a better man,”
I believed that, too.

Then he continued to date
Other women. He liked to talk about them… and
How much better, smarter, prettier, sexier I was,
(Soon I will be the chosen one, I thought).

While I have never received a fist in the face like her,
I am still my mother’s daughter.
I can take a squared off punch in the gut like a heavyweight,
Expecting it to be the last. It never is.

Then, the tipping point…
That place where I stand upright again, finally.
There is no rush of blood to my head.
Only the anemic dizziness of a woman
All bled out.

Jeri Thompson resides in Long Beach, CA where she spends much quality time with herself and her Trikke (Scarlett Birdie) riding along the beach bike/Trikke path. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2014, she is soon to appear in Pearl Magazine. Also find her in Silver, Green and Summer Anthologies from Silver Birch Press, and online at Cadence Collective, Bukowski on Wry, Cactifur and Carnival Literature Magazine (Vol. 4). CSULB grad, studied with professors G. Locklin, E. Fried, R. Lee and R. Zapeda. LBC resident since 1993.

 

 

 

a sea of blue uniforms
under the New York sun
a black man
holding up a placard
that reads I can’t breathe

Chen-ou Liu is currently the editor and translator of NeverEnding Story, http://neverendingstoryhaikutanka.blogspot.ca/, and the author of five books, including Following the Moon to the Maple Land (First Prize, 2011 Haiku Pix Chapbook Contest) and A Life in Transition and Translation (Honorable Mention, 2014Turtle Light Press Biennial Haiku Chapbook Competition).

 

 

 

Enlightenment

is not a state, it’s a winged thing.

Swimming in our ocean, gasping for breath,
battered by waves,

we do occasionally

look up,
see the blue sky, feel the sun on our faces,

glimpse it for a moment–
serene, flying.

George Young is a retired physician living in Boulder, Colorado, USA. He has published four books of poetry and has recently become engrossed in writing short, eight-lined poems.

 

 

 

Debbie Strange (Canada) is a published tanka and haiku poet and an avid photographer. She enjoys creating haiga and tanshi (small poem) art. You are invited to see more of her work on Twitter @Debbie_Strange.

 

 

 

turtle path she found her way home

Kat Lehmann (@SongsOfKat) lives in Connecticut, USA by the river where she writes. Her first book of free verse poetry, Moon Full of Moons (Peaceful Daily, 2015), was published in February 2015 http://peacefuldaily.com/page/books.

 

 

 

hedgerow #21

welcome to #21 of hedgerow, dedicated more or less, to the arrival of spring! for those of you in the southern hemisphere, wishing you a happy autumn equinox. always grateful for all of your support, contributors & readers alike, you make this a beautiful place.

with love & kindness…

 

 

 

crossroads —
a cloud
covers Polaris

Julie Warther lives in Dover, Ohio and serves as Midwest Regional Coordinator for the Haiku Society of America.  (www.hsa-haiku.org)

 

 

 

Barbara Kaufmann can be found (or lost) wandering in the woods, beaches and gardens of New York, her camera and notebook in hand, hunting for poems.http://wabisabipoet.wordpress.com/

 

 

 

celebrating
seven inches of melting snow …
the frog choir

.

midday snooze …
the old dog stretches
toward a patch of sun

Julie Bloss Kelsey’s favorite thing about spring is the emergence of frogs, especially the spring peepers that frequent her back yard. @MamaJoules on Twitter

 

 

 

For Luck

The scarf she gave me is rather shocking. Orange, red, light blue, dark blue, shades of green. But not a smidgen of brown and the absence of purple is nearly palpable. More to the point: where is the black? Nothing I own, or have ever owned, has been this colorful. It’s alarming. But also, strangely magnetic.

I wear the scarf when I’m alone in the apartment, waiting for water to boil, or squinting over a book in the fading afternoon light. I don’t have the courage or the humor to wear it in front of anyone else. It wraps twice around my neck, is soft against my cheeks, and when I inhale I’m brought right back to that childhood bedroom at the end of the long, dark hallway. Did I have a baby blanket that felt like this?

for luck —
a red thread
hangs from the crib

Zee Zahava lives in Ithaca, New York, where she leads weekly Writing Circles in her downtown studio. She is the editor of brass bell, an online haiku journal:http://brassbellhaiku.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Robin White is an artisan, gardener & beekeeper living in Deerfield, New Hampshire, USA. She is the face behind Wild Graces and a co-founding editor of Akitsu Quarterly, a haiku journal.

 

 

 

winter wind …
letting go of myself
in the sand

.

at the cliff’s edge
I wait
for the cold moon

Chen-ou Liu is currently the editor and translator of NeverEnding Story, http://neverendingstoryhaikutanka.blogspot.ca/, and the author of five books, including Following the Moon to the Maple Land (First Prize, 2011 Haiku Pix Chapbook Contest) and A Life in Transition and Translation (Honorable Mention, 2014Turtle Light Press Biennial Haiku Chapbook Competition).

 

 

 

last leaf
goldfinch alights
the stripped branch

Lizz Murphy was born in Ireland but has lived in rural Australia for a long time. She has published twelve books and is currently fixated on small poems.

 

 

 

Joann Grisetti lived up in Sasebo Japan and eighteen other places. She now lives in Florida with her husband and two sons. Her poetry, photos and stories have appeared in a number of print and online journals. She is still waiting to grow up.

 

 

 

Process

every morning before a mirror
you make-up like you were building
the world all over again on your face

do you not know that time
is a metaphor— for something that moves
deep and fast like fire on the mound of a wax

don’t you know that time is the same as death
even if it’s just a profusion of the process of dying
and living again

Saddiq Dzukogi is a Nigerian poet. He writes from the Capital city of Minna