Friday, March 23, 2012

spring rain

spring rain
the dogwood
half petals, half leaves 

first spring day

buds sprouting
on the fallen tree
first spring day

Friday, March 09, 2012

pussy willow moon

pussy willow moon
he tucks the covers around
my bare shoulders

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

hunger moon

hunger moon
how bittersweet
this longing

Sunday, January 29, 2012

narcissus

narcissus
we are all born
to die

Thursday, January 19, 2012

winter song

winter song
the broken horse hair flies
with the music

Monday, January 16, 2012

Announcement

There may be a poetic way of making this announcement, but I haven't found it. Our baby BOY will join our family on 7/25/2012. I am transitioning from morning sickness to ravenousness as I move into the second trimester. He appears healthy, and the genetic tests came back with low risk of defects. Your positive thoughts for us to have a healthy, full-term baby are appreciated!

quickening

cirrus veil
the snow moon--
quickening

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

first light

first light
another wave
of morning sickness

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

winter rain

winter rain
the unnamed
no less loved

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

last leaf

last leaf
the unspoken
goodbye

Saturday, October 29, 2011

leaves layer the yard

leaves layer the yard
my face a palimpsest
of all these autumns

autumn chill

autumn chill
the fallen leaf's veins
tinged a deeper hue

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

a fallen leaf

a fallen leaf
brushes the corner
of your grave stone

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

wedding at (in) Sope Creek

stepping into the creek
a new name
a new life


Friday, June 17, 2011

another day

another day
the stilled heartbeat
on the ultrasound

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

ordinary day

ordinary day
until we saw
the heartbeat

Sunday, June 05, 2011

heat shimmers

heat shimmers
fighting the waves
of morning sickness

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

frog song

frog song
so tired
I can't sleep

Monday, May 23, 2011

day lilies

day lilies
the dormant spark of death
within me

Sunday, May 08, 2011

Mother's Day

the bridge
to life
Mother's Day

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

vernal equinox

vernal equinox
my days and nights now measured
not in hours
but by our time together
and apart

midnight vigil

midnight vigil
what lies after
all this longing?

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Abide with Me

Only traditional hymns and classical music played on classical instruments were performed in the rural Mormon church of my childhood. "Special musical numbers" that intersperse a sacrament meeting and give the congregation a break from singing may be sung by the ward choir, a family harmonizing a capella, or a nervous girl accompanied by the piano, a violin, or even a flute. Anything raucous or modern as percussion, guitars, and most music written after the 19th century is still forbidden, as is applause.

One winter Sabbath, old Brother Humphries sat in a chair in front of family-filled pews and slowly opened a battered violin case. He tightened and rosined the bow and bent an ordinary handsaw on his knee.

dusting of rosin
the saw's quivering
Abide with Me

Friday, March 11, 2011

daffodils

despite
the foreclosure sign
daffodills

Saturday, March 05, 2011

pear blossoms

pear blossoms
the toddler's white mary jane
on the roadside

Monday, February 14, 2011

early spring

early spring
our footprints intertwine
on the forest path

Thursday, February 10, 2011

snowfall

snowfall
listening for all the words
that went unsaid

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

freezing rain

freezing rain
the words
I cannot take back

Monday, January 10, 2011

deep winter

deep winter
igniting the match
with a lit candle

Sunday, January 09, 2011

another year

another year - frosting on my daughter's nose

Saturday, December 11, 2010

at least

at least
we look up at the same moon
this sweet longing

Saturday, December 04, 2010

this love

this love
the stars all shine
a little brighter

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

early winter

early winter
the pond's edge
gives over to ice

cold rain

cold rain
the persistent warmth
of your kiss

Saturday, November 27, 2010

early winter

early winter
only an empty nest
in the bare tree

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving
a new seat
at the table

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

blue moon

blue moon
the hope
of an afterlife

for Andy

Thursday, November 11, 2010

maple

maple in full flame
becoming at last
myself

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

last leaf

last leaf
I too
am dying

Sunday, November 07, 2010

falling back

falling back
the fading light
caught in your hair

Friday, November 05, 2010

autumn wind

autumn wind
knowing what you
will say next

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

leaf after leaf falls

leaf after leaf falls
the way your laugh
makes me laugh

Saturday, October 16, 2010

chrysanthemum moon

chrysanthemum moon
the way
you open me

Thursday, October 14, 2010

autumn stillness

autumn stillness
only the sound
of your heartbeat

Monday, October 11, 2010

no turning back

wading deeper
into the Autumn creek
no turning back

Thursday, September 23, 2010

equinox

equinox
reminding my daughter
in my mother's voice

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

early autumn

early autumn
crossing Sope Creek
your steadying hand

Saturday, September 18, 2010

JapanFest TODAY!

If you are attending JapanFest today, please be sure to stop by the haiku workshop at noon.

See you there!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

JapanFest Saturday, 9/18, Gwinnett Center

Pinecone, The North Georgia Haiku Society is presenting a haiku workshop at the 23rd annual JapanFest at 12:00 noon next Saturday at the Gwinnett Center in suburban Atlanta.

We will be presenting on modern English haiku, reciting a few favorites, and helping participants to try their hand.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Friday, September 10, 2010

mackerel sky

mackerel sky
first gold leaves spangle
the maple

Monday, September 06, 2010

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

last color

last color
drained from the sky
my eyes soften

Sunday, August 29, 2010

blue moon

blue moon
the day
I get over you

Friday, August 27, 2010

autumn breeze

autumn breeze
the sussurus
of leaves

Sunday, August 22, 2010

moonlight

moonlight
your hand pressed against
the small of my back

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

summer haze

summer haze
were you ever
the man I loved?

cricket song

cricket song
my longing too
unanswered

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

late summer

late summer
the gardener polishes
a bronze girl

Monday, July 26, 2010

thunder moon

this old fight
knowing both our parts
thunder moon

Saturday, July 24, 2010

from dusk to dawn

from dusk to dawn
you and I

just like evening star
and morning star

one and the same

Sunday, July 18, 2010

eclipse

eclipse
the taste of goodbye
in your kiss

Monday, June 28, 2010

cloud watching

cloud watching
the reunion

of Pangaea

Saturday, June 26, 2010

mosquito

mosquito
and I
blood brothers

Saturday, June 19, 2010

hiking trail

hiking trail
my shadow merges
with the oak's

trail's edge

trail's edge
deceiving only ourselves
bunny and I

Monday, June 14, 2010

sego lilies

sego lilies
the trail dissolves
into wildflowers

Sunday, June 13, 2010

ceiling fan

ceiling fan
the whir
of my thoughts

this common sabbath

this common sabbath
spokes of sunlight splay
from a nimbus cloud

Saturday, June 12, 2010

summer day

summer day
clover bending
with the bee's weight

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

memorial day

memorial day
a sea of small flags
bearing witness

Sunday, June 06, 2010

afterward

afterward
nothing between us
everything between us

lover's quarrel

lover's quarrel
the tea kettle
silenced

Friday, June 04, 2010

summer heat

summer heat
the air you no longer
displace

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

lingering dusk

lingering dusk
the silence between us
says it all

Monday, May 31, 2010

stone's last skip

stone's last skip
before sinking out of sight
wishing I had known
that farewell kiss
was really goodbye

Sunday, May 30, 2010

magnolia buds

magnolia buds
tell me, what breaks
your soul open?

Saturday, May 29, 2010

wild horses

wild horses
your twenty-year-old body
as if yesterday

Friday, May 28, 2010

été

été
such beauty only French

can capture

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

spring cleaning

yellowed envelope
holding your golden curls
spring cleaning

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Special Olympics

Special Olympics
athlete's smile
takes the gold

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

sickle moon

sickle moon
metallic taste
of this papercut

Sunday, May 16, 2010

tanka

no words exist
to articulate my love

so let me
show you now
with this kiss

Saturday, May 15, 2010

late spring

late spring
height of unknown children
notched on this door frame

Thursday, May 13, 2010

evensong

evensong
sunset the pale orange
of mother's hair

Monday, May 10, 2010

mother's day

mother's day
the neighbor's lilies
on my breakfast tray

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

spring wake

spring wake
the sun
before its rise

Friday, April 30, 2010

untimely death

untimely death
watching dust fall
through sun's rays


RIP Charles Wood 1932 - 2010

Thursday, April 29, 2010

twilight

twilight
portrait of a child
that will never age

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

another summer

another summer
summoning the courage
to try again

Sunday, April 25, 2010

swollen spring river

swollen spring river
the line catches
first light

experimental haiku

life                death

Saturday, April 24, 2010

blue iris

I arrive at his hospital bedside to find him much closer in his harrowing and humiliating decline. Despite the pain that even morphine and dilaudid only dull, he welcomes a stream of visitors. His eyes fill with tears as I squeeze his hand and tell him I love him.

We always knew it would be lung cancer, yet we cannot believe when the diagnosis comes.

blue iris
the color of his eyes
fleeting as smoke

fire opal

I am wearing the beautiful fire opal earrings and necklace he gave me. This gem could be mistaken for turquoise except for its brilliance. Yet I am conflicted about wearing jewelry given to me by a man who presented them with such affection and who no longer returns my calls.

I didn't want to hurt him by returning his gifts, though I am unsure whether it is right for me to continue adorning myself with his love tokens.

fire opal
the spark
snuffed

Thursday, April 22, 2010

earth day

a robin's beak
pierces its shell

earth day

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Haiku Now! contest results

I love the word "apercu," so I'm happy Jim used it in his analysis of my poem. http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/contest/haiku-now-contest-2010/

Sunday, April 11, 2010

dandelion seeds

dandelion seeds
of all my eggs
the three that took root

Curtis Dunlap's Three Questions

I am today's featured poet at Blogging Along Tobacco Road!

Friday, April 09, 2010

veil of spring rain

veil of spring rain
the anniversary
of my divorce

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Snapshot Press Calendar 2011 Runner Up

Slightly disappointed about being "just" a runner-up in the Snapshot Press calendar contest for 2011, but the haiku will appear in the calendar nonetheless. I hate when the results are alphabetical,  because it looks like I'm waaaay down at the bottom of runner-up-hood.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

the observer effect

Behavioral scientists have proven that people act more ethically when they believe they are being watched. In one study, students gave to an honor system kitty for coffee twice as often when a set of eyes was illustrated on the sign requesting a contribution.

cherry blossoms
the monk primes
his alms bowl

Understanding how to direct human behavior by perceived observation pre-dates psychology, as the author of Hebrews 4:13 knew: And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render account. The all-seeing eye is represented in religions as diverse as ancient Egyptian polytheism, Buddhism, and Christianity. It even appears on US currency.

if there were a god...
entering my full income
on the tax form

Most of us prefer to imagine the less Orwellian eye of a shepherd watching over his sheep or our very own guardian angel.

clear skies
my faithless prayers rise
unfettered

In quantum physics, the term observer effect means the act of observing influences the phenomenon being observed. The eye of the beholder, and even its perspective, directly affects the process.

the instant
of transubstantiation
paschal eucharist

Monday, March 22, 2010

vernal equinox

vernal equinox
as many questions
as answers

Saturday, March 13, 2010

sakura buds

sakura buds
on the verge
her thirteenth birthday

Friday, March 12, 2010

last petal

the last petal
affirms what I knew:
he loves me not

Thursday, March 11, 2010

spring pond

spring pond
blue heron and his shadow
skim the surface

Saturday, March 06, 2010

garden planning

garden planning
weeding out the plants
that failed last year

light years

light years these rays
traveled 
to fall on my face
your long absence

Thursday, March 04, 2010

knowing

cloudless sky
all the things
I don't know


this winding river
confluence of what I know
and what I don't


milky way
what I don't know

I don't know

Sunday, February 21, 2010

nacreous sunset

nacreous sunset
the ocean
within this whelk

first crocus

first crocus
the oncologist says
no hope


terminal cancer
the contrails end
midair


*my former father-in-law has been diagnosed with carcinoma.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday
light rain
from the cloud-smudged sky

Sunday, February 14, 2010

two views of V-Day

Valentine's Day
the first shoots
of tulips


Valentine's Day
thin ice covers
the pond

a valentine

Humbled and grateful: Heron's Nest Reader's Choice Awards

Saturday, January 30, 2010

purple dawn

purple dawn
light slowly enters
the passion flower

Monday, January 25, 2010

tanka

the surf has washed
away our footprints
and with them

the only proof
we loved once

Sunday, January 24, 2010

starless night

starless night
my daughter delivered home
by a policeman

Sunday, January 17, 2010

from my window

from my window
a maple's lichened trunk
the only green

Saturday, January 16, 2010

earthquake aftermath

earthquake aftermath
the child found alive
the child found dead

Sunday, January 10, 2010

sunrise

sunrise
I smell
like you

Friday, January 08, 2010

first snow

first snow
all the shades
of white

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

long winter's day

travelogue marked
with an old ticket stub
long winter's day

Monday, January 04, 2010

firelight

biting the peel
a burst of orange mist
firelight

Sunday, January 03, 2010

new year

new year
no cicadas fill the night
but oh, the fireworks

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

bank statement

year-end bank statement
reusing the tea bag
for a second cup

Sunday, December 27, 2009

last day of the year

last day of the year
the dream
unremembered

Saturday, December 26, 2009

lustrous snow

lustrous snow
paraphrasing
sunlight

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Christmas eve

Christmas eve
the girls wearing
new flannel PJs

Monday, December 21, 2009

solstice

solstice
sipping a stronger brew
in the waning light

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

rain turns to sleet

rain turns to sleet
grounding my daughter
our shared tears

Thursday, December 03, 2009

winter night

winter night
chill of moonlight
on my skin

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Thursday, November 26, 2009

half moon

half moon
giving thanks
for all of it

Words

Today a favorite poem that speaks of how language defines the world and always falls short. Very relevant to haiku's subtlety, its "pointing a jeweled finger at the moon."

The world does not need words. It articulates itself
in sunlight, leaves, and shadows. The stones on the path
are no less real for lying uncatalogued and uncounted.
The fluent leaves speak only the dialect of pure being.
The kiss is still fully itself though no words were spoken.


And one word transforms it into something less or other—
illicit, chaste, perfunctory, conjugal, covert.
Even calling it a kiss betrays the fluster of hands
glancing the skin or gripping a shoulder, the slow
arching of neck or knee, the silent touching of tongues.


Yet the stones remain less real to those who cannot
name them, or read the mute syllables graven in silica.
To see a red stone is less than seeing it as jasper—
metamorphic quartz, cousin to the flint the Kiowa
carved as arrowheads. To name is to know and remember.


The sunlight needs no praise piercing the rainclouds,
painting the rocks and leaves with light, then dissolving
each lucent droplet back into the clouds that engendered it.
The daylight needs no praise, and so we praise it always—
greater than ourselves and all the airy words we summon.


from Interrogations at Noon
© 2001 Dana Gioia

Monday, November 23, 2009

cold drizzle

cold drizzle
how can a broken heart
continue breaking?


Happy birthday, my son

Sunday, November 22, 2009

winter in the wind

winter in the wind
no cake for this candle lit
in memoriam

For Andy

Thursday, November 19, 2009

biodiversity

Sometimes, a picture really is worth a thousand words. I thought this pictorial in the NYT titled "biodiversity" was particularly poetic and humorous. You'll see autumn leaves in a new light.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Simply Haiku

Catch my latest publication at Simply Haiku. See assemblages 2, 3, and 4.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

last leaf

last leaf
re-learning the art
of letting go

Saturday, November 14, 2009

late autumn

late autumn
preferring the quiet work
of raking leaves

Sunday, November 01, 2009

all saints day

all saints day
from the corner of my eye
someone   no one

Friday, October 30, 2009

autumn sunset

autumn sunset
dripping Van Morrison's
Tupelo honey

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

reading haiku

reading haiku
at 3 a.m.
rain drums the skylight

Friday, October 16, 2009

cold rain

cold rain
a maple leaf floats
in the water basin

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

the breached creek bank

breached creek bank
all day half-living
in last night's dream

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Transitions

I started this blog, appropriately, on April 1, 2007, with the intent of writing one haiku a day for a year, which I did for well over 2 years. Most haiku experts will admit that none of those first verses qualifies as haiku. It has been a journey, one I am deeply grateful to have your friendship and kindness as I made my way.

Writing a daily haiku feels more like work than an interesting challenge these days. I need to be untethered from the calendar and write as moved, which I hope doesn't become too infrequent. I have felt anxiety, not wanting to let my readers down. I am so grateful for your support.

I have another challenge I am not sure how to approach. Most journals are now accepting haiku that have not appeared in print or on line in any forum. I need to think about whether the day-to-day camaraderie and support I get is more important to me than publishing. I could post here the haiku I don't intend on submitting, but a) it's hard to know how good a poem is sometimes when it's fresh, whether it's a keeper or not, and b) I don't want the quality of my blog to consist only of the sub-par haiku. I welcome your advice. I don't like feeling like I have to choose between my blog and publishing. Suggestions?

I've renamed the blog to break from the daily commitment. I am using a line from a haibun and what will be the title of my book, the rising mist. The URL remains the same.

Warmest thanks,

Nora

Thursday, October 08, 2009

mackerel sky

pine shavings curl
in the hand plane
mackerel sky

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

migration

migration
this unnamed flock
no less beautiful

Sunday, October 04, 2009

pond

the leaf's shadow
on the pond dapples
brocaded carp

Friday, October 02, 2009

deep autumn

deep autumn
we read love poems once
in these woods

Thursday, October 01, 2009

autumn dew

autumn dew
bird seed sprouting
in the old feeder

Sunday, September 27, 2009

unfulfilled wish

unfulfilled wish
daruma doll's
one eye

Friday, September 25, 2009

star map

star map
tracing the constellations
on your flesh

Thursday, September 24, 2009

rising floodwaters

rising floodwaters
the man paddles his canoe
with a shovel

Monday, September 21, 2009

Autumn Equinox

autumn equinox
the fallen leaf
half-green, half-gold

Sunday, September 20, 2009

first frost

first frost
instead of silk
flannel

Friday, September 18, 2009

harvest moon

harvest moon
swimming in the black pond
on this clear night

Thursday, September 17, 2009

time's passing

time's passing
my hourglass waist betrayed
by middle-age

Monday, September 14, 2009

cricket song

cricket song
long accustomed
to this ceaseless yearning

Friday, September 11, 2009

9/11

9/11
weeping willow vines
just touch the water

Thursday, September 10, 2009

autumn breeze

autumn breeze
a child whispers

her first grace

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

morning tea

morning tea
returning the cup
its emptiness

Sunday, September 06, 2009

neighborhood walk

neighborhood walk
echo of my "good morning"
from the stroller

Friday, September 04, 2009

seasons change

seasons change
grandma's grave healing
from the interment

Thursday, September 03, 2009

first cool day

first cool day
not wanting to conceal
my pink pedicure

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

letter-burning

letter-burning
smoke's plumed calligraphy
renders these words mute

Monday, August 31, 2009

Notes from the Gean Tree

My latest haiku published here.

Hi, Alan! I see we're "following" each other again in the publications. Great work!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

littoral

littoral
with each wave a grain of sand
given and taken

Friday, August 28, 2009

shadows lengthen

shadows lengthen
a crimson leaf rests
on the sundial

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

open window

open window
the cellist's
slow vibrato

Monday, August 24, 2009

lotus pond

lotus pond
tadpoles feast
on a seedpod

Sunday, August 23, 2009

honeysuckle

honeysuckle
the hummingbird
presses in deeper

Saturday, August 22, 2009

on the lake

on the lake
water's reflection dances
across her face

Friday, August 21, 2009

algae bloom

algae bloom
the green frog jumps

into my green pond

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

autumn grasses

autumn grasses
at least the tea
remains green

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Atlanta traffic

Atlanta traffic
pondering the manner
of my death

Monday, August 17, 2009

low tide

low tide
a gull's wing curves
over the curved earth

Sunday, August 16, 2009

jelly-making

jelly-making
a parade of ants
sticks to the counter

Saturday, August 15, 2009

alone

alone
dabbing on perfume
anyway

Publication

Check out my latest publication in the autumn edition of Simply Haiku: haiku and haibun

Friday, August 14, 2009

sirens

sirens pierce the night
the stillborn's
unheard cries

Thursday, August 13, 2009

deep shade

deep shade
the deep purple sweetness

of serviceberries

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

perseids

perseids
we help mother blow out
sixty-three candles

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

August heat

August heat
the pregnancy test results
become clear

this is not an announcement; it's just an image. :-)

Monday, August 10, 2009

damselflies

damselflies
dart across the water
a bluer blue

Sunday, August 09, 2009

the fading sunset

the fading sunset
at her bedside
he strokes her hair

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

flight of time

the egret lifts off
contemplating the flight
of time

Monday, August 03, 2009

first light

first light
heeding the cardinal's
call to prayer

Sunday, August 02, 2009

end of summer

end of summer
more cucumbers
than neighbors

Saturday, August 01, 2009

this steady rain

this steady rain
the one thing I needed

you couldn't do:
to love me
without stint

Thursday, July 30, 2009

hazy moon

hazy moon
above and below
the moon bridge

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

ink-stained silk

ink-stained silk
I have banished you
from my thoughts
why do you
invade my dreams?

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

blue columbine

blue columbine
the freshly etched date
on her headstone

Monday, July 27, 2009

morning dew

morning dew--
in layered chiffon and pearls
grandma's burial dress
is the finest
she ever wore

Sunday, July 26, 2009

A note

I have hit 800 virtually daily haiku, and I want to thank all of you, my friends, for your comments and kindness. I might have given up at some point without them. As a result of both of our constancy, I will be publishing a collection around year-end. Stay tuned...

Also, Alan hasn't posted the results to the contest page yet, but he notified the contestants by e-mail, and I was short-listed for the annual With Words Haiku Competition for this haiku:

pink dawn
the wingbeats of geese
returning


Thank you, Alan. And thank you all!

still summer night

still summer night
the taste of my daughter's sweat
as I kiss her brow

Saturday, July 25, 2009

I waited

I waited in vain
for you last night
yet I heard
you calling me
in the wind

Friday, July 24, 2009

flower-laden grave

flower-laden grave
the goodbye
I never said

Thursday, July 23, 2009

light slants

light slants through the clouds
we leave the cemetery
bearing her with us

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

solar eclipse

solar eclipse
grandma's white hair haloes
her repose