spikes of Buddleia
fade to brown seed heads
Raspberries finish

summer

open floor
satguru's eyes
locked on his

evening commute
lighting dances in the coulds

tracking the sun:
bent tree branches,
drank up river...

zero-return investment
her letter
under my pillow

seated in my chair
I soar over the big bridge
over the railway
the rabbits on the golf course
carry on chewing their grass

sunshine and leaden skies
cumulonimbus in the west
headache

backyard at dusk
sun sparkles in run off
fireflies appear

sweltering morning
soap shoots hot from dispenser
drooping red maple

summer

quick touches
with open palm
satguru's way

buddleia
all winter concocting
this sweetness

raspberry canes
collapse into the lavender
knapweed's miniature suns

rainclouds overhead
and the funeral
silently racing

afternoon delight
red hibiscus veiled
with black lace sambuca

summer

quick touch
of the open palm
maharaji

sister telling
about today's sunrise -
white side of cedar leaves
rustling together

dark clouds roll in
a distant rumbling
bin collection day

swollen full moon
travels through gossamer clouds
on an inky sky

sparrows forage
in dappled morning sunshine
the cat sleeps

the roses bloom
side by side with weeds
her long long absence

Sketchbook, Vol. 4, Issue 2
March/April 2009

back from vaction
melons ripening on the vines
green grass in the lawn

summer

clear day
bus in the gutter
by the way

a silent world
no schoolchildren to disturb
Monday solitude

summer

clear sky
puddles remain
in the streets

morning heat
intensified by cloud
a red rose

surrendering
into the heat dissolving
no thoughts, no will

summer

libation
emancipation drink
with african drums

summer

rain in sheets
flash flood conquers
open ground

sunshine
from a clear blue sky
bird droppings

July heat
grasshoppers make out
under a leaf

entering
the garden; already reaching
to nurture
--------------------

..circa 2010; Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..mostly channeled; spirit Ram
------------------------------------------

lavender batons
bobbing in a weak breeze
blackbirds steal cherries

sidewalk frenzy
the homeless boys fight
for a tossed quarter

World Haiku Review
Vol. 8, Issue 1, Jan. 2010

a whisper of north wind
lifts the curtain --
your finger tracing my spine

summer

independent salesman
another's address
on the cd cart

summer

la nina take its toll
skies not clear
any more

summer

morning light
cat covers all
open places

the hiss of rain
though the long, humid night
a cooling fan

garden
full of the sea's roar -
the crow's nest sways

a blackbird singing
on the roof of the shed
dappled sunlight

Upper Deck

the tree's upper deck;
breeze vies with cosmic secret
to impress an owl
-------------------------

..circa 2004
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
--------------------------------

sparrows bathe
in puddles of night rain
reflected clouds

flaming fuchsias
an aria bursts
from a window

up ahead -
washed sky and
fluffed white clouds

summer

sunday morning
born free song
playing on radio

sounds are muffled
under low-hanging clouds
even children whisper

prayer garden
the answered ones
are blooming

For the story behind this, go my haikuharvest blog

plying the oars...
through noodle-infested waters
and eddies of cheese
---------------------

.circa 2010; Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
-----------------------------------------

light breeze
drops into stillness
the hiss of rain

summer

emancipation day
blip goes the TV's
screen

summer

emanicipation day
the TV screen
goes grey

blue skies return
midnight-shaded buddleias
wait for butterflies

lovers' cliff
a torn scarf totters
near the water's edge

Notes from the Gean
Vol. 2, Issue 1, June 2010

rain-soaked sun
sheds its sultry light:
her bare back

safe from sun
under nascent leaf
a gold fish

summer

lookout my friend
our sky is no longer
clear of dark clouds

the ripe barley
hairy in the sun
a train screams by

the morning breeze
smells of metal and mountains
last of the raspberries

the soothing harmony
of falling drops from
freshly watered leaves

moos
a cow on the roadside
halfway to funeral

crescent moon
fifteen days to go
a star in waiting

cricket song
how familiar it is
my mother's voice


Ambrosia, issue 5 Summer 2010

screams:
the little dog
fetching-in the rain

nimbostratus
sweeps in on black sails
buddleias tremble

river current's

shifting mirror, view into

the heavens

summer

liberated cat
eyes the window
next door

summer

free sunday
with no wife
nor kids at home

summer

congested streets
yet a free sky
still above

nimbostratus
brings a refreshing breeze
raspberries swell

thuderstorms
dance across the sky at dusk
parched lawns rejoice

I am defined by sunlight
dissolved by the
grey swell of cloud


Photo Grey Cloud Blue Sky by roujo

frilled poppies
clutch raindrops tight as lovers
lavender spikes

strains of ukulele
fill the sultry night
she fingers the dried lei
and hugs the memories
he left behind

Modern English Tanka
Vol. 2, No. 3, Spring 2008

afternoon showers
wringing the mugginess
out of the air

overnight rain
drips from the willow branches
humidity climbs

washing left out
is whipped by the wind
yellow petals

morning breeze
tinkling the wind-bell -
the master stops talking

against steely skies
spikes of purple buddleia
birds steal cherries

inhaling the dawn

I hoard away its coolness--

before the day's torpor

It comes from within
my soul mate has it too
vacation aura

fresh currant jam
picked from a wild bush
patio yawnings

summer

he walks the streets
liberated
shirtless

descending dusk
curled maple leaves unfold
mimosas close


can i have an editor's eye look at this for me?

so hot!
wring shops will spring up
to dry us for a second
---------------------
..circa 2010; Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
-----------------------------------------

fallen leaves
caught by a cool breeze
pattering raindrops

long summer evening -
the light confidences
of jasmine

***

long soir d'été -
les confidences légères
du jasmin


I'll be out until the beginning of August : be inspired and have an excellent summertime !

sunlit lake
dragonfly wings
shimmer

4 PM-
107 in the city
slow walk to the car


musings at dusk
as garden pants in the heatwave
weeds are flourishing


4 AM-
80 degrees in the moonlight
watering the garden

the air weighs heavy --
our words sink to skin and bones

sun at high noon heat
wilts all within it's wide path
shadows melt beneath

I rise soaked in sweat
it's fluid movement alive
reaching the dry beds

hot dry river beds
fire scorched plants wilt at birth
mother earth ignores

cumulostratus
blanketing the sky
we hope for rain

heat wave reurns
brown and tan spread through the lawn
kids walk down the streets

Clematis blooms
in cerise and midnight blue
school prom girls

the frail woman
in a wheelchair enjoys
her cigarette

Sketchbook Vol. 3, No. 10
October 2008

a week without rain
flowers seek the cool shadows
cracked earth trails falling petals

hot day under sun
haze dazzles lily's by noon
summers grip is strong

handicapped outing -
childrens' laughter
drowning out the thunder

you don't know
how hard it is to master
since you've been away
talking only
to a pillow

spring water--
i turn myself into
slope and valley

thunderclouds
pass across the evening sky
swifts catching insects

up and down byways
of leaf-shade solemnity
tiny creatures weave
-------------------

..circa 2010; Copyright Spiros Zafiris 2010
-------------------------------------------

Swifts dance
against the blue sky
crows shouting

Praise Ennobled

summer sky,
outstretched wings ennoble
our praise
-----------------------
..circa 2009; Copyright 2009 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Harmony
---------------------------------

aconitum flowers in
tall spikes of evening blue
delphinium fades

from shadow to sun
from sun to shadow
my morning run


***

de l'ombre au soleil
du soleil à l'ombre
ma course matinale

scraping the sky
from the gray clouds
- the wind

holiday weekend

in an old historic town

tourist season here

dedicated bird

diligently builds her nest

poops on my window

nasturtiums
provide a splash of red
self-seeded snaps

watching wildflowers
with their wayward daughter
still hard to fathom
why her mom
left them

long weeknd plans-
chillin', grilling and tillin'
readin' and eatin'

overcast and cooler
leaves fall from the trees
the plum dies

chrysalis
my daughter whispers
"Let it be"