morning commute
carpet of crep myrtle leaves
fill the blocks' lawns

my only shady spot chopped down

Last weekend of Summer
the sun went on vacation
Tønder Folk Festival

in a tiny corner
of the sky- silent explosion
the color wave
dyes the clouds in pink
for a moment

thistledown
poised
waiting for a breeze

Featured Poem: Revelations by R.K. Singh

Featured Poem: Revelations by R.K. Singh

autumnal sunshine
the last spikes of buddleia
fade to brown

look at the flower,
from bud to alarming grace,
as you sip your tea
-------------------------

..circa August 31, 2010
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
------------------------------

losing

my voice while singing –

cutting cut grass

sunlight
filtered through willow leaves
a dead plum tree

the fall to silence
of tree frogs and cicadas
unmasks the trees' whispers

fresh breeze
mixing up the crows
with T-shirts


The With Words Haiku Competition 2010
www.withwords.org.uk/comp.html

autumnal rain
pelts down on the garden
poppies battered

a moment to savor
eating ice cream by moonlight
in my jammies

conker in its case–
I make friends with a Staffie
and its owner's shoe

Staffies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staffordshire_Bull_Terrier

Conkers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesculus_hippocastanum

The With Words International Online Haiku Competition 2010
http://www.withwords.org.uk/comp.html

.

altostratus
becomes a bowl of grey
bees on lavender

august full moon -
carbage cans in the street
at first seats

***

pleine lune d'août -
les poubelles de la rue
aux premières loges

cold sunshine
the papery seed heads
of honesty

morning commute
tuxedo marked kitten
sits under street light

lavender pom-poms
washed and sparkling in the rain
darkening sloes

La De Dah....

chatting with folks
huge dragonfly
buzzes between us

skies open
summer rains
sea change

I chase
the remnants
of my broken dream
chilling the night
of your absence

In Sixty sunflowers:
Tanka Society of America Members’
2007 Anthology

myrtle flight
over a forest, I gaze down
into the green; the brown
---------------------

..circa Aug. 25, 2010
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Harmony
---------------------------------

dark clouds threaten rain
the dogs wait in the hall
while I shower

morning commute
dragon flies circling
last bloom on the bush

arriving home
cricket in my sink chirping
walking him back outside

a woman walks past,
her golden hair blown about
plums swell and ripen

the dance
of the butterfly
on the Buddleia stage

weekend afternoon
urban agriculture tour
swapping tips with busmate

clouded sun
office workers sneak
a smoke break

cabbage whites
colonise the buddleias
tiny garden clouds

Before the end of this month, I reluctantly decided to upload my haiga about Hiroshima and Nagasaki which were the recipients of atomic bombs killing hundreds of thousands people, mostly civilians on August 6 and 9, 1945.

sunshine and blue skies
the theme from Babylon Five
in the background

a sting
rolls over my body; these
warm days are parting
---------------

..circa Aug. 22, 2010
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
--------------------------------

watery sunlight
leaves the garden in relief
hungry cat

stone table -
an ant crosses
the haiku book


***

table de pierre -
une fourmi traverse
le recueil de haïkus

last hour of work
time seems to be crawling
before I can play outside

Old Olive Grove

I

asleep in the olive grove
below us the sea
above - hills

II

awake in the olive grove
church bells, cicadas
shrill children's voices


Photo Old Olive Grove by Greenery

Monet's Haystacks
a group of crows tug
at twilight

Asahi online, Japan
20th August 2010
 .

pearl cloud
in a crack of the sky's
drab shell

afternoon break
captivated
by a swaying rose

smear the skies
with leaf-shaped clouds
falling, falling
-----------------

..circa: Aug. 18, 2010
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
-----------------------

the rain
penetrates my soul
drop by drop
your love
fills the lake


hujan
menyusup ke jiwaku
tik tik tik
cintamu memenuhi
telaga

one week past the new
Scorpio nibbles the moon
like a dinner mint

Summers End

summers dance with death
swaying to dry scorched gardens
first dark of falls night

rainy rush hour
leaves hydroplane through traffic
streets glisten with oil

Dancing on my left foot
the breeze -the right foot envious
in its plaster cocoon

I got a bite!-a haibun

Sunday is the day i like most these days. And today is the day. My boy in rubber boots leads me to a spring under a cluster of trees. His fishing rod, much taller than him, leaning on his shoulder, with the thin end pointing straight at my face. "I won't fail this time," he says, keeps on staggering along muddy causeway.

repeated pattern--
my footprints
next to his

It takes no time to get there before we throw the bait, an earthworm at the hook. "I'll catch the big ones," he says. Keeping his eyes down, breathing slowly, sensing any movement underwater with patience and eagerness, he pulls the line and something is struggling for a loose at the other end of the fishing line. I know, he's not happy with it but still there's a smile on his face. "Was your catch this small when you're at my age?"


Akhir-akhir ini aku sangat menyukai hari Minggu. Dan hari ini, anak lelakiku, dengan sepatu bot dari karet, berjalan di depanku menuju mata air di bawah pepohonan yang rimbun. Joran pancingnya, lebih tinggi daripada badannya sendiri, merunduk di atas pundaknya. Ujungnya menuding tepat ke wajahku. "Hari ini aku tidak boleh gagal," katanya sambil berjalan, sesekali terhuyung nyaris tergelincir, di pematang yang licin.

pola yang berulang--
jejak kami
beriringan

Tak perlu waktu lama untuk mencapai mata air sebelum kami melempar kail dengan umpan cacing di ujungnya. "Mudah-mudahan dapat yang besar," ia menggumam. Matanya tertuju ke air, nafasnya lambat, syaraf di telapak tangannya mengindera setiap gerak di bawah air. Sesuatu tampak meronta di ujung senar pancing saat ia mengangkat jorannya. Aku tahu, ia tidak begitu puas melihat hasil pancingannya, tapi senyum tetap saja mengembang di wajahnya. "Waktu ayah seumurku, dapatnya juga sekecil ini?"

studying taxonomy
i identify you among those
kinds of water lilies

belajar taksonomi
aku mencandramu dari
rupa-rupa teratai

leaves
wrapped in light
await autumn

just shadows for company
the Big Dipper obscured
by night cloud
.

morning commute
chill in the morning air
signals change to come

a lone leaf
fallen in puddle
seeks shelter

rain in the sun
how long it takes
to recolor memories?

berapa lama kita
mewarnai ulang kenangan itu?
hujan siang bolong

O forest life
O every twinkle; no mere
woman are you
-----------------------

..circa..Aug.16, 2010
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
-------------------------------

beneath a vast, empty sky
I walk alone
summer evening

dead thrushes
at the bottom of the garden
the compost heap broils

washing my feet
after this long walk
in shallow water
the memory of you
runs downstream

membasuh kakiku
setelah perjalanan ini
di sungai kecil
kenangan tentangmu
larut dalam arus

fingers of sunshine
dance through the whispering leaves
sparrows flirting

summer morning -
a dead fly
on the white tablecloth

***

matin d'été -
une mouche morte
sur la nappe blanche

a branch falls
the day after
the storm

a day you promised
to not leave me forever
feels like yesterday
in my cabinet, a box full
of our memorabilia

seperti baru kemarin
kau berjanji tak kan pernah pergi
di lemariku,
satu kardus penuh
memorabilia berdebu

lavender spikes
bent under the strength of the wind
hollyhocks

briefly a Pipistrelle bat

is mistaken as part 

of the Perseid meteor shower

I will never make that mistake

with you

.

under one blanket
small whispers
falling asleep

under evening shadow
blossoms shimmer --
garden vespers

rain paints the ground
a darker shade of purple
fresh blackberries

dusk-
white hibiscus catching
the last light of day

big mahuf meeting
tempers in the building
come to a boil

early morning,
the sound of doors
opening and closing

sunshine
peeps through the clouds
wild arum blooms

sunny path
a tree offers its shade
I bow

a stream of memories
leaving behind
remnants of a dream

sunlight curves
follows the river --
drought carving a brittle edge

the dog sleeps
in the shadows of leaves
motorbike rumblings

sweetness
all sucked out:
buddleia's brown blossom

a small leaf
spins at the end of
invisible spiders thread

in the warm night air
enjoying the garden
before the air swelters

cirrus clouds
drift across a summer sky
poppy seeds scatter

no more seriousness -
childrens laughter
in every room

the secret
of the sky's
eternal youth-
its wrinkled picture
veiled by the lake

afternoon break
fleeing the humidity
inside the cold box

unexpected heat
brightens the evening
plums darken

wedding party
a mother carries a heart
on her handbag
.

Shrimpflowers
drip white petals on damp earth
fading roses

almost dawn
an empty bottle
near the phone

The Heron’s Nest
Vol. VIII, No. 4, December 2006

I am waiting
for her call out of quiescence
persistent hatchling

summer

july 27th
bold penetrating eyes
of hazur

summer moon -
even bats have got
a shadow

***

lune d'été -
même les chauves-souris
ont une ombre

patchwork sky
stitched together with stratus clouds
blackberries ripen

early commute
single rain drop on winshield
prisms the dawn

crossing the lake
dusk eerily plummets
into heavier hues
---------------------

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

the chill of the wind
raises goose-flesh on my arms
well-written horror

evening delight
single orange passion bloom
on the wilted vine

dawn light

a blue heron's path across

wide summer sky

whispers
rain on my window
towels in the wash

mid morning break
ripples on the river
as a mosquito lands

Cicadas Song

cicadas sing their song of love deep in august heat now are still those that wait lie buried deep

rain falling softly
on its long journey to the sea
apples redden

within the darkness
the whirring pulse of crickets
entrances me

hospice visit
for the third time
she asks the name
of her daughter
holding her hand

Sketchbook, Vol. 5, No. 2
March/April 2010

falling star -
my wish lost
in the Milky Way

***

étoile filante -
mon vœu s'est perdu
dans la Voie Lactée

forgotten glass jar
left outside, brewing at night
moon tea

fourth watch commute
rabbit dashes in city street
squealing breaks

light rains
a duck nibbles
the riverweed
.

lily filled river
ducks snooze
in the mid-day sun
.

loud clattering
of the recycling lorry
jackdaw on the roof

weekend afternoon
lone fly buzzes
on ripening pepper

perennial grass...
grizzled man in fatigues
panhandling

after

after the funeral
dodging deep puddles
in the long grass

gerald england

--

beautiful flowers

colorful and artificial

disappointed hummingbird

yellow poppy
searching for the sunshine
vetch rambles on

Magnets

apricots fall
our outstretched arms
kindle motion
------------------

..circa 2005
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
-------------------------------

white out
writing about renga
on the balcony
.

summer

sawan's beard
flowing down
in liberty

penstemon
flowering on tall spikes
knapweed

the tulip tree
is sloughing off
brown leaves
I guess the summer
burned itself