On the hydrangeas

the weight of the morning sun

the evening sun


---Otsuyu




earthen trail
through long day
the lives of pines
one hundred and one haiku
 another start
moon and star themselves
end the fast
moon and star
must break the fast


ocean waves
write and erase
the girl I once was
home, trailing spiders' webs  -
Wordsworth
trailed clouds
evening beach -
a row of sandpies
waiting for the tide

***

plage du soir -
un rang de pâtés de sable
attend la marée


slow
southern evening
the fireflies

((Mainichi Japan) September 2, 2011)
cherry leaves
turn yellow and fall
cold breeze
clover hills
the gentle wind caresses
these countless ones
----------
---------------
..(C) 2011 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
-------
moon and star themselves
end the fast
one hundred and one haiku
another start
honey bees
pollinating the lavender
yawning cat
a flock of geese
fly into a power line
and light the night sky
grey clouds
reflected in a wet beach
seagulls
so let the rain
bounce at this bench
feet pulse tired
pre- Irene shift
doe huddles under truck
in the pelting rain
hissing tyres
on the road outside
hissing cats

detour by the public garden
to get back to the office
- late-summer flowers

***

crochet par le square
pour regagner le bureau
fleurs de fin d'été

breezy day
brings intermittent sunshine
cumulus clouds
next door's cat
in the dry patch of the garden
ours bristles
fumbling through
three currencies to pay
for a lollipop
morning commute
one shade lighter than my car
bug on the bumper
reds and yellows
appear in the hedgerow
fat blackberries
the old school closed  -
only the bees
murmuring a lesson
water drips
from lupin seedheads
weak sunlight
quick touches of open palm
faces delight
twenty years today
nuptial hiss and bliss
the movie cry freedom
on my wedding day
problems of three decades
all resolved this day
dream thoughts of Providence
wishes do come true
vision of the kingdom
at construction site
morning puttering
spider strenghtens its web base
on the potato vine
spent buddleia
glittering in morning sunshine
a spider's web
thistle seeds
become fairy horses
to my child's eyes
plums fall
food for slugs and ants
drunk wasps
morning air
bringing in the scent of lavender
the cat
sprinkles
waylay the brutal heat
talk about comfort
--------------
------
..(C) 2011 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
---------------------
interstate highway
a saffron butterfly
keeps in the median

(Asahi, August 19, 2011)
evening commute-
low hanging fog
creeps past the street lights

pool edge -
my footprints
half-evaporated

***

au bord de la piscine
mes empreintes de pas
à demi évaporées

a chorus
of neighbourhood dogs
cold shower
weekend at last-
I pour the playground sand
from her shoes
rose petals spreading
at the feet
of the autumn bride
dappled shade
beneath the apple tree
windfalls
walking to plant floor
a butterfly flits by
as I head to office
pear crop
the old tree bent over
shelter
the topmost branch
makes us wish for wings
then, we simply gaze
-----------------
-------------
..(C) 2011 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
-----------------------

north winds
tease the edge of summer --
women lug bags of yarn

twilight clouds
like old cotton shirts  --
slowly I slip off the role of parent
midshift-
enjoying the cool moonlight
birdsong serenade
pigeons
amplified by chimney pots
morning

soggy sunday
feeling like I'm back in
Matsuyama monsoons
yellow buds
on the mahonia
purple acer leaves
first day of school
the crape myrtle trees
heavy with bloom
morning dew
stretched across a field
my footprints
summer breeze
the ground littered
with tree seeds
morning shadows
flicker over cut grass
next door's cat
backcover -
the blood
of the mosquito


***

quatrième
de couverture -
le sang du moustique

ignore
the waterfall's mist
she loves you
-----------
---------
..(C) 2011 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
---------------
blackberries
my lips stained
with summer
all colors candles
on the birthday cake:
summer butterfly

the same shade
my dragon wing begonias
and bruises on my hand
light rain
carried in on a cool breeze
the scent of cut grass
apple tree
shaken by the cold wind
maple leaves
blackberries
sweetened by the drought
leafless gooseberry
morning sun
scattered by willow branches
collared doves
why call it
heat wave--better, banjo
string melter
--------
----
..[C] 2011 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
--------------
next morning-
some young squirrels
make it rain again
1/
washing dishes
after a dinner for two
the hissing from the sink
sounds like nice words
we no longer mean to say

membersihkan piring
setelah makan malam berdua
desis dari pencucian
bagai kata-kata mesra
yang tak lagi kita ucapkan


2/
let me be
as she told me in anger
i noticed
the rose in the vase
withering petal by petal

tinggalkan aku
saat ia berucap marah
aku sadari
mawar dalam vas mengering
kelopak demi kelopak


3/
in my solitary garden
grasses mown last month
it's now overgrown
watered with hope and dreams
i can only let it go

di taman terasing
rumput yang dipotong bulan lalu
kini tumbuh liar
disiram harap dan impian
yang hanya bisa kuikhlaskan
end of nap -
mistral begins
again


***

fin de sieste -
le mistral
recommence
a peach rose blooms
above the hedgerow
blackberries
dead-headed buddleias
present new flower heads
morning glory
dry lips
heat wave commanded to cool--
then, more, "On second thought"

-------------
------
[C] 2011 Spiros Zafiris
--------------------
Fourth Monday this week
extra time in the garden
before heading to work
lupin spikes
turning to seed
poppy-head rattles
after rain
air moves through the house
fresh and cool
SFH - Day 3
steps quicken
as I leave the plant
spattering water
from the broken gutter
the dog's wet fur
humid afternoon-
swerving to miss a squirel
that's slow crossing the street
sultry heat
in the sodium-lit street
a screech owl
lavender stalks
dip under the weight of bees
chives
in a few jumps
from one silence to another
the hare of dawn

***

en quelques bonds
d'un silence à l'autre
le lièvre de l'aube
rose hips
among the brambles
green haws
blackbird's song
drifts from the garden hedge
the neighbours, shouting
post brutal shift
waked by a thunderclap
for a hot second
summer heat
gives way to cool clouds
petals fall
phlox are blooming
my tears fall
rising from her bed
she washes nights love away
dripping on the floor
water chimes
over stones - so quickly
the summer passes
shift break
listening to the moonlit rain

Tanka..cantaloups too

this nocturnal bliss
is a fine magic carpet
one extols seashells
as soon as it is written
then, cantaloups lay claim
--------------
------------
..(C) 2011 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Harmony
-------------------
convolvulus trumpets
a mirror in the flowerbed
reflects the clouds
trout flashing jump high
a journey to renew life
begins with the end.
late garden run-
last bag of soil for the season
avoiding half-priced plants
late raspberries
are pimples in the hedgerow
blackberry blackheads
the sound
of running water -
so sharp it
cuts the thick and
heavy heat of the day
9PM shift start-
walking into a sauna
disguised as a plant
low clouds
slug trails across a
garden mirror
morning chores
weed battles, pruning dead blooms
enjoying the garden
delicate flowers
of ladies' slipper orchid
flattened by dog
magpie
scolds from a silver birch
erubescent rowan
black flags
flap across the garden
sunrise
the garden
draws everyone...
a true magnet
--------
--------------
..(C) 2011 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
----------
spikes of lupin flowers
become crooked towers of seeds
foxglove spires
checking the animals
to see if
they are still alive--
no a/c
Oven door
the heat pours in
from the outside.
Fourth watch
after the briefest respite
the heat's under the doors
damp morning air
burned away by the sunshine
desiccated slug

Lip lock

salt in a kiss-
the mercury reads
103


he smiles,
remembering the taste of
honeysuckle


your kiss tells me
we only have tonight-
summer twilight
sultry afternoon
birds walk across the street
squirrels under the sprinkler
rain drizzles
out of a darkening sky
crows

Japanese Maple


















I'm dry under
the Japanese Maple
watching rain

Phot Japanese Maple 1 by saynine

















petals gather sunlight --
lucid moment in this heat
a bunch of kids
squinting at the fan-
time machine
buddleia
nods with indigo racemes
lavender lavender
weak sunshine
between rain storms
sparrows singing
eventually...
the leaves will zing
our steps
----------
--------
..(C) 2011 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
--------------
Hot sun burning
light green leaves
almost shadow

v  Shadow and almost shadow my book and relaxing chair, yes very nice J
wild cabbage
on the cemetery compost
willow herb and brambles
blink of summer
view from the mountain
face of the moon


Treptaj leta 
Sa planine pogled
Lice meseca  
poppy petals
scattered on the path
wood pigeon calling
it's still there
a solemn promise to keep
in our minds
we talk intimately
and sleep back to back
Surprising summer night
abundance of stars
under French sky

v  Discovery by my nightly tours
family reunion-
will it be great or not
how much rum should I bring?
the cat finds
shelter from morning rain
lavender bush

For me

Field Mouse sit quiet still
eagles circle in the sky
light and shadow

v  The Field Mouse we acquainted was though safely around our tent
cooler day
extra time in the garden
walking on lunch hour
toadstools
appear for just a day
frog in the pond
sultry evening
slowly walking the plant floor
wishing for a breeze
cloud canopy
like an upturned basin
peppercorn swifts
night shift
heat baked building
doubles as a sauna
the last raspberries
appear on the canes
a belt of irises

steamy heat waves roll
over our smooth taut bodies
your lips cool on mine
one for the karma bank
eighty-six degrees in the kitchen
cooking for my neighbor

No AC in the house.
bumblebees
explore the slipper orchids
toadstools bloom for a day
lavender
perfumes the morning heat
the cat, sick
evening treat-
trenching out a garden bed
then filling it
cabbage whites
on the geraniums
raindrops
rose petals
bleached by the sun
torn deckchairs
today's to-do list
clear the hostas
plant pops of color
I ate the melon
and I drank some ginger ale
it must be summer
---------
----
..(C) 2011 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
-------------------
raspberry canes
turn autumnal yellow
lavender blues
my eyes catch
the sudden quiver of leaves -
summer rain


south wall of
Notre Dame-- the rose
draws me in


two pianos
resound into twilight...
summer heavens
afternoon to-dos...
garden tips with a neighbor
picking my salad
buddleia
flowers with deep purple blooms
a bank of lupins
sunset
the old rabbit's hair
shining with colors
holiday afternoon -
trenching out a garden bed
cooking for a neighbor
summer's leaves
swept away by chill winds
swifts' twilight screeching

we are young but once
time is fleeting
the rest of our days

American Haiku

Paradise


purple-blue hydrangeas
lush full
paradise in my garden
raspberries
go unpicked on the canes
discoloured path

after the rain
one bird, then another
singing the all clear
summer breeze
lilies swaying in the air--
of shakuhachi strains
grey clouds
over the rooftops
sparrows dart
one ice cube
twice the surrender
...endless O mes
-------------
-------
(C) 2011 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
--------------------
last drops -
a bee back
in the lavender

***

dernières gouttes -
une abeille de retour
dans la lavande
morning heat haze
toadstools in the garden
dissolve

Bamboo

green shade -
bamboo stalks
carvings

dappled sun reins over the shady side if street
I stretch my long legs faster and faster

running the neighborhood
I seek summers riches
clouds of purple hydrangeas


July brings hot summer rays
heating my house beyond living
then, I seek my Air Conditioned room

summertime brings lazy days
humidity ruins all

summers clear blue sky's
happen only in June
humidity fill the rest of days
buttercups
brimming
with sunlight
faces to the sun  -
father mother children
daisies
self-seeded parsley
grows through pavement cracks
fish in the shallows
week's end-
plans for a ginko
during the fireworks
late honeysuckle
fills the evening air
sparks from the chimnea
midshift break-
enjoying the sunset
on a coffee run
lupins
open spikes of flowers
strawberries wilt
shift's end-
honeysuckle filled air
slow walk to the car

89-th WHA Haiga Contest
http://fitart.cs.land.to/89TH/haiga89.htm
cherries
turn pink on the tree
impatient blackbirds
summer feast
a lady with emerald earring
walks her chihuahua
humid night
feeling the drop of sweat
run down my back
hot
summer silence
until the wind
finds this last year's leaf and
starts drumming on the asphalt
a bird cheeps
in the rain-cooled air
mint and lavender
at the mall-
dad and son curled up with a book
under the men's socks
toadstools
appear for one day only
poppy seeds
along the meadow path
she picks poppies
more poppies
knowing her childhood
lasts in seasons

Inspired by Monet's Poppies Blooming
evening hedgehog
mouth full of snails
just so
pink cherries
fall unripe onto the grass
sour apples
carrot flowers -
a few stars
between clouds

***

fleurs de carotte -
quelques étoiles
entre les nuages
geraniums
made bright by raindrops
sparrows bathing

Haiga Online, June 2011
I push the trolley
full of mail up Milestone Road
it gets no lighter,
it seems, but a little goes
and then a little more goes


lawn lies still uncut
he sits day dreaming of love
dandelions in seed
early morning fog
puddles at the bottom
of the runoff
lupins
just coming to flower
slugs
splashes
in the garden pond
basking frogs

an apple
once picked long ago
in summer
by her hand
she must know knowledge within
darkness fills the world


Shadorma poem
morning commute
daylilies waving hello
as I park the car
a tinge of blue
on the lavender
cuckoo-spit

Storm Winds

wind weaves through tree tops
the leaves turn up and over
clouds race the dark storm
4:02 AM
birdsong
pierces the darkness
self-seeded poppies
flower against the wall
monks hood
back to basics
my lifeline speckled
in leaf light
birdsong and sunlight
a couple of rabbits bound
in and out of shade
a cluster of snails
lilies trumpeting
with orange horns
Melting iceberg

00.23 AM. The night is young and it's me grappling with a stack of paperworks on the desk while some junk emails await for removal. "You need spam blocker," she says, seeing my grumpy face, again, before my Macbook. She stands from her chair, heads for the bedroom and leaves me with my weary head. "Yeah, I know," I reply but she seems no longer in conversation mode.

My iTunes plays Suzi Quatro's Cat Size at the bottom of the customized vintage rock playlist. I take a sip of my coffee, feel how the sediment roughly slides down my throat, and turn on the room TV for a little distraction. The hotel clock shows 01.26 AM, I straighten my back and stop scanning the channels for climate update on Discovery.

melting iceberg
she's in satin lingerie
digesting Rumi
on the pond
a single ripple
from the fisherman's line
damp air
filled with lavender
cuckoo spit
guiding out of the nest
guiding back to the nest
the towhee father
first light
the coolnesss of the air
flees before the sun
shafts of sunlight
against the dark clouds
a crow's flight
dreaming of melon
sun melting on the skin
a spread of gold leaf
that is how I imagine summer--
and not this Northern drizzle
feathers ruffled
in an unexpected breeze
green plums fall
a blush of promise
on the raspberry canes
white garlic flowers
rose petals
scattered on the path
the cat, stalking sparrows
crystal clear night
nearly full moon undulates
in the pond
walking to the car
honeysuckle fills the air
melting the nights's issues
bees gather nectar
the first strawberries are
sweeter than honey
washed clean of dust
raindrops on the raspberries
the cat, damp
shadows
among the greenery
a flash mob of sparrows
bees on the lavender
a somnambulistic droning
distant monoplane
the coming of summer
laughing girl in a white skirt
rolls on the grass

(from NaHaiWriMo)
warm breezes hold a sweet sadness --
night train
in the pond
a white iris blooms
a blanket of weed
yellow allium
spreads delicate florets
beside the lavender

June comes...
he just got used to
the hydrangeas

(from NaHaiWriMo)
a grey squirrel
darts up a sycamore
dry leaves skitter

June

A longing
dawns pink clouds
a promise
-
En længsel
morgengryets røde skyer
et løfte

Photo: Tavs, Denmark
walking into work
wave of hot humidity
blanketing me
crow
silhouetted against blue skies
the first sycamore leaves
drizzling day--
moon in the sky with
cloudy face


Simply Haiku,Winter 2011,Vol.8,No.3
merry time
children in the open ground
collecting rain

Kokako–13, September,2010
magnolia moon
fukushima needs petals
for everyone's heart



...
I am hoping that current news that the radiation is very minor is true and accurate.

magnolias:

In parts of Japan, the leaves of magnolia obovata are used for wrapping food and as cooking dishes.

In Japan, kōboku, is used for medicinal purposes similar to Chinese medicine, and known as hou po (厚朴) such as for anti-anxiety.


mother's voice everywhere
hummingbird
in a wide August field


longest day
becoming night-- this one
radiant Venus
another hot day
a leaking water pipe stopped
by the jackdaw’s beak

.
Honourable Mention, 14th Mainichi Haiku Contest (2010)
.