Welcome to the largest collaborative poem on the internet. This year’s theme, in acknowledgment of the United Nations’ designation of 2016 as Year of Pulses, is Foodcrop Haiku. Please add your poem(s) in the Comment box below, ideally at dawn at your location, but any time that you are able. The timeline for this begins at 12:01 A.M. on April 17 on the International Date Line (which is why it seems to have started the day before, for many of us). Your poem(s) can respond to the “seed” poem:
where culture
begins — a rustic
rice-planting song— Matsuo Bashō (1644 – 1694)
or to any of the poems posted in the Comment box, or you can even start a new thread. You may participate as often as you like. All we ask is that you respond to the theme of foodcrops.
Enjoy!
sowing peas…
the beguiling coo-oo
of a pigeon
rain showing up
the color of
eggplant
— Michael
Green is
a primary color
on the wheel
— Michael
sunset the last tomatoes tinged red
hedgerow harvest
the chatter of sparrows
chatter of us
Musturd field-
Students in row
Drill time
grey day
on the classroom desk
halved pomegranate
Martin,
Good to see you posting your work, I’ve missed you. 🙂
Congratulations on promoting haiku! I’m in the process of moving from New Jersey to Oregon. If you plan to be in New York in the next few months or on the West Coast thereafter let me know and I’ll meet up with you and treat you to a cup of coffee…
I might take you up on that some day, planning to do something in New York, and also might just do SF or LA, miss LAX and that chain hotel opposite the Queen Mary. 🙂
where the apples
used to turn… a robin
redbreast’s song
.
Totem – Yet To Be Named Free Press, 2016
.
Mum along the garden path
her pinny a hammock of mushrooms
.
pinny: apron
sleeps the combine harvester
a moon on every blade
Totem, Yet To Be Named Free Press, 2016
Please imagine a space between the second line of the ku and the publication credit. It disappeared en route.
sunset glow
turning the corn
on the grill
tourist snack
hot spring boiled
black eggs
apple orchard
a scent of the blossoms
in the sauce
Hi Joyce Joslin Lorenson:
Because this one ap*pealed* to me
I heard & share this briefer variation:
scent of the orchid in the apple sauce
in the spirit of creativity
Michael
summer days
a simple meal
sweet corn and tomatoes
morning’s dig
the earthy taste
of vegetable soup
moist clouds
sticky stains
boiling maple sap
all seeds accounted for dawn chorus
Thanks my brothers & sister around the world
“on earth as it is in Heaven”
the last supper was late
night – was salad bar –
all the produce on ice
Easter breakfast —
white eggs yolk-free
and not hard-boiled
hot cakes
heart-shaped
with healthy multi-grain
the orange
in the hands of a child
a grapefruit
over night
a little more pumpkin
disappears
~
Kokako 2011
snowdrift descent
her sticky-rice dumplings
on my mind
~
Asahi Shimbun, 2014
pickled at breakfast
the daikon platter and
my siblings
~
Haiku World Shiki New Year Food kigo jan 2014
a small cold breakfast
makes a joyful noise
snap crackle pop
he smooth talks
his way through breakfast
hairy raspberries
pumpkin pie
still my favorite
birthday cake
queensland blue
the aroma of Mum’s scones
at morning tea
pounding rice…
the rhythm of her hips
his song
…
chopped beets
i wash the knife
of traces
…
biting
into egg rolls, do I tip
the axis of life?
…
cloudy day
in clumps
my cold soup
…
tight lipped
mom brewing her own
spiked beans
…
robois sky
alone she tends
the rattling kettle
By Sydell Rosenberg (note: I’ve slightly edited and reformatted the two below)
still a mystery —
right side? left side?
pizza delivery
swirling leaves —
a bag lady finds a Sukkah
and stumbles inside
The two I posted for Syd Rosenberg run into each other. You will be able to tell where the first one ends and the second one begins! 🙂 Amy Losak
by Sydell Rosenberg (working from memory …and I’ve edited and reformatted slightly)
swirling leaves —
a bag lady finds a Sukkah
and stumbles inside
still a mystery —
right side? left side?
pizza delivery
love triangle
yet another slice
of pizza
in the pizza pan every cut you or me
love triangle
yet another slice
of pizza
in the pizza pan every cut you or me
creme brûlée
his mouth
gaping at me
Failed Haiku April 1, 2016
…
early darkness —
the dough yields its breast
to my hands
cattails, January 2015
Under the Basho my personal best 2015
…
spring rolls…
grandma unwraps
my childhood
The Mainichi Daily, June 19, 2013
Selected by Isamu Hashimoto
…
turtle pond
a girl shares unshelled
peanuts
red lobster–
her prying glance
through the mist
(from among 40 haiku) DailyHaiku’s Cycle 14
October to March, 2013
…
Bilingual haiku in Iluko and English
inururot
a pagay
tedted ti lulua
pulled strands
of rice grain
tear drops
Iluko is one of four major among 87 dialects in The Philippines, spoken in the northern tip and mountains of the archipelago. This haiku summarizes a Filipino belief that even just a grain rice fallen on the ground or wasted on a plate would cause suffering.
LYNX XXIV: February 2009
pea beds
not enough spaces
to bury a secret
…
foraged fiddlehead
what they forgot to replace
in the stew
…
onion peel…
the fragile crackle
of her nerves
…
brown bones
still the flare of
berries
…
the Big Dipper—
rows of corn connect
farm to farm
.
Chad Lee Robinson
.
Runner-up, Contemporary Category, HaikuNow! International Haiku Contest 2010
.
The Deep End of the Sky (Turtle Light Press, 2015)
kitchen garden
as usual, not one pea
reaches the pot
Seed Moon—
with every morsel
a shloka
.
– Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy
– Birmingham, UK
at the back
of the late night bus
whiff of wild garlic
spring woods
the lingering scent
of wild garlic
cauliflower fractals
my brain repeats
itself
dinner for one–
she reheats the
argument
tinywords 14.2
Aunt Zora’s fried okra
on the recipe card
lard spattered memories
.
making biscuits with
mother’s recipe card
I read the oil spots
.
whiff of
onions sautéing
better than cookies
.
a yeasty mess of words
kneaded into a poem
half-baked
.
tang of citrus
painting the air yellow
winter blues
.
after the funeral
a friendship preserved
in mason jars
.
following the cookie crumb trail out of winter
.
on the compost
volunteer tomatoes
pesticide free
.
across the moor
a bitter wind
early lambing
.
stories from Oma
between the turkey
and the pies
.
ripe tomatoes
who knew
red is a flavor
.
after monsoon rains
new rice sprouts —
but still her tears
.
Peggy Bilbro
.
the sound dome of bees
how many shades of color
can a human see
.
Alan Summers
Mainichi Shimbun (7/7/15)
.
.
a red kite whistles haymaking tractors
.
Alan Summers
Muttering Thunder, volume 2 (November 2015)
.
.
seed moon
the other side
of the wind
.
Alan Summers
Frozen Butterfly issue 3 (October 2015)
https://youtu.be/oucEgqMXlm0
.
.
old seed packets
the summer names
of war
.
Alan Summers
Blithe Spirit 25.4 (November 2015)
.
.
wheat fields…
some of the crows change
their colours
.
.
after van Gogh
.
Alan Summers
Blithe Spirit 26.1 (March 2016)
.
.
wasp nest
the boy in a corn field
becomes a maze
.
Alan Summers
Right Hand Pointing (Haiku for Issue 95 (February 2016))
.
cooking with dashes
of compression —
Emily Dickinson
Thank you Basho, for the inspiration. Thank you HF for another great collaborative event.
—
an old argument—
dry beans soften
in the pot
—
aching back—
I bring kidney beans
to the boil
—
earthquake—
checking the expiry date
of the dried beans
—
washing the grit
from black-eyed peas
sleepless night
—
making hummus–
one of Rumi’s chick-peas
leaps from the pot
—
dinner party—
trying to choke down
the lima beans
Thank you Basho, for the inspiration. Thank you HF for another great collaborative event.
I have no idea why my formatting didn’t go through. Will try again here:
an old argument
dry beans soften
in the pot
aching back–
I bring kidney beans
to the boil
earthquake–
checking the expiry date
on the dried beans
washing the grit
from black-eyed peas
sleepless night
making hummus
one of Rumi’s chick peas
leaps from the pot
dinner party–
trying to choke down
the lima beans
well sorry folks…forget that. How did Alan do it I wonder?
Carole
Carole, if you read my posts I just use a period to split things up. 🙂
How does Michael Virga do it, no symbols at all!
Alan
Thanks Alan…a genie fixed it for me. 😉
Carole, I read yours and heard:
cleaning the black eyes:
wound care served to peas
before being served
washing the sleep
from black-eyed peas
his cracker crumbs
when did i start
to notice?
beer sales
in the corridor
glass fiber cable
blind date
not enough spice
in the ratatouille
zen space showcase (summer 2013)
.
corn chaff realising oil as one colour
.
Alan Summers
LAKEVIEW International Journal of Literature and Arts Vol.1, No.1 February 2013
.
.
field of dreams an unborn child’s color isn’t rapeseed
.
Alan Summers
Does Fish-God Know (Yet To Be Named Free Press 2012)
.
.
sunflower heart
the chiffchaff sings
its name
.
Alan Summers
tinywords 13.2 2013 (ISSN 2157-5010)
.
.
epidermal tongues-
she scales my 200 bones
on a banana leaf
Alan Summers
Pulse—voices from the heart of medicine 2014
.
.
The harvest moon–
we try to break through
a hill of silhouettes
.
Alan Summers
Asahi Shimbun (Japan October 2013)
.
.
Father’s Day
a child circles the tree
in his own John Deere
.
Alan Summers
Scope vol 60 no. 4 (Fellowship of Australian Writers Queensland magazine May 2014)
.
.
blue moon-
my sweet potato curry
song to the moths
.
Alan Summers
Scope vol. 60 no. 9 (FAWQ magazine October 2014 Australia)
.
.
corn moon
the jackdaw shifts
its iris
.
Alan Summers
Asahi Shimbun (International Haiku Day April 17th 2015)
.
.
700,000 olive trees remember the butterfly
.
Alan Summers
Bones – journal for contemporary haiku no. 7 (July 15th 2015)
.
roots on earth
with hidden flavours
rape flowers
no last meal desired
her thirst quenched
with the Light
quinoa bowl
all the things still left
to learn
brussel sprouts
the bitter pills we all
must swallow
frost lingers
I clean brussels sprouts
in the kitchen sink
.
Daily Haiku Cycle 20
blackberry picking
blue tongue
empty basket
.
lullaby of rain
another pinch of saffron
in the pumpkin soup
.
Alan Summers
Award Credit: Editors’ Choices, Heron’s Nest (Volume XIV, Number 4: Dec. 2012)
.
.
Silver spoon sugar
the maple moon reflected
in its own shine
.
Alan Summers
Asahi Shimbun (2012)
.
.
green clouds
the scarecrow worries
a loose thread
.
Alan Summers
Asahi Shimbun (Japan 2012)
.
.
Maple moon
Grandmother’s recipe
settles in the pan
.
Alan Summers
Asahi Shimbun (November 2012)
.
.
end of the harvest
a scarecrow
gazing at stars
blustery wind
I dip deep
into the red pepper hummus
ninety years old tomatoes planted today
Awesome
april rain
a smatter of mustard flowers
on the building site
supper cooking—
a wind with storm in it
comes through the wheat
.
Billie Wilson – Juneau, Alaska USA
The Heron’s Nest V:8 (2003)
Quarrels-
Always after the failed
Wheat harvest.
.
tasting green
in a lava breakfast…
the dew falling
.
Alan Summers
.
.
“the dew falling”
after Under Milk Wood
.
Lava or Laverbread is a fantastic Welsh core “crop” food of seaweed containing vitamin B12, iron, iodine etc… initially for hard-working miners, and also people recovering from ill-health.
.
seedlings
on the windowsill –
he tills the snow
kjmunro, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
a short event
packing foodcrop seeds;
lunch and a nap
her last meal
a sip of water with
a smile
first thump
shelling peas
on the back porch
last mourners gone…
I replant your favourite herbs
between the stars
rice planting
not one woman
singing
.
the in-between season
I follow the Mogami River
by riceboat
.
Alan Summers
The In-Between Season (With Words Pamphlet Series 2012)
.
.
the blue
of the aubergine
a spider is caught
in the netsuke
.
Alan Summers
Snapshots Seven (2000)
.
.
into the evening a tractor harvests
willywagtail song
.
Alan Summers
Azami Special Edition (Japan, 1998)
.
.
trampling each other
over pawpaw and mango
chooks & pigs
.
Alan Summers
Blithe Spirit (1995)
.
.
toast & marmalade
I put the buttercup
under my chin
.
Alan Summers
2011 BHS Members Anthology submission ‘gift’
.
.
a burlap bag
full of mesquite beans
my mother’s smile
mice-nibbled sack—
edging closer to
the real
I like the mouse/mice image and the mysteriousness of ‘edging closer to / the real’
Well done, Stella!
Thank you, Roberta!
ripened grapes
the midday sun
closed inside
(Cattails, Spetember 2015 )
the shape the bean left crescent moon
rice field
a woman reaches for
the setting sun
her voice comes
and hovers from distance
over the waters
a glass of water
during the harvest
for everyone
GAENG MUSSAMAN
rangay with Alvin T.Ethington and Melinda Beth Hipple
.
spices in my pot–
cardamom, cinnamon,
cloves, mace, and nutmeg
(AE)
for special guests
I lay the whitest cloth
(ML)
bouquet of plum wine–
hands full as one peanut
rolls out of reach
(MH)
Asian perfumes waft through home
Japanese, Indian, Thai
(АE)
sliced beef and potatoes
steam on the cooker…
mom wipes a tear
(ML)
linen napkins
old stories weaving in midair
(MH)
seedling —
it starts its life
bowing to the earth
harvest time
once more rice farmers
bowing to the earth
Nice riff, Billy! :- )
.
two boys giggle
as he enters the bike shop …
the onion seller
.
Alan Summers
Stepping Stones: a way into haiku (British Haiku Society 2007)
.
.
summer wind
a sparrow re-rights itself
at the peanut cage
.
Alan Summers
Wing Beats: British Birds in Haiku (Snapshot Press 2008)
.
.
yellowing fields
hovering not hovering
the nankeen kestrels
Alan Summers
sundog haiku journal: an australian year (sunfast press 1997 reprinted 1998)
.
.
steak & mushroom pie
my new-found uncle insists
I call him brother
Alan Summers
Blithe Spirit vol. 19 no. 4 (2009)
.
beginner . . .
praying the seed
into the earth
a hope
begins to grow…
to the sky
bean sprout
a tendril caught
in morning fog
boiled chestnuts
in the marketplace
smell of my childhood
.
vernal equinox —
the snow finds a purchase
at the mall
.
Alan Summers
.
a breath smiley
below the astronaut’s nose
fields of world food
.
Alan Summers
.
.
Itadakimasu
love letters on blue paper
to every soul fed
.
Alan Summers
.
.
Kogarashi
the new stamp signature
from a friendly potato
.
Alan Summers
.
.
puff of smoke surveillance cameras supermarket dumped food
.
Alan Summers
.
changing seasons
I make a stick friend
out of potatoes
.
Alan Summers
.
a potato
in its jacket
chasing winter blues
someone says
in vino veritas!
every night
food crops
thirty years after
Chornobyl
thirty years
after Chernobyl –
Monsanto feeds the world
🙁
so somnolent
these lovers of the truth
every morning
hotel breakfast
another spoonful
of westphalian childhood
indian corn
giving thanks
to the unknown god
wind rustling the leaves of tall corn mimics the sound of RAIN!
picking over lentils—
quiet
of the evening hour
green wheat field
in the purple twilight
waving slowly
***
the blue eyes
of the wheat fields;
two cicories
***
at the end of the field
anew liturgy for
the harvest sanctified
***
bringing offer
under the icon of Virgin Mary
a crown of wheat ears
***
drinking together
a cup of sake in the honor
of new harvest
a bowl of gold
in the pot of rice
crackerjacks
at the end
of the rainbow
a bowl of rice
gathering clouds
i wipe the dirt
off the radishes
“dirty carrots”
my hands
full of earth
stuffing
the scarecrow
for the season
like with claus
for the birds
coming to town
sunflower seeds
on the window sill
two sparrows
gray sparrows
in the light of December
the tramp’s face
Summer cardinal
Fledgling cry, red streak arrives
Suckling baby wakes
free trade …
on my compost tomatoes
a handful of flowers
(cattails, January 2016)
eating Cheerios
with chopsticks
Breakfast of Global Champions
:-]
empty lunch box —
a plough leans
against itself
rusted plough
the barley field dusted
with thistledown
the old limb
sags
with a new hive
all the humming
rouses the bear
H o n e y
dark rye …
the sky this morning
and my toast
***
sunset
the burnt hills
lean into the sky
I found the golden egg
to be purple
& priceless
S u n r i s e
honeys the wheatfields
bread of life
an armful
of sweat-scented wheat
gold sunbeams
A Wonderful IHPD to Every One
brewed rice
the push of the press
saké
Cheers in the spirit of creativity – haiku-making
in my dream
the symmetrical lines
of paddy fields
dengue fever
grandma asks for
more lentil soup
lycium –
i forget all low-fat
diets
dry heat–
a seeder churns the dust
into galahs
(Paper Wasp, Summer 2016)
my kitchen garden
overrun with orange pumpkins…
the weight of summer
Wild Plum Haiku Contest, 2015
coffee with a friend
I hand over my gift
of ripe quinces
lost acorn
taller now
the squirrels gone
I mark each day
in the veggie garden
lengthening shadows
the neighour’s peach tree
grows into my plum
sharing flavours
at the ferry
the scent of sugarcane
from passing barges
once again
the scent of quinces
warming the kitchen
spots of sunlight
scent of quinces
in the room
.
Flecks of blue, 2010
quince jelly
a rose coloured memory
of my grandma Ruby
her jar of quince jelly the flavour of friendship
the ruby leaves
of my lettuce garden
autumn sunlight
war memories
mother reminds us
to finish our rice
tired from a day
in the field, I close my eyes
apple blossoms
still: two 1998
vegan….
waiter rolls his eyes
heavenwards
:-]
just plucked –
the apple warm
clear through
Frogpond: XXII: 2.
trekking’s end
never has an apple
tasted better
(Presence 19, January 2003)
tOmatOes On the windOw sill sO red sO plump
Raw NerVZ Haiku VII:2, 2001
immigrant’s song…
the bread turns bitter
on my tongue
sowing corn
behind the farmer
hungry crows
overcast sky
crows digging up
corn seeds
the sweetness
of heirloom tomatoes
city allotment
a pot of basil
under the clothesline
midsummer noon
earthquake
the seed in the child’s
open palm
after the harvest
the duskiness that surrounds
sunflower field
my pole beans grow
rapidly – their willow rods
leafing out too
autumn dawn
the apple tree
ripe with robins
– A Hundred Gourds, Dec 2015
chill wind the smell of roasted sweet potato
the old plough horse
resting
in the far paddock
the rusted tractor
in the brown field
walked-off-farm
before and after the wasteland white butterflies
my backyard
full of butterflies
westringia bush
El Niño
a housing development
where sugarcane was
(published Prospect #5 2015)
smoke haze
over the beach front
sweet sugar town
earthquake-
dripping with water droplets
volunteers make weak tea
****
conversations
with mud splattered survivors
empty rice bowls
****
long rains fall
from one rice seed
thirty stalks grow
*****
harvest moon . . .
the cat’s whiskers sparkle
with grain dust
cattails, January 2014
bumper crop
a grasshopper sky
all that remains
cattails, May 2015
empty chrysalis . . .
the summer snap
of sugar peas
Akitsu Quarterly, Summer 2015
a quiet field
and the loudness
of pumpkins
Prune Juice 14, November 2014
Happy World Haiku Day from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada!
conversations
with mud splattered survivors
empty rice bowls
long rains fall
from one rice seed
thirty stalks grow
earthquake-
dripping with water droplets
Volunteers make weak tea
Sorry the spacing of three different hake didn’t stay after submitting them. Wil resubmit below and try again.
rainy summer
I cut into strips
the porcini
autumn drizzle
the smell of moss
and mushrooms
(Presence 18, September 2002)
ground frost
the gardener
sorts seeds
Bodenfrost
der Gärtner
sortiert Samen
Chrysanthemum – issue 17
–
scented summer breeze
straws of rye sway together
before the harvest
ljum sommarvind
grässtrån vajar tillsammans
innan slåttern
Honourable Mention, the 69th Anniversary of Honourable Matsuo Basho Awards, City of Iga.
–
at the edge
of a round-up crop field
cornflowers
Daily Haiku, Cycle 20.
–
eating daily
dirty rice leftovers
two more meals
left-over dust
on the polished-off
rice bowl
pallid daymoon
the pumpkin vine
withered
Mainichi Hon Mention
Haiku Registry
the hammock’s rhythm –
every day the pumpkins
a little more round
*
– Sandra Simpson
*
Third, Haiku Magazine Contest, Romania, 2011
channel country
a sash of sky
divides a wheatfield
A Hundred Gourds, Issue #52
morning darkness
dollop of butter
melting into oatmeal
winter wheat
after April rains
the killdeer
breaking bread the work of many hands
seeds passing into soil
in the same rhythm with
the work anthem
sowing rice
the young farmer hums
an ancient song
mother bird
my sister-in-law shows me
how to make dhal
eating lentil soup…
in thanksgiving our table
pulsed with gratitude
udad dal idli
the moon on my plate
good morning
crows rise off the corn stalks am I a scarecrow?
rice noodles
our four year old
tries chopsticks
eating the skin of the potato
dirt under
my nails
-Patrick
end of summer
too hard to swallow
grape seeds
(Presence 22, January 2004)
harvesting potatoes
our hands touch
under the warm soil
*
– Sandra Simpson
*
Simply Haiku 3.3, 2005
slowing down to the strobe of corn rows
Monsanto’s harvest
…children of the corn
hold their breaths
peeling back corn husks
if only I could
guess your thoughts
filling bags with corn…
work days are longer
shadows seem shorter
deep in summer’s maize a single blue bowl
*
– Sandra Simpson
*
Good morning from New Zealand.
early spring
vase with flowers
from a store
painted with fruit
biting into the fig
how red
his heart tattoo
*
– Sandra Simpson
*
The Heron’s Nest 8.3 (2006)
first rays
of sunlight – the endless journey
of rice
the day moon hides
in the long swayng grass
we guess
what crop is what
tourist bus
early sunrise
the echoes of
a rice-pounding song
fertility rite
a woman walks barefoot through
pulse grains in the sun
Hi people, a little bit of India to share.
buttered pep-
per in Kattu Pongal
mum’s love
(Kattu Pongal is a Khichdi made with lentils and rice. )
chickens
knock Rabi off wheat stalks
harvest
*Rabi is a word from Arabic and means Spring. Crops grown in Winter and harvested in spring are Rabi crops. Kharif crops are grown during the monsoons.
early potatoes:
just enough weight
to prove they exist
I will post an illustrated version on Sunday at http:www,randomnoodling.com/.
so graciously
filling my wish list—
a bowl of rice
morning fog spreading slices of rye bread with extra butter
evening mist again I forget the boiling pasta
cooking rice
layers of mist
slowly dissipate
distant lightning
after a hot curry
my stomach rumbles
rice under a glass cover
I explain to my son
Earth’s water cycle
wind waves
through the cornfield
thunder resounds
hot green tea
rice paper shutters open
to early morning mist
(an entry of mine in an online kukai years ago)
weetbix
with Vegemite
the safety of childhood
long rains fall
from one rice seed
thirty stalks grow
rice harvest the dance of a dozen scythes
the face of hunger
behind barbed wire
Hunter’s Moon
a partial sunset over the suburbs
the rest is a root
deep under ground
autumn wind
the crow drops a walnut
on my tin roof
what
a
crow
dropped
sinks
the
river’s
darkness
(Daily Haiku Cycle 20)
autumn leaves…
the road winding in fields
of winter wheat
dusty…
miller grinds
his grain
endless wheat fields
how to capture
the larks’ song?
winter wheat
crows answering crows
through the fog
.
Wild Plum 2.1
quinoa sprouts
in the cereal bowl…
spring morning
quinoa in the soup
… again this thought
of worms
🙂
quinoa congee:
just swap water with
rice wine
soybean sprouts
trying to worm
information out of you
shh, Sojamilch
ist verärgert
bittle alle Achtung!
:-]
the ritual
morning cereal
then a long walk
Sorry, but I guess I too was an early bird.
hungry birds
arriving with the dawn –
my new garden . . .
waning crescent
a blackbird takes off
with half a worm
vegan’s breakfast
a half-wiggly garnishes
swiss muesli
as each grape bunch ripens more din from corellas