failed haiku A Journal of English Senryu Volume 2, Issue 17 michael rehling ‘Failed’ Editor www.failedhaiku.com @SenryuJournal on Twitter Facebook Page
Cover haiga by: Shloka Shankar & Kyle Hemmings
Cast List In order of appearance
(all work copyrighted by the authors)
Dave Read Shloka Shankar and Kyle Hemmings Antonio Mangiameli Kelly Sauvage Angel Willie R. Bongcaron Rachel Sutcliffe Alexis Rotella Kyle Hemmings David Oates Anna Cates Lynda Stuart Olivier Schopfer Marshall Bood Adjei Agyei-Baah Gabriel Bates Tsanka Shishkova Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo Geoff Sanderson and Pris Campbell Valentina Ranaldi-Adams and A. D. Adams Natalia Kuznetsova
Bruce Jewett Capotă Daniela Lăcrămioara Gergana Yaninska Eva Limbach Richard L Ratliff Garry Eaton Nika & Jim McKinniss Simon Hanson Marilyn Humbert & Samantha Sirimanne Hyde Tia Haynes Michael H. Lester Oscar Luparia Lori A Minor Eleanor DS Mark Gilfillan Henk van der Werff Antonio Mangiameli Zoran Doderovic Steven Smolak Ana Drobot Barnabas I. Adeleke Elisa Allo Marion Clarke Angela Giordano Marianne Paul C.R. Harper
Jack Galmitz Louise Hopewell Rebecca Cowgill Maeve O'Sullivan Debbie Strange Margherita Petriccione John Hawk Madhuri Pillai Diana Teneva Diana Teneva and Zhivko Tenev - Gissen Bryan Rickert José Angel Araguz Carol Dilworth Emmanuel Jessie Kalusian Maria Bonsanti Chen-ou Liu Ece Cehreli John J. Dunphy Adam Rehn Srinivasa Rao Sambangi Eufemia Griffo Elizabeth Crocket Terrie Jacks Lucia Cardillo William Scott Galasso Angela Terry
Kala Ramesh Jay Friedenberg Cynthia Rowe Alawonde Femi Munia Khan Celestine Nudanu Daniela Targova and Radka Mindova Tzetzka Ilieva Matsukaze Ed Bremson Mark Gilbert Lucia Fontana Robert Witmer Elmedin Kadric Tiffany Shaw-Diaz Gail Oare Peter Jastermsky Keitha Keyes Pris Campbell David J Kelly Maria Laura Valente Adrian Bouter Lori Becherer Salil Chaturvedi Hifsa Ashraf Lee Nash
Skaidrite Stelzer Martha Magenta Jim Krotzman Bruce H. Feingold Aron Feingold Angiola Inglese Julie Warther Julie Warther and Angela Terry Helga Härle Nina Kovacic S.Radhamani Susan Burch Theresa A. Cancro Anna Goluba Anthony Q. Rabang Ola Lindberg Debbi Antebi Dottie Piet Sondra J. Byrnes Susan Beth Furst Vessislava Savova Janet Patton Mohammad Azim Khan Jill Lange Polina Pecherskaya Terri L. French
not looking ahead too far autumn fog falling leaves a boy plays catch with the wind I critique the winning poem fire pit ____
Venn Diagram He introduces me to his teacher and I'm shocked by how young she is. She's closer to his age than mine. After we chat a few minutes, I notice him tuning us out. "Adult talk", he later explains, not knowing the breadth of his grouping. tetherball we circle around the middle
On Ice The annual polar bear plunge was cancelled after Skinny Ed got the chills and died in the hospital. A group of us snuck out a few more times, but it was never the same. You know what they say - one case of hypothermia kills the fun for everyone. evening frost only the snowman smiles
Dave Read davereadpoetry.blogspot.ca
Shloka Shankar and Kyle Hemmings
food - my neighbor and the dog the same look Antonio Mangiameli
without you the granola jar only half-empty time-and-a-half perusing the works of Alexis Rotella nightclub loo i reconsider the capacity of my bladder clickbait headline subject and verb disagreeing again cognac sazerac even the sinners want to be in that number Kelly Sauvage Angel
haiku fever... my afternoon visited by spring rain only me... the mimosa folding street cafe... the chef's version of miso soup old pantaloons the sun carries a load of history Willie R. Bongcaron
dusk our shadows depart your last breath after sundown still the day breaks still visiting after all these years moss on the headstone morning haze lasting all day her mind now Rachel Sutcliffe
Alexis Rotella
saving dead chairs that speak only to you A promise made by a mermaid you wear it well Kyle Hemmings
get thee behind me, coffee cake! wait, no, not like that David Oates Wordland Sunday 8pm Eastern on 91.7 FM and 94.5 FM near Athens, GA Streams on www.uga.org
dinner date no show a slow evolution of night men in suits with gospel tracts mocking jay strains chance meeting at Kroger an old friend’s Afro overgrown ___ ALTERNATIVE NEWS Florida, an evangelical church announces a new ministry: washing the feet of prostitutes . . . April rain an earthworm searching too Anna Cates Living Haiku Anthology Page
Possum up a street sign Lost again
Lynda Stuart
power outrage on my welcome doormat an unwelcome salesman breakup night alone with ben & jerry fresh snow toilet paper over the roll spring on the teen's forehead a few more pimples Olivier Schopfer
wind chill factor — I know when my fly is down Marshall Bood
caring wife always washing the money in my pocket after the sex he carried a strand of her hair to his wife after the fight we converse through our kids the street preacher his wild sermon directing every pocket to his bowl slowing my pace this fart that has taken an explosive stance public toilet— masking my fart with the closet flush
firefighter running away from the heat of his wife Adjei Agyei-Baah https://africahaikunetwork.wordpress.com/
visiting hours did I say goodbye long enough? self medication the mirror breaks eye contact returning home the black dog greets me at the door no trespassing sign I walk into a different world ghetto flowers high on each other Gabriel Bates gabrieljbates.wordpress.com
Tsanka Shishkova
tachycardia - at sunday five a.m. my alarm-clock sometimes memories a deep lake - toward morning Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo
Geoff Sanderson and Pris Campbell
Valentina Ranaldi-Adams and A. D. Adams
a week later their cat walks out on her, too... betrayals Natalia Kuznetsova
indecipherable notes all in my handwriting a stranger's gift a new birdhouse my real estate empire flourishes waves to cars his cardboard sign scrawled with haiku Bruce Jewett http://brucejewett.wordpress.com
Capotă Daniela Lăcrămioara
laptops... she and he grow old together in two different cities
Gergana Yaninska
cask strength the pale gold of twilight migratory birds taking the long way home still looking for a reason to stay - tumbleweed Eva Limbach Mare Tranquillitatis
Mental Flashbulbs Daycare in and out Breakfast buddy Richard L Ratliff www.amazon.com/author/richardratliff
old diamond where we lost the final game cows in the outfield a little person rocking with the s-curves metro gnome moving day a cupboard full of classics from K-tel the flock moves over to another stubble field haiku contest the lidded eyes of a great horned owl eighth grade teacher Garry Eaton
Nika & Jim McKinniss
through the doorway the caution of a cat spare ribs, really which ones are you giving up unbeknown last night’s dream slips into the conversation Dad back in your day . . . all 31 797 of them collateral damage all of us Simon Hanson
caught in a lie a pearl earring amongst his luggage frosty night mh valentine's day he offers me money to buy myself flowers ssh fallen leaves crunching underfoot a withered sapling mh your tirade a kick in the guts autumn deluge ssh rising flood breeches the levee my uphill walk mh you mumble... caught in a lie bauble moon ssh
Marilyn Humbert & Samantha Sirimanne Hyde
our first encounter we speak of revelations under a night's sky we lay in bed our feet touch nothing else above his old tv framed tokens from faraway places I weighed myself again mother would be proud Tia Haynes
everything is a weapon sharpen your tongues my mother-in-law dislikes my stir fry I dislike her son Michael H. Lester
listening to Chopin the only thing that lacks her voice Oscar Luparia
bloody tongue the taste of words I refuse to say
Heart of Stone If you ask most women, they would probably compare themselves to a diamond or pearl... maybe even a ruby. I think women are more attracted to those sorts of gems because they're shiny, beautiful, and expensive. If you ask me, I'd say I'm an onyx. On the outside onyx is dark and mysterious, but their meaning runs much deeper than that. If I remember correctly, onyx is Greek for "claw" and its spiritual use is for cleansing negative energy within yourself and healing sorrow. I feel this applies to me because I continuously claw my way out of depression. I have a dark exterior with a deeper meaning to heal myself from the grief. heart of stone the raven escapes my grasp
Lori A Minor
My train crawls. He texts, "Which tea would you like waiting for you?" - English love. Eleanor DS
along the tow-path herbs for sale honesty box...chained walking wayward home full moon on my shoe a chance to look cool making a pig's ear of it Dad kicks the ball back Mark Gilfillan
spring on the tree trunk a lost cat poster frost flowers the moon inside my breath-mark blood tests a water cooler bubbles in the waiting room cold night dancing grebes pull up their collars Henk van der Werff
mosquito - between us the space of a gel Antonio Mangiameli
white-haired heads among the exhibits - antiques fair after the elections a little man still invisible Zoran Doderovic
new neighbors the old dog back on the leash small town grocery store nothing's ever new home run the outfielder learns a thing or two about rose bushes rare blood-type the mosquito knows damn well where to get it !
Steven Smolak
meeting again - as stormy as ever the old waterfall touchscreen - moving away the clouds family reunion - I give them likes on Facebook Ana Drobot
mama's dead shoes of busy friends fill the front porch Barnabas I. Adeleke
studying mood disorders… a sitcom last line I count the syllables and close my eyes Elisa Allo My blog: https://tanzaku.wordpress.com
new leaf I decide to turn over instead wondering about my chances . . . probability exam deforestation report my husband worries about his bald spot morning exercise I flip between tabs on the menu bar
Marion Clarke
our record in the old Jukebox periphery great contagio- the clowns laugh in pediatrics Angela Giordano
memory clinic the lettering on the sign loses its serifs caffeine withdrawal bickering at the drive-thru window flat-earthers what you see is what you get loose leaf tea always trying to read your feelings hunger strike hiding the cat's medicine in her kibble
Marianne Paul
the difference between four and forty fatherhood the pricetag on contentment— please discard C.R. Harper
I'm a blue boy if I had to wear pink I'd spit Easter laid an egg here
Jack Galmitz
empty nest every night an omelet three navy boats play war in the harbour killer whales your cold hands on my warm neck spine tingling Louise Hopewell
end of the affair fresh blossoms for sale mourning dew no second date for the tornado autumn dawn community service for snowdrops crumbling cliffs the sonnet of wild horses Rebecca Cowgill
heated toilet seat -- memories of growing up in a large family deep-fried pork -- I await instructions on how to eat it Star Ferry entrance a grey-haired couple shares a joke
handbag-free no iPhone to count my steps -- beach walk rainforest eco-lodge a British legacy sockets I can use Maeve O'Sullivan @writefromwithin
Debbie Strange debbiemstrange.blogspot.ca @Debbie_Strange
equinox - for graduates party pimples bloom wind and tears - Is an exclamation point the slammed door bitter marmalade - a distracted kiss before leaving Margherita Petriccione
rolling up a fat one supermoon mid-life crisis searching myself for the Cheetoh "stasis" my pencil erases Oh snail, how was Mt. Fuji on the way down? John Hawk
worming tablet... all the ruses to make the dog swallow supermarket a stranger and I weigh our vegan options Madhuri Pillai
blue moon … the curtain flutters between us Diana Teneva
Diana Teneva and Zhivko Tenev - Gissen
daybreak– the junkie's empty stare etched in stone the weightlifter's weak chin searching for enlightenment I find an app school bully– wondering how my kids will fair against his drowning in my beer, too– the fly Bryan Rickert
CAUTION-CAUTION-CAU- this morning’s broken words heirloom tomato falls, bursts into smiles the tension between two buttons the man in the leaves shrugs scatters José Angel Araguz https://thefridayinfluence.wordpress.com/ @JoseAraguz
goldfinches drop seeds food bank for chipmunks I visit after decades only the ghosts have a map Carol Dilworth
a hawk calling a hawk-- by its name a shapely cloud shapes the face of my father when he's angry running out of rinsed clothes -- all the colours of rainbow Emmanuel Jessie Kalusian
retirement -- my dog laps up my leisure drenching rain the wind chimes play for no one car pool even the driver a backseat driver his promise to show me places I’d never seen … criminal court slush puddle all the snowflakes alike Maria Bonsanti
the divide between us white picket fence last shift done leading the way home my shadow divorce talk putting one more sugar cube in my coffee you have affair written all over your face ... taste of spring rain one year after ... my ex half covered in my daydream Chen-ou Liu http://chenouliu.blogspot.ca/
kaymak and honey the charming smell of snow magic wood pinocchio comes alive Ece Cehreli 11 years old
bodybuilder -- oiled muscles glistening in his coffin intersection a man's 'HOMELESS' sign held upside-down street corner an unkempt man peddles flowers plucked from dandelions John J. Dunphy
ordinary pains taking tea at my childhood home playful flickers friendly fireflies distracted by my phone’s screen Adam Rehn @adamrehn
all the way making itself lighter a tear drop old age home her pranayama facing west rosary beads my fingers keep pace with time left Srinivasa Rao Sambangi
a long way to go… my shadow left behind solar panels so many pinwheels in the wind glass of wine all promises fall again Eufemia Griffo
Friday night fish fry finding Nemo burnt offering cooking blunder travel lids circle the globe one sip at a time
Terrie Jacks
singing school on the windowsill a nightingale (Scuola di canto/ Fermo sul davanzale/ un usignolo) Lucia Cardillo
once upon a time the friendly skies pick-up game the many hues of shirts and skins matinee… one of us still hungry William Scott Galasso
no one left who remembers... her story changes sharing his carrot with a pony -- the melting snowman new jigsaw puzzle he puts together a hippo-gator
Dancing Lessons Taking dancing lessons at the House of Leon was a rite-of-passage for 7th and 8th graders in Seattle in the early 1960’s. And it went about exactly as you might expect. The boys stayed on one side of the room and the girls on the other, in clumps, looking at each other, whispering, giggling, looking back at each other. Finally one or two brave boys would shuffle slowly across the floor followed by hoots and whistles from their friends. gliding across the ballroom in her dreams she says yes to the wind
Angela Terry
I'm not going to worry she says ... her body language speaks otherwise when the latest fashion least interests you, you begin to show your age Kala Ramesh
old bookstore a half-hour turns into three summer clouds those years we spent drifting away the nature guide’s never-ending lecture… on creek runoff Jay Friedenberg
skywriting his Peace sign unites two ragged clouds first love the tangled branches of a wild plum roving food truck the homeless man asks for potato with his pie marram grass imprint of him imprint of us
a loud fart... her nonchalant grin works the magic
Alawonde Femi
robotic life- outside his computer he lives with xbox lover's mind- eating cherries reminds him of her Munia Khan Website
outdoor choir practice we sing with the mosquitoes my father's funeral the siblings I never knew planned city the comfort of the homeless under bridges Celestine Nudanu
photo: Daniela Targova, haiga: Radka Mindova
Tzetzka Ilieva
glancing at roses my soul becomes petals while cutting the cake this morning a mischievous thought makes me smile sanzaka camellias and the scent of your anger unfolded clothing a few scribbled senryu on the table Matsukaze @senryumaker
second-hand shirt a little faded like my genes Ed Bremson Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/edbremson Twitter: http://twitter.com/edbremson
stepping from the gym her weight loss carried in a sports bag he talks and talks she twirls a strand of hair around a finger where the plum tree was a BMW parked at an angle corridor conversation same shoes different agendas Mwah! More sound than substance in their kiss …
Mark Gilbert
compassion a driver gifts me the time to park my car alone on a bench in the land of I an i(s)land volcano preadolescent's anger and love
basil in biscuit tins a Mediterranean scent in Iowa I push a broom through moonlight broken glass by the door you didn't close farmhands at noon asleep by the hen house sunny side up Robert Witmer
loosing his crowd the street preacher finds one in his children rifle butt my ass it's simple two fingers and a thumb as hammer for her after war clown school Elmedin Kadric
midday improv Charles Mingus on shuffle spotty internet blowing the dust off life and now a moment of silence... dead cellphone Tiffany Shaw-Diaz
newspaper editorials I head-butt the crease seaside café a napkin on the deck setting sail holiday season pondering the attachments of vacuum cleaners
Gail Oare
The Family Parry Ever accept an invitation to a family party only to find after you arrive that the actual event is a family parry? For those who are not so je ne sais quoi, the word parry means “to ward off, to turn aside, to evade and dodge.” Parrying is a defensive move in Fencing. And who else is better equipped to turn words into swords than family? Now you may think that a family party is a good time to get old baggage off your chest. But, be careful! If you’re really at a family parry, you’d be wise to put something on your chest. Like a shield. The Knight’s chain mail. A chain-link fence, if it’s handy.. Waving my cousin over, I lift my car’s trunk lid, the confusion mixing with wordless glee as he glances down at the 12-pack of Barbasol. We each lift a can of shaving cream from the shadows. It is time to pay the family a visit. plastic cup the spider goes for refuge
Transitions At lunch, he makes the same food choices as the days before. He doesn’t think twice about the raw carrot, and the carrot doesn’t think at all, before it knocks his tooth out. Cleanly, and with a rattle of his senses. That’s how transitions come, he figures. One day, you’re knockin’ out Life. The next day, a surgeon stuffs something back in you. returning the light unopened full moon
Peter Jastermsky
school reunion — all the others, but not me embroidering the truth game of cards — a bid of No Trumps said with gusto brie or camembert — our dog prefers his tablets wrapped in luxury Keitha Keyes
blue moon... Elvis dolls still swivel at Graceland audiologist day... birds sing a different song for you seaside... the gulls and I fight over lunch booming thunder... even my stuffed pup howls in the night Hitchcock reruns... crows gather one by one on the drive-in fence Pris Campbell @priswriter
slam dunk a donut lands in my coffee as the wheels come off again reinventing the axle intra-dermal the botox only skin deep after dinner mint a light workout with flavoured floss
work trip – how gracefully she removes her wedding ring home fighting – my neighbour’s cat refuges at my place zen garden – I trip over a sacred stone Maria Laura Valente My blog: Komorebi (https://marialauravalente.wordpress.com)
the comfort of milk - ku says cow in Dutch first week of spring people you normally would not greet... darkness - as you let the cat out it slipped in salmon run - knowing exactly what you want... goodbyes the size of my shoes near the door Adrian Bouter
rural mailbox the late night delivery of a baseball bat skinny dipping in the strip-mine lake full moon a critique of my English teacher’s obituary annual update to the birthday list deleting Dad Lori Becherer
roof repair half-moon my bed partner chilly morning— the neighbour’s dog stays away village temple— singing to the gods off key
Salil Chaturvedi
arthritis… eggshells crack under my feet Hifsa Ashraf
a glorious day! even the dog shit is fresh Alzheimer's the pomander that I made her crush on my Pilates teacher perfect shell walking into my shadow still single Lee Nash leenashpoetry.com
This series was written on Earth Day and I decided to use my imagination and think about how some of my favorite poets may have written an Earth Day haiku. The series below is the result. Please understand that this was not a strict imitation of these poets’ style or imagery, but rather an evocation or channeling in my own mind of their spirit and influence. Note: Here is a key to the poets: 1) Emily Dickinson, 2) T. S. Eliot, 3) e. e. cummings, 4) Sylvia Plath, 5) William Carlos Williams, 6) Walt Whitman.
1 Earth Day-- this garden -- my Heart-- bows down 2 hollow earth the patient drained immobile 3 mudluscious . . . the rainy rain dropping splashing wonderful i drink it in 4 tulips the earth’s rattling cocoon groans
5 Earth Day I’ve picked the magnolia you probably wanted 6 urging us all to enjoy without limit you and I, we walk together, sniffing the lilacs this day without end Skaidrite Stelzer
eggshells the therapist's wobbly heels her wet tee shirt rock limpets white wedding— the bride shrouded in a cloud of doubt détente — a storm blows down my neighbour's fence aurora borealis crème de menthe on the rocks fresh spring gusts — a large bra lollops on the line Martha Magenta https://marthamagenta.com/
kayaking balanced in the middle of now Jim Krotzman
Sun Gate the to
knees and hands my on crawling
Machu Picchu Nikko tea shop a jelly donut filled with bean paste santuario de Montserrat a Disney line to touch santa Maria Bruce H. Feingold
ashes in my pocket - skiing to his final resting peak Aron Feingold
ripostiglio - un vecchio cardigan dietro la porta storeroom - an old cardigan behind the door fermata del tram- scende da una nuvola l’arcobaleno tram stop- descended from a cloud the Rainbow Angiola Inglese
5:01 the office party breaks up swimsuits optional I decide not to wear my contacts no wake zone . . . an angler's head bobbing Julie Warther
A Near Miss cathedral tour – a selfie with the priest the man-in-the-moon’s smile a bit strained last show of the day the whale’s smooch a near miss the whimper of a puppy in the pet shop window the difference between a house and a home a child’s drawing of his whole family – with flowers and the sun
Julie Warther Angela Terry
check not cashed - his father's last signature playing it louder her favourite song from Sounds of Silence Helga Härle
on the river a wedge of cranes' shadows sailing upstream Nina Kovacic
chocolate my bench mate shifts to last row S.Radhamani
full moon – on the centerfold’s butt something sticky gray be gone – in the mirror I catch him winking neighborhood blackout – a frowny face at every window rush hour – the percolating coffee takes its time Susan Burch
bubble gum stuck to the desk – a pop quiz an acceptance – the tap dance on my iphone dull date – the lady fingers her tiramisu sunflower seeds scattered in the dugout – a ground ball Theresa A. Cancro
At the bus stop He still waits and waits... The snowman Missing my hometown I begin to dig it out Of the snow At the bottom Of empty wine bottle New memories Anna Goluba http://travellingbetweentheworlds.blox.pl/html
morning lecture a mouse sneaks towards the exit unsent love letters mouthful of dark chocolates Anthony Q. Rabang @thonywankenobi http://web.facebook.com/ShortPauses/
siesta right time for nightmares not only the birds a scarecrow in moonlight murmuring water I try to remember how we found each other sweeping the stairs for the morning sun storm is coming tying a double knot on my shoes Ola Lindberg
networking event the conversation I have with myself almost summer on student desks eraser dust foreign friends we compare our kigo end of summer in the empty garden a muddy football Debbi Antebi
wild pitch the batter becomes an s curve my face in the mirror where i left it this morning mendelssohn by moonlight mosquitoes Dottie Piet
stopping at every historical marker spring break cactus bones scattered along the trail— another bag to goodwill spring cleaning i move my bicycle outside white lies the pond scum barely ripples Sondra J. Byrnes
shiny mirror a budgie chatters to his best friend midnight recon the last crumb walks away clouds God's dust bunnies rainy day my grandson puts all of his trucks in a row Susan Beth Furst
red path to the train exit … a girl with roses
Vessislava Savova
Memorial Day Parade--monuments walking holding her daughter's hand, she teaches her to march he closes the book the last page unread Janet Patton
empty baby pram ... grief folded away in the garage glass bangles ... the temptation to count them wild wind ... the temple fire pot burns brighter this morning her obituary - just two lines Mohammad Azim Khan
blank page ... a black ant circles my wrist mama never said there'd be days like ... the last 100 the old journal-- all the changes she didn't make we've just met ... twenty minutes now he's still talking football Jill Lange
heavy snowfall I try to try the same road spring sun I skip the puddle so easily good forecast… my haiku friends everywhere Polina Pecherskaya
Terri L. French (with an assist from her bookshelf)
the way my mind opens sunrise part of a lost generation still on the trail rules of the road the deer and i eye one another
Mike Rehling ‘Failed’ Editor
(all work copyrighted by the authors)
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