Haiku Friday

Hosted by Jen at It's a Jen's Life

I write haiku in the Japanese tradition, not counting syllables or always restricting them to a three line form.

Haiku are about images and the five senses, they do not use the poetic devices of Western literature. Read them very slowly, one line at a time, and do not think with your mind, but visualize and engage all your other physical senses. Enjoy.

Here are three haiku that were chosen as winning entries in The Herb Barrett Award anthology Prairie Sunset (2000) edited by Denver Stull.


slow drip
of the garden tap
the sparrows take turns



charcoal
drawing the tree
it was



and just to prove that I can write one in the 5-7-5 rhythm in English:



plum blossoms falling
the gardener softly singing
in my father's tongue



I am happy to announce that winning copies of The Tree It Was will be going to Marie at The Boston Bibliophile and Serena at Savvy Verse and Wit. I'm sorry I don't have more copies for everyone. E-mail your mailing addresses please ladies.

But I do have a spare copy of Through The Spirea, the 1998 anthology of winning poems for the Herb Barrett Award anthology, 36 pages, and edited by Michael Dylan Welch. Followers may enter to win by indicating that they'd like to be included in the draw.

*All of the poetry on this page is copyrighted by Sandra Fuhringer and may not be used without permission from the author. E-mail me.

Haiku Friday

Hosted by Janice at It's a Jan's Life.

I write haiku in the Japanese tradition, not counting syllables or always restricting them to a three line form.

Haiku are about images and the five senses, they do not use the poetic devices of Western literature. Read them very slowly, one line at a time, and do not think with your mind, but visualize and engage all your other physical senses. Enjoy.

Three more of my haiku that were chosen for The Herb Barrett Award anthology Through the Spirea (1998) edited by Michael Dylan Welch:


in the long grass
of the old orchard
surveyor's stakes


and these two recieved Honourable Mention:


winter moonlight
the music box plays
all by itself


midnight rain
the vacancy sign
is turned off


My giveaway of two copies of a The Tree It Was (2002), a 16 page chapbook of my own haiku is still open to followers of my blog. Winners will be announced in this column next week. Rules and entry are here.

*All of the poetry on this page is copyrighted by Sandra Fuhringer and may not be used without permission from the author.

Haiku Friday July 31-09

Hosted by Christina at A Mommy Story.

I write haiku in the Japanese tradition, not counting syllables or always restricting them to a three line form.

Haiku are about images and the five senses, they do not use the poetic devices of Western literature. Read them very slowly, one line at a time, and do not think with your mind, but visualize and engage all your other physical senses. Enjoy.

Three of my own haiku that were chosen for The Herb Barrett Award anthology Through the Spirea (1998) edited by Michael Dylan Welch:


the last basket
of root cellar apples
rain in the orchard


late chores
a pair of moths
follow the lantern


leaves in the wind
the carousel horses
riderless


I have two copies of a The Tree It Was (2002), a 16 page chapbook of haiku that I'd like to give to followers of my blog who appreciate this kind of poetry. I'd be happy to sign them if asked.
Leave a comment indicating that you'd like to be entered and verify that you are a follower. Entry is open worldwide until midnight Thursday August 13. I will announce the winners in this column the next day.

*All of the poetry on this page is copyrighted by Sandra Fuhringer and may not be used without permission from the author.

Haiku Friday

Hosted by Christina.







Haiku Moment: an anthology of contemporary North American Haiku By Bruce Ross Published by Tuttle Publishing, 1993 ISBN 0804818207, 9780804818209, 331 pages

Haiku Moment is the most comprehensive volume of contemporary North American haiku written in English. It contains over 800 haiku by 185 poets.

It contains seven of my poems here on pages 66 and 67.
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This haiku was published in Contemporary Verse 2, a Canadian literary journal that held a haiku competition in Volume 21 No.4 in 1999. It took 1st place:

drifting near willows
the river holds its silence
three eggs of a loon

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This haiku was the winning entry for the Herb Barrett Award in 1999:

from table to table
the cafe waiter
sweeping leaves

* All of the poetry on this page is copyrighted by Sandra Fuhringer.

Haiku Friday

Hosted by Christina.

I began writing and publishing haiku and short articles on Japanese culture in 1981. My personal site at aol was recently deleted (along with everyone else's) after 7 years. It had my prize winning poetry and articles on understanding and writing haiku in the Japanese tradition. But there are a few sites or books that mention my work. Haiku are about images and the five senses, they do not use the poetic devices of Western literarure. Read them slowly, one line at a time, and do not think, but visualize with all your physical senses engaged. Enjoy.

in a backyard
two women folding sunlight
into sheets

Museum of Haiku Literature Tokyo Award 1991

spring
she holds each egg
up to the light

Second prize in the Japan Airlines Haiku Contest 1990

noon light
the stillness of fish
in a heron's eye

First prize in the Jack Stamm Haiku Competition Australia 1999

More of my haiku.
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Recent posts:

Thursday Tea(review of The Blue Fox by Sjon)
Library Loot
Mailbox Monday
"25 Books That Caused a Commotion"
Weekly Geeks 13 (haiku poetry)
Giveaway: The Girl Who Stopped Swimming (until April 19)
Thursday Tea (review of Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf)

* All of the poetry on this page is copyrighted by Sandra Fuhringer.