I stumbled on to Haiku poetry in 1980 thanks to the translations made by R. H. Blyth. Since then I have searched other haiku poets throughout history. My haiku are written in the modern style, sometimes incorporating season words but rarely maintaining the 7-5-7 syllable structure found in Japanese language haiku. Some of my favorite poets include Basho, Onitsura, Chiyo-ni, Buson (also for his haiga) and Cor van den Heuvel. My poetry has been published in magazines, as Kindle e-books, set to music and used as tools for improvisation by theater groups.
My current favorites
I couldn't stop laughing
so my worry and suffering
packed up and left
suddenly the heart of the city
in a flash in the distance
the snail arrives a drum falls
my consciousness
and its infinity
meet for lunch
doubt your doubts just a minute
until well, I...
they speak to you gently here you are
to tickle a fly
with only one hand
while whistling
I couldn't stop laughing
so my worry and suffering
packed up and left
suddenly the heart of the city
in a flash in the distance
the snail arrives a drum falls
my consciousness
and its infinity
meet for lunch
doubt your doubts just a minute
until well, I...
they speak to you gently here you are
to tickle a fly
with only one hand
while whistling
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Multi-lingual haiku poetry
English The pansies smiling and winkling wait to be taken seriously German Die Stiefmütterchen lachend und zwinkernd warten darauf ernst genommen zu warden French les pensées souriantes et aguicheuses attendant d'être prises sérieusement Latin Violae (tricolors) ridentes et nictantes exspectant ut animadvertantur |
The roses in all their elegance only want to play die Rosen in all ihrer Eleganz möchten nur spielen les roses dans toute leur elegance veulent juste jouer rosae elegantia sua excellentes tantum ludere volunt |
take a breath of silence now take another one did you hear that? nimm einen Atemzug von Stille jetzt nimm einen weiteren hast du es gehört? prends une bouffée de silence maintenant, prends-en une autre as tu entendu ça ? sume spiritum silentii sume iterum alium audistine id ? |
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English
despite the obstacles despite the suffering I am what I will become German trotz aller Hindernisse trotz allen Leidens ich bin was ich werde French malgré les obstacles malgré la souffrance je suis ce que je vais devenir Latin cinctis impedimentis neglectis cinctis laboribus neglectis sum ego quod fiam |
I didn't notice the flower so it screamed at me and we both burst out laughing ich bemerkte die Blume nicht deshalb schrie sie mich an und wir beide brachen in Gelächter aus Je ne l'ai pas remarqué la fleur donc elle m'a crié et nous avons tous deux éclaté de rire florem non animadverti itaque me inclamavit tum ridere coepimus ambo |
German translations by Gertraud Hofmann
Latin translations by Rudolf Hofmann
Thank you both !