Arrow-leafed Balsam Root/Dandelions
dandelion
you roar in silence
queen of quiet
-David Brydges
light drizzle
a gold rush
of dandelions
-Joanna (no last name provided)
mantra
dandelion
seed
– Barbara Anna Gaiardoni
sandy hillside
flowers gleam
balsamroot outshines the sun
– Jaki Sawyer
faces turned
shining on this green earth
like the sun
– Josephine LoRe
under the snow
a sea of yellow
waiting its turn
– Anna Dean
wandering
the forest heavy with spring
buttercups
– Sherry Reniker
icon of the isles . . .
dandelion and burdock
tall, dark, and drink some
– Monica Kakka
Haiku Conversations
We were so impressed with the haiku that we received in the first annual Solitary Daisy Haiku Contest. We wanted to give the winners a little more space by talking about each one over the next few issues.
First Place
dinner for one…
the budding cherry now
just another tree
- Joshua Gage
This haiku invoked a profound sense of loss, where things that used to be important don’t matter anymore. Combined with the symbolic impermanence of the cherry blossom made a very powerful impression. — SQ
The first line of this haiku made me wonder why the writer was eating alone; on purpose, or because of some circumstance. I wondered where we were going with the second line and then suddenly all was revealed with the twist in the third line. The feelings of sorrow and loss, the impermanence, perhaps of life itself, as the beautiful cherry tree becomes “just another tree.” — MR
Congratulations again to Joshua!
Sally’s Notebook
In our last issue, Michele told you our plans for a ginko walk on April 27 and invited those of you who could, to join us. We were so pleased to be joined by several people, for a total of seven walkers! Hopefully, those of you from different areas tried to get out and appreciate nature in your own way. If so, feel free to send us an account of your adventure!
Member News
I found this gem in my inbox courtesy of Charlotte Digregorio’s Blog:
spring cleaning
paw prints of the dog
no longer with us
by kjmunro (Canada)
bottle rockets, #32, 2015
Debbie Strange haiga, as found in Tiny Words:
Isabella Mori has a selection of haiku on Five Fleas Itchy Poetry
Jerome Berglund’s words appeared yesterday on the Heliosparrow Poetry Journal
Upcoming Deadlines, Openings, and Readings
The Pan Haiku Review is open for submissions until the end of May. Please read all the guidelines!
May 25 is the deadline for Zen Peacemakers
The Heron’s Nest is hosting the 12th Annual Peggy Willis Lyles Haiku Award. The deadline for entry is June 1.
August 16-18 is Haiku Down Under. Registration opens on June 1. The program is available, just follow the link.
Submissions are open until May 15 for The Enchanted Garden. The theme is “Childhood.”
Dreamer’s Writing is hosting their annual Haiku Contest. Deadline is May 31.
The United Haiku and Tanka Society’s Fleeting Words Tanka Contest is open now until May 31.
Open now until they are full, Akitsu Quarterly. (Thanks, Michele!)
And don’t forget, the VCBF Haiku Invitational closes on June 1! Still time to write some cherry blossom themed haiku.
This Week’s Prompt
That’s right! We want your frog and/or pond haiku. Send it to sally_quon@yahoo.com or kelownalady@hotmail.com
Also, please feel free to send us your news, links to any good articles or submission opportunities – anything at all, really. We love to hear from you!
“He who creates three to five haiku poems during a lifetime is a haiku poet. He who attempts to complete ten is a master.”
– Matsu Basho
Sally Quon is a disabled poet and photographer living in the Okanagan Valley of beautiful British Columbia, Canada. She is an associate member of The League of Canadian Poets and a member of Haiku Canada. Her work has been published in numerous journals including The Heron’s Nest, Modern Haiku, Frogpond, First Frost, and Time Haiku. She is currently working on her first book of haiku, haibun, and haiga, tentatively titled, “My Valley, My Home.”
Featherstone Creative
Michele Rule is a disabled writer from Kelowna BC. She is especially interested in the topics of chronic illness, relationships and nature. Michele is published in the Asahi Shimbun Haikuist, Pine Cone Review, the Enchanted Garden, Five Minute Lit, Shadow Pond, WordCityLit, and the anthologies F*ck the Patriarchy, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and To Live Here, among others. She is an associate member of the League of Canadian Poets and Haiku Canada. Michele has been awarded honourable mention twice for the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Invitational and also for the Haiku Northwest Porad Award. Her first chapbook is Around the World in Fifteen Haiku. Michele lives in a beautiful garden surrounded by people who love her just the way she is.
Dear Ms. Rule and Ms. Quon,
I hope you are doing well.
I am delighted to read my debut haiku in The Solitary Daisy – Issue 27. Congratulations and best wishes to all poets.
Thank you for your consideration. Best wishes.
Sincerely,
Monica Kakkar (she/her/hers)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicakakkar/