burrowing under
until the sun whispers —
a long silence
Lisa Billa
San Jose, California
dreaming a bear dreaming snow
Nancy Orr
Lewiston, Maine
winter comfort
relying on fat reserves
me too, bear, me too
Tracy Davidson
Warwickshire, UK
rubbing sunshine
into his face, his ears
the chipmunk
Randy Brooks, Taylorville, IL
winter chill
my afternoon siesta
stretches till dusk
Neena Singh, India
sleeper cell
a black bear’s
snowy den
AJ Johnson
Stephens City, Virginia
first snow…
one cub less
in the cave
Martina Matijević, Vidovci, Croatia
the soft
layers of winter
that clouds dream of
Emil Karla, France
snowed in …
I fold myself
into night
Chen-ou Liu, Ajax, Ontario, Canada
sleeping frog
the fog applies
another cover
I recently read that frogs don’t hibernate but are in a state of inactivity during cold winters, resting underground, at the bottom of a lake or underneath leaves. Very interesting that this state is called “Brumation”.
Madeleine Kavanagh
Michele’s Musings
Hello Friends!
Sally and I enjoyed your hibernation haiku so much! I especially enjoyed the little science note that came with Madeleine’s haiku (see above). Sleepy frogs – we never stop learning!
February is Haiku Month and we are happy to present another series of prompts for you to consider. Thanks to everyone who sent in suggestions! You can print out the calendar and hang it on your fridge thanks to our webmaster, Frithjof. A word about prompts: the words you see are mere suggestions. You do not have to use the word in your haiku, although you might want to. Just reflect on it for a while and see where it takes you. Have fun with it and if you miss a day, don’t stress! You can always catch up later. The submission call for the next two issues will be related to these prompts. Please note: submission deadlines have been changed to help us out with the timing for the Daisy. We look forward to reading your haiku!
Happy writing!
Member News
Member News:
After giving it lengthy consideration, Michele and I have decided we will only publish news that is sent to us. Partly because our readership is growing and until we get to know you, we might not recognize your name in the publications we read. Partly because I need to keep the number of hours I work on the Daisy to a reasonable level. Finally, because the news you feel is worthy of sharing is the news that really means something to you, and we want to share your joy. So here is a little news for you, first from Biswajit Mishra out of Calgary, AB.
After a year of almost a hiatus from submissions, I returned to the journals with a haibun “Hoteling” at The Other Bunny and my debut at ‘smohls.’ with two monoku:
mind the depth in it
clearly invisible point of view
Next, we have a bit of news from Belinda Behne, from Clinton, CT, USA
I’ve had my first haibun published
titled “ Roller Coaster Ride “
in Drifting Sands Haibun, Issue 34, December 2025
I have 2 haiku in LEAF 8
between the folds
of the old umbrella
a love note
missing you
I follow
the moon
LEAF Issue 8, December 2025
Congratulations to both Biswajit and Belinda, and thank you for sharing. Keep in mind you don’t have to just share publication news. We’d also love to hear about your creative projects, such as the pieces Valentina Ranaldi Adams and her partner have created for charity events, or the homemade chapbooks, offers to teach, to speak…anything you deem to be newsworthy. We want it all!
Sally’a Notebook
Michele and I spent last weekend on a self-directed, mid-winter writing retreat. For a more robust account of our weekend, you can click on the link here.
As to how it relates to haiku, let me tell you.
Presenting… Haiku Happy Hour. Between 4:30 and 5:30 on the two days we were there, we’d meet at the kitchen table with notebooks and refreshments. (One more excuse for me to make food.)
I brought along Issa’s “The Spring of my Life” and we read some aloud. Then we composed haiku based on the things we’d seen or the photos we took earlier in the day, shared them, and offered suggestions to each other.
It was a fun way to ensure we made time for haiku amid our other writings. Since we returned home, Haiku Happy Hour has remained with me. And I’m thinking, why not? Why not set aside an hour, or even a half hour per day, to reflect on the small moments you observed and tucked away? Why not treat yourself to a special snack or beverage while you write haiku? Even a cup of tea, or hot chocolate with an obscene amount of whipped cream. Our haiku snacks weren’t junk food, but finger food. I’m a huge fan of anything you can fit on a cracker.
If you decide to try this, I hope you will take a few minutes to ensure it’s something special – self-indulgent, even.
You deserve it.
Places to submit
Daisy friend Julie Kelsey has put together a wonderful list of all the places she has ever been published, including here in the Solitary Daisy! It’s organized chronologically, with an asterisk beside the places that are still active. Thanks for the mention, Julie!
Get your haiku in for the Tucson, Arizona, Haiku Hike! Haiku must be in the 5-7-5 format and meet the broad theme of connection. Deadline is February 2nd.
The Haiku Society of America Merit Book Awards are open for submissions until February 15th. If you have a book of haiku published in 2025, you can self-nominate or have your publisher do so.
Frontier Poetry is holding the 2026 (NOT) in Love haiku challenge from February 5th to 15th! Send poems that celebrate the people, places, memories, and things we love to hate.
Poetry Pea is accepting submissions of haiku and senryu in three-line format from February 1st until 15th. They will also have a fun Video Prompt submission period from February 1st to 28th on their YouTube channel!
Haiku Shack is open for submissions on the theme of water. Final deadline is February 28th, but only 50 pieces are chosen so be sure to submit early.
The World Parkinson Coalition Poetry Project invites the submission of poetry, including haiku, in celebration of the 7th Annual World Parkinson Congress. Deadline is February 28th.
Do you write haiku in French? The Haiku Canada Prix Jocelyne-Villeneuve is open for submissions of French haiku only until February 28th.
Haiku Canada’s Betty Drevniok Award for 2026 opens December 15th and runs until February 28th. Find the submission form here.
Literary Revelations is working on a new anthology titled Haiku for Soulmates! If you have a soulmate, please compose five haiku for him or her. If you do not, let your imagination shape five haiku that describe the soulmate you hope to meet. Deadline is February 25th.
Daisy friend Michael Dylan Welch is hosting National Haiku Writing Month over on Facebook. Join poets around the world who pledge to write at least one haiku a day, and keep the writing up with daily prompts all year long.
This Week’s Prompt
Looking at the prompts for Haiku Month, pick one or two and send in two haiku!
The deadline for submissions will be Sunday, February 8th.
Send one or two haiku to sally_quon@yahoo.com or to Michele at kelownalady@hotmail.com. Find our full submission info here. Don’t forget to tell us where you are writing from!
“It’s not what you look at that matters, but what you see.”
— Thoreau
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.
