welcome to the latest issue of hedgerow. as always grateful to readers & contributors alike. to enjoy #93 simply click on the pdf link below…
hedgerow-93-edited-by-caroline-skanne
with love & kindness,
caroline skanne
founding editor
#93
6
Tag Archives: crow
#44
welcome to #44 of hedgerow. this week’s issue features The Altered Reality Series by august’s resident artist… thanks for this month Debbie Strange! thanks also to the five other poets contributing to this issue & of course the readers. next week we’ll have a new resident artist & hopefully a few new reviews. stay tuned…
with love & kindness.
slow revolutions . . .
the soft clay
of a collapsed bowl
Julie Warther (@JulieWarther) lives in Dover, Ohio and serves as Midwest Regional Coordinator for the Haiku Society of America. (www.hsa-haiku.org). Her haiku chapbook “What Was Here” is available through Folded Word Press. http://foldedword.bigcartel.com/product/what-was-here
3rd Place, UHTS Second Annual “AHA” Awards, 2014
poem published in Cattails, May 2014
setting aside
my reading glasses
I search
for the tree
where the redbird sings
Ken Slaughter has been writing and publishing tanka since 2011. In 2015 he won the Tanka Society of America International contest and had two honorable mentions. He maintains a website: https://tankanews.wordpress.com/ to help tanka writers keep track of submissions deadlines. Ken lives in Massachusetts with his wife and two cats.
Runner-up, British Haiku Society Tanka Awards, 2014/15
poem published in Soft Thunder, 2015
morning drizzle
her pulse
upon my chest
Ben Moeller-Gaa is the author of two haiku chapbooks, the Pushcart nominatedWasp Shadows (Folded Word Press 2014) and Blowing on a Hot Soup Spoon (poor metaphor design 2014). His work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Learn more about Ben at http://www.benmoellergaa.com.
poem published in Undertow Tanka Review, Issue 1, August 2014
thrift store scent
a mint green shirt
missing buttons
Anna Cates resides in Wilmington, Ohio with her two cats, Freddie and Christine. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, and several other advanced degrees related to English studies, and teaches English online for several universities. She is a regular contributor to short form poetry publications, and her first full length collection of haiku and other poems, “The Meaning of Life,” from Cyberwit.net, is now available on Amazon.
Honourable Mention, World Tanka Competition, 2013
poem published in Lyrical Passion Poetry E-zine, October 2013
waking from a dream
I cry out for my sister
the crow also cries
this morning
not a single person
returns my hello —
but oh
the crow the crow the crow
the crow — your departure
the crow — your return
Sister Crow
with your drum and kazoo
flying off to welcome spring
Sister Crow
my only regret —
I never invited you for tea
Zee Zahava edits an online haiku journal called Brass Bell. The next issue will come out on September 1st.
http://brassbellhaiku.blogspot.com/
poem published in Moonbathing, Issue 11, Fall/Winter 2014
The Altered Reality Series by Debbie Strange —
I have a lot of fun enhancing my photographs with a variety of digital techniques. This gives me double the creative pleasure and helps to extend the reach of the original works…
read more about the artist behind the art here —https://hedgerowpoems.wordpress.com/poet-artist-in-conversation/
hedgerow #32
welcome to #32 of hedgerow, featuring eleven poets & artists. a massive thank you to readers & contributors alike. you all bring joy!
https://www.facebook.com/hedgerowpoems
https://www.facebook.com/wildflowerpoetrypress
with love & kindness…
moss spores . . .
my daughter picks a bouquet
for the fairy queen
.
my father calls
from across town —
a rainbow
.
watching boys skip stones . . .
she tosses maple seeds
into the air
Julie Warther (@JulieWarther) lives in Dover, Ohio and serves as Midwest Regional Coordinator for the Haiku Society of America. (www.hsa-haiku.org). Her haiku chapbook “What Was Here” is available through Folded Word Press. http://foldedword.bigcartel.com/product/what-was-here
sweeping forbidden!
a child with a banner
under cherry blossoms
.
a frog on the moon –
the stork deletes
the news
.
my broken biffacals-
I fall in love
at first sight
Lavana Kray is from Iasi – Romania. She is passionate about writing and photography. The nature and the events of her life are topics of inspiration. Her work has been published in: Haiku Canada Review, Asahi Shimbun, The Mainichi, World Haiku Association, Daily Haiga, Heron’s Nest, Frogpond, Eucalypt, Acorn, Ardea, Ginyu, Presence, Traversées and others. She was chosen for Haiku Euro Top 100-edition 2014.This is her blog: http://photohaikuforyou.blogspot.ro
yesterday – sunshine, friends, art, lunch, river
today – low cloud obscures all
pathetic fallacy
Jo Waterworth lives in Glastonbury, UK, where she has been writing poetry for many years. She blogs at jowaterworthwriter.Wordpress.com and has had a pamphlet of short poetry published by Poetry Space of Bristol.
Tom Slagle loves wilderness, wild rivers, good coffee, literature, travel, play, and kindness. A native of Colorado, he now lives and loves in the desert southwest, USA.
a long night
finally the colours
seep into the valley
.
low tide
sunlight ripples
over rippled sand
Simon Hanson lives in rural South Australia relishing the open spaces and distant horizons. He spent a number of years in the philosophy department of Flinders University which he thoroughly enjoyed though he did have a difficult time persuading others that Beauty is an objective feature of the universe and not just in the eye of the beholder.
zoo torpor
a flight of swallows
sweeps over the big cats
.
park scents
the dog-minder’s leads
criss-crossing
.
upside down
she waits
for gymnastics
David Serjeant lives in Derbyshire, UK. He is the current editor of Blithe Spirit, journal of the British Haiku Society. His interests include photography and pottering about (escaping everything) on his allotment. He publishes poetry and works in progress at http://distantlightning.blogspot.co.uk/ He also writes about his experiences with multiple sclerosis at https://davesmagicalbrain.wordpress.com/
nightjar
shadow of birdsong
evaporated dreams
.
the prerecorded blue
sounds of the morning
crow
Mike Andrelczyk is currently living in Strasburg, PA. Also lived in Los Angeles, Ca. and Lewes, De. He likes writing haiku about the ocean, potatoes, moons, plants – mostly little things except the ocean which is huge, and the moon which looks little but isn’t. Follow on Twitter @MikeAndrelczyk.
Caroline Skanne, Rochester, UK, is obsessed with anything wild and free. She is the founder of hedgerow: a journal of small poems. Her book ‘a hundred poems by caroline skanne’ is available from amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/hundred-small-poems-caroline-skanne/dp/1506022944
still pond–
holding my smile
in cupped hands
.
red river–
living in
a changing body
.
heavy rain–
blue sky
under our umbrellas
Robyn Cairns is a Melbourne based poet who shares her poetry and photography on twitter @robbiepoet.
You swallow my soul
Lost rivers run quietly
Through the mouth of you
.
This is a wild song
Out of control and crazy
Still, you dance closer
Sarah Frances Moran is editor of Yellow Chair Review. She has work published in Boston Poetry Magazine, Blackheart Magazine, Crab Fat Magazine, The Bitchin Kitsch, Elephant Journal and more. She resides in Waco, Texas with her partner and two chihuahuas.
Silver Brick Road
for Aly
If optimism is floral, you
are flourishing blooms
exploding pollen that instead
of making eyes water and itch,
eyes are forced to sparkle
and mouths from their corners
turn upward. Flowers with glitter
pollen residue rubbing on your
cheeks and your shirt and
your shoes. He said you really are
as you seem, all forceful
optimism endless like fields
of red poppies across silver brick
roads. You sing a song to calm
the giants from their castle clouds,
they lay at your feet to hear
your lullaby. Love, love, love—
girl, you are as you seem.
Sarah Thursday calls Long Beach, California, her home, where she advocates for local poets and poetry events. She runs a Long Beach-focused poetry website called CadenceCollective.net, co-hosts a monthly reading with one of her poetry heroes, G. Murray Thomas, and just started Sadie Girl Press as a way to help publish local and emerging poets. Her first full-length poetry collection, All the Tiny Anchors, is available now. Find and follow her on SarahThursday.com, Facebook, or Twitter.
hedgerow #29
welcome to #29 of hedgerow, featuring nine poets & artists. as mentioned last week, a new section of the journal called ‘poet / artist spotlight’ is about to be launched, followed by a ‘poetry / art book review’ page. it was scheduled for this week but has been moved forward to coincide with the celebration of the 30th issue of the journal! any updates will be posted at the link below. thanks everyone for your continued support in helping hedgerow grow into a thing of beauty!
with love & kindness…
https://www.facebook.com/hedgerowpoems
https://www.facebook.com/wildflowerpoetrypress
overcast-
she paints the sun
with sidewalk chalk
Gabriel Patterson lives in Las Vegas, Nevada (USA) with his family. He escapes the city’s fast pace by writing haiku.
Debbie Strange (Canada) is a published tanka and haiku poet and an avid photographer. She enjoys creating haiga and tanshi (small poem) art. You are invited to see more of her work on Twitter @Debbie_Strange.
swing… drive…
pick-axe into bare hillside
swing… drive… swing…
to dig a hole to put a tree
drive… swing… drive–
the air is nice
thoughts float light
Mark Kaplon’s short poems have recently appeared in Lilliput Review, the Aurorean, Right Hand Pointing, Frogpond, Ribbons and elsewhere. His chapbook Song of Rainswept Sand is available on Amazon and from Finishing Line Press. He lives in Hawaii, USA.
morning stillness
the warmth of tea
on my tongue
.
from the budding oak
a bird call
then an answer
.
the cat on my lap
cleans his shoulder
then my book cover
Ben Moeller-Gaa is the author of two haiku chapbooks, the Pushcart nominated Wasp Shadows (Folded Word Press 2014) and Blowing on a Hot Soup Spoon (poor metaphor design 2014). His work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Learn more about Ben at http://www.benmoellergaa.com.
slow afternoon
refilling the salt shaker
then the pepper one
Mike Andrelczyk is currently living in Strasburg, PA. Also lived in Los Angeles, Ca. and Lewes, De. He likes writing haiku about the ocean, potatoes, moons, plants – mostly little things except the ocean which is huge, and the moon which looks little but isn’t. Follow on Twitter @MikeAndrelczyk.
palomino field
ripples in the wind,
shivers, shudders, foams,
moves like waves.
golden, flaxen, froth
on sea of grass;
ever-moving yet
forever at rest
Freya Pickard is a cancer survivor, trying to re-discover her creativity after bowel cancer, surgery and chemotherapy. She is the author of Dragonscale Leggings and is currently writing poetry in order to try and get her creative flow to return. Freya blogs at either http://purehaiku.wordpress.com or http://dragonscaleclippings.wordpress.com depending on how she is feeling…
unblinking
one fixed star outstares
the stargazer
Lisa Cherrett lives in north Wiltshire, England, and works as an editor in book publishing. She writes haiku and cinquains to force herself to pay proper attention to her surroundings. She blogs at ‘The poised moon’, lisannie44.wordpress.com.
lightning flash
just for a moment
the crow
.
sure as day
dawn slips into
the rooster’s yard
Simon Hanson lives in a small country town in rural South Australia. Being a bird lover he is alarmed by the cat recently smuggled into the house by the rest of the family who have agreed at his request to plant two trees for every bird it might catch. Much to his surprise he has grown attached to the cat but has decided to up the ransom to three trees.
Burlington, Vermont — June, 2013
out of the rain and into a tea shop
we lunge for the last available table
drop our wet things onto an empty chair
shake ourselves off
the menu is brought by a young man with an old face
he brings a small brass bell, too
we are instructed to ring the bell
after we’ve considered all the tea choices
which are mind-numbingly numerous
we are still dripping rain all over ourselves
not in the best of moods
the day got off to a rocky start
we don’t sleep well in hotels
I’m not wearing the right shoes
your eyes are burning from allergies
but here is the menu
a dense tome devoted to all things Tea
and also, the little bell
it is all so dear and pretentious and exactly what it should be
you order something chilled and milky and sweet
I order lavender tea
we ask the waiter to leave the bell right there
in the middle of the table
in case we just want to ring it again for no reason at all
we stay a long time
you order a second cup of chilled tea
I ask for something different
something that doesn’t taste like drinking a bubble bath
we watch as the candle
(not really a candle —
more like a blob of wax in a small glass dish
with a wick that seems like an afterthought)
burns out
after a while
you look out the window and say
it has stopped raining
later
looking back on everything
I think this was the best hour of our trip to Vermont
Zee Zahava lives in Ithaca, New York (USA) and is the editor of the online haiku journal “brass bell.”
hedgerow #14
welcome to #14 of hedgerow, it is so good to be back! the second issue of the year brings you 14 different poets & artists. as always, grateful to contributors & readers alike, please keep sending in your submissions as well as spreading the word, every effort really counts! if you haven’t yet found our facebook page, please follow the link below. exciting news about the print version will be posted here this coming week — https://www.facebook.com/hedgerowpoems
with love & kindness…
Alexis Rotella
Like me
the moon folded
in half.
Alexis Rotella (Arnold, Maryland, USA) served as Haiku Society of America President in 1984, her famous poem Purple appears in Creative Writing: An Intro to Poetry and Fiction St. Martin’s Press, Teaching with Heart (Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2014).
Peter Wilkin
Galloping away from a murder of crows
Peter Wilkin is a writer, poet & iphoneographer who lives in West Yorkshire, England.
Rachel Sutcliffe
day of your death
flowers at the bedside
shedding petals
.
alone now
the chill in our room
at sunset
.
the first night
without you
star filled sky
Rachel Sutcliffe, from Yorkshire, UK, has suffered from a serious immune disorder for the past 14 years, throughout this time writing has been her therapy, it keeps her from going insane!
Janet Butler
crow wings
across the morning
his hard song
a scratch on tender skies
his shadow grazes your hand
Janet Butler recently dove into the wonderful world of tanka, and has yet to emerge from it.
Carole Johnston
first a wren
then two crows
hawks stand guard
over winding roads
one flies across my path
out of the fog
Carole Johnston lives in Lexington, Kentucky USA where she drives around Bluegrass backroads with a notebook and camera in the front seat, capturing the haiku moment. Journeys:Getting Lost, Carole’s first chapbook of haiku and tanka, is now available for presale from Finishing Line Press. The books will be delivered in February. https://finishinglinepress.com/product_info.php?products_id=2211
Paula Dawn Lietz
my lips cold
upon your white shoulder
a desolate touch
Paula Dawn Lietz ( Pd Lietz ) is an accomplished multi-genre artist, photographer and poet. http://www.pdlietzphotography.com
Janet Qually
caught up again
in your wave of emotion
two hearts pounding
I still enjoy
the escalation
Janet Qually (USA) has been published in several journals and enjoys writing all forms of poetry. She frequently creates computer graphics to illustrate her work.
Julie Bloss Kelsey
walking the labyrinth
with my never-born child
… the call of wildflowers
.
my daughter’s hug —
butterfly wings
around my heart
.
after the play date
glitter in the dust pan
Julie Bloss Kelsey (@MamaJoules on Twitter) just earned her certification as a Maryland Master Naturalist.
Robert Tremmel
INTERRUPTIONS
Legs up and straight
out in front
reading Red Pine’s
commentary on Heart
Sutra, page one-hundred
forty-nine, pondering
anuttara samyak
sambodhi, unexcelled
perfect mantra
siren
at the stop sign
beyond the trees
neither
can be put
into words.
Robert Tremmel lives and writes in Ankeny, Iowa.
Ed Bremson
Ed Bremson lives in Raleigh, NC, USA where he writes poetry, watches movies, erases novels, and makes haiku song videos.
Garima Behal
pistachio shells we split our ways
Garima Behal is a student-poet-writer pursuing her graduation in Commerce, in New Delhi, India. Seeking a great Perhaps, she runs her blog at : http://theseismicscribbler.blogspot.in/
Shloka Shankar
this numbness
begins to thaw
tonight
i undress wounds
of the past
Shloka Shankar is a freelance writer who resides in India. She is the editor of the literary & arts journal, Sonic Boom. (http://sonicboomjournal.wix.com/sonicboom)
Chen-ou Liu
Confession of a Photography Addict
Mary invites me over to her place for an interview. She has her strands dyed every color of the rainbow, and looks much younger than she is. On the wall facing the window, she tacks up a giant photo of herself, composed of many smaller pictures. After taking a sip of iced tea, she starts talking in an unusually deep, husky voice, “I’ve spent ten years on a shrink’s couch, but I still hear him through the wall whispering to me. Every day when I get up and look in the bedroom mirror, I see that man staring back at me. I want him carved off my face…”
Father’s Day
blanked out on her calendar
morning chill
Chen-ou Liu is currently the editor and translator of NeverEnding Story, http://neverendingstoryhaikutanka.blogspot.ca/, and the author of five books, including Following the Moon to the Maple Land (First Prize, 2011 Haiku Pix Chapbook Contest) and A Life in Transition and Translation ( Honorable Mention, 2014Turtle Light Press Biennial Haiku Chapbook Competition)
Chase Gagnon
through candle smoke
I write my poem
with the quill of a phoenix
while my fingers sink
into the gray ash of this life
for warmth
.
among
the dark prophecies
of withered
graffiti,
the cracks
in an empty sidewalk
full
of tiny
flowers
Chase Gagnon is a student from Detroit, who loves staying up all night drinking coffee and writing poetry. His poems have appeared in a number of journals and anthologies over the past two years.
hedgerow #6
welcome to #6 of hedgerow, featuring work from 14 different poets & artists. please keep sending in your work and thanks also for spreading the word, every effort is appreciated! grateful to contributors and readers alike. with love & kindness…
Pat Geyer
tonight the veil is thin once again we dream together
Pat Geyer lives in East Brunswick, NJ, USA. An amateur photographer and poet, her home is surrounded by many parks and lakes and she walks every day to find her inspiration in Nature. She has been published in several books and journals.
North Gregory
North Gregory, Canada
Archana Kapoor Nagpal
end of rain …
in my broken pot of water
the two full moons
Archana Kapoor Nagpal is an internationally published author of four books and three anthologies. Presently, she resides in Bangalore, India. You can visit her Amazon Author Profile to know more about her books and literary contributions.
Seonaid Francis
Night, South Uist
Peat smoke drifts
on the cold still air.
Moonlight silvers the silent water.
We are adrift in darkness,
unmoored in the ocean.
We sail alone
abandoned, but for our history.
Far lights to the west
of other boats.
Seonaid Francis lives in the Western Isles of Scotland, runs a publishing company and is slowly, oh so slowly, learning Gaelic.
Robyn Cairns
a pair of black swans slice the sky
Robyn Cairns is a Melbourne based poet.
Phillip Larrea
Chess Game
A chess match.
Since you’re white,
You move first.
Knights, castle,
Queen lost. King
Checkmated.
No deaths here.
Just pieces
Of me gone.
Phillip Larrea is the author of We the People (Cold River Press) and Our Patch (Writing Knights Press), and hails from Northern California.
Laura McKee
the sweet postcard
propped up
amongst all the mess
all this time
wishing you were here
Laura McKee lives in Bexleyheath, Kent, UK, so she is practically Kate Bush, and likes to twerk in the kitchen.
Veronika Zora Novak
I am the open road
I am the midnight wind
I am the dew laden grass
I am the river flow
I am the forest lush
I am the warmth of fire
I am the coolness of rock
I am the glow of the moon
I am the light of dawn
I am the love song
homeward bound…for a moment
Veronika Zora Novak is simply a daydreamer.
Scott Reid
Scott Reid (Twitter: @apwpoet) lives in Northern California, enjoys photography and nature, and curates the Albany Poetry Workshop
Helen Buckingham
constellations
of pink hydrangeas
temper the dusk
Helen Buckingham has been writing ku for the past couple of decades in Bristol, and has recently moved to Wells, the smallest cathedral city in England, deep in the heart of Somerset.
Sarah Thursday
Unnamed
Write about important things
things that move me
things that crush me
Write about hurricanes
and avalanches
the earthquakes of my soul
It’s the grit beneath
my fingernails
it’s the cartilage in
my vertebrae
I am driven to expose it
to pull it out
hold it up
to the light
I am only the messenger
of all the beauty
underneath the common face
beauty in the unheard voice
I hear it
I draw the letters
to form the words
to give it name
Sarah Thursday is a music obsessed, poetry advocate and documents her antics on SarahThursday.com
Laura Williams
autumn shelter …
a scarecrow’s coat pocket fills
with wren song
Laura Williams has been writing haiku and tanka since 2012. She lives in California, USA. http://www.foralovelything.blogspot.com
Chase Gagnon
if suffering
had a color…
it would be periwinkle
because purple sounds
far too real
only the light
of dwindling candles…
a wooden crucifix
clenched
in cold hands
goosebumps…
your breath, a memory
on my skin
Chase Gagnon is a student from Detroit, who loves staying up all night drinking coffee and writing poetry. His poems have appeared in a number of journals and anthologies over the past two years.
Caroline Skanne
Caroline Skanne, rochester, uk, obsessed with anything wild & free, she is the founder of hedgerow: a journal of small poems.
hedgerow: a journal of small poems 