#78

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Caroline Skanne

welcome to #78 of hedgerow. this week features artwork by Paula Dawn Lietz. as always, grateful to contributors & readers alike…enjoy!

with love & kindness,

caroline skanne
founding editor

unread books
are piling up
beside the bed
dunnocks carry twigs
nesting under the hedge

making supper
my heart sitting
on that hill
writing poems
above Quaker bones

I am trying
to learn to live with pain
the way I live with slugs
not running over them
but taking another path

After decades of living in the States and Canada, Joy McCall now lives in her birthplace of Norwich, England, growing older but not much wiser.

dawn chorus
call
and response
and response
and response

Patti Niehoff (Cincinnati, Ohio USA) lives in southwestern Ohio with her husband and cats.

blackbird
choosing
which apple
to peck

Christina Martin has been writing poetry since as far back as she can remember. She lives in West Wales in the UK where she takes much of her inspiration from the sea and her natural surroundings. She also paints.

fairy princess
a missing tooth smile
as bright as her tiara

tabernacle lamp
the warm red glow
of sunset

Simon Hanson lives in Queensland Australia, grateful for another day . . .

wind chimes-
the rocking chair
starts without me

Steve Smolak lives in Herrin, IL, Usa. He reads, writes, and studies haiku daily.

chiffon strap
the immodesty
of moonlight

gas flare
the midnight sea
awash in light

Dave Read is a Canadian poet. His work can be found on his blog, davereadpoetry.blogspot.ca.

paper boats
sailing through a puddle
in the refugee camp

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, 2014 Turtle Light Press Biennial Haiku Chapbook Competition)

the art is this issue was brought to you by Paula Dawn Lietz —

Paula Dawn Lietz is as well a multi-genre artist and photographer specializing in digital media. Lietz has garnered an impressive range of credits working with various publishers and authors, and revels in the creative energy generated within the artistic and literary community…

more at —

http://www.pdlietzphotography.com

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/picmoi

http://twitter.com/Paula_d_Lietz

#71

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Caroline Skanne

welcome to #71 of hedgerow. thanks everyone for making this a beautiful place. the art in this issue was brought to you by Anita Virgil (please find her bio at the end of this issue). enjoy!

with love & kindness,

caroline skanne
founding editor

a heated debate
each calls the other
the other

Ian Willey is a sociolinguist and English teacher from Ohio now living in rural Japan with his wife and three children. He believes that senryu have great potential not only as an art form but also for political and cultural satire, and hopes to see their popularity spread.

no sound to this...jpg

haiku: anita virgil
photo: chad gurchinoff

my train of thought
interrupted by the news –
two ideologies
coming down the track
in opposite directions

seeking shelter
in a cold, bare room
he curls up
on the wooden floor –
blue moon in the window

he wants to know
what’s on my bucket list –
suddenly
this desire to eat an apple
from the inside out

Susan Constable lives on the west coast of Canada, where she’s been writing mainly haiku and tanka for the past ten years. She is currently the tanka editor for the online journal, A Hundred Gourds.

spring afternoon. LIVE.jpg

haiku & art: anita virgil
haiku first published in roadrunner issue V3

her tiger lilies
blooming
in the back garden …
she shifts a card
in her game of solitaire

Anne Curran is a Japanese verse forms poet who lives in Hamilton with her cat Misty. She loves to write and to be happy doing creative things. She has lived many lives but thinks that to be a small time poet is her most magical pastime.

haiku: anita virgil
photo: jennifer v. gurchinoff

haiku first published in world haiku review;
reprinted as a haiga for haigaonline

Rumours of War

Down the back of my throat trickle sorrows.
They are not mine: martyr-dust –
pollen in the arms of the wind.

In sleep I burn on sun like a golden plate;
men have dead-branch arms; minds burst
showering red confetti.

Anchor-like, axe blade reflects the waves;
orange beacons and grey waves,
– the blood of the sea.

Ruth Asch is a poet by night, mother of four and sometimes teacher by day. She published a book of poems Reflections in 2009 (St Austin Press, available at amazon). She loves to translate foreign language poems into real poetry in English and hopes to bring out another book of her own in the not-too-distant future. Originally from London (UK) she is now living and working in Spain.

TASTING MY TEARS...4X6CR.COCHIN8PT.LOWERCASE.jpg

tanka first appeared in MET v2n1, 2007.

tobacco stained
and scarred —
why would you let
these calloused hands
caress you

as if I wasn’t
here at all
the cold
spring wind
cuts through me

moaning the blues —
in time
each blossom must fall

Paul Smith is a poet from Worcester in the UK. Alongside poetry Paul enjoys Japanese style ink painting, building cigar box guitars and playing old time blues.

oh tell me that again....jpg

ekphrastic poem: anita virgil
photo: chad gurchinoff

the art in this issue was brought to you by Anita Virgil —

Anita Virgil, USA, was introduced to haiku by William J. Higginson in 1969 and was a member of the original three-person Committee on Definitions for H.S.A. with Harold G. Henderson. President H.S.A.1973. Several collections have been published since 1974. Two new ones appeared in October 2015 and the latest, in February 2016. Essays, haiku, senryu, tanka, haibun, haiga, many podcasts for Haiku Chronicles and interviews of her are online.

#70

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Caroline Skanne

welcome to this week’s issue of hedgerow. thanks to contributors & readers alike, you make this a beautiful place.

thrilled to announce the latest title to be published shortly by wildflower poetry press — BETWEEN HERE AND HOME A LIFETIME by Mike Keville. you can reserve your copy NOW by sending an email to wildflowerpoetrypress@gmail.com. as always 10% of any profit will go to a wildlife rescue.

BookCoverPreview mike keville. front crop

https://www.facebook.com/wildflowerpoetrypress/

with love & kindness,

caroline skanne
founding editor

downsizing a boxful of bonsai pots

march sun
a small box
of raisins

Meik Blöttenberger was born in Baltimore to German immigrant parents. He is currently living in Hanover, Pennsylvania and in a decade will be retiring to the high desert of Arizona. His other passions are photography and traveling.

moonlit path;
my fingers catch on
a cobweb

a stray ticket
found in my coat;
museum trip

Darling Harbour lights;
the fire eaters’
convention

Tanvi Velankar is a teacher who lives in Sydney, Australia. She has been writing haiku and senryu for three months now and draws inspiration from her travels, the nature in her local area, and everyday objects and experiences.

Good Friday the 13^th
the cats’ triangle formation
at my door

Francis “Wes” Alexander is a prolific writer who submits his manuscripts while listening to T-Bones Prime Cuts on Saturday nights. His stories and poems have appeared in numerous publications, including the most recent edition of Scifaikuest where he is the Featured Poet. His cats are pleased to be mentioned in the current ku.

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Mike Keville from London AKA Mikeymike.

a moment of silence
for the piano
I never learned to play

Elizabeth Alford is a college grad with a B.A. in English and a PhD in caffeine addiction. She lives in California, USA with her loving fiancé, mother, and two dopey dogs. Her favorite things include yerba mate, sushi, loud music on long drives, staring at the stars, and short poetry. Follow her poetry adventures @ Facebook.com/ElizabethAlfordPoetry

antique saddle
in hay and shadows
barn swallows

Anna Cates is an award-winning short form poet and writer who lives in Ohio with her two cats and teaches English and education online.

spring equinox
a sparrow dips its foot
in our new birdbath

moss blanket
comfort of knowing
nature embraces us all

Christina Sng is a poet, writer, and artist. Visit her online at christinasng.com.

#69

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Caroline Skanne

welcome to #69 of hedgerow. as always, grateful to contributors & readers alike! the art in this issue was brought to you by Debbie Strange. read more about her here (https://hedgerowpoems.wordpress.com/poet-artist-in-conversation/). thank you & enjoy!

if you missed this last week–

wildflower poetry press will be publishing a new title called ‘wild voices: an anthology of small poems & art by women’. if this is something that appeals to you, you can find the guidelines here —

https://wildflowerpoetrypress.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/call-for-submissions/

https://www.facebook.com/wildflowerpoetrypress/

with love & kindness,

caroline skanne

founding editor

crack by crack
the sound of spring
on the pond

somersault
not the words
I was expecting

first thaw
a single shoot bathes
in sunlight

Rachel Sutcliffe, from Yorkshire, UK, has suffered from a serious immune disorder for the past 15 years, throughout this time writing has been her therapy, it’s what keeps her from going insane!

ides of March
celebrating the return
of buzzards
.

midday drift more and more of me slows the river

Julie Warther (@JulieWarther) serves as Midwest Regional Coordinator for the Haiku Society of America.

thelengthofmyshadow
thelengthofmyfathersshadow
spring day

Emmanuel Jessie Kalusian is a young haiku writer from Nigeria. He is the co-founder of Africa Haiku Network.

Ice Wine_1.jpg

Blossoms of Mock Orange_1.jpg

Wild Horses_1.jpg

these poems by Debbie Strange previously appeared in The Bamboo Hut Press in 2015.

In memory of my first husband

chill drives
away the lingering birds
his body
so shockingly shrunken,
my prince of lost dreams

blackbird
already in flight
the worst part
is not being able to say
words he’ll now never hear

love letters
fading in the chest
tomorrow
the flag will fold over
memories of ‘Nam’

cradle moon
fading near daybreak
i wonder
if he rode it last night
for one last farewell

he slides
through a slice in time
a soft touch
halts tears, shows me hope
in the afterglow of absence

Pris Campbell, of West Palm Beach, FL, U.S. , writes both short forms and free verse. Both have been published widely. A former Clinical Psychologist and avid sailer, she was sidelined by ME/CFS in 1990 and now leads a far quieter life.

dormant buds
on the fingertips of branches
the moment of hope
before I leave
darkness behind

spring cherry branches the promise of pink

Kat Lehmann (Connecticut, USA) is a poet and a scientist who enjoys exploring the grandiose captured within the minute. Her full length poetry book, Moon Full of Moons (2015), describes the personal transformation of finding happiness after sadness. Visit her on twitter (@SongsOfKat).

the faintest hint
of a breeze
among the blossoms —
that’s how I imagine
your lips against my skin

I’ll hold you
in my heart
if not
in my arms —
spring moon

Paul Smith is a poet from Worcester in the UK. Alongside poetry Paul enjoys Japanese style ink painting, building cigar box guitars and playing old time blues.

#63

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Caroline Skanne

welcome to a new issue of hedgerow! thrilled to announce that ‘Manic Dawn’ by Carole Johnston is now available from amazon (please find link below). you can visit wildflower poetry press (link also below) for further details about our titles. thank you for your support! the art in this week’s issue comes from the editor’s archive… enjoy & thanks everyone for making this a beautiful place.

with love & kindness.

caroline skanne

founding editor

https://wildflowerpoetrypress.wordpress.com

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1518731309

new. cover

love’s sweet song
plays over and over
as I slip
into the ocean
of her eyes

I’ve laughed
& loved
& died
a thousand times…
snowdrop breeze

Paul Smith is a poet from Worcester in the UK. Alongside poetry Paul enjoys Japanese style ink painting, building cigar box guitars and playing old time blues.

a tight line
of ten birds undulating
the twilight—
i have no name
for what I feel for you

Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy is a psychiatrist from Bengaluru India, living in England. A trained vocalist and a composer in Indian Classical Music, he writes in several languages. His haiku, tanka, Haibun and haiga have been published in reputed journals and anthologies and won prizes. He is the proofreader for journals Cattails and Skylark.

listen…
flowers speaking
to hearts

Ed Bremson lives in Raleigh, NC, USA, where he writes poetry, watches movies, and celebrates Happy Hour daily.

last farewell
the train whistle cuts through
our silence

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, 2014 Turtle Light Press Biennial Haiku Chapbook Competition)

scan results
his arms cradle
my fears

#62

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Caroline Skanne

welcome to #62 of hedgerow! this week features ‘audio haiga’ by Sandi Pray, alongside work by five different poets. thank you for stopping by!

with love & kindness.

caroline skanne

founding editor

her dream-catcher gift
in the glass cabinet so
it won’t get dusty

solitude —
you count every window
in the fresco

John Martone, poetry projects at: http://www.scribd.com/john-martone-2968
www.johnmartone.com

climate change
at the mouth of the bay
hammerheads

winter moon
concrete lions guard
the driveway

inlet fog the chaos of crows

sitting at her desk
in grey polo and jeans …
heady days
of intellectualism
and unfettered youth

Anne Curran is a Hamiltonian. She has been writing haiku for about three years now. She has enjoyed some fantastic mentoring along the way, and remains in admiration of many haiku poets, in particular New Zealand poets.

lunar eclipse the shadow of our former selves

Matthew Moffett lives in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, with his wife and two kids. He thanks you for reading his poems!

pills on the floor …
the bed still holds the shape
of her body

the audio haiga in this issue was brought to you by Sandi Pray —

a wild child who roams between mountain and marsh in North Carolina and Florida,http://ravencliffs.blogspot.com.

#58

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Caroline Skanne

welcome to the first issue of december! this months resident artist is Paula Dawn Lietz. if you enjoy the art showcased in this issue, please pay a visit to Paula’s website (http://www.pdlietzphotography.com).

thanks to everyone for turning up week after week, readers & contributors alike, you make this a beautiful place!

with two more issues to go before taking a short winter break, submissions are closed. stay updated by following on twitter or fb —
https://www.facebook.com/hedgerowpoems/
https://twitter.com/hedgerowpoems

with love & kindness,
caroline skanne
founder / editor

skipping stones my heartbeat emerges from the lake

Matthew Moffett lives in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, with his wife and two kids. He thanks you for reading his poems!

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simplicity
in the way of wild daisies
honey bee
sipping nectar eye to eye
we toast—arms intertwined

Marilyn Fleming was born and raised on a farm in Wisconsin. She has a special interest in oriental forms of poetry.

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hands outstretched to a moon half full

autumn breeze
the part of you
that never leaves

Julie Warther (@JulieWarther) serves as Midwest Regional Coordinator for the Haiku Society of America. (www.hsa-haiku.org) Her most recent venture involves the installation of 30 haiku stones as part of the Holmes County Open Air Art Museum in Millersburg, Ohio. (http://www.innathoneyrun.com/successful-grand-opening-ceremony/)

moon brew–
penning poetry
in the pub

Robyn Cairns is a Melbourne poet who has a passion for the environment and is constantly inspired to write about the beauty of nature and also her local industrial landscape. She can be found on twitter at @robbiepoet where she shares her poetry and photography.

a friend from the old neighborhood —
I call it “the old country” —
reminds me of what it was like, our childhoods

living under the same roof with dozens of other families
each behind its own apartment door

the connecting walls so thin
you’d hear a stranger sneeze

how safe it felt
how dangerous
anonymous togetherness

the collective inhale/exhale

the way we avoided eye contact in the elevator

Zee Zahava lives in Ithaca, New York. She edits brass bell, an online haiku journal.

in the space
between the words
you and me

thirteen days I haven’t noticed a 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.

the art is this issue was brought to you by Paula Dawn Lietz —

an accomplished published poet. She is as well a multi-genre artist and photographer specializing in digital media. Lietz has garnered an impressive range of credits working with various publishers and authors, and revels in the creative energy generated within the artistic and literary community…

more at —

http://www.pdlietzphotography.com

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/picmoi

http://twitter.com/Paula_d_Lietz

#47

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Caroline Skanne

welcome to #47 of hedgerow! this month features art by Sandi Pray. if you enjoy her work you can find more here — http://ravencliffs.blogspot.com. grateful to contributors & readers alike!

with love & kindness.

searching for a monster
the MRI zaps
my head into slices

evening sun
the horse tugs
at a hay bale

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/

heavy fog
the distance
between us

unsent letter
all her anger
sealed inside

late again
your shadow
even later

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’s what keeps her from going insane!

birdsong editing my dream diary

here and now nettles

night sounds larger this super moon

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

a nest
in the bare maple
foreclosure sign

dollhouse
at the thrift store window
a cold moon

the curve
of her hip

a bend
in the river
that flows

beneath
his hands

Mae is from Hampshire in England, she writes short poems to capture the memories of time spent with the people she loves.

the art in this issue was brought to you by Sandi Pray —

a wild child who roams between mountain and marsh in North Carolina and Florida, http://ravencliffs.blogspot.com.

#44

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Caroline Skanne

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

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/

#42

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Caroline Skanne

welcome to #42 of hedgerow. this week features the watercolour series by august’s resident artist Debbie Strange, along with work by five different poets. thanks everyone for being here.

with love & kindness…

brook song
the forsythia’s
first yellow buds

at the muddy end
of a walking stick
wild oats

Anna Cates resides in Wilmington, Ohio with her two cats, Freddie and Christine, writes. 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.

poem published in Acorn, Number 34, Spring 2015

Winnie the Pooh country
we cross paths with
a woolly bear

David J Kelly lives and works in Dublin, Ireland, where he finds scientific and artistic inspiration in the natural world.

poem published in Atlas Poetica, Number 20, February 2015

no more than four, the girl half-skips,
half-dances down the store aisle

her tiny feet spring up and down
in perfect time to the fairylike tune

she sings, the words grow softer,
soft, now a whisper as I pass by

Mary Kendall can often be found in her Chapel Hill, North Carolina garden, tending plants, feeding birds, watching dragonflies and playing with the dog. She meditates and writes there as well.

poem published in GUSTS, Number 21, Spring/Summer 2015

faded maps
all the adventures
we shared

steaming tea
the warmth
of friendship

Honourable Mention, Haiku Canada Betty Drevniok Award, 2015

mother shucks peas
with grandmother’s hands…
winter sunlight

light blows across the bay a cormorant

Joanna M. Weston. Married; has two cats, multiple spiders, a herd of deer, and two derelict hen-houses. Her middle-reader, ‘Those Blue Shoes’, published by Clarity House Press; and poetry, ‘A Summer Father’, published by Frontenac House of Calgary. Her eBooks found at her blog: http://www.1960willowtree.wordpress.com/

poem published in A Hundred Gourds, Issue 4:2, March 2015

The Watercolour Series by Debbie Strange —

I am drawn to the serenity of watercolours. These original photographs were digitally manipulated in order to create painterly effects…

read more about the artist behind the art here —https://hedgerowpoems.wordpress.com/poet-artist-in-conversation/

hedgerow: a journal of small poems

Tag Archives: poetry

#78

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#69

#63

#62

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#47

#44

#42