All haiku in English©Alan Summers 2009



Nollaig Bheag-
some more mulled wine at the pub
before the last bus


dark morning...
the sushi bar opens up
for the train station


art cafe
a security guy hums
the James Bond theme


sunlight breaks
on a bird
and its portion of the roof

hi wa torini yane no ibasho ni sosogi keri
romanized trans. Hiromi Inoue



almost lost
in the shimmer of water
several ducklings

haeos naduea
sa gaigpat-igpat nga tubi
pilang batong buto't pato

Aklanon, the language of Aklan, Philippines
trans. Melchor Cichon


mizu haete hikari ni kasumu kogamo kana

romanized trans. Nobuyuki Yuasa
editor/translator of the Penguin Classics book "Oku no Hosomichi"



gathering dusk
outside the harbourside cafe
a few fishermen's lines



the rain ceases
as I leave the sycamore...
one more kingfisher



Old Possums Book
a black cat licks itself
into its pages



a tension headache
all the different bees work
the lavender bush



quick starburst fireworks
a girl and her mum tiptoe
to try to pick them



summer wind
a sparrow re-rights itself
at the peanut cage



a heavy downpour
the hoverfly goes deeper
into gerbera



red polka dot dress
a child repeats everything
on the local train




new Mars landing -
a small tendril of red dust
shifts from the footfall



a small smoky cat
restaurant el pescado
insists on white gloves



river of stars -
I wave hello & goodbye
to just one blinking



exotic dancing...
a mobile phone's tune
he taps a beer gut



the blue
of the aubergine
a spider is caught
in the netsuke



city cafe garden
a robin pecks at the joints
between the red bricks



the rain
almost a friend
this funeral



Toshogu shrine pines
I try to stay as still -
mist and dew



winter timetable-
a late train leaves behind
half the school trip



an old bag of beer
every snail trail leaves
from all directions



strong wind
the juggler's hand catches
a pocket hanky



a disturbed crow -
maybe we both invoke God
in the small hours



river-side pub
the number of cows change
by the local bridge



fireside stories-
a boy gets a piggyback
through the pub


NOTE: rain and wind are great for haiku!