bonsai in training-
outstretched branches offer
lacy purple blooms

already
dandelion seeds
adrift on the breeze
____________________________________________

HEAT

small shoots pop up
fade soon in scorching sun:
life force humming

spots of blue
between steel-grey clouds
sparrows in the buddleia

Time by the stream-
After winter frosts
Smell of spring

_____________________________________________

Snow in April
pretends it doesn't know
it's spring.

_____________________________________________

Spring thaw.
Looks from a dirt
first grass.
___________________________________________

The Seeds

they plant
the seeds of beauty
to water this wealth
** **

..circa 2010..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram; reaching into the poet's mind
--------------------------------------------------

plant ginko
walking the perimeter
enjoying the breeze

sunrise commute
atop tranformer pole
full moon

diffused light
the warm yellow of summer
dandelions

Flowers of daffodil
In our spring garden---
Smile in life
_____________________________________________

After the long winter
Flowers whispering
To seem music
______________________________________

In forest

May morning -
Ants trample a path
Through the forest

___________________________________________

Going home

After a haiku hike
in Fish Canyon Falls last Saturday

Spring rain

shadowing my steps
cold spring rain
covers my footprints

spring fever
getting my shift done early
to go play in dirt

white cherry tree
an old woman carries
her tortoise

two plumbers working
many sounds but
not a single word

.

over the nettles
where I know I just can't go
Orange-tip butterfly

Orange-tip butterfly:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/wildlifegarden/atoz/o/orangetipbutterfly.aspx


Alan Summers
http://area17.blogspot.com
http://www.bathjapanesefestival.com
. 

_____________________________________________
on the cherry tree
flowers give way to leaves
youth fades

_____________________________________________
pink blossoms
morning prayer in the cold
spring blessings

opening the front door
a full moon greets me

swan
wrapped in sleep -
drifting moon

raspberry canes
nodding in the light breeze
rain clouds threaten

Spring

A round moon
Bird cherry blossom
Tulip buds
_____________________________________________

The end of April

the end of April
snow covers the earth again
incessant birdsong --
___________________________________________

The first flowers

the first flowers
greet arrival of spring
blue forget-me-nots
____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Seductive birds sing
in the frozen landscape
spring's siren song.

dark, sweet life
nestled among the Easter grass
newborn calves

midday break-
a gentle breeze whips by
filled with magnolia

fallen petals
in the gutter -
broken promises

a sparrow peers
from a gap in the brickwork
peacock butterfly flits

Spring

Welcoming spring
The boy runs across a pool
Mother is not pleased

Warm spring

Warm spring -
Song between two starlings
Likely about love

Spring chill

Spring chill
Early to pack winter coats
May be snow again

weekend garden finds-
black grass, orange daisies
and asian cukes

from the rain -
a spring bud topping for
the winter green

scattered showers
leave raindrops on new leaves
rainbows

Spring

By spring brook
The child floated the boat
His wet boots

Cold night

Very cold night
The cat folded tail
round its front feet

April

Green grass in April
Birds begin to sing in trees
Children playing

haiku trail
leading to nowhere
but here

For the complete story please check
my blog HERE

blackbirdsong -
opening the window
to listen.
_____________________________________________

To Sleep With The Flowers

bruised, torn and lost
I am weary of this life
my eyes clouded with tears

I will lie down to sleep
under the new spring warmed earth
to rest, mixing with flowers and time

a light drizzle
clattering into the guttering
a starling's nest

Past nights cold
changes to morning dew
April wonders

sparrows chirp
from a gap in the eaves
tussocks of moss

closed shutters -
last night and this morning
the same bird song

***

volets clos -
hier soir et ce matin
le même chant d'oiseau

afternoon gardening
first rose of the season
ready to bloom

St George's Day
birch catkins dangle
against a pale sky

vapour trails
criss-crossing the blue
cemetery magpies

close your eyes
every scented garden is yours
'tis Spring now, you willed it
** **

..circa 2010
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
-------------------------------

morning commute
suprised with a small clear pacth patch
in the fog expanse

a fox slinks past
the cherries in the garden
speckled with blossom

filled vegetable beds
the promise of summer salads
and some to share

spring cleanup
last letter of my sister
before her death

For my sister Ate Nena,
who passed away last year

carrion beetles
inside the deer skull
- spring cleaning

and come the sunrise
the freshly fallen petals
had vanished

two sparrows
at the bird feeder
last year's honesty

beneath the canopy
of a thickening wood
innocence wanders

blue skies return
only propeller aeroplanes
sully the blue

a week later
garden nurseries filled
with plants and people

flocks of winged seeds
are abandoning their trees,
dry rain pats the ground

drizzling rain
paints the spring greens brighter
puddles of aubretia

once more,
spring slippers abound
as if on cue
** **

..circa 2010
.Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
--------------------------

daily walks resume...
his lean more pronounced
after the long winter

Music of wind
flowers whispering
arrival of spring.

blue tits squabble
over a piece of fruit cake
blue forget-me-nots

Trees in queue
holding colourful paints
greet new guest spring.

Ducks

follow the leader -

swimming in the bayou -

three ducks

_____________________________________________

top of the cherry tree -
two turtledoves shove
the first flowers


***

sommet du cerisier -
deux tourterelles bousculent
les premières fleurs

sunlight
filtered through willow leaves
Honesty blooms

going nowhere

_____________________________________________

a spongy path
under a silent sky
going nowhere

gerald england

midday break
deciding to enjoy the day
by leaving early

In the stillness

of noon, the sound

of a blade of grass

whippoorwill sing
wake her deep sleep
spring has come

dandelions bloom
Gnome is ready to set out
on his motorbike

breeze through the garden
flowers lean
...whisperings

a small tortoiseshell
on a dandelion -
skylarksong
_____________________________________________

no sign of the sun --
the flaming drumsticks of tulips
dot the front garden

Early Embrace

velvety surrender
the comforting embrace
of sunrays
on early springsters
** **

..circa 2003
..Copyright 2010 Spiros Zafiris
..channeled; spirit Ram
--------------------

Forbidden love

the entwined ivy
and blooming rose
reach for the sun
the entanglements
of forbidden love

Sketchbook, Vol. 4, No. 6,
November/December 2009

afternoon delight
all the new plants in their beds
the joy of dirty nails

crisp packet tumbleweeds
fresh-leaved raspberry canes
whipped by the wind

the sparrows flit
the winter-dried thyme
for their nests
-

early ride
fog spilling
over the hilltop

God spoke to Moses
from a burning bush -
flowering Magnolia

Lonely sunrise--
birds flying away in search
for worms in ash

grey and breezy
pigeons on the bird table
chase off sparrows

prepping garden bed
folding earthworms
back into the soil

cherry blossom -
puffs of breath
on the morning air

slanting sunshine
catching all the fresh greens
hatching snails

weekend ginko-
chatting with plants at nursery
to see who gets bought

crumpled leaves
on the hawthorn bush
a shotgun sounds

_

young forest
straight strong trees
two tall kids on the track

a distinct chill
on bare, unadorned limbs
blackthorns bloom

.

small hours of Spring
just the petrol station lights
for some company
.

a lone sparrow cheeps
under a still and leaden sky
potted anemones

back from the beach -
a grain of sand crunches
between my teeth


***

retour de la plage -
un grain de sable crisse
entre mes dents

widower’s first date
her aggressiveness
unsettles his driving
oh how he wishes
he’s ten years younger

Modern English Tanka
Vol. 3, No. 3, Spring 2009

old spice
grandpa's scent
on Easter

Tanka

_____________________________________________

the gentle wind muses
songs of spring to the far-off fields
angel of beauty
visits the land of rainbow
and birds clap flapping their wings

a flush of new leaves
turns willows into limes
yellow gorse

midday stroll
dogwood blossoms
caught in the lawn

slender white light --

magnolia greets the morning

flowering cherries
spread delicate fragrance
blue hyacinths

afternoon chores
making new garden beds
planning pepper patch

Autumn leaves hurry by
give-away
first spring wind

cherry in bloom
the poet sits in darkness
on a wet bench

a dog walker pauses
to admire the forsythia
silent sunshine

.

dark daffodil leaves
a stroll to the train station
to embrace my wife

.

late afternoon
waves of heat radiating
on the blacktop

The excitement

of things trembling on the brink

--of new life

overnight
lawns change from drab to spring green
next door's cat, howling.

spring rain
even Death Valley
is alive with flowers

Haiku Harvest, Vol. 6, No. 1
Spring/Summer 2006

blue lupines’ pale breath
shadows moving over stone—
frail anthems of spring

working in the plant
the scent of magnolias
beckons me outside

a stiff breeze
through the open window
sparrows cheep

fourth watch drive
half moon perched atop
flowering dogwood

Easter morning-
humming my favorites
up the parkway


Easter evening-
eel and edamame dinner
and a musical

bank holiday rain
on rooftop chimney pots
a pigeon coos

Mexicali earthquake

the pool's water rocks
and rolls then overflows
at earthquake's call

We were starting to eat our Easter early dinner in my daughter's house when the rumblings started. Looking at the swimming pool outside, we watched with a bit of apprehension, the water of the swimming pool coming upwards towards the house. Nothing serious happened, however, as we rode the rolling wave for the longest time, which we all felt. We learned later that it was in a magnitude of 7.2 in Mexico near San Diego.

new leaves
on the buddleias
hellebores droop

grey light and old rain
from a hole in the eaves
a sparrow's chirp

Easter Sunday

Easter

What ripened fruit hung
from those dead branches
torn down and planted,
seeded deep into the earth?

What crop will it bring?

after days and days
and days of rain the old men
walk their dogs

clouds congregate,
holding hands over England
grim pansies frown

between the bird calls
within the stillness
I wonder

even the magnolia's
mounds of fleshy blooms
must fall

Kabuki actor
the heavy wax bloom
of the plum

.

Poisson d'Avril
it's raining all cats and dogs
at the wrong station

.

wake up sweet one, wake up
you have been dreaming
this long long winter
rub your sleepy eyes my dear
wake, for the gentle winds
of spring have come

fourth watch
full moon pulsates
through a veil of clouds

prismatic arcs
after the wind and rain
cat-flap rattles

rays of sun

cutting through

ground fog

oak trees shake
but there's no breeze
- shriek of brown-eared bulbuls




look out the school window:
jaywalking umbrellas




morning holds its breath
- magnolia buds




. . . Seoul, ROK
_____________________________________________