Natalia L. Rudychev       

     

a light wind... the fox exhales blooms ( published in  Simply Haiku )	dragon cloud            stands still            in the darkening blue            your breath            warms my hands ( published in Ribbons )
downpour... your sandals still run on the lawn while you sip jasmine tea in my room ( published in red lights )	the ant            lost            on a page of Ulysses  ( published in  bottle rockets  )
caress ~ spring wind shapes the sand  ( published in Haiku Harvest )	far away            I awake            to the smell of coffee,            call your name...            and hear my mother laugh ( published in Eucalypt  ) .
on the lake blue heron meets its shadow no words can explain your touch ( published in Wisteria )	autumn leaf            at the root            of emerging bloom  ( published in paper wasp  )
grandma's birthday snowflakes fill the letters carved into the stone ( published in Heron's Nest  )	forty days after            the harvest moon            is too bright            on the rocking chair            I do not dare to move ( published in Presence  ) .
silence shoulder to shoulder in the dark suddenly feel alive gecko across the palm ( published in TSA Anthology )	equinox -            crab apples            half red/half rotten ( published in Triptych Haiku )
lips get closer - harvest moon in his eyes ( published in CLOUDS PEAK )	.    where are you,    Lachesis, where..? will you find me    before Atropos does..?    so thin is the thread    of the oldest of three Kloto ( published in lexicon  )
. wandering through Hermitage parlors I translate the poems put on canvas and carved into stone ( published in Tanka Cafe )	.            indian summer            sparrow in a puddle            plays with its mate ( published in Asahi  ) .
quiet pasture rusty bicycle stuck in the fence ( published in fish in love  )	.            riding lesson            the picture is black and white            but I know            the horse            is red ( published in American Tanka  )
. replacing each other seasons come and go under the moon every step I have taken leads to your door ( published in Modern English Tanka  )	winter deepens -            dry leaf            in the ice on a puddle ( published in Nisqually Delta Review )
after the rain garden boots break the clouds ( published in CLOUDS PEAK )	.             a year after            the ferret stopped dancing            clearing out my desk            I find the receipt            "cremation X-small" ( published in Ribbons  )
.  on this day in May I have nothing to wish for and yet I join your search for the wishing flower on a lilac cluster ( published in red lights  )	seventh moon -                  fireflies                  mirror love ( published in Haiku Harvest  )
doze off doze on the spring goes by ( published in paper wasp  )	.            weeping willow            we've passed every day            is sawed down            I can tell by your face            that you miss it ( published in Modern English Tanka )
. two-day moon cuts through the night leaving a mark on the poem  yet to be written ( published in red lights )	family album -              dry leaves             in a chain link fence ( published in Wisteria )
after the rain cherry blossoms shed drops of sun ( published in Simply Haiku )	.                 on this sunny day             pussy willow             harbors moonlight             how cool is your hand             on my feverish forehead ( published in TSA Anthology )
, just before dawn nine rosebuds rest on the pillow ready to bloom for each shared year ( published in Modern English Tanka )	egg fight             your wish             under my shell ( published in Haiku Harvest )
.  home alone the moon falls through the clouds ( published in Simply Haiku )	.            empty driver's seat...            raindrops            on a young woman's face ( published in CLOUDS PEAK )
.  trace of lipstick -         dry moon        at sunrise ( published in Haiku Harvest )	.  tender side on the stone capless acorn ( published in Presence )
.  cold rain - headlights pierce through the night ( published in CLOUDS PEAK )	.  autumn equinox -       my half empty glass            half full in mom's eyes ( published in Asahi )
.  muddy boots next to slippers of indoor spring ( published in Simply Haiku )	,       eclipse       the crow       lands on the moon  ( published in CLOUDS PEAK )

,

sleepless night                                                             empty house -

withers                                                                         dead vine

drop by drop                                                                  on the porch

                ( published in Mainichi )                                                     (published in Haiku Harvest )

,,m

time to go...                                                                winter solstice

ice on the puddle                                                       the night

gives in                                                                      to share 

                 ( published in Frogpond )                                                         ( published in Frogpond )

k

m

end of the road                                                            my chatter  

suddenly                                                                       your silence

butterflies                                                                  third-quarter moon

              (published in Modern Haiku )                              (published in Modern Haiku )

m

m

Four Seasons of Love

,

trout fishing

on a calm autumn day

brings no catch

just the feeling

that it makes you happy

.

putting your gloves

on my frozen hands

I have the heart

that warmed them

at my fingertips

.

plum blossom

caught in your hair

falls down

when you pick me up

to carry over the mud

.

laying beside you

on a fresh pile of hay

for the first time

I forget to count

the calls of cuckoo

( published in LYNX ) 

.

Autumn letters

 v

red butterfly

the tip of its wing is cut

by razor-blue sky

.

chanting of bells

autumn has dressed in silver

the gold of leaves

.

the scarlet heart

pulsates through the ribs

of naked aspen

,

first autumn frost

sketches the stars

on transparent canvas

.

from sun to the moon

letters with restless rider

dust on the Milky Way

.

I'm lost in the dark

crumbs of the Seventh Moon

feed autumn ravens

( published in lexicon )

.

the poppies

( triptych ) 

.

only the beaks

poke out of the green shells

the poppies at birth

,

so dense is aroma

the poppies in midday fields

the air trembles

,

alas...  i've missed

red butterflies dancing

the poppies' farewell

( published in SP Quill )

.

~~wings of flight~

.

Ophilia 

Ray Johnson

sea somewhere

said last good bye

a parti-colored line

of letter-leaves

is stretched into

the sunset

the verses cover clouds

in close print

Ophelia

the name of primal yearning

for those

who drifting in the stream of ages

create a patch of light

with brush of solar beam

at School of CorresponDANCE

bits of mail

are sent to death

and bear triangle stamp

Ray Johnson

waves form lines for notes

of long-awaited letter

homing-pigeon

pecks one by one

the twinkling lights of night

Ophelia ... Ray Johnson

... wings of flight...

( published in American Open Mike, Volume I )

v

. . . h a n a m i . . .

,

i do miss you

red moth of the heart

beats against the cold lunar lantern

in the time just preceding the light

beating's dying away

and the contours of branches

soften up

gently covered with dust of exhausted pulsations

i do miss you

you know

the morning today

will revive empty garden

while calendar leaps over season

i do miss you

transparent wings grow cold

sun infuses with color

the snowy canvas

i do miss you

the moth turned to crystal and broke

lucky charm

for reverting to children

forever

i do miss you

the branches are heavy with blooms

vernal air is filled with caresses

come and see

i'll present you this morning

a magical plea

to impossible wintery dare

hanami

( published in PEN )

.

Chilly Spring

n

the geese are brawling flying in

the end of winter - snow is weak

the icicles show wicked grin

my dreams are sinister and bleak

,

i see the house - lines are foggy

but smells are making me at peace

with being desolate and groggy

awakened by the brawling geese

,

i see the city - it appears

a bit familiar to me

as if i watch it through the tears

shed by this morning's raining spree

,

the geese are brawling driving out

the dream to which i try to cling

i sigh and leave my silver cloud

of memories this chilly spring

( published in American Open Mike, Volume II )

n

someone lost

.

Dry twigs of placid days are feeding fire,

illuminating stretch of long-deserted shore,

as leaves are dancing night away with shadows,

paced by the tunes of high and low tide.

The wreath of nameless herbs is twined to crown

the halo of the ever-changing moon

that light the line of lonely tanka verses

where sea can't reach the rumpled page of sand.

Beneath the tangled labyrinth of branches,

the path is writhing in the claws of roots

to home where the worn armchair is waiting

to rock the pain of someone lost all night.

( published in SP Quill )

,

In Disguise

,

do you hear

the poems are dying

every step

                  every breath

                                     every beat?

do you see

autumn clouds erasing

from my eyes

                   sky and earth

                                   blue and green?

,

do you feel

I am walking on water

not like our Saviour did

but like a goose

chasing shadows of airborne brothers

flapping wings

that will never cut loose?

,

do you sense

I am freezing alive...

in the puddle 

                 of an empty apartment

down

below

the monitor's ice?

,

don't be bothered

(the poems are dying)

grab rose colored glasses

put death in disguise

( published in Quill & Parchment )

,

The Smile and "Hello, Dear"  

,

I've known her for as long as I can remember. We met almost every day but we both were too shy to introduce ourselves. For me her name was the smile and invariable "hello, dear". She was well advanced in years, slim, and tidy. Her clothes showed signs of wear but the overall impression was very pleasing. We talked only once when my Irish setter ran to her and insisted on smelling her pockets. She did not protest. She was worried and a little confused. She said, "Dear, I don't have any treats just some sunflower seeds". I explained that my dog was fond of sunflower seeds. She gave him a handful. While he was eating I could tell that she was happy because she could afford to treat somebody. I thanked her and we parted ways. Afterwards I could not stop smilimg. Her happiness filled me with joy. I left for college a week later. This year somebody told me that she passed away.

,

the sky clears

rainbow bridges

two riverbanks

( published in Contemporary Haibun Online )  

,

 stardust

,

today 

the sun

enters my door

with a long shabby coat

and a five o'clock shadow

,

on the music box

a squirrel and a hare

go round and round

my thoughts

keep turning to you

,

what if

I where the willow

over your window?

would I see secrets

in the stream of your dreams?

,

the storm

leaves no blooms

on the branches

trembling

I tell you the truth

,

on this cloudy evening

a drizzle

left stardust

in your hair,

my love

,

blackout...

candlelight

makes the room smaller

I never new

how close we are

( published in Modern English Tanka )

  

, 

Images, poetry (apart from Japanese translations) and prose displayed on this site are copyright of Natalia L. Rudychev and must be treated as such.

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