|
new moon,
among cherry buds --
a giant star
Go-meifuku-wo-oinori-itashi-masu
(May his soul be in peace!),
Susumu Takiguchi
Oxford, England, UK
|
|
[...] Bob
has become everything . . . and a part of ourselves.
Emiko Miyashita
JP
|
Let us honor our brother
with with our verse. He lives on in spirit.
another poet
returning to the dreams
that bore him
r.wilson
California, US/PH
|
|
rain forecast . . .
yet here is the sun
and a clear blue sky!
naia
Fallbrook, CA, US
(I will miss your small notes and huge heart)
|
not knowing
the man so great
sadness
Carol Sircoulomb
Kansas, US
|
|
early morning
Orion's belt glitters
Above the trees
Linda Robeck
Amesbury MA, US
(I too will miss your words of encouragement!)
|
kyosei-sama,
your burning goes before us
this spring, light years
Debra Woolard Bender
Orlando, FL, US
|
|
poppies wake
hills roll to ocean
breeze returns
jim "max" christ
California, U
|
modern
haiku
one more jasmine bloom
lights up the trellis
paul t conneally
Charnwood, England, UK |
|
lavender sky
a white blossom opened
under the stars
Deborah Russell
Baltimore, Maryland, US
|
Kyosei
sama
a prayer, a wish, and
a thank you
ito
El Sobrante, California, US |
|
after every wave --
over and over his name
inscribed in the sand
an'ya
Oregon, US
|
orioles still sing
hummingbirds keep returning
to the wild plum
Billie Wilson
Juneau, Alaska, US
After reading for the zillionth time his "The Cottage
of the Wild Plum." Because of him, everything beautiful
is more so
|
|
frosty night
watching our prayers ascend
to the giant star
Jim Mullins
New York, US
|
wherever you are
we will remember your words
rest well, dear friend
Betty Kaplan
Aventura, Florida, US
|
|
through fog
a flowering plum blooms
for summer fruit
Gary Blankenship
the Big Wet
Bremerton, Washington, US
|
weak spring
we are still mortal
he is eternal
Zinovy Vayman
RU
|
|
ripples spread
everywhere--
and oh! the music
Mary Lee McClure
Kokomo, Indiana, US
|
flying free -
where truth
needs no words
Lynne Steel
Florida, US
|
|
wing beats
yet the whole sky
blue
Sheila Windsor
Worcestershire, England, UK
|
Here the river bends
into canebreak,
the smell of the sea
Karma Tenzing Wangchuk
Fontana, CA, US
after one by you
|
|
we held as if forever
this giant star, rising now
beside the moon
Carol Raisfeld,
Atlantic Beach, New York, US
|
evening star
in the old poet's garden
daffodils bloom
soji
Fredericksburg, VA, US
|
|
noon sun --
the dead cat fish iridescent
in broken shells
(Modern Haiku XXXII:2)
John Wisdom
Sarasota, Florida, US
|
my condolences
i never met Bob Spiess... but what he
has touched touches me
chibi
Georgia, US
|
|
This March wind -
even in my pain
thinking of him...
Lewis Sanders
Jackson, Tennessee, US
|
Another sunset -
hearing of his death
one raincrow cries...
Lewis Sanders
Jackson, Tennessee, US
|
|
Reading emails-
just as the sun sets
remembering his name...
Lewis Sanders
Jackson, Tennessee, US
A great man is gone. But a great star still shines in
the haiku heavens. .
|
The raincrow silent now-
still the March raindrops
fall and fall...
Lewis Sanders
Jackson, Tennessee, US
I am sad now. I was out in the backyard, and from somewhere
came the cry of one raincrow.
|
|
a lyrebird sings -
this morning the earth feels
upside down
Anna Tambour
AU
|
clouds drift
in the darkest sky -
another star revealed
Kevin Ryan
Charnwood, England UK
|
|
a blustery day
but still the peach blossoms
cling to their branch
semi
California, US
|
sun -
azaleas bloom pink and red
reflecting the wonder
MaryJane Turner
Tucson, Arizona, US
|
|
a new path of light
reaches a star -
only time keeps it distant
Karina Klesko
Louisiana, US
|
For Bob (80 years he lived
with the heart of a child):
morning mist --
sunbeams slanting towards
new growth
Rob Scott
The Hague, NL
|
|
the night sky
tonight
one more star
alan j summers
Bristol, England, UK
one more beautiful human has left us, one more who did
so much for the haiku writing community, with tirelessness
and humility, who did so much selflessly to make English
written haiku a part of world literature.
|
|
tonight
a chilly wind ripples
first starlight
Janice M. Bostok
Dungay NSW, AU
|
spring chill --
an early honeybee visits
the crocus
Tom Clausen
Ithaca, New York, US
|
|
not dying
in each of us
a part of him
Doris Kasson
Belleair Bluffs, Florida, US
|
great haiku
bow ~ from Japan
etsuko
JP
|
|
worldwide --
the moon reflects
a blazing sun
Kirsty Karkow
Maine, US
|
winter stars
a wild goose tucks its head
under a wing
Kirsty Karkow
Maine, US
(Modern Haiku XXXIII:1, 2002)
|
|
on a mound of black dirt
yellow pansies in the wind -
a new moon
Marylouise Knight
Omaha, Nebraska, US
|
news of his death-
in the silence,
call of a distant bird
K. Ramesh
Chennai, IN
|
|
spring night
a distant star
shines brighter
Carmel C. Lively
Yuma, Arizona, US
|
unexpected
thaw
the snow no longer here-
but where?
Dina E. Cox
Unionville, Ontario, CA
|
only now
I come to know...
this gray morning
his name
on the small blue areograms
I walk in the rain
mourning doves
gather in the yard
a shaft of sun
goodbye, good friend
Kim Dorman
Austin, Texas, US
|
|
a turtle shell
turned over in his bed
the haiku he left behind
Randy Brooks
Decatur, Illinois, US
|
yellow star-grass
the old fox slips through
an open gate
Kathi Rudawski
Safety Harbor, Florida, US
|
|
saying our farewells --
a plum tree by the gate
spills flowers
hortensia anderson
New York City, New York, US
|
fallen magnolia bloom --
butterflies bring its scent
back to the tree
Alenka Zorman
Ljubljana, SL
|
|
morning bells-
leaving a periwinkle
at buddha's feet
Stanford M. Forrester
Wethersfield, Connecticut, US
|
weathered cattails
sparrow-song skitters
through the bog
Elizabeth Howard
Tennessee, USA
The Heron's Nest, IV:3,
2002; sent to Bob for his 80th birthday
|
|
slowly fading
sunset and cicadas . . .
cold coffee
Joe Kirschner
Evanstion Illinois, US
|
Garden-in-Woods
the pianissimo of peepers
in semi-darkness
Raffael de Gruttola
Natick, Massachusetts, US
|
|
day of his passing --
an empty canoe
floats by on the creek
Michael Dylan Welch
Foster City, California, US
|
starting out small
this cloud came to fill the sky
with sun-filled whiteness
Paul O. Williams
Belmont, California, US
|
|
sunset
dims to royal purple
chill Spring night
Nancy S. Smith
Athens, Georgia, US
|
tolling bronze bell --
by the cherry trees in blossom
wooden cross
I am extremely sorry that so many wonderful people are
leaving us and our world. In the memory of Robert Spiess/Kyosei-san,
I wrote the tribute haiku above that with respect and
humility I am offering him.)
Go meifuku wo oinori itashi masu
(May his soul be in peace!),
Sonia Cristina Coman
and my parents, Maria and Augustin Coman. Constantza,
RO
|
|
snowstorm
hands resolutely on his knees
stone Buddha
Bruce Ross
Red Deer, Alberta, CA
|
|
cleansing breath...
behind a passing cloud
the first star
Connie Donleycott
Bremerton, Washington, US
|
someone was just here;
wax tears drip below smokeswirls,
and the bed is warm
Stephen Clay Dearborn
Mission, Kansas, US
|
|
the field's evening fog
--
quietly the hound comes
to fetch me home
Robert Spiess
welcome
home,
friend
og aksnes
Tonnsberg, NO
|
the white
on a magpie's wing
falling snow
Jean Jorgensen
Edmonton, Alberta, CA
|
|
- a warm breeze through
pine stands..
long remembered.
Peter Batt
Gaithersburg, Maryland, US
|
|
between two worlds
skylark lyrics
balance on blue
Ernest J. Berry
Picton, NZ
|
autumn leaves
turning to dust
his memorial
Ernest J. Berry
Picton, NZ
|
|
the one seed grown
blossoms to full potential
a million seeds sown
Mary Angela Nangini
Brampton, Ontario, CA
|
goodbye robert spiess
a scattering of stardust
etched in memory
Mary Angela Nangini
Brampton, Ontario, CA
|
|
winter garden ~
the fading cry
of a bird in flight
Marjorie Buettner
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
|
how was it
you spoke about your illness
without our knowing
tonight the edge of birdwings
brush the curve of the river
Marjorie Buettner
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
|
|
Being a fledgling haiku
student I had not had the pleasure of reading
Robert Spiess...until now. The word that comes to mind:
exquisite!
Kate Creighton
New Jersey, US
|
pine crest
a heron points the way
to sunset
Elbert Pruitt
Houston, Texas, US
|
|
a breeze
or something smaller
moving ferns
Peggy Willis Lyles
Tucker, Georgia, USA
(Modern Haiku XVII:1, 1986)
|
a bee deep
inside the flower,
wings at rest
Michael McClintock
California, US
|
|
where there is no tree
a falling leaf
Carolyn Hall
San Francisco, California, US
|
death day--
the white oak finally
yields to a storm
Kathy Lippard Cobb
Bradenton, Florida, US
|
one year subscription...a
gift from your friend
.....................editor...hand-wrote
Eiko Yachimoto
Yokosuka city, JP
|
|
dripping icicles
the ring and tap of poems
from your typewriter
Cindy Tebo
Catawissa Missouri, US
|
fluorescence
...on the ebb tide
the Southern Cross
John Bird
Ocean Shores, NSW, AU
|
|
rocky hilltop
in a pocket of soil
green tips of shooting stars
Winona Baker
Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, CA
(Modern Haiku XXVII:3)
(I heard of Robert’s death
and something the Dali Lama said in an interview came
to mind, “Death is the time when the body and mind go
their separate ways.” I will miss your notes, even the
critiques! Farewell Bob.)
|
gliding
like a fish
you go where the river goes
to the other shore
Margaret Chula
Portland, Oregon, US
|
he's gone
the mist thickens
to fog
Peter Brady
Gatineau, Québec, CA
|
mushy haiku for the old
editor who'd probably say not quite
Marlene Mountain
Tennessee, US
|
|
the white
on a magpie's wing
falling snow
Jean Jorgensen
Edmonton, Alberta, CA
|
highway empty
the sunroof slides across
cloud and one bright star
Jacqui Murray
Brisbane, Queensland, AU
|
|
twilight by the pool
starlings line up
on the roof
Karen Klein
Cambridge, Massachusetts, US
|
western sky
the silence that follows
the setting sun
Gene Williamson
New Jersey, US
|
An
old translation from the Haiku Handbook, rededicated to
Robert Spiess, in his final days:
rowing through
out of the mist
the wide sea
--Shiki, tr. W. J. Higginson
New Mexico, US |
goodbye,
sayonara. . .
lantern in the mist
Zolo
Alton Bay, New Hampshire, US
|
|
In response to his "autumn dusk -" haiku on
the 2002 Christmas card he sent:
autumn dawn -
my arriving too late at the pond,
the geese have flown
Francis W. Alexander
Ohio, US
|
a
hound
searching the field
spring mist
William Cullen Jr.
Brooklyn, NY |
leap and beat their
wings
honkers high above
bill lerz
Hot Springs, Arizona, US
|
|
sounds of the mountain
vanish into the vastness --
no aim for my wandering
Ion Codrescu
Constanta, RO
|
return journey . . .
the wayside ponds
full of spawn
David Walker
Woolhope, Herefordshire, UK
|
|
the Basho hut
in this day and age
P.O. Box 1752
Michael Ketchek
Rochester, New York, US
(This was the haiku I sent Bob for his 80th birthday,
but I think it would also be appropriate as a tribute)
|
moonviewing alone
the moon obscured
by tears
Eileen M. Benavente-Blas
Dededo, Guam US
|
sunset--
a blue light
passes beyond earth
Truly yours,
Melchor F. Cichon
Lezo, Aklan, Philippines
|
|
at the water's edge
two haijins pause
to reminisce
Janet Parker
Florida, US
|
rose petals, butterfly
wings
mountains turned dusty
promises his return.
Linda Louise Creech
Bellefontaine, Ohio, US
|
|
...still
surprising
the harvest
...moon
Steve Addiss
Midlothian, Virginia, US
|
March wind-
rereading an old issue
of Modern Haiku
Garry Gay
Windsor, California, US
|
|
giant century plant died
shining new shoot from the root
spring breeze
Naomi Y. Brown
Arizona, US
|
plum blossoms
falling
in the wind, in the calm
Jim Kacian
Winchester, Virginia, US
The first poem of mine Bob published
|
|
garden tea house
each cup filled
with the valley beyond
Cathy Drinkwater Better
Eldersburg, Maryland, US
|
gothic picket
a red dragonfly soaks in
the day's last sun
Joann Klontz
Swedesboro, New Jersey, US
Modern Haiku XXIX No.2
|
|
a strip of sunlight
through venetian blinds
comes and goes
Francine Porad
Mercer Island, Washington, US
|
spindly in tall tins
offshoots of the 'dead'
flowering plum
Francine Porad
Mercer Island, Washington, US
|
|
ever widening
as one bright camellia falls...
ripples of sunlight
Robert Major
Poulsbo, Washington, US
|
moonless night
old frog
slips into the pond
Mitzi Trout
Roswell, Georgia, US
|
|
Zwei alte Mönche
in der alten Kapelle
in stillem Gebet.
Two old monks
in the old chapel
in silent prayer.
Horst Ludwig
St. Peter, Minnesota, US
|
that blue-eyed poet
slipping away on a spring
morning
just as the gate blows open
a glimpse of daffodils
Joyce Maxner
Pennsylvania, US
|
|
march wind
the sun rises above the trees
Martin Gottlieb Cohen
Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, US
|
reflection of a new star
in the pond
as nightbirds call
Doris Pearson
Jacobson, MN
|
early morning snow
covers his grave
he is so soon gone
Jim Applegate
Roswell, New Mexico, US
My sympathy to his family
for their loss. Bob was the first major editor
to publish my haiku and I am very grateful for this
and the excellent Modern Haiku magazine.
|
|
light on wings -
an eagle climbs higher
beyond the darkness
Carmen Sterba
Kamakura, JP
|
...ink
on paper . . .
......white petals in the
wind
Leslye Layne Russell
Redding, California, US
|
|
haiku from his hands
filling furrows of pages
always a harvest
John Elsberg
Arlington, Virginia, US
|
spring evening
knowing a new moon
is behind the clouds
DeVar Dahl
Magrath, Alberta, CA
|
|
half-moon night -
picturing a face
I've never met
Alice (piper) Frampton
Delta, British Columbia, CA
American Haibun and Haiga,
Vol. 2, "Stone Frog"
|
pointing to the dawn
over the far horizon
he goes before us
Alice (piper) Frampton
Delta, British Columbia, CA
|
|
letter from a new friend-
death notice instead
we had no chance to meet
Adelaide B. Shaw
Scarsdale, NY, US
|
fading
sunset
the pear tree scatters petals
in drifts
Lori Laliberte-Carey
Tucker, Georgia US
|
|
A chill in the air --
the great oak dropping acorns
on the wooden bridge
Anita Wintz
Idyllwild, California, US
Modern Haiku Vol.XXXIII,
No.1 Winter-Spring, 2002
Your teachings like the
acorns will grow.
Your haiku like the great oak will endure.
Thank you, Bob, for being such an honest, sensitive mentor.
|
|
from your generation
I miss you...
Love,
Ellen G. Olinger
Oostburg, Wisconsin,
US
|
Distant temple
bell
Even this foggy night
So clear, so clear!
Bob was special. I wish I'd met him in person. Condolences
to all his family.
Sincerely,
W.J. Illerbrun
Canada
|
So kind and helpful, the words and comments of my first
rejection slip, hand written, and so precious now.
song of the leaves
torn downwind now
sorrow spins with them
a leaf has fallen -
from the forest floor
new life emerges
I'll walk now
the brook and the birch
I wish you could join me
those busy hands
are quiet now
but listen -
such applause!
Craig McLanachan
New Zealand
|
The world has diminished today because of his leave-taking.
In Memory of Robert Speiss
I try haiku and submit
21
each centered on a white sheet
In the SASE
he admonishes
me
to please save some trees. . .
and accepts 2
Sincerely,
Hannah Dillon
Eugene, Oregon
|
OVERHEARD
(an experimental haiku sequence)
for Bob Spiess, in memoriam
Turtle to snail:
Come along with me
little brother . . .
Butterfly to orchid:
Would you mind if I tried on
some of your perfume?
Cicada to cricket:
Ah, glad you're here! It's almost time
for the shift to change . . .
Goose to goose:
Don't you feel a slight chill
coming on?
Owl to who?
Who goes there?
Who? Who?
Ty Hadman
Sacramento, California, US
|
|
sun between clouds
the last red cyclamen
finally opens
Ferris Gilli
Orlando, FL, US
...As we mourn his passing,
we can celebrate his life and what he taught us, and we
can celebrate the love of nature and good haiku that we
have shared with Bob.
|
darkening
sky
in the tall grass
just one firefly
Angelee Deodhar
India |
(for Basho and Bob -- sent
for Bob's 80th birthday)
beyond the ocean
he is riding on the snow
by the same moonlight
André Duhaime
Canada
|
|
opposite sides
of the bay window . . .
crane fly and full moon
naia
Modern Haiku Vol XXXII No1
California, US
|
clouds break--
a moon-watcher floats
on the river
Mark Brooks
Temple, Texas, US
Modern Haiku Vol XXXII, No 3
|
|
Though in the stillness
of the eternal now, we know the movement called time wherein
all, excepting truth, changes. That which passes away,
also precedes us. And that which goes, yet leaves itself
behind in some way, changed again, becoming at once both
old and new...
smooth stones
the coolness of water
held in their shapes
Debra Woolard Bender
Orlando, FL US
Haiku published in The Heron's Nest
Volume II, Number 12: December, 2000
|
|
cold drizzle . . .
this morning's work is trivial
when I compare it
to the last few plum petals
still floating in the birdbath
Christopher Herold
Washington, US
|
last night
feeling the brush of
invisible hands
how envious am I now
these clouds drifting toward you
Marjorie Buettner
Minnesota, US
|
