Haiku

Haiku by John Barlow

still water
only the wing beats
of the circling curlews

the mating chase
of common sandpipers
water over stone

clouded light . . .
ripple crests edge
the egret’s tail

steam rises
over the workmen’s kettle
starling whistles

storm bands . . .
the gathered rooks scatter
this way and that

Haiku by Matthew Paul

     the kestrel’s arc
over the viaduct—
       purple loosestrife

shifting currents . . .
a coot scrambles
to keep mid-river

lifting mist . . .
a flock of knots fans out
across the creek

the western light
dissolves into whiteness—
kittiwake cries

  coastal rain
sweeps the potato field—
       the lustre of crows

Previous publication credits

“still water” Simply Haiku 5:2; “the mating chase” Acorn 19; “clouded light” Commended, Haiku Presence Award 2007; “steam rises” Presence 29; “storm bands” Magnapoets 1; “the kestrel’s arc” moonset 3:1; “shifting currents” Shamrock 2; “lifting mist” Presence 33; “the western light” and “coastal rain” The Regulars (Snapshot Press, 2006).