World Haiku Series 2022 (2) Haiku by Alan Summers

World Haiku Festival 2002

In September, 2002, World Haiku Festival 2002 was held in Yūwa of Akita City, Akita Prefecture, Japan.

James W. Hackett, Susumu Takiguchi, Alan Summers, Carmen Sterba, Dennis M. Holmes, Janine Beichman, Bruce Ross, 孫順玉, Janine BEICHMAN, Daniel Gallimore, Judit Vihar, Visnja McMaster, Deborah Russell, Debi Bender, Brian Selby, David Barsky, Kirby Record, Katsushi Wada, Matsuko Teraoka, Ikuyo Yoshimura, Eiko Yachimoto, Minako Noma, Kazuhiro Kudo, Tatsuhiko Taira, Hidenori Hiruta, and the other haiku poets participated in the festival.

L-R standing: Matsuko Teraoka, Deborah Russell, Alan Summers, Daniel Gallimore, Susumu Takiguchi, Debi Bender, Matsuo Basho (statue), Judit Vihar, Bruce Ross.

L-R seated: Brian Selby, David Barsky, Visnja McMaster

Alan Summers’ Travelogue

In January 26, 2010, Alan Summers kindly sent his travelogue to the Akita International Haiku Network.

Please check out the sites below, and you will be able to appreciate the travelogue.

https://akitahaiku.com/2010/02/27/

https://akitahaiku.com/2010/03/06/

5 haiku from his travelogue

in-between seasons

the tsukutsukubõshi buzz

of “not yet Autumn”

秋来ぬにつくつく法師もう鳴けり

Toshogu shrine pines

I try to stay as still –

mist and dew

東照宮の松我も静かに霧と露

in-between season

I follow the Mogami River

by riceboat

秋近し米の船に乗る最上川

Shin-Akita

a present of haiku cards to play

on the long train journey

新幹線秋田

長旅楽し

俳句カードのプレゼント

Tokyo Bullet train –

only three corners

to my bento box

東京行新幹線

角三つだけ

駅弁に

Dennis M. Holmes’ Memory

On January 25, 2010, Hidenori Hiruta received the first mail from Mr. Holmes through Facebook:

Hi,
Did we perhaps meet at the World Haiku International Conference, 2002, held in Yūwa Town, near Akita? I attended as part of the World Haiku Club.
I enjoyed the area very much. It was September but the fall colors were not yet full. There were many red dragonflies, (akatonbo), as I recall.

Sincerely,
Dennis M. Holmes (my haigou, “chibi”)

Our friendship renewed then.

He really loves Japan and Haiku.

Please check out the site below, and you will find how Dennis enjoyed haiku.

https://akitahaiku.com/2010/04/03/

5 haiku by Dennis M. Holmes

Golden Rice ―
Open the lunch Box
From AKITA

弁当に艶やか秋田こまち米　 　

Her eyes
Light up the AKITA
Moon

彼女の目秋田の月に輝けり　　　

Please-please
Red dragon fly stay
On the fox shrine

赤とんぼ来い来い狐のお社に　　

Following
The slope of hills
Fields of flowers 

山陵に沿ひたる坂の草の花

Wild chrysanthemums
I will roll on
Its path

どこまでも野菊の道を歩きけり

Dennis also presented a photo of cherry blossom-viewing during his another trip to Japan.

6 shahai/photo haiku and 4 unpublished haiku by Alan Summers

Shahai/photo haiku and the single line poems are very meaningful, ingenious, and expressive.

We sincerely hope that they will get more popular and more universal in the future.

About the following Posting

The Akita International Haiku Network is also going to introduce Japanese haiku from the following posting on, if possible.