Haiku by Ben Grafström
1.
late autumn
picking mushrooms in the damp forest—
enough for a feast!
2.
winter has arrived!
in the glow of the streetlamp
snowflakes shimmering
3.
the forest covered in snow—
from the fjord below
a distant foghorn
4.
joyful laughs & screams!
frozen for winter,
the lake becomes a playground
5.
hibernal darkness
waiting for solstice to come
and the warmth it brings
6.
joyful winter day—
skaters on the lake,
twirling with the falling snow
7.
St. Lucy’s feast day!
with light and song
the medieval church comes alive
8.
walking in the winter wood
in the night sky
a distant star twinkles
9.
walking home on icy streets—
Christmas lights sparkle
candle flames flicker
10.
the time of year for
baking cookies, wrapping gifts—
Christmas approaches!
11.
cold winter morning!
the sound of scrapping shovels
up & down the street
Bio
Ben Grafström lived in Japan for 13 years—10 of those years as a professor of Akita University.
He has been interested in haiku since 2009, when he spent one month retracing Matsuo Basho’s journey of the “Oku no hosomichi.”
During that trip he began studying the language and philosophy of haiku more deeply and had the opportunity to meet with haiku poets and Basho-enthusiasts all along the trail.
Ben was an active member of the Akita International Haiku Network, acting as a judge and organizer of their annual international haiku contest, managing their website, and creating the haiku journal “Serow.”
He has an MA in Japanese Literature from the University of Colorado and is working on a PhD in Japanese Studies at the University of Oslo.
Photos by Ben Grafström
Akita International Haiku Network 
Absolutely beautiful poems and nice photos!