Poem: Autumn Haiku 10-21-20

[ysabetwordsmith]

This batch of poems was written outside the regular prompt calls. They were sponsored by Anthony and Shirley Barrette. This batch is the third of five seasonal sets of haiku based on my favorite kigo page. Begin with the spring and summer batches.  Continue with the winter batch.


Autumn -- The Season

risshuu

coming of autumn
relieves the muggy day with
a breath of cool air


zansho

the remaining heat
lingers on the south faces
in fading flowers


shinryoo

a new coolness comes
in the autumn mornings when
the dew turns to frost


aki no hi

the autumn day is
bright with color: maple trees
wave their scarlet hands


aki no kure

autumn dusk is nigh --
the sun sets in a swirl of
fire-colored skirts


yonaga

long night waiting for
news, and when the morning comes --
a new granddaughter!


aki sumu

autumn is clearing,
sky smooth and bright -- far away,
I can see mountains


shuuki

like little children,
the leaves chasing each other
in the autumn air


sawayaka

everything about
autumn is so refreshing
after summer heat


hiyayaka

without a warning,
the mild wind turns chilly --
oh, where's my jacket?


mi ni shimu

caught in the market
with no parasol, and rain --
I'm soaked to the bone!


yaya samu

a little cold creeps
through the crack under the door:
time to weave a rug


asa samu

morning cold has killed
the flowers in the red pot,
leaving them crunchy


yosamu

night chill comes early,
flowing down from the mountains
in hidden rivers


susamaji

my friend these long years
has passed away this autumn:
I am desolate


aki fukashi

autumn is deep like
a well -- echoes of other
seasons within it


yuku aki

late autumn has come,
a season as fleeting as
the colors of leaves


Autumn -- The Heavens

shuushoku

autumn color seeps
from the leaves into the sky,
staining the sunset


akibare

clear day in autumn --
I walk through the red forest,
my steps whispering


aki no koe

autumn's voice is soft:
wind in dry leaves and insects
slowly winding down


aki no sora

autumn sky above,
the intensity of blue
like indigo dye


iwashigumo

sardine clouds -- weather
as fickle as life itself --
everything changes


tsuki

autumn moon seen through
the rails of browning bamboo
in slices of gold


matsu yoi

old folks on the porch --
waiting evening, before the
harvest moon rises


meigetsu

harvest moon hangs bright,
extra time to work the fields --
oh, my aching back!


izayoi

the next night after
the harvest moon, I go soak
in the public baths


nochi no tsuki

tonight the full moon
following the harvest moon
marks the late autumn


amanogawa

River of Heaven
fills the autumn night with sparks
of distant silver


aki kaze

the autumn wind blows --
all day, all week, all autumn --
sweeping in the storms


hatsu arashi

the first autumn storm
pounds on the door, demanding
to be let inside


nowaki

windstorm divides fields,
combing the grain to each side
like a woman's hair


aki no ame

autumn rain falls, veils
of gray over the world's face --
tears of summer's end


inazuma

the lightning crackles
like panes of sugar candy
as it starts to cool


kiri

fog -- a world painted
on rice paper with a brush
running out of ink


tsuyu

all autumn, dew falls --
wet in the early season,
then turning to frost


tsuyuzamu

dew chill each morning
makes the walk to the market
one long, damp shiver


tsuyujimo

dew frost on windows
makes its silver flowers for
children to play with


Autumn -- The Earth

hanazono

dead flower garden,
but autumn brings new color:
birds peck at the seeds


hanano

in the low valley,
a flowering meadow gives
a last glimpse of life


aki no ta

the autumn paddy:
green turning to gold, ready
for harvesting soon


aki no mizu

waters of autumn
run clear, no longer muddied
by the summer rains


hatsu shio

first tide of autumn
lifts her silver skirts to dance
with the harvest moon


Autumn -- Humanity

shin soba

new soba, the first
from the fresh crop of buckwheat,
steaming in the bowl


shinmai

women cooking with
the first of the rice harvest
sing such happy songs


aki no hi

the autumn lamplight
reveals a book of poems
waiting to be read


tooroo

the garden lantern
covered with lichens, one leaf
clinging to the top


kakashi

the scarecrow becomes
a roost for brazen birds -- I,
for naughty children


inekari

in late autumn, men
bend low cutting rice in paddies
all through the short days


shin wara

new straw from the fields
goes to make a fresh bed for
the weary horses


warazuka

in the fields, haystacks
stand like mountains among rows
of stubble valleys


kinuta

clack, whack! the mallets
pound fuller's earth through fabric
on autumn evenings


ashikari

men are cutting reeds
women are weaving baskets
children are laughing


sumoo

sumo wrestlers
struggle and strain -- alas! I
bet on the wrong one


shuushi

I sit under trees
in autumn contemplation:
peace drifts down like leaves


Autumn -- Observances

chooyoo

picking flowers for
Chrysanthemum Festival:
red, yellow, orange


tanabata

baskets of thread for
the Weaver Star Festival
draw the girls closer


bon

ancestral spirits
flock to the altars -- chopsticks
standing up in rice


odori

at Bon Festival,
whole crowds dance in unison,
swaying like the reeds


Autumn -- Animals

shika

from autumn thickets,
the little deer, hidden well,
calls out for his bride


wataridori

the migrating birds,
going south or going north --
flocks pass each other


inesuzume

after the harvest,
rice sparrows come to the fields
to glean the leavings


mozu

every village has
its butcher; and every fence
has its waiting shrike


sekirei

in an autumn ditch,
a dancing water wagtail
recreates the world


uzura

though the quail is poor,
he bucks up his courage and
builds himself a home


shigi

after autumn rain:
sandpipers in the paddies,
probing for supper


kari

in the late autumn,
a lone goose honks and honks for
the flockmates he lost


ochiayu

the falling sweetfish
come downstream to fall into
our well-woven weirs


suzuki

under a gray sky,
fishermen haul up sea bass,
nets full to bursting


haze

in autumn rivers,
the goby fish have now grown
big enough to catch


iwashi

sardines hang to dry
in the sun like silver flags --
come winter, soup stock!


sanma

the mackerel pike
are getting fat: time to take
a trip to Choshi!


sake

salmon in rivers
so shallow their backs stick up,
spawning and dying


higurashi

hear, as the sun fades,
the evening clear cicada
darkening the day


tsukutsukubooshi

the small cicada
sings a prayer for summer's end:
a priest on the wing


tonbo

a dragonfly soars,
savage as a samurai,
hunting mosquitoes


mushi

in the fallen leaves,
a sound of insects creeping,
pitter-pat-pitter


koorogi

as the weather cools,
the song of crickets slows down:
music of autumn


suzumushi

bell crickets sing and
fall silent: someone's coming
who needs a doorbell?


matsumushi

in the evergreens,
pine crickets tell each other
winter is coming


kirigirisu

katydid looks like
a green leaf until it jumps
away -- ah, my heart!


mimizu naku

ji-ki-ji, ji-ji,
hear the sounds of the autumn:
in the night, worms cry


Autumn -- Plants

mukuge

the hibiscus blooms:
impermanence of beauty,
bright in the drab fall


momo no mi

peaches in autumn:
fruit of immortality,
delight of old men


nashi

sliced beside a meal,
fresh pears ward off misfortune:
the flavor of fall


kaki

unripe persimmon
of ignorance -- ripens to
the fruit of wisdom


ringo

the harvest is in:
Yamato's Golden Apples
were never so good


budoo

here and there, the grapes
ripening at different times,
all through the autumn


kuri

camping, we gather
chestnuts to roast in the coals
of the campfire


yuzu

citron, the scent of
the autumn -- especially
the morning sunlight


momiji

scarlet and crimson,
the red-turned leaves of maples
bleed into the breeze


kaede

maple against pine --
the red splashed over the green --
mortal, immortal


kiri hitoha

pawlonia tree:
what's the probability
of one leaf falling?


yanagi chiru

the willow leaves fall
in the clear river, floating
away like slim ships


ko no mi

they're all on the ground --
nuts and seeds and fruits of trees --
bounty of autumn


tsuta

summer's battles done,
ivy growing over drums:
autumn heralds peace


bashoo

autumn rain falling
on broad leaves of banana --
a sound of water


yare bashoo

tattered by the wind,
banana leaves dangle like
a nun's worn-out robe


ran

white orchid blossoms:
a noblewoman's wearing
her wealth in her hair


asagao

when I die, I want
my life to close as softly
as morning glories


keitoo

a rooster pecks at
the cock's comb bed as if he's
attacking rivals


kiku

chrysanthemums line
the path to the temple for
long life and rebirth


imo

stone-baked potatoes,
the perfect taste of autumn
from a vendor's cart


ine

rice plants in the wind,
their mature stalks waving tall --
last of the harvest


wase

the early rice is
already on the way to
becoming sake


ochibo

opportunities
missed, regrets -- in the late fields,
fallen ears of rice


yarehasu

autumn thunderstorm --
my umbrella has a hole --
tattered lotus leaf


kusa no hana

grasses and broadleaves
bloom in the low valleys now:
colors of autumn


kusa no mi

everything has gone
to seed, grasses and broadleaves
pecked by the songbirds


uragare

thin ice in ditches --
withered tips of plants poke through
like dead fingertips


hagi

the breeze grows brisk and
petals of bush clover fly
away on the wind


susuki

the hills are swathed in
swaying plumes of pampas grass --
silver, gold, silver


ogi no koe

the wind of autumn
makes its own music in swamps:
the voice of the reeds


kuzu no hana

kudzu covers trees
and fences and fields with its
pretty pea-flowers


kikyoo

reaching toward my knees,
the little blue bell flowers
ring their silent songs


ominaeshi

maiden flowers bloom:
kindness, consideration,
and fleeting beauty


aka no manma

tiny white flowers
and fluttering spear-tip leaves:
knotgrass in autumn


kinoko

a fallen log sprouts
fungus: longevity in
little leather ears

* * *

Notes:

This batch is long, so its notes appear elsewhere.