April is National Poetry Month, and today, April 17, is National Haiku Poetry Day. To celebrate the day, I’m sharing a selection of the haiku and senryu I’ve had published over the past year, since I first started submitting my poems to journals and anthologies.  

my baby’s navel
once connected us, but now
she wants to pierce it

in meditation
attempting to empty my—
oh, that reminds me . . .

my teen’s new skirt
handkerchief-sized
God bless

heavy downpour
my collapsible umbrella
promptly collapses

morning sun
how our cobwebs
sparkle

small sandpaper tongue
the cat decides
I need a bath

all six in Prune Juice, Issue 9, Summer 2012; “my baby’s navel” and “in meditation” published as haiga (haiku with art)

home from errands—
a hero’s welcome
from the dog

Modern Haiku, Volume 44.1, Winter/Spring 2013

winter storm
his blanket fort
monster-proof

A Hundred Gourds, 2:2 March 2013

following us
all day on the trail—
the mountain

Notes from the Gean, Volume 4, Issue 1, June 2012

lines of foam—
over and over the sea
writes its story

Frogpond, Issue 35:3 (Winter 2012)

cold winter rain
the swollen creek also
rushing home

tinywords, Issue 13.1, March 6, 2013

highway markers
how quickly the future
blurs into the past

tinywords, Issue 13.1, February 28, 2013

autumn leaves
a possible poem     floats
just beyond reach

Windfall, anthology of Seabeck Haiku Retreat, January 2013

first rain
in the dusty creek bed
stones darken

Windfall, anthology of Seabeck Haiku Retreat, January 2013

wilted roses
the unexpected warmth
of her hand

A Hundred Gourds, 2:2 March 2013

low tide all the things I’ve left behind

Modern Haiku, Volume 44.1, Winter/Spring 2013

cloud sun cloud my restless shadow

Frogpond, 36:1, Winter 2013

playful wind
cherry trees release
swirls of confetti

haiga on Makino Studios website, www.makinostudios.com, 2012.

Happy spring.

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“Playful wind”, shown above, is adapted from an original that is approximately 22" x 34", painted in 2012 with sumi ink and watercolor on rice paper and stamped with my personal seal. The original has sold, but it is available as a 5" x 7" greeting card or signed print. “My baby’s navel” is 8" x 10", painted in 2010 with sumi ink on rice paper and stamped with my personal seal.

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Makino Studios News

ukiaHaiku Festival: I plan to attend the ukiaHaiku Festival on Sunday, April 28 in Ukiah, California. Stay tuned for exciting news!

Summer Art Show: I’ve just accepted an invitation to have a show at the delightful Persimmons Garden Gallery in Redway, California during the months of June and July.

Teatime in Maryland: Along with stores in Washington, DC and New York, my haiku cards are now available at Zen Tara Tea, a specialty tea shop in Bethesda, Maryland

North Coast Open Studios: Together with four other artists, I’ll be showing art at the Samoa Women’s Club between Arcata and Eureka, California on the first weekend of North Coast Open Studios, June 1-2.

Connecting: Thank you to all who responded to my last email newsletter, “Younger now than we’ll ever be.” I love to hear from you.

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