A sampling of dog haiku for Haiku Poetry Day

“the family we choose” is 8x10, made of paper, acrylic paint and glue on board. © Annette Makino 2020

Today, April 17, is International Haiku Poetry Day! In celebration, I’m sharing a collection of haiku I’ve published over the years about a subject near and dear to my heart: dogs.

These poems were all inspired by our sweet, funny and neurotic poodle mix, Misha. At 16-plus years old, he is clearly declining and we don’t know how much longer he’ll be with us. So I want to celebrate him while he’s still around.

the jingle
of the dog’s tags
wild currant in bloom

bush after bush
the dog’s news feed
juicier than mine

Misha just relaxing at home.

open road
the dog’s ears
streaming

waning crescent
the dog re-checks
his food bowl

steady rain all night snoring from the dog bed

hunger moon
a descendent of wolves
licks our plates

wet black nose the simple things

constellations
one barking dog
sets off another

empty bowl
I explain daylight savings
to the dog

rhythm of rain
the dog curls tighter
in his sleep

campaign sign
the dog registers
his opinion

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

rolling thunder
the old dog
too deaf to panic

winter night
the dog crawls deeper
under the covers

lengthening shadows
I lift our old dog
into the back seat

the family we choose
he nudges his snout
under my hand

Happy Haiku Day from Misha and me!

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Makino Studios

Free shipping thru Sunday: In celebration of Haiku Poetry Day, I’m offering free shipping on the Makino Studios site through this Sunday, April 23, with no order minimum. Use code HAIKU2023 at checkout.

Sunkist Festival: This small and delightful fair takes place on Saturday, May 6, from 11 to 5. Formerly known as the Pizza and Pottery Festival, it will feature wood-fired pizzas and other goodies plus live music. In the garden at 135 Sunkist Lane, off Glendale near the Blue Lake Murphy’s Market in McKinleyville, CA.

Mother’s Day and graduation cards: Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 14 and graduation ceremonies are coming right up. I have several card designs for both occasions. You can browse all 70-plus designs here.

A New Resonance 13: I’m delighted to be one of the 17 haiku poets featured in this landmark series published by Red Moon Press. Featuring a wide variety of emerging voices in haiku, these books are now available to pre-order. I expect to receive my copies within a week or so and will ship orders as soon as possible.

Calendars: My last 2023 mini-calendars of art and haiku are now on sale for $6.99 (from $12).

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Publication credits:

2021 in art & haiku by Annette Makino
A Hundred Gourds
Four Hundred and Two Snails: Haiku Society of America Members' Anthology 2018
Frogpond
Haigaonline
Haiku News
Hedgerow
Modern Haiku
Notes from the Gean
Presence
Red Paper Parasols: 2022 Southern California Haiku Study Group Anthology
The Heron’s Nest
tinywords
ukiaHaiku Festival 2014, first place, General Adult
Wishbone Moon: An International Anthology of Haiku by Women

A handful of haiku for Haiku Poetry Day

“dogwood blossoms” is 8x10, made of painted washi and other papers glued onto cradled wood. © Annette Makino 2021

This Sunday is both Easter and International Haiku Poetry Day! To celebrate, I’m sharing a sampling of my published haiku and senryu (haiku’s wry, funny cousin).

Easter brunch
even the teen
is risen

Frogpond, 44.1, Winter 2021; String Theory: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2021, Ed. Jim Kacian and the Red Moon Editorial Staff, 2022

Covid variant
another wave sucks the sand
from under our feet

Mariposa, #46, Spring/Summer 2022

seventy-one now
he chooses to leave
the candles burning

Modern Haiku, 53.1, Winter-Spring 2022

ponderosas
the soft thud of snow
landing on snow

The Heron’s Nest, 13.2, June 2021

a thousand-piece puzzle deeper into winter

The Heron’s Nest, 14.1, March 2022

again I fail
the robot test
winter solitude

The Heron’s Nest, 13.1, March 2021

writer’s block
the saw-whet owl’s
one-note tune

Modern Haiku, 51.1, Winter-Spring 2020

ninety-one—
she decides she’s done
reusing teabags

Kingfisher, Issue 1, June 2020

lifting fog
color seeps back
into the dunes

Modern Haiku, 51.2, Summer 2020

dogwood blossoms
the catch and release
of evening light

The Heron’s Nest, 12.4, December 2020

wind blowing upriver
one of the ripples
becomes an otter

Kingfisher, Issue 2, December 2020

all-day sunset
leaves coated in ash
from a distant forest 

Kingfisher, 4, November 2021

still waiting
to outgrow my freckles
silver oaks

Frogpond, 44.3, Autumn 2021

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Makino Studios News

Etsy strike: Along with more than 20,000 other Etsy vendors, I’ve put my Etsy shop on vacation mode to support the strike this week. Etsy recently announced it is raising seller fees by 30% while making record profits. I've had an Etsy shop since 2011, but over the years, the corporation has gotten greedier and less respectful of makers. As a result, I have greatly reduced my offerings there and sell most of my cards etc. on my main site here. You can support independent creators by boycotting Etsy thru Monday, April 18 and buying directly from Etsy sellers instead. Thank you! 

The episode featuring Lori B. Goodman and me, called “Women of Washi,” will debut Thursday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. You can watch it online for free for the following three weeks via www.studiospace.tv.

Studio Space: I’m honored to be included among the 20 terrific Humboldt County artists featured on Season 2 of Studio Space, the popular series produced by our local PBS station, KEET-TV, which started on April 7. The episode featuring Lori B. Goodman and me, called “Women of Washi,” will debut Thursday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. You can watch it online for free for the following three weeks, and then it goes behind a paywall for non-KEET members. See www.studiospace.tv for all episodes.

Pizza and Pottery: Join Peggy Loudon, Patrica Sennott, half a dozen other artists and me at a lovely May Day art fair on Sunday, May 1 from 11 to 5 at 135 Sunkist Lane, McKinleyville (park on Cummins Lane). Hosts Lauren and Mariah Sarabia are gourmet chefs who will offer wood-fired pizza and other goodies. Rain cancels.

ukiaHaiku Festival: I’ll give a brief presentation and reading at the 20th anniversary of this haiku festival in my hometown of Ukiah, CA. I’ll also have books, prints and cards for sale. This free event takes place Sunday, May 15 at 2 p.m. at the Grace Hudson Museum.

Writers Read: On Thursday, June 23 at 7 p.m., I’ll be back at the Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah as the featured reader in this series, with a slide show of my haiga (haiku art) as well as a table of my art and haiku wares.

New notecard sets: By popular demand, I’m offering boxed notecard sets again, including a new animal series. I hope to have these back from the printer by the end of the month.

Prints to order: I’ve recently posted several of my designs on Fine Art America, where you can order them the size you want and even have them framed. If you’d like a print of a piece in my gallery that you don’t see on FAA, let me know so I can post it for you.

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 8! Order these and other cards here.

Mother’s Day and graduation: Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 8 and many graduation ceremonies follow soon afterwards, so make sure you have your cards and gifts! I have a variety of cards for both occasions. And would your mom or grad appreciate a copy of Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku, or a signed art print by a local artist?

North Coast Open Studios: After a two-year pandemic hiatus, this event is taking place again June 4-5 and June 11-12 at artist studios around Humboldt County. I’m not sure if I will be participating as an artist as I don’t have a great place to host the public, but let me know if you have any leads on potential spaces. This is a great opportunity to visit local artists!