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!

Celebrating Haiku Poetry Day

“the grass on this side” is 11×14, painted with sumi ink and Japanese watercolors on paper and digitally edited. A greeting card version is available reading “love you till the cows come home.” © Annette Makino 2014

Popping up in the middle of National Poetry Month, today is International Haiku Poetry Day. To mark the occasion, here is a smorgasbord of haiku I’ve published this past year. Enjoy!

gentle rain
I remind my mother
to buckle up

tendrils of fog
I follow a thread
back into the dream

understory
no punctuation
in her text message

beach vacation
every night between the sheets
a little more sand

sunlit pond
the cattails
chirping

thin ice
the windshield crack
lengthens

Indian summer
the sky the color
of forever

And for a selection of some of the finest haiku of 2016, see the short list for The Haiku Foundation’s prestigious Touchstone Award.

warmly, Annette Makino

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Publication credits:

“gentle rain” - The Heron’s Nest, Issue 19:1, March 2017
“tendrils of fog” - Frogpond, Issue 40:1, Winter 2017
“understory” - Exhaling, Seabeck Haiku Getaway 2015 Anthology
“beach vacation” - Modern Haiku, Issue 47:2, Summer 2016
“sunlit pond” - A Hundred Gourds, Issue 5:3, June 2016
“thin ice” - A Hundred Gourds, Issue 5:3, June 2016
“Indian summer” - Frogpond, Issue 39:3, Autumn 2016

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Makino Studios News

Free shipping for Poetry Month: Since April is National Poetry Month, I am offering free shipping for US orders of $15 or more through the Makino Studios Etsy store. Use code SPRING2017 through April 30.

ukiaHaiku Festival: I will be at the ukiaHaiku Festival in Ukiah, California on Sunday, April 30 at 2 p.m. at the Civic Center in my old hometown of Ukiah, California. Stay tuned for some happy news!

BeeFest 2017: This annual celebration of bees takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 13 at the Adorni Center in Eureka, California. A sampling of my cards and prints will be available.

Open Studios: Mark your calendars for North Coast Open Studios! Once again, I will join silk painter Tina Gleave, plus five other women artists, at the Samoa Women’s Club in Samoa for the first weekend. We’ll kick off from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, June 2 and continue from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, June 3-4. We’ll be showing new art, demonstrating our tools and techniques, and offering free refreshments.

Election Edition

“redwood time” is 11×14, painted with sumi ink and Japanese watercolors on paper. It is also available as a greeting card or print. © Annette Makino 2016

Apparently there is some sort of election coming up. Lately I’ve been grinding my teeth at night and, although this could be one of Hillary Clinton’s secret conspiracies, I prefer to blame it on Donald Trump.

campaign sign
the dog registers
his opinion

Last weekend I attended the wonderful Seabeck Haiku Getaway in Washington State. Sprinkled among the presentations and activities, there were several “Write Now” sessions in which we had five minutes to draft haiku on a particular topic. Here are a couple from a session on the elections:

swing state
leaves land on both sides
of the fence

kissing the baby still undecided

This is truly one of the most bizarre, unpredictable and ugly U.S. elections ever. Each day has brought new revelations and accusations. It will be very hard to heal the nation after this divisive process.

campaign season
geese practice leaving
the country

But when I look out my window at the forest outside, I am reminded of another time frame, where a four-year election cycle is no more than a breath.

redwood time . . .
the steady journey
from earth to sky

No matter the outcome on Tuesday, I am rooting for common sense, compassion and a sense of perspective.

warmly, Annette Makino

(“campaign sign” was first published in Haiku News, Vol. 1, No. 44, November 2012)

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Makino Studios News

Senryu award: I’m honored that this poem, which I wrote in Japan, recently won third place in the annual Gerald Brady Awards for Senryu held by the Haiku Society of America (HSA). (View all the winners plus judges' comments):

sacred shrine
worshippers raise
their selfie sticks

Haiku award: And this haiku won second honorable mention in the HSA’s prestigious Harold G. Henderson Awards for Haiku (View all the winners plus judges' comments):

our easy silence
every puddle
sky-deep

Annette Makino’s 2017 mini-calendar of art and haiku features animals, landscapes, and other scenes from nature. The calendars are $11.99 plus tax and shipping on Etsy.

Free shipping through November: Use shipping code FREESHIP2016 for free shipping through November on orders of $15 or more from the Makino Studios Etsy shop. There you will find my 2017 calendar, laser-engraved wooden keychains, holiday and everyday greeting cards and signed prints.

Arcata Holiday Crafts Market: My only public event of the holidays, this fair includes many local artists and craftspeople, plus music and food. It runs Saturday, Dec. 10, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 11, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Arcata Community Center, Arcata.

Pierson Made in Humboldt Fair: November 15-Dec. 24. Ongoing fair of arts, crafts and specialty foods handmade in Humboldt County. Pierson Garden Shop, 4100 Broadway Street, Eureka.

Before we were tamed

“fox tracks” is 11×14, painted with sumi ink and Japanese watercolors on paper. It is also available as a card reading “happy birthday, bright spirit.” © 2015 Annette Makino

For the past twenty years, my family and I have lived in the country on the side of a redwood-covered hill. In the morning the woods fill with bird conversations, and we often glimpse deer and foxes wandering past our house.

A raccoon that hung around our compost pile got nicknamed Deke, short for “decomposition.” But when “he” showed up one day trailing four fluffy baby raccoons, we had to rename her Delilah. Because we don’t have the heart to chase them off, Delilah and her grown children have grown quite comfortable strolling past our windows and staring at us curiously.

watchful eyes . . .
bit by bit the wild raccoon
tames us

Living among all this wildlife has gotten me thinking about humans’ connection with nature: what we’ve forgotten, what we can learn, and what we know deep down. At a time when human activity is pervading every corner of the planet, from the deepest oceans to near space, I’m wondering what it means to be wild.

fox tracks . . .
who were we before
we were tamed?

“love from the gang” is 11×14, painted with sumi ink and Japanese watercolors on paper. It is also available as a card reading “love from the gang.” © 2015 Annette Makino

Despite our complex civilizations and sophisticated technologies, we humans share 90% of our DNA with mice. How different are we really from Delilah and her children?

With such questions in the back of my mind, this spring I painted a series featuring our woodland neighbors and some of the natural places around Humboldt County.

chigger bites
my finger traces
the wilderness map

The road to our house runs along a lovely little stream shaded by redwoods, alders and maples. But if you look closely, you can find chunks of styrofoam hidden in an old-growth redwood stump. Old appliances and bags of contaminated soil from marijuana grows are dumped just above the stream bed.

Though humans are supposed to be the most advanced species on the planet, ours is the only one foolish enough to destroy its own habitat. Can we remember how to live in balance before it’s too late? Can we regain the common sense of the common field mouse? Perhaps by the simple act of spending more time in nature, walking, watching and listening, we can start to feel our wild hearts again.

in wilderness
we find our way home

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Makino Studios News

North Coast Open Studios: I'll be on hand to share my new wilderness-inspired paintings at Ramone’s Bakery & Café in Old Town Eureka, California this coming Saturday and Sunday, June 6-7, from 11 to 5 both days. My friend Tina Gleave will show her stunning silk paintings of landscapes and other natural images. We’ll also demonstrate our tools and techniques and have new cards and prints for sale. In addition, there will be a free raffle with two prizes: we are each giving away a $25 gift certificate towards our art.

Arts Alive at Ramone’s: Piggybacking on our Open Studios event, Tina and I have a joint show at Ramone’s called “Before we were tamed.” There will bean opening during Arts Alive this Saturday, June 6, from 6 to 9 p.m., and the show runs through June.

New Cards: Twenty-four new and updated card designs are now available in my MakinoStudios Etsy shop. I’ve also clarified how you can order any six designs for $19.99. (My shop will be closed June 13-20 while I’m on a painting vacation.)

Haiku Award: I’m happy to share that one of my haiku won the Dori Anderson prize for the best haiku about Ukiah, California at this year's ukiaHaiku Festival.

Mendocino spring
only ten shades of green
in my paint set

New Fortuna Store: My cards can now be found at Madame Fortuna's Lucky Heart Shop, a store selling herbs, orchids, books, and gifts that just opened in Fortuna, California. See the Store page for a complete list of places that carry my cards.

Connecting: I always love hearing from you. You can get news, fresh art and haiku on my Makino Studios Facebook page and my Twitter feed.

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An earlier version of the haiku “fox tracks” first appeared in The Heron’s Nest, XVII:1. “Chigger bites” was published in The Heron’s Nest, XVII:2.