Download - Haiku Poetry - Bird Haiku
Bird Haikuby Edward Weiss
Copyright © 2006 by Edward Weiss
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system without permission
in writing from the publisher.
Published by Wisteria Press, 2560 C Street, San
Diego, California 92102.www.wisteriapress.com
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 1-4276-0935-7
First Edition
FOREWORD
POETRY AND NATURE. Two things that naturally
go together. If you're looking for nature poems that
really get it, so to speak, look no further than haiku!
Why? Because haiku is especially suited for
describing nature. For example, take a look at these
two nature poems by the author:
Nature Poem #1
Egrets move
through the marsh...
morning clouds
Here we have "egrets" as our subject. Beautiful birds
that most people either have seen in a picture or are
familiar with. In just 7 words a picture is created.
And not just any picture but a complete scene!
First we have the phrase "egrets move through the
marsh." Nothing special in itself. But, when we
combine this with the fragment "morning clouds,"
we get a picture of place and time - a sense of
something happening. What economy and word
pruning this is!
Nature poems by western writers may contain
hundreds of words but For sheer size and power,
nothing beats the haiku!
Here's another example of a nature poem:
Nature Poem #2
Winter shoreline --
sandpipers dart
into the water
In this nature poem we have the fragment first
instead of the phrase. The fragment is like the
background of a painting…it sets the mood of
the poem. The words "winter shoreline" conjure
an image of a quiet beach perhaps. Or it could be
something else entirely.
This is the beauty of haiku. It doesn't tell you so
much as show you what is happening.
Interpretation is left to the reader's imagination.
Enjoy the book … Edward Weiss
Quiet spring morning
Carefully cleaning each feather
A scrub jay
Marsh grass
Surrounds the egret…
Spring rain
Gray forest --
Deep inside the cedar
A hornbill
Clear fall skies --
The slow steady wingbeat
Of a heron
Autumn fog --
Sitting on the porch light
A house finch
Ducks skitter
Across the lake…
Winter light
Sunrise --
Golden eagles soar
On the thermals
Stifling July heat --
A wren hops
From rock to rock
Quiet forest --
A piece of straw falls
Off the robins nest
Ducks move
Through the marsh…
Morning light
Beside an iris --
The buzz
Of hummingbird wings
Arctic sunlight -
An emperor penguin
Heads towards the sea
Summer evening --
Slowly opening its eyes
A heron chick
Puffins breed
Along the shore…
Northern light
Thunderclap --
Robins vanish
In the brambles
Southern inlet --
Pelicans scoop up
Fish
Cold drizzle --
A purple martin
Peeks from the nestbox
Deep winters cold --
Penguins huddle
On the ice
Misty day --
A nuthatch
Hops down the tree
Forest floor --
Patches of sunlight
Drape the grouse
Still spring morning --
The fragile white shell
Of robin's eggs
Quail scavenge
For bits of corn…
Early autumn
Forest mist --
Beside the redwood
Two bluejays
Cold snap --
Cardinals search
For seeds
Approaching rain --
Hiding seeds in the tree
A nuthatch
March wind --
Wrens peck
At a millet strip
Snowstorm --
A piece of fruit
In the robin's beak
November light --
A crow crisps
A red leaf
Orioles feast
On soaked raisins…
Winter's end
Red berries
Hang over the blackbird…
Autumn light
Nightfall --
From the spruce tree
Robin calls
Cold April morn --
Through the mist
A pair of geese
Cloudburst --
A toucan
Opens its beak
Dawn
So quiet against the snow
An arctic tern
Summer showers --
Between rain-soaked leaves
A hyacinth macaw
Crows gather
Inside a balsam fir…
Winter air
Hot summer day --
On the thinnest of twigs
A hummingbird
Winter landscape --
By the pumpkin patch
Two ravens
Sundown --
A flock of swallows
Circle the roost
So red against
The ground…
A summer tanager
Spring woodland --
Between pine branches
The bulky nest of a grackle
Misty fall day --
A northern cardinal
Whistles
Fall sky --
Inside the hollyhock
A hummingbird
Winter woods --
A flock of waxwings
Strip fruit off the tree
A yellow warbler
Fly's into deep brush…
Spring rain
Cool morning lake --
The long red legs
Of an ibis
Afternoon heat --
A kingfisher
Plunges into water
Summer forest --
A red-eyed vireo
Takes flight
Dead of winter --
In the frost covered oak
A crow's nest
On the ash tree
Unseen for hours…
A woodpecker
Winter silence --
Snow falls
On an oriole's nest
The familiar sound
Of distant crows…
November rain
Summer storm --
Drinking from a shallow stream
Sparrows
Spring moon --
The soft song
Of newly born birds
Cold January night
Out of the Sitka spruce
Bird song!
Summer rain --
A blackbird sings
Sporadically
Still autumn night
Looming in the tree
A great horned owl
August moonlight --
On the spruce branch
A sparrow holds tight
A pelican
Grooms its wings…
Morning stillness
Cool fall day --
A wedge of geese
Vanish behind clouds
Wet gray branches
Surround the robin…
Winter thaw
Frigid December --
Beside dry oak leaves
A red-winged blackbird
Afternoon silence --
Broad green leaves
Hide the finch
Summer showers
Inside the rose bush
Sparrows
Arctic dusk
Barely noticeable on the tree
A snowy owl
Morning light
By the honeysuckle
A ruby-throated hummingbird
Summer showers
Inside the rose bush
Sparrows
The deep black plumage
Of an ostrich…
Evening light
Rainy spring day
A house finch
At the feeder
Summer meadow --
Landing on the deer's back
A magpie
Autumn clouds
Slowly preening itself on the pine
An oriole
Fall sunrise --
The raspy call
Of a scrub jay
Cold gray sky --
Crows gather
Under the pine
Winter sky --
The wide ranging circles
Of a red tailed hawk
Still afternoon --
A goldfinch
Rustles in the weeds
Still morning --
Loons wade through
Reeds
Silent wetlands --
An avocet swings its bill
Back and forth
Autumn chill --
Grebes sunbathe
On the lake
Fall afternoon --
The sound of a woodpecker
Tapping
Dry forest floor --
A wood thrush
Scatters leaves
Evening stillness --
A blue grosbeak
Surveys the field
Drenching spring rain --
A shrike
Shakes its feathers
Dusk --
Pursuing insects for hours
A nighthawk
Nightfall --
White-throated swifts
Enter the roost
January snowfall --
A cardinal moves
Up the branch
Quiet fall night --
The delicate whoosh
Of owl wings
Forest pond --
Diving in feet first
An osprey
Mid-morning hush
Now and then…
Birdsong
Ducks paddle
Towards the swamp…
Calm afternoon
Tepid summer breeze --
A cuckoo
Motionless on the branch
Sitting in the pine
Perfectly camouflaged
A barred owl
February sky --
A golden eagle
Spirals out of sight
Woodpecker taps
Echo through the trees…
Autumn woods
Bright autumn sun --
Tundra swans
Sleep on the lake
First light --
The faint sound
Of waking sparrows
Sunset --
A flock of snow geese
Descend on the marsh
Silent morning --
A great egret
Steps towards the stream
Clear April sky --
Chasing fish underwater
A cormorant
Summer drizzle --
A blue-footed booby
Comes ashore
Spring breeze --
Rustling in the thicket
A wood thrush
Daybreak --
Yodeling on the lake
A common loon
Winter wind --
A crow drifts
From pine to pine
A turnstone
Flips over shore rocks…
Summer sea
December rain --
Nesting in the tree cavity
A screech owl
Midnight --
Unheard in the forest
Sleeping birds