Freeform Haiku by Akai Ringo (紅井りんご)

spitting overripe watermelon seeds
at the autumn sky

熟れすぎた西瓜の種飛ばす秋空

beyond this line
　　the sea

この線から向こうは海

searching the sky
for the rainbow I saw
on my timeline

タイムラインで見た虹を空に探す

showing each other our blue hawaiian tongues

ブルーハワイの舌を見せ合う

the snowman
that was there yesterday
is gone today

昨日いた雪だるま今日はいない

feeling sick
I fall asleep to the hum
of the humidifier

病んで加湿器の音と寝る

right beside Orion
winter fireworks

オリオンのとなりに冬の花火

erasing the sounds of the city
silent snow

町の音消してしんしんと雪

the time spent
just waiting
for the water to get hot

湯に変わるのを待つだけの時間

drinking cold coffee in December

冷めたコーヒー飲んで師走

no one on the sled sliding down

誰も乗せていないソリが滑る

cheeks reddening
on the kids in the snow

頬赤くして雪晴れの子ら

throwing out a poem
I never showed to anyone

誰にも見せなかった詩を捨てる

closing a dull book
green rain

退屈な本とじて翠雨

From the author’s Twi(X)ter feed: https://x.com/akairingodesuyo

Akai Ringo (meaning “Red Apple”) is the pen name of a poet of contemporary freeform haiku and tanka. She co-authored a book of freeform haiku with Fugou Kaku and Sunadan! entitled That Game of Shiritori Was Still Going On: A Collection of Three People’s Freeform Haiku (まだしりとりは続いていた: 三人の自由律俳句集). Recently, she has been co-hosting Potato Salad Radio (ポテサララジオ) with a group of freeform haiku poets. On the program, they discuss art and literature with a focus on short forms, and they have a freeform poetry contest with a prompt (https://x.com/potesara_radio).