little Taku’s
first calligraphy this year
a giant oval
拓チャンの書初め大いなる楕円
fig trees
gods or buddha
never saw them
無花果や神も仏も見たことなし
moonlit pillar
if you want to bloom
be my guest
月の夜の柱よ咲きたいならどうぞ
under cherry blossoms
I do not wait to see
if they fall
桜の下散るか散るまで待てません
she is prettier
than I am
the tubifex worm
私より彼女が綺麗糸みみず
All poems originally appeared in Japanese at the Gendai Haiku Association Database (http://www.haiku-data.jp/).
stars falling
in the ramen
Koenji at night
ラーメンに星降る夜の高円寺
goodbye summer
light–a man
washing a spoon
さらば夏の光よ男匙洗う
plum flowers
every single one
radioactive
梅一輪一輪ずつの放射能
I wish I had
a telescope that could see
the autumn wind
秋風の見える望遠鏡が欲し
living together
with a single goldfish
raining in Ginza
いっぴきの金魚と暮らす銀座に雨
old scarecrow
crying out something
in the wind
案山子翁何か叫びぬ風の中
NOTE: Haiku taken from the Gendai Haiku Association Database (http://www.haiku-data.jp/).
in my weak stomach
comes the pain
of flower petals
弱き胃に花ひとひらの痛みくる
NOTE: Poem taken from the Gendai Haiku Association Web site: http://www.haiku-data.jp/
the soul
leaving behind its shape
cicada shell
たましひのかたちを残し蟬の殻
on the way
to becoming a butterfly
900,000,009 light years
蝶になる途中九億九光年
earwax
dried fish guts
and radiant cherry blossoms
耳垢も目刺のわたも花明り
I’ve gotten worse
at crying
and peeling persimmons
泣くことも柿剥くことも下手なりけり
stone lantern
overgrown with weeds
a cat climbs on
草茂る石燈籠に猫のぼり
early autumn cool
quietly living life
butterflies mate
新涼のいのちしづかに蝶交む
in the light
of the cold moon the darkness
of distant stars
寒月のひかりにとほき星の闇 松村蒼石
NOTE: Original Japanese-language poem taken from the Gendai Haiku Association Web site: http://www.haiku-data.jp/
this injury
lets me take a break
from swimming lessons
fireflies
seated
demolition workers
I take a look
behind the crematorium
ladybugs
because of the rain
my true intentions
are not revealed
coffee
mixed only with
amaryllis
spending all day
with the goldfish
thin dust
the palm of my hand
I leave open
for the fireflies
summer moon
from somewhere
the screech of fish
水泳の授業を休むための傷
夏蝶や坐る解体作業員
火葬場の裏見てきたる天道虫
夕立のせいで本音が出てこない
珈琲に付き合うだけのアマリリス
終日を金魚と過ごす薄埃
てのひらを蛍のためにあけておく
夏の月どこかで魚の軋む音
NOTES: Poems originally published in the Japanese literary anthology Musica, vol. 2 (January 2015).
夏蝶, literally “summer butterfly,” seems to be a name that is pronounced “Hotaru,” which is the word for “firefly” (usually written 蛍). I am not sure how Miki meant this to be translated, but I decided to go with “fireflies” because of the pronunciation. It could also be translated: “Hotaru / seated / demolition worker” or, perhaps, “summer butterflies / seated / demolition workers.” My guess is that “hotaru” means “fireflies” in this case, indicating the summer (being the seasonal word, or 季語, in the haiku).
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