Editor's Choice "hearts" Haiku Thread ~ John Daleiden, US

 

 

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."   Thirty-five Poets from these twelve countries wrote one-hundred-sixty-six poems for the "Hearts Haiku Thread: Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Finland, India, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Trinidad and Tobago, United States. XLIII. "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..." How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of everyday's Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love thee with a passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death. in Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)   Romantic Love starry night above a smouldering fire her freckles # 123. Bouwe Brouwer, NL   balloon hearts flutter in the spring breeze her faraway look # 23. Chen-ou Liu, CA.   her school diary hearts and initials initials and hearts # 100. Marleen Hulst, NL   carrying her always in my heart... forget-me-not # 95. Cara Holman, US   Two hearts two hands gray temples # 11. Monika Wojtenka, PL   all for love— he gives her a heart on a neck chain # 42. Monika Wojtenka, PL   hot kisses in her heartbeat— lovers on the beach # 74. Marija Pogorilic, CR   two hearts together walking through the forest hazy moon # 166. John Daleiden, US   old diary— in a faded Valentine heart a tress # 151. Cezar-Florian Ciobîcă   a frothy heart fluffed in cappuccino magic— their first date # 96. Karin Anderson, AU   Love is Perennial and Eternal melting snow— my heart is reborn in the Spring # 58. Sandra Martyres, IN Parental Love preschooler's drawing the father with a big heart # 137. Jacek Margolak, PL Grandma sews a heart on the grand-daughter’s bonnet— it is snowing # 156. Maria Tirenescu, RO Maternal Love heartbeat— her hand on her belly searching for it # 71. Alegria Imperial, CA   first sonogram— my heart races to keep pace ... # 138. Chitra Rajappa, IN ultrasound— listening to the heart of my unborn baby # 161. Cezar-Florian Ciobîcă Equivocation in Love the knave sniggers— the Queen of Hearts talks of love # 54. Sandra Martyres, IN Tragic Love a paper heart pinned on the last page— "Romeo and Juliet" # 29. Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu, RO Self Doubt in Love my sweetheart— am I good enough for you # 52. Djurdja Vukelic-Rozic, CR Love Gone Awry Valentine's Day in my son's exercise book a broken heart drawing # 133. Jacek Margolak, PL   an empty vase on her night table... broken heart # 78. Keith A. Simmonds, TT   Valentine's Day a letter from the Clerk of Courts # 03. Alan S. Bridges, US Emptiness of Love golden calf million dollar mansion with no heart # 01. Karen O'Leary, US Frightened Love lights out the sound of a frightened heart # 37. Bernard Gieske, US Parental Love (reality check) heart-to-heart with my daughter— overgrown path # 15. Sanjukta Asopa   Passion for their Art Love heart song— the musings of a player on his saxophone # 08. Willie R. Bongcaron, PH Pride / Nationalism world cup tie— a million hearts beat as one # 140. Chitra Rajappa, IN  Senyru / Sarcasim first warm day the candlelight dinner ends with heartburn # 147. Ralf Bröker, DE my mother's battery powered heart— rising energy prices # 61. Juhani Tikkanen, FN Hearts and Nature sunny horizon— an old man makes figurines from heart of oak # 134. Vania Stefanova, BG   wily caterpillar— in the heart of lettuce safely hidden # 12. Sandra Martyres, IN   heart of the forest— a hurt deer finds peace # 33. Alex Serban, RO I have selected these haiku as choice because they represent the heart(s) theme in explicit and unique ways.  They also are exemplary haiku, well constructed and meet many of the following attributes of haiku: constructed in a fragment and phrase manner; a haiku written in two syntactical parts seperated by a grammatical or punctuation break.  See Jane Reichold's article: Fragment and Phrase Theory; uses kireji: written with punctuation or an obvious grammatical break in the syntax of the lines. contains 5 7 5 or fewer syllables uses the second line a a pivot structure, effectively creating a haiku without resorting to writing an English sentence spread over three lines. Example above: # 123. Bouwe Brouwer, NL makes / uses a literary illusion: # 29. Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu, RO uses a kigo Read the one-hundred sixty-six poems written for the Heart(s) Haiku Thread.