haiku

John Richard Stephens has been an author for most of his life and when he takes a break from writing, he enjoys the challenge of composing haiku. Some of these have featured in Asahi Shimbun (Japan), Icebox (Japan), Enchanted Garden Haiku Journal (Romania), Cold Moon Journal (Italy), Chrysanthemum (Germany), Cornflower Haiku Magazine (Belgium), Triya (India), LEAF (India), the zen space (Scotland), cattails (Canada), Haiku Canada Review (Canada), NeverEnding Story (Canada), Drifting Sands Haibun (U.S.), Haiku Journal (U.S.), Autumn Moon Haiku Journal (U.S.), and The Heron's Nest (U.S.).

His haiku featured in the Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum's 17th English Haiku Contest (Japan), the 2025 Fujisan Tanka Contest (Japan), and the 1st Matsuyama Inspires English Haiku Contest (Japan).

They are scheduled to appear in upcoming issues of Modern Haiku (U.S.), the zen space (Scotland), Enchanted Garden Haiku Journal (Romania), and the Asahi Shimbun (Japan).

Japan's second largest newspaper, the Asahi Shimbun, features a regular haiku column edited by David McMurray. John greatly admires what David sensei is doing to promote haiku worldwide and is often inspired by his column. You really should check it out at https://www.asahi.com/ajw/special/haiku/.


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scrubbing to and fro—
a cat's paw in the water
washes the river
—First published in the Asahi Shimbun (Japan) on June 6, 2025.

It reappeared in the zen space (Scotland), New Year Showcase 2026.

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forgotten scarecrows—
arms wide awaiting
an embrace
—First published in the Asahi Shimbun (Japan) on September 5, 2025.

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court summons—
I carefully fold it
into a crane
—First published in The Heron's Nest (U.S.) in the June 2026 issue, volume XXVIII, number 2.
It was also translated in to Chinese:

(In traditional Chinese.)
法院傳票—
我小心翼翼地把它
折疊成一隻鶴

(In simplified Chinese.)
法院传票—
我小心翼翼地把它
折叠成一只鹤
—Chinese translations by Chen-ou Liu first published on NeverEnding Story (Canada), Butterfly Dream, June 22, 2026.

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  • A photo haiku with a picture of sun shining through clouds with a reflection on the ocean shining down to a woman on a beach.
ocean sparkles—
tending their young
whales rest below
—This photo haiku was selected as the Grand Prize winner in the 1st Matsuyama Inspires English Haiku Contest (Japan), 2026. It's a picture of my wife on one of Maui's beaches.
Photo haiku—or shahai in Japanese—are often called haiga, although that term usually refers to haiku on drawings.

It also appeared in Triya (India), Monsoon Edition 2026.

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emerging rainbow—
a little flower girl
trails the bride
—First published in the Asahi Shimbun (Japan) on July 4, 2025.

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cat asleep pond-side—
its paw trying to catch
dream fish
—First published in the Autumn Moon Haiku Journal (U.S.) in their Spring/Summer 2026 issue, volume 9, number 2.

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lost in fog—
surrounded
by an unseen world
—First published in the the zen space (Scotland) in the New Year Showcase 2026.

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meditating—
silently gathering in
the present
—First published in the the zen space (Scotland) in the New Year Showcase 2026.

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(In Romanian.)
  • A photo haiku with a picture of lavendar flowers.
crescută în grădină—
parfumul de lavandă
trasă în ciocolată
—First published in Enchanted Garden Haiku Journal (Romania), Winter 2025 issue, Number 14. Translated by Steliana Cristina Voicu.

  • A photo haiku with a picture of lavendar flowers.

grown in the garden—
the scent of lavender
its taste in chocolate
—First published in Enchanted Garden Haiku Journal (Romania), Winter 2025, Number 14.

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rising and falling,
the kitten's ecstatic dance
mirrors the fireflies
—First published in the Asahi Shimbun (Japan) on June 19, 2025.

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quiet afternoon,
soft paws bat at a flower
playing with their prey
—Written with his friend, Tokyo poet John Gribble. First published in the Asahi Shimbun (Japan) on June 19, 2025.

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fluttering ginkgo leaves—
beneath the tree
geisha fan themselves
—First published in the Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum's 11th English Haiku Contest (Japan) on November 11, 2025.

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  • A photo haiku showing the bamboo forest stretching into the sky.
long way to grow—
a bamboo sprout
among tall elders
—First published in the Asahi Shimbun (Japan) on May 14, 2026. John later added the photo that inspired it.

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road-weary traveler—
trading hats
with a scarecrow
—First published in the Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum's 11th English Haiku Contest (Japan) on November 11, 2025.

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home for the elderly—
dry leaves skip
along the dirt road


(In Hindi.)
वृद्धाश्रम—
पगडंडी के किनारे
सूखी पत्तियों का लुढ़कना
—First published in the Asahi Shimbun (Japan), September 19, 2025 (fall equinox issue).

Then it featured in Triya (India), Sharad Edition 2025.

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(This version, revised by well-known haikuist and editor Chen-ou Liu, provides a slightly different hue that's worth noting.)

dry leaves skip
along the dirt road—
old age home

(In traditional Chinese.)
枯葉沿著泥路
隨風跳動—
養老院

(In simplified Chinese.)
枯叶沿着泥路
随风跳动—
养老院
—These were first published in NeverEnding Story (Canada), Butterfly Dream, November 30, 2025. Translated by Chen-ou Liu.

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  • A photo haiku with a picture at dusk of a lion cub plush left alone on the grass.
great fun at the park
eventually falls silent—
a forgotten friend

(In Romanian.)
distracţia grozavă din parc
în cele din urmă amuţeşte—
un prieten uitat
—First published in Enchanted Garden Haiku Journal (Romania), Lunae Feeria (Summer Night), July 2026 issue, Number 16. Translated by Steliana Cristina Voicu.

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the fire dies—
chimney smoke
blends with the mist
—First published in LEAF (India) in their August 2026 issue, Number 10.

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the funeral begins—
in the mailbox
get-well cards
—First published in Chrysanthemum (Germany), Fall 2025 issue no. 35.
Then it appeared in Triya (India), Sharad Edition 2025.

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rising up
from pond scum—
lotus flowers


(In Hindi.)
ताल पर जमी झाग
की परत को चीरते—
निर्मल कमल
—First published in the zen space (Scotland), Summer Showcase 2025.

Then it featured in English and Hindi in Triya (India), Monsoon Edition 2026.

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my face—
how different
the face of a flower

my face—
how similar
the face of a monkey
—First published in the zen space (Scotland), Summer Showcase 2025.

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Kyoto Monkey Park—
macaques run free
people in cages
—First published in Icebox (Japan) on December 8, 2025.

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moon through bamboo—
even the monkeys
whisper
—First published in Icebox (Japan) on December 8, 2025.

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  • A photo haiku with a black and white photograph of a very old windmill that had been used for drawing up water for cattle. The image is stained and degraded.
gradual decay—
remnants of the past
haunt the present
—This photo haiku was first published in cattails (Canada) in their April 2026 issue. The photo's negative aged naturally over fifty years.
It was originally accepted for publication in Under the Basho. Unfortunately that journal closed right before this photo haiku was published. The journal's editor, Don Baird, kindly suggested one small improvement to this haiku.

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floating kites
restrained by their tethers—
a balloon floats by
—First published in Asahi Shimbun (Japan) on April 30, 2026.

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Sunday afternoon—
the ticking antique clock
divides the silence
—First published in the Autumn Moon Haiku Journal (U.S.) in their Spring/Summer 2026 issue,Volume 9, Number 2. This one was inspired by Bruce Ross, the founder of this journal.

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crab carapace—
a warrior’s
abandoned armor
—First published in Icebox (Japan) on December 8, 2025.

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  • A photo haiku with a picture of street scene surrounded by many angled mirrors, giving it a fractured look.
social media
appointments, commitments,
multitasking—
our minds careening through life
like drunken monkeys
—This photo tanka was first published in the the zen space (Scotland) in the New Year Showcase 2026. The photo was taken in Harajuku, Tokyo.
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a streetlight turns on
attracting circling moths
watched by a cat below
—First published in Icebox (Japan) on December 8, 2025.

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daughter's birthday—
candle flames
flip and twirl
—First published in Asahi Shimbun (Japan) on April 30, 2026.

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eyes wide open—
hovering on the cusp
of the witching hour
—First published in LEAF (India) in their August 2026 issue, Number 10.

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blanketed by clouds
slumbering hills are touched
by the rising sun
—First published in Icebox (Japan) on December 8, 2025.

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(In Romanian.)
  • A photo haiku with a picture of windswept tree on the top of a green hill with dramatic clouds behind.
kiawe legănându-se—
dacă ai putea fugi
unde te-ai duce?
—First published in Enchanted Garden Haiku Journal (Romania), April 2025 issue, Number 15. Translated by Steliana Cristina Voicu.

  • A photo haiku with a picture of windswept tree on the top of a green hill with dramatic clouds behind.

swaying kiawe—
if you could run away
where would you go?
—English version. This haiku is modeled after some by Basho (1644–1694)—the greatest haiku poet.

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a long journey’s end—
the river vanishes
into the sea
—First published in Icebox (Japan) on December 8, 2025.

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sparrow on a branch—
an old cat
leaps into flight
—First published in the Asahi Shimbun (Japan) on February 20, 2026.

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  • A photo haiku showing an air vent on a concrete block wall and a concrete walkway below, with three new leaves of a plant emerging from the corner of the vent.
new life—
cautiously it peeks out
into the world
—This photo haiku was first published in LEAF (India) in their August 2026 issue, Number 10.

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Many of John's haiku are written for a Japanese audience, so for these he provides a bit of background information.

salt in the air
fists on the clay—
tension rises
—First published in the Asahi Shimbun (Japan) on August 1, 2025
This will be understood by those familiar with sumo.

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Nagasaki—
burning embers
fireflies
—This haiku was first published in the Asahi Shimbun (Japan) on August 15, 2025.
In Japanese folklore, fireflies represent the spirits of the dead. They also symbolize that life is fleeting. In the West, people tend to focus on Hiroshima, forgetting about Nagasaki, which was an even worse tragedy. You can read why that is in my book, Weird History 101, as most people don't know what really happened. There you'll find the explanation in the words of most of the top political and military leaders involved.

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yet another war—
falling bombs reflected
in the turtle's tears
—First published in the Asahi Shimbun (Japan) on May 15, 2026.
In Japan, turtles symbolize wisdom, survival, and long life. While my haiku implies that wars will continue, the turtle also symbolizes survival, as well as good luck, so I see that as hope for the future. A crying turtle is a symbol for Spring.

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ringing bells of dusk
mark the approaching night—
the undertaker sighs
—First published in the the zen space (Scotland) in the New Year Showcase 2026.
Some Japanese Buddhist temples ring their giant bonsho—or temple bell—everyday at dusk, marking the transition from day to night. It might be taken as reminding us of other transitions.

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entering the shrine
in moonlight—
alone with the kami
—This was first published in the zen space (Scotland), Summer Showcase 2025.
The kami is the nature spirit or spirits that a Shinto shrine is dedicated to. They can be rather nebulous, specific, or personified as deities.

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high mountain trail—
a woman vanishes
into the mist—kami? fae?
—First published in the the zen space (Scotland) in the New Year Showcase 2026.

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Fujisan hike with the kami
feeling joyful and carefree
fresh mountain air
panoramic view
my community below

(In Japanese.)

神さまと楽しく富士山ハイキング旨き空気と見晴らすわが街

—This tanka received an Honorable Mention of Foreign Language Tanka at the 2025 Fujisan Tanka Contest (Tokyo, Japan), January 12, 2026.
"Fujisan" is the fond, respectful way the Japanese refer to Mt. Fuji.
Tanka are normally five lines with 31 spoken sounds, but an English syllable can contain more Japanese sounds. This tanka is traditional, containing 31 syllables, so they shortened it in the translation by leaving out lines two and four, turning it into an English haiku. This demostrates the problem of using 17 English syllables in haiku and 31 in tanka, as they don't match the sounds in Japanese, and it's why most modern English haiku have less than 17 syllables, although the traditional 5-7-5 haiku are still around and for some journals this format is required.

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after school—
ponytails bounce up the steps
of Ise Grand Shrine
—First published in the Asahi Shimbun (Japan) on September 4, 2026.
Some schools in Japan have banned students from wearing their hair in ponytails--both males and females. Of course they can be defiant and fashionable after school. Ise Grand Shrine, or Ise Jingu, is Japan's most important Shinto shrine and is thought of as the "soul of Japan". By placing the students here I'm indicating that these young people are far from being hoodlums. Despite this backstory, overall I see this as a very light-hearted haiku about freedom.

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CEO
in the temple—
praying mantis
—First published in the zen space (Scotland), Summer Showcase 2025.
This one will seem negative to Westerners and positive to the Japanese, since in Japan the praying mantis is a symbol of power and authority.

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seeing spots—
spotted ladybugs
chase Yayoi Kusama
—First published in the Asahi Shimbun (Japan), September 18, 2026.
I unknowingly wrote this tribute just days before this world-famous avant-garde artist passed away. While many people may not remember her name, they're probably familiar with her polka-dot art. She was an amazing talent and I was very sad to see her go.

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rising sun—
bowing before
the torii gate of dawn
—First published in the Asahi Shimbun (Japan) on August 15, 2026, although I slightly revised it to this version after I submitted it.
The zen space (Scotland) republished this in its New Year Showcase 2026.
This one has at least three layers of meaning for me, and when I wrote it, it seemed to float out in front of my computer screen like a cube, slowly rotating. I doubt that will happen to others. I have since realized there may be further layers to it, but you'll have to be familiar with Japan and Shinto to spot most of them. Hopefully you'll get some meaning out of it. Some haiku are like puzzles that you have to think about to understand.