spring grass
where the young deer died
setting sun

autumn evening
smells of sautéing garlic
tall tales over scotch

classic hunting haiku #4

Here is the fourth in our series of classic hunting haiku written by Issa, one of Japan's finest haiku poets.

1824

追鳥を烏笑ふや堂の屋根

oi-dori wo karasu warau ya dô no yane

the crow laughs
at the bird hunters...
temple roof

The translator notes: "Issa and his readers know that life is protected at the Buddhist temple. In this haiku, the crow also seems to be aware of this fact, laughing tauntingly at the hunters from the safety of its perch."

Translations are by David G. Lanoue, who includes the following note: "Translations based on Issa zenshû (Nagano: Shinano Mainichi Shimbunsha, 1976-79) 9 volumes. Some of the translations first appeared in Issa, Cup-of-Tea Poems and Pure Land Haiku: The Art of Priest Issa."

grouse camp
after breakfast the outhouse
seat still slightly warm

inspired by a haiku by Levon MacHenry

after school
we learn the art
of grouse hunting

spring pasture
a woodcock
but no cows

in the grass
broken clay pigeons--
fall afternoon

morning darkness
roosting geese honk
the splash of decoys

fall wind in the balsams
yesterday's rain
still falling on me

after dark
the cabin's gas lights
before we light them

old farm pond
wood ducks flush
oo-eeek, oo-eeek

fishing implies bait
hunting belies use of stealth
the trout require both

cabin opening
the Captain's wish list
of chores

cold rain falls
the duck blind door
bangs in the wind

eating french fries
off the parking lot pavement
wild mallard

2 a.m.
letting dogs out to pee
- the north woods stars

Allegash evening
as we clean the day's birds
a moose drinks nearby

strutting turkey
hunting season still
two weeks away

moonless night
beyond the field edge
grouse roosting

high wire act
kestrel
clutching a mouse

the shot not taken
two grouse diverged
in a yellowed wood

scratched and bruised
the hunter's forearms -
grouse season

seller's remorse
in the gun store rack
my old side by side

the old silo
filled with the trash
of sixty deer camps

indoor cat
comes back from the barn
carrying a pigeon

autumn wind
scent of a doe
in heat

Wisconsin dawn
the steam rising
from a pot of coffee

stealth for breakfast
beat the retreat for lunch
remorse for dinner and death

muddy trail
flooded tire ruts
frogs jump in

guest haiku

A guest haiku by "papa" originally posted on Tiny Words.

13th birthday
dad & gramps inspect
my first dry fly

playing him…
the trout leads me into
a raspberry thicket

birthday dinner
the day’s catch sizzles
in a cast iron skillet

hunt protester
at the bear check station
the only sad face

cold morning
smell of venison sausage
wakes me

forget labradors
setters with choke bored noses
are the way to go

guest haiku

This one is by Levon MacHenry and was originally posted to the Tiny Words haiku site.

first warm day
two boys compare catfish
on a wooden bridge