Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry comprised of three phrases.
Traditional haiku uses 17 syllables (5:7:5) but contemporary haiku in English often ignores this rule. A haiku is typically about nature, the earth and the natural world and are designed to be thought-provoking. These original haiku poems are by Anthony Rutledge and are mostly written in the contemporary free style format.
There are over 2,000 Haiku on this site in ten different themes: Australian, Beach, Garden Sundial, In the Mirror,Kimono,Motherhood,Ships and Oceans,Spring,Windjammers and Miscellaneous.
open tent
light of dawn
the magpie's worm pulls back
open tent
the leaves the rain puddle
takes from the wind
open tent
changing the wind
a taint of rain
open tent
rushing to darkness
autumn showers
open tent
a curtain of rain
moves in the forest
open tent
magpies in the Gum trees
a song at a time
open tent
some of the bird songs
left in the fog
open tent
leaving its afterimage
on butterfly wings
open tent
the broken hearing
of red rustled leaves
open tent
the hour sunrise
takes to perfect
camping
the mirage the sun bakes
from an empty sky
camping
just enough clouds
to tattoo the river
camping
an afterimage of the crow--
where she watched me
camping
each speck of a Galaxy
replaced by another
camping
without a sound
insomnia leaves
camping
our Milky Way
on the edge... seeing within
camp fire
the Big Bang expanding the space
I sit in
camping
a space between stars
harder to find
camping
in a sea of stars
the lighthouse moon
camping
the nearness of stars
in the bedroom walls
camping
the shadows of a dance
out of the flames
camping
we bathe nearby
the waterfall's voice
camping
in the rescue of whales
marooned on a beach
camp fire
her silhouette sips wine
in a billion stars
open tent
around the bend
the sound of white water
open tent
hearing the sounds
rain runs into puddles
open tent
how blue is the lake
changed to skylight
open tent
growing with dawn
a bird cage of songs
open tent
such dense fog
holding the colour
open tent
the silence the forest has
in breathing
open tent
the breathing from trees
taken by the wind
open tent
when a dot becomes an eagle
from the sky blue
open tent
from a nest of magpies
the melting frost
open tent
all night
the sound frosts crackle
open tent
a boulder stands in
the sound of white water
open tent
swallows stitching
the clouds together
open tent
smiling at a bird song
my ear to the next
open tent
eucalypti touching
across the river
open tent
start of day
our daughter sings to bird songs
open tent
pockmarked craters
on the face of the moon
open tent
across the river
the craters on the moon
open tent
twilight darker
when the frogs begin
open tent
as shadows move
out of the shade
open tent
the broken light
part grey-- part rain
open tent
I cannot connect
my Zodiac stars
open tent
a frog jumps in
the light of the pond
open tent
a crow watches me
from the swaying branch
open tent
how charged the river is
in lightning
open tent
a dove's quick wing
followed by a hawk
open tent
framing the river
the moon glides on
open tent
my eyes split in
the cracks of dawn
lake camping
all the fireflies
of the other side's
camping
the smells of the forest
mixes with rain
camping
a fallen blue-Gum
bridges the river
camping
these meteor tails
should have a sound
camping
our coffee cups in
a gathering of trees
camp fire
before the dusk falls
to shooting stars
camping
a bee hive
being vocal to our smoke
camping
the owl's turn to
the hint of a moth
camping
what cicadas don't know
in the last of their cries
camping
the magpie songs
not meant to welcome
camping
shade after shade
inching longer
camping
another hunt squeals
out of the forest
camping
the quietness alone
a sundown brings
camping
as I breathe them--
the breath of trees
camping
where the owl left
a handful of stars
camping
the stars take their time
from a Dark Matter
camping
I can't see
with Dad's wisdom
camping
the touch of freckles
over Laurel's skin
camping
even as I slap mosquitoes
the buzz of the fire
camping
even as the fire starts
a sizzle of rain
camping
found in the fire
the scent of lemon Gums
camping
the silence in
the nearness of dawn
camping
thunder shakes the tent
in its ropes
open tent
the quietly searching
moon's face
camping
birds will be birds
such chatter about dawn
camp fire
a full moon
searches the trees
camp fire
our waterfall showers
dried without towels
camp fire
crackling into
the stars
open tent
last in sunset...
the river passes on to night
open tent
green and brown caterpillar
in a beak
open tent
squeezed from a husk
the moth dilates her wings
weekend camp
a feral cat
sniffs the meat
open tent
thump of thunder
popping her eyes out
camping
eggs
when twigs become a nest
open tent
my dog
inhales the stranger
open tent
mountain---
parts of the snow left behind
camp fire
the wings an owl folds
in shadows
open tent
white trapped moth...
I watch the spider begin
open tent
a sunrise in the Gum trees
stepping out
camping
last cling to earth...
a Gum tree fells a younger
camping
a net of stars
cradles the moon
camp site
a patch of burnt bush
wears waving new leaves
weekend camp
touching wildflowers
I cannot know the nectars they hold
camping
the colours of dawn
an incoming tide
camp fire
stirring the coals
I fall to a dream
camping
even in magpie songs
a cricket adds hers
open tent
at a dream's edge
the caw of crows
camp fire
our tent's shade
joins the mountain
river camp
each coffee sip
a new sunset
lake side
a log fire
tastes the coffee
lake side
a sunset burns off
the sounds
twilight lake
all at once
I cannot hear a sound
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