15 December 2011

spooked -
the tree bursts
into starlings

29 November 2011

still the spent firework's
cordite smell -
nest of serpents

27 November 2011

in and out of the clouds
Orion -
the sound of a fox through the gale
the midnight church bells
soft then loud
gale force winds

15 November 2011

distant tractor
each ruck in the earth
glinting its windows

29 October 2011

Halloween disco
a witch plays air guitar
with her broom

28 October 2011

the name
I didn't want to see -
bitter coffee

14 October 2011

tinywords - call for submissions

As you may or may not know, I am on the editorial board of tinywords.

We invite you to contribute/submit to the next issue.

The theme for this issue will be "journeys." We’re looking for haiku, tanka and other tiny poems, short tanka prose and short haibun that take us somewhere — physical journeys, journeys of the spirit, life journeys.

We’re also interested in haiga and other art that combines very short poems with art. Surprise us with something exotic or let us see the familiar anew.

If you want to submit up to five pieces, you have until October 24.

Submissions can be made online at http://tinywords.com/submit/

7 October 2011

turf smoke -
the shortcut
no shorter

23 September 2011

the silence
of the house
after the airport -
I tidy away
your breakfast things

18 September 2011

daydreamer sky
the right-angle bend
in a contrail

(a re-worked oldie)

9 September 2011

airborne again -
the roadkill's
feathers

14 August 2011

road trip
at the end of the argument
a patch of blue

2 August 2011

evening's end -
the whisper
of a breeze
and my thoughts
turn to ghosts

9 July 2011

sleepover
the smallest child
snores loudest

minimalism
the gallery
loo

[both published in Blithe Spirit 21:1]

1 July 2011

glowering skies
the girl at the gate
beckons the horse


[published - Presence #43]

26 June 2011

chatter of sparrows
in the midst of it
the new neighbour's wind chimes

6 June 2011

Postcard from NYC

on the steps of St Patrick's
a cop watches over
the flock of tourists

27 May 2011

Poem a Month

I'm going to be in New York for a few days. I may post here if I feel inspired and have the time.

In the meantime, you may be interested to know that I have guest edited the June, British Haiku Society edition of Derbyshire Libraries' Poem a Month.

The June edition will be published on June 1st and you can even subscribe to have a monthly poem delivered to your inbox.

For more information, visit the Poem a Month website

18 May 2011

Occasionally I read through some of my old haiku that have been published and I come across one that nags at me and I have to sit down and rework it several times before I can let it settle. More often than not, I end up dissatisfied, but occasionally I end up happier with the new version. When this happens, it's like something has clicked into place...

the heather still in bloom -
we take Mum the long way
back to the hospice


(The original version was published in 3Lights)

8 May 2011

weaving its way
through the rush hour traffic
a white butterfly

7 May 2011

chuntering at something
the blackbird on the fence post
- election day


(for the newly elected Cllr Serjeant)

24 April 2011

dawn mist lifting -
waking to a world
of woodpigeons

21 April 2011

listening gently to her heartbeat quicken

(for my daughter, R)

15 April 2011

for all the world
like an eagle -
mountain crow

6 April 2011

Snapshots Haiku Calendar competition

I have just found out that I am both a winner and a runner-up in the Snapshots Haiku Calendar competition.

I have been writing haiku seriously for about ten years now and this is the first proper contest that I have entered. So, as you can imagine, I am thrilled with the result.

The Snapshots 2012 Haiku Calendar can be ordered from the Snapshots website from August 2011.

A list of the results and the adjudicator's report are also available on the Snaphots site.

24 March 2011

Presence #42 poems

the following poems of mine appeared in Presence #42 (September 2010)


bringing only
silence
the storm cloud's weight

sub-zero dawn
distant gulls
still the sky

his dates end
where hers begin
briefly
she rests to read
the park bench epitaph


8 March 2011

Blithe Spirit 20:4

Here is a selection of my work that appeared in Blithe Spirit 20:4

Visit the British Haiku Society website for more information on how to subscribe to Blithe Spirit.


first flowers
she re-arranges
her re-arrangement

this year the meadow
ablaze with life
- the empty stable

my doctor's reaction -
he taps my knee again
just to make sure

bonfire breeze
with the last of the light
the final whistle

anniversary
of your death
raindrops
stream upwards
on the windscreen

17 February 2011

stargazing -
the dwindling glow
of your solar lights

15 February 2011

roadside memorial -
the faded plastic windmills
still racing

8 February 2011

every angle skewed
on the allotment shed -
the veteran's beret

28 January 2011

named
yet nameless
each star in the sky

21 January 2011

the three of us
watching the morning star
dwindle and fade
*
now only me

4 January 2011

quietly
the Northern Line train
cursing the suicide
all works are copyright, © David Serjeant. If you plan to use any of the work here, I will probably have no problem with that if you credit me as the author, link to this blog and let me know first. Thank you!

background image: beeley moor spin photo © David Serjeant