This Old Sweater

I don't mind change. A new haircut. A new hobby. Life's short, right? But for whatever reason, my favorite album hasn't changed in 20 years.

every day

the same sun

warms my veins

*Published in Contemporary Haibun Online, vol 13 no 4

rainbow sky

when I forget

life is beautiful 

umbra

the things I hide

from myself 

embers

our friendship 

slowly ends

winter night

my shadow slips

into a dream

*Published in Incense Dreams 1.3

**rainbow sky was inducted into the issue’s Cave of Resilience

octopus

this bed

of nails

mist over moon the blame of rape

what were you saying these tentacles in me

into the mouth of violet burning night

*Published in the December 2017 edition of is/let

office politics

a cheetah licks

the bone clean

*Published in Frameless Sky Issue 7

starless night

I say my apology

to the wind

*Published in the December 2017 issue of Stardust Haiku

frozen lake

another bout

of writer's block

*Published in Issue #122 of Hedgerow: a journal of short poems

mother's funeral

the cool touch

of regret

*Selected haiku, NHK World Haiku Masters: December, Week 1

hallelujah!

good hair

on a rainy day 

*Published in the December issue of brass bell: a haiku journal

match strike

a sudden whisper

of truth

*Published in the November 2017 issue of Stardust Haiku

cloudy night

the moon and I

disappear

unemployed

my long commute

to an empty fridge

*Published in Issue #59 of Presence

starlight

I remember

who I am

*Published in Issue #121 of Hedgerow: a journal of small poems

thistle

an old wound

surfaces

rough bark

the untold stories

of my body

*Published in the 2017 issue of Under the Basho (Modern Haiku section)

squiggles on paper

my niece says

it's a dinosaur

sisters

after all these years

friends

*Published in the November issue of brass bell: a haiku journal

graveyard

the secrets

I keep

*Published by Haikuniverse (www.haikuniverse.com) on 10/31/17
*2018 Dwarf Stars Award Nominee

dragonfly

a ripple forms

on quiet water

*Published in the fall 2017 issue of Acorn: a journal of contemporary haiku

grapevine

our words vanish

in the mist

*Published in the October 2017 issue of Stardust Haiku

the long road home

still

incomplete

*Published in Chrysanthemum 22 along with a German translation:

die lange Straße nach Hause
noch immer
nicht fertig

heated argument

my curls refuse

to straighten

group therapy

I place a 6-pack

on the table

*Published in the October 2017 issue of Cattails

crickets

when we discuss

assault

*Published by Haikuniverse (www.haikuniverse.com) on 10/11/17

alone

even the wind

avoids touch

*9th place in the European Quarterly Kukai #19

forest fire

our Mother

weeps

*Published by My Haiku Pond's 2nd Annual Haiku for Change Event (2017) in conjunction with 100 Thousand Poets for Change

quiet storm

I close my eyes

to listen

*Published in the October issue of brass bell: a haiku journal

by the river

my thoughts

dive in

*Published on Cha No Keburi on 9/6/17 and translated into Italian by Lucia Fontana:

lungo il fiume
i miei pensieri
s’immergono

yellowed

the pages

of our love

*Published in the September 2017 issue of Stardust Haiku

lost in thought

a moss-covered trail

brings me home

*Published in Issue #120 of Hedgerow: a journal of small poems

after death

mother says

she's alive

seven floors

below ground

finally safe

sacred geometry

my body aligned

with his

lucid dream

I rewrite

our story

parallel universe

a monster runs away

from me

*Published in Incense Dreams 1.2

Note: the following horror-themed haiku may contain images or subjects that some readers may find upsetting. 

Sunday morning
we exorcise the demon
of you

burnt sky
a sorceress warns
about the future

midnight
the ghosts of our past
flank my vision

hot breath
in my ear
chilled words

blindfolded
a voice whispers
don't scream

scarred and bruised
the hand reaching
for mine

chessboard
you move; I move
toward destruction

wasteland
I roam the empty streets
caked in regret

*Published in Issue 1.2 of Scryptic Magazine
**Sunday morning was selected for Scryptic's Best of 2017 - 2018 Anthology

hummingbird...

my thoughts come

and go

*1st place in the 21st Indian Kukai
**This poem was also featured on Haiku Commentary: 
https://haikucommentary.wordpress.com/2017/11/09/tiffany-shaw-diazs-hummingbird/

midday hike

our brief journey

on the same path

500-year-old tree

now I know

how the ant feels

foggy cliff

I step into

the unknown

rustling petals

thank you for the reminder

 to breathe

*Published in Akitsu Quarterly Fall 2017
**foggy cliff was published by The Daily Haiku (Charlotte Digregorio) on 10/3/17

melting snow

my heart

warms

*Published in the August 2017 issue of Stardust Haiku

family reunion 

extra salt

and vinegar 

*Published in The Heron's Nest Volume XIX, Number 3: September 2017

ah...

hot water 

meets the teabag

cozy bath

my ally

in healing

daydream

to be the river

filled with light

*Published in the September issue of brass bell: a haiku journal

morning calm

a young blackbird

finds her voice

*Published in Wild Plum 3:2 (fall/winter 2017)

mid-argument the subjunctive chimes in

*Published in Sonic Boom Issue Nine

warm day

he calls me

missus 

*Published in The Asahi Shimbun (Asahi Haikuist Network) on 8/4/17

midnight sun
the last stage
of grief

*Published by Ama no gawa on 7/31/17 and translated into Italian by Elisa Allo:

sole di mezzanotte

l’ultima fase
del dolore

potted lavender

our differences

set aside

*Published by Memorie di una geisha on 7/29/17 and translated into Italian by Eufemia Griffo:

lavanda in vaso
mettiamo da parte
le nostre differenze

open window

moonlight sneaks in

with the breeze

farmers' market

shoppers Instagram 

the rainbow

*Published in Issue #58 of Presence 

tornado

where my car

used to be

*Published in The Asahi Shimbun (Asahi Haikuist Network) on 7/21/17

sudden chill

doors open

to a stranger

*Published in Haiku in the Workplace: Elevator Awkwardness on The Haiku Foundation's website

eventide

two lovers gaze

at the Northern Lights

*Published in The Asahi Shimbun (Asahi Haikuist Network) on 7/7/17

July heat wave

the office AC starts

an early retirement

*Published in Haiku in the Workplace: The Broken Air Conditioner on The Haiku Foundation's website

ripe blackberry

for one moment

the world is still

*Published on Cha No Keburi on 7/2/17 and translated into Italian by Lucia Fontana:

mora matura

per un momento il mondo

rimane immobile

gallery opening

his tie

a starry night

*Published by Haikuniverse (www.haikuniverse.com) on 7/2/17

night's edge

what I can no longer

ignore

forgiveness

deep in the forest

soft light

uncharted land

this life

beyond skin

at home

in my body

new dawn

*Published in Issue #118 of Hedgerow: a journal of small poems

Mother's Day

I tiptoe around

the past tense

*Short-listed for the 2nd Annual H. Gene Murtha Memorial Senryu Contest

Ohio-Kentucky border

the same cornfield

on both sides

*Published in Modern Haiku 48.2

full moon

an overnight nurse

says a prayer

*Published in Haiku in the Workplace: Working Late on The Haiku Foundation's website

exiting thunder

the slow acceptance

of what is

*Published in the June 2017 issue of Stardust Haiku

morning kayak trip

we discuss mother's illness

in deeper water

driving home

the one sycamore

I never noticed

shifting priorities

my harp

collecting dust

*Published in Akitsu Quarterly Summer 2017

ripe cherry

he studies

my lips

*Published on Ama no gawa on 6/19/17 and translated into Italian by Elisa Allo:

ciliegia matura
lui studia
le mie labbra

up my spine

icy fingers pluck

phantom strings

bitter wind

one vulture circles

a moonless void

doomsday clock

the rhythmic scrape

of death's scythe

*Published in Issue 1.1 of Scryptic Magazine
**doomsday clock was selected for Scryptic's Best of 2017 - 2018 Anthology

late spring

a wild rose

greets the sun

*Published on Memorie di una geisha on 6/13/17 and translated into Italian by Eufemia Griffo:

tarda primavera

una rosa selvatica

saluta il sole

summer heat

his hand

traveling lower

musk and bergamot

what he has left

on my sheets

*Published in Frameless Sky Issue 6

first mammogram

my robe

slips away

and then

my dignity

*Published in Issue #16 of Moonbathing

blue flowers...

the way he says

I'm sorry

*6th place in the 20th Indian Kukai

office retreat

I reconsider

my drink limit

*Published in Haiku in the Workplace: Office Retreat on The Haiku Foundation's website

smashed eggs

my brain

post-Facebook

writer's block

a cat versus

the red dot

news-free day

high of 75

and sunny

*Published in Issue #18 of Failed Haiku

pizza for breakfast

my inner child

giggles

*Published in the June issue of brass bell: a haiku journal

wrapping

your arms around me

lakeside breeze

envious...

how water moves

with the wind

no make-up

today I greet nature

as I am

diamonds...

what the sun makes

of the ocean

*Published in issue #113 of Hedgerow: a journal of small poems

nightfall

the wind conjures

a ghost story

*Published in the May 2017 issue of Stardust Haiku

weeping willow...

his heart

spilling into mine

*Published by The Mainichi on 5/8/17
**Selected for Haiku in English: Best of 2017 (The Mainichi)

morning cumbia

a little espresso

then a little more

*Published by Ama no gawa on 5/7/17 and translated into Italian by Elisa Allo

Cumbia al mattino
Un po’ di espresso
poi un po’ di più

midday improv

Charles Mingus

on shuffle

spotty internet

blowing the dust

off life

and now

a moment of silence...

dead cellphone

*Published in Issue #17 of Failed Haiku

crimson sunset
what you've said
what I've said

spicing things up
one side of the room
painted orange

one yellow sock
one blue
whatever - no one looks

*Published in the May issue of brass bell: a haiku journal
**crimson sunset was translated into Italian by Eufemia Griffo on her blog Memorie di una geisha:

tramonto cremisi
quello che hai detto
quello che ho detto

smooth jazz...

I dip my brush

in blue paint

*Published by Haikuniverse (www.haikuniverse.com) on 4/20/17

mushroom risotto 
the way my mother said
keep stirring

unshelled pistachios
my father
on marriage

*Published in Frogpond 40:1
**unshelled pistachios was featured in on down the road (the Haiku Society of America's 2017 member's anthology), and The Daily Haiku
***mushroom risotto was translated into Italian by Eufemia Griffo in Memorie di una Geisha:

risotto ai funghi
il modo in cui mia madre ha detto
continua a mescolare

Sunday crime

I overestimate the nutmeg

for our breakfast muffins

a little moment

of rebellion

gelato in February

more groceries

than my trunk can hold

rainy Friday

*Published in the April issue of brass bell: a haiku journal 

craft store

deep in thought

over fake cherry blossoms

meditation

the dust can sit

too

lightning bolt
counting the seconds
until he retorts

foggy morning

perhaps one beer

would have sufficed 

family dinner

we let the wine

speak for us

*Published in Issue #16 of Failed Haiku