still water
only the wing beats
of the circling curlews
teasels
the reed bunting's feather tips
have worn away
a whitethroat
flits through the thicket . . .
late summer wind
country milestone
corn buntings jangle
the breeze
grey skies
goldfinch wings
fan the ragwort
John Barlow is the editor of The Haiku Calendar, which has appeared annually since 2000, and co-editor of The New Haiku (2002) and the forthcoming Wing Beats: British Birds in Haiku (2007). He also edited the haiku magazine Snapshots from 1998-2006. His own collections include Flamingo Shapes (2001) and Waiting for the Seventh Wave (2006), and his haiku have received awards in the UK, US, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. He lives in the North West of England, a short walk from the sea.
John Barlow is the editor of The Haiku Calendar, which has appeared annually since 2000, and co-editor of The New Haiku (2002) and the forthcoming Wing Beats: British Birds in Haiku (2007). He also edited the haiku magazine Snapshots from 1998-2006. His own collections include Flamingo Shapes (2001) and Waiting for the Seventh Wave (2006), and his haiku have received awards in the UK, US, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. He lives in the North West of England, a short walk from the sea.