Heatwave haiku

1/
heatwave--
if only I could comprehend
mother's grief

2/
she loosens
her grip on our oath
lingering heat

3/
slightly it goes
my laundry line down
the heatwave

Cherry blossom haiku

blossom viewing
caressing his bald head
so motherly

cherry blossom
her first blind date
after divorce

Mother's lap haiku

rainclouds
long for a sleep
in her mother's lap

Water lily bud haiga

Four-leaf clover tanka

mother said
four-leaf clover was
a plain lie
soon, i whispered
you won't need wheelchair

Someday, dear mother haiku

someday, dear mother
i'll be strong and tall like you
bamboo shoots

Mother tanka

I took my kids to visit my mother in my hometown last week end. Not a long trip, it usually takes no more than for hours driving. I wrote these two tanka during the visit.

Two tanka for my mother

1/
in wooden armchair
my mother no longer knits
slip, stitch and pass
the piece she made wholeheartedly
was raising a wayward son

2/
the meaning of getting old
my mother told me about
hair loss
I realize how hard it is
to say an early goodbye

Silent sea haiga

Published in A Hundred Gourds 3:3, Summer 2012

Full moon haiku triplet

1/
full moon...
i promise to sketch her
a lotus blossom

bulan penuh...
kujanjikan dia sketsa
sekuntum lotus

2/
different
layers of silence--
full moon

sunyi
berlapis-lapis--
purnama

3/
as if my mom
reads me bedtime story
full moon

seolah ibuku
sedang mendongeng
bulan nan bulat

Pine cone haiga

First collaborative work with Irvan Kristanto

Father's grave tanka

a picture of
my father's grave
looks brand new
how long he's been gone
my sick mother knows it better

dari albumku
foto makam ayah masih
terlihat baru
sudah berapa lama dia pergi
ibuku yang sakit tahu benar

*In loving memory of my father, a prayer for my mother who is now hospitalized in Banjarnegara, my hometown.

Oxygen mask haiku

my late dad's oxygen mask my mom fits in

pas benar masker oksigen peninggalan bapak dipakai ibu

Sketch of rainclouds haiku

crippled mother
the black of her eyes capture
a sketch of rainclouds

dari kursi rodanya
tatapan ibu menembus mataku
sketsa awan hujan

Leaving hometown haiku

leaving hometown
be safe, says my mother
on her wheelchair

keberangkatan
jaga dirimu, kata ibu
dari kursi roda

Visiting my mom haiku

(1)
visiting my mom
he jumps over the step
for a tender hug

menjenguk eyang
dia melompati undakan
pelukan kangen

Mother's voice haiku

cricket song
how familiar it is
my mother's voice

Ambrosia, issue 5 Summer 2010

Mother's tanka

how can i not be blue
my mom called and cried
for missing me
and so did my son
for his missing toy

bagaimana bisa tersenyum
di telepon ibuku menangis
katanya kangen aku
sedang anakku merengek
kehilangan mainan

Cucumber pickles tanka/kyoka

wanting
to kiss your lips
gosh!
your mom serves
cucumber pickles

ingin aku
melahap bibirmu
aih!
ibumu hidangkan
acar mentimun