{"id":1456,"date":"2026-08-01T19:04:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T13:34:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aswordsfly.com\/?p=1456"},"modified":"2026-08-01T21:48:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T16:18:15","slug":"page-4-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aswordsfly.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/01\/page-4-2\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

thistle dawn
threads of pink
braid into daylight<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Joanna Ashwell, UK<\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

children
gathering acorns
the teacher\u2019s heavy hat<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Robert Witmer, Japan<\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

singing bowl
a humpback whale
knows the tune<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Debbie Strange, Canada<\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

bee hives
on temple gopuram
Indian summer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014<\/sub>Neha Singh Soni, India<\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

summer blue
       distant taste
of seawater<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Keiko Izawa,Japan<\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Greek street \u2013
a bougainvillea moon hangs
from her balcony<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Steliana Cristina Voicu, Romania<\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

summer evening \u2014
a firefly bookmarks
my page<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Martina Matijevi\u0107, Croatia<\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

rocking in sync
for a long evening talk
strawberry moon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014<\/sub>Randy Brooks, USA<\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

About <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joanna Ashwell<\/strong> is a short-form poetry writer from the UK. She has been honoured in several competitions and was short-listed for a Touchstone individual poem in 2020 and for haibun in 2025. She is widely published in both print and online journals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now an emeritus professor, Robert Witmer<\/strong> has taught courses in poetry and short fiction at universities in Tokyo and in India. His writing appears in many print and online journals. He has also published three collections of poetry: Finding a Way; Serendipity; Sunrise, in a Rabbit Hole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Debbie Strange <\/strong>(Canada) is a chronically ill short-form poet and artist whose creative passions connect her more closely to the world. Her recent collection, \u201cRandom Blue Sparks\u201d (Snapshot Press, 2024), placed first in Haiku Canada\u2019s 2026 Marianne Bluger Book Awards and third in the Haiku Society of America\u2019s 2025 Merit Book Awards. Please visit a publications\/awards archive at debbiemstrange.blogspot.com<\/a> for further information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neha Singh Soni<\/strong> is a Chartered Accountant from India with a deep love for poetry, especially haiku. She primarily focuses on love poems and nature-inspired verses. Her work has been published in renowned online magazines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keiko Izawa<\/strong> lives on a hilltop in Yokohama, Japan with her husband and two cats. She enjoys watching foreign ships come in and out of port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steliana Cristina Voicu<\/strong> is a Romanian poet and writer in a variety of genres. She has published haiku, haiga, tanka, poetry, and short prose in more than 40 periodicals and anthologies. A Touchstone Award\u2013nominated poet. She is the founder and editor of the online Enchanted Garden Haiku Journal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martina Matijevi\u0107<\/strong> is a writer from Croatia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Randy Brooks<\/strong> is Professor of English Emeritus at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where he teaches courses on haiku, tanka, and Japanese poetics. He and his wife, Shirley Brooks, are publishers of Brooks Books and co-editors of Mayfly haiku magazine. His most recent books include Walking the Fence: Selected Tanka, The Art of Reading and Writing Haiku: A Reader Response Approach, and HAIKU DECK: A collection of playing cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2190 Previous<\/a>\u2003|\u2003Back to Issue<\/a>\u2003|\u2003Next \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

thistle dawnthreads of pinkbraid into daylight \u2014Joanna Ashwell, UK childrengathering acornsthe teacher\u2019s heavy hat \u2014Robert Witmer, Japan singing bowla humpback whaleknows the tune \u2014Debbie Strange, Canada bee hiveson temple gopuramIndian summer \u2014Neha Singh Soni, India summer blue        distant tasteof seawater \u2014Keiko Izawa,Japan Greek street \u2013a bougainvillea moon hangsfrom her balcony \u2014Steliana Cristina Voicu, Romania […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[96],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-issue-02","post-preview"],"yoast_head":"\n- as words fly<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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