Underwater Haiku:

a collaborative collection

Underwater Haiku: a collaborative collection

Editorial Team: Daphne-Ioanna GiannoulatouStephanie Januchowski-HartleyAsha Sahni

Published by the Freshwater Interdisciplinary Research and Engagement Lab

Designed & Illustrated by Daphne Ioanna Giannoulatou

Swansea 2020

Table of contentsTable of contents

Table of contentsTable of contents

Part IPart I: the five winning poems

Butterbird

Stagwhale

Octowl

Salfly

Part IIPart II: all other haiku entries

Butterbird

Stagwhale

Octowl

Salfly

TranslationsTranslations

6 7

p. 7

p. 11

p. 12

p. 14

p. 16

p. 18

p. 21

p. 22

p. 24

p. 26

p.28

p. 30

“To our underwater environments”

98

Part Ithe five winning poems

1110

Fishbird enjoyingflying with flowers sharp eye

strong focused ahead

Zahra Kosar

Flying fish full moonFragrant plum tree blossomingWater fresh as night

Marta Aarli

To overshadow the sunSpread your gills and finsFall in love with flight

Svitlana Kobets

Butterbird fishbirdhigh above and there below. Splash! Now fly swim fly!

Julia Lockheart

The butterbird flies Her gossamer wings beat time To Nature’s rhythm

Yvonne Ugarte

13

Tuned antenna tail -the stagwhale sends seabed songinto the fathoms

Fiona Owen

Waves form on blue leavesHear, it sings from underneathShedding it’s old self

Kenjiro Van Malder

Large antler caught upSnagged in discarded plasticGreat trouble ahead

Caroline Hadley

Taking down a stag?Reasonable for Bobcats.A whale? Perhaps not.

Bob Catt

Whalefish swimmingcontaminated oceancrying compassion

Zahra Kosar

15

Wise owl octopusFeathered sage inscrutable

Emotion, colours

Stephen Noreiko

rock steady abovea restless sea of senses the perfect hunter

Cathy Wilson

Η ματιά υποθαλάσσια Κατευθείαν στην ψυχή των νεκρών Ας με έπαιρνες μαζί σου[1]

Pavlos Maragkos

Eight legs in the blue,Above curling, swirling clouds, Whooo! What sea is this?

Julia Lockheart

Ink of eight-legged owl.Rich in the philosophy of land, air and sea.

Judy Darley

17

Salfly gasping airSpreads four laced wings in flight

Where is my river?

Merryn Thomas

Angler’s fly lures fishAmbiguity — freedomWinged fish takes flight

Stephen Noreiko

Quicksilver flutter As though one, dives up, flies downEnergies entwined

Steve Thackeray

deep sea reflectionsa salmon’s eyes look intothe fisherman’s lure

Jessica Renee Dawson

Scale and wing and finA flash of flying silverBrief moment in Time

Lisa Rossetti

19

Part IIPart IIall other haiku entries

20 21

Shimmer, shammy, soar.Sieze lapis lazuli sky.Swim flutter, flow seas.

Doryn Herbst

Forward in actionleave the safety of my perchspread my wings in hope

Robert Shooter

You swim with feathers;I fly with rose-petalled fins. We fall into love.

Judy Darley

Mellow sunshine tangerine.Butterbird floating ever serene. Wings move gentle tail so keen.

Stephen Treharne

Exploring the world, a warm day is beginning, excited wings flap

Polly Gitsham

You melt on my tongueAnd taste of flying freedomNestled in our bed

Kenjiro Van Malder

No matter what formbe it fish, bird or corn,forever your son

Nina Grace Browne

Neither fish nor fowl?Whether scale or feather, tasteBetter with butter

Robert Catt, Esq.

Fish, bird, chimaeraFierce glowing dawn sun behindBoughs, blossom bursting

Stephen Noreiko

butterbird sun-leaps -languages swirl like seablooms

o ddwr i awyr [2]

Fiona Owen

Of strength and proud chestButterbird is caressed byFins of known purpose.

Lotte Williams

Sun dance on waterTruth is lost and life is foundSing Butterbird, shine

Ben Whittaker

Butterbird sunriseShe swims from the puddletreeFreedom for a day

Merryn Thomas

whether to fly orswim into the sun riskingmelted butter wings

Cathy Wilson

you rise on warm air while I float on the water wild encounters wild

Karen Harvey

Flash by, fat fish-birdIn the water of sweet airWe breathe your beauty

Cathy Bryant

My kids are stolenThe nest is empty thereAs I’m looking now

Thomas

Flying forth so freeLeaving blossom tree behindLove will protect me

Lisa Rossetti

Sun lights up the lakePlump bird glides until it divesInto dark places

Caroline Hadley

Butterbird

2322

Like Jonah, I’m notgoing or doing as asked.Oh God, I must do.

Robert Shooter

a glimpse of your hornsin the curling of a wavewhale song brings me home

Karen Harvey

A quiver of whalesin a puddle of deep blue.Glints of silver grey.

Doryn Herbst

Antlers of baleen,Stagwhales fight in Spring, and singDeep songs of triumph

Cathy Bryant

Is it a whale? Maybe a stag frolicking,in the wilderness

Polly Gitsham

Dear whale, crowned male horns,Deer whale - singing and bucking,Blood pink disc in waves.

Julia Lockheart

I show you the path‘Are they like us’ you ask; but You have it backwards

Nina Grace Browne

its voice carries farover valley and foresta shock wave of love

Cathy Wilson

Sea grazing monsterStag antlers to beat the wavesUnlikely pink sun

Stephen Noreiko

Creature from my dreamsTraversing land and water Mountains oceans waves

Marta Aarli

Swim away from “I”From heads and tails of your “self”Merge with the ocean

Svitlana Kobets

Μπανέλες αντί για δόντιαΤαξίδια από ήπειρο σε ήπειροΠροσοχή στα κέρατα [3]

Pavlos Maragkos

Don’t misread my fins.Cetaceous lungs crave air justas your eyes leak salt.

Judy Darley

Ocean cold and bleak The Stagwale, mythic creatureI have gone to seek

Merryn Thomas

Riding the salt wavesCommanding sun, sea and skyBehold me rising!

Lisa Rossetti

The whale dives deep downThe ocean holds mystery close They need each other now

Michelle Morris

Stagwhale

2524

The wise 8 legged thingstirs the world with all its limbsto settle in peace

Robert Shooter

Queen octopus bluecurious owl big eyescoming to find you

Zahra Kosar

Do you just see legs.I’m a cool-headed scholarbut not with my ink.

Doryn Herbst

Soundless eyes gazing.In yet-black ink constricted.Drown my deepsea dark.

Kenjiro Van Malder

Long legs and wide eyes,legs travel underwater, eyes searching for food

Polly Gitsham

Turbulent riverClouds of silt becomingOctowl’s wedding dress

Merryn Thomas

I will guide you throughfrom sea to sky, night to day. Do you know I’m here?

Nina Grace Browne

Birthed from waves’ turmoillike Guanyin, she heeds the callsof lost seafarers

Fiona Owen

Deep sea ink clad sky,Owl hunts unsuspecting prey;Silent wings float by.

Katalin Patnaik

Eight limbed and featheredRising from the roiling wavesCreature of two worlds

Marta Aarli

Remember that oneOnly see the ice berg tip,Many thoughts delve on.

Lotte Williams

Búho sabioEn la playa, mira aPulpo arboles[4]

Steve Lockett

Massive eyes staringClever tentacled creatureVoice of wistfulness

Caroline Hadley

I beckon - bewareFor I am stranger than strangeDrawing you closer

Lisa Rossetti

Owls, scary enough...Subtract wings, add tentacles,Pure nightmare fuel.

Bob Catt

Hunter partly seesConnections, tentacles, weave Life’s intricate web

Steve Thackeray

Octowl’s tentacles Wisely sign tu-whit tu-wooIn water language

Cathy Bryant

Seeing all of lifeThrough eyes, skin, body, and soulMorph into true Self

Svitlana Kobets

Octowl

2726

I swim and fly hometo enable creationto reproduce still

Robert Shooter

Above the water,Below the yellowing sunSwift fash of hybrid.

Julia Lockheart

Gurgling, bugged longingto return to my birth place,gravel origin.

Doryn Herbst

River obstructionMeets Salfly’s adaptation.Who needs fish ladders?

Bob Catt

Escaping right now, flying fish looking for life, away from danger

Polly Gitsham

This lake-water lacks oxygen for gulping gills.I must take to wing.

Judy Darley

The mighty dragon. Flying, twirling, hunting, feedingThe mighty salmon.

Nina Grace Browne

Salmon in the sky, above the flowing river, waters dream up high

Heather Moorhouse

just see how she fliesthe sheen of a rainbow inthe arc of her back

Karen Harvey

Carp-like, part machinesteers with rear steel filamentsLugh’s best light-leaper

Fiona Owen

Swimming is flyingBut underwater. In poolsWe all become birds.

Cathy Bryant

Bamboo leaves rustlingTranslucent wings taking flightWhere will this fish swim?

Marta Aarli

From the cold green rushFly through sun speckled dropletsWings iridescent

Emeliana Palk

What pushes me forth?Perpetuum mobile--Engine in my butt.

Svitlana Kobets

Salfly swims soloTail swishing wildly aroundFrothing the water

Caroline Hadley

An odonate dreams,Takes wing, soars, tastes the high-life.Salmon plans likewise.

Steve Lockett

Το άνοιγμα των φτερών τουΘάλασσα που φλέγεται πάνω μουΤον υποδέχομαι πάντα[5]

Pavlos Maragkos

From sugar to saltSee-through wings afloat on airScales reflecting light

Kenjiro Van Malder

Яргай? Өдөржний? Царай муутай сонин гэжБагш тааллан жигдээхэн[6]

Kherlen Shinebayar

Salfly

2928

follow that tide hometo shimmer dance one last timeshed no more salt tears

Cathy Wilson

[2] from water to sky

Fiona Owen

[6]salmon? mayfly? really weird looking creature, but teacher likes

Kherlen Shinebayar

[1] The viewpoint is underwater Straight into the soul of the deadI wish you could take me with you

Pavlos Maragkos

[5]The spread of his wingsFiery sea on meI always welcome him

Pavlos Maragos

[3] Contrast bands for teethJourneys from continent to continentBeware of the antlers

Pavlos Maragkos[4]Wise owlOn the beach, look atOctopus trees

Steve Lockett

This booklet was produced thanks to funding awarded to Stephanie Januchowski-Hartley by the Welsh European Funding Office and European Regional Development Fund Project 80761-SU-140 (West)

Published by the Freshwater Interdisciplinary Research and Engagement Lab

Swansea 2020

Translations

30

This collection captures diverse perspectives about our underwater environments in response

to four colourful and fantastical illustrations. People around the world connected online and

through visual prompts to write about creatures from an Underwater Realm. All contributed

haiku are printed in this collection, with 20 of those selected by contributors as the best,

appearing in the opening section.

Congratulations and thank you to all contributors.

May the prompts and words further inspire inquiry and creativity within us all.