Rhonda Brown 1335 Montana Dr, Conway, AR 72034 @RhondaLBrown/Twitter https://brontebrown2.com/ blog Thank you, Bryan and Kelly, for taking the time to read my submissions. I have a couple of rather long submissions, but if there is just a verse or two within that poem you want to select, that is okay too. I included a bio. BIO: Rhonda Bronte Brown is a retired counselor/teacher who lives in Arkansas. Her published poetry appears in Better Than Starbucks Journal, the Trouvaille Review, and Haiku Seed Journal in February and March 2022. As an active SCBWI and Storyteller Academy member, she participates in local and online critique writing groups. Her educational degrees include a BS and Masters, and she is a National Board-Certified Teacher. She is a newcomer to the publishing world. Find her online at https://brontebrown2.com. 1. Senryu /a renewed heart Breath the sunlit air, uproot weeds watered by tears, stirred souls’ plant anew. Rewritten as a Tanka- 31 syllables Tears flow deep within watering roots of despair, breathe the sunlit air- uproot weeds nurtured by tears, stir the soul to start anew. 2. The Afghan Thirteen The pulse is weak, life's vanishing vapor. Thanatos grinned when breathing ceased. Death's grim triumph- of the Afghan thirteen, fallen, betrayed, left behind. A country's demise at the hands of a few will not be forgotten. America's heart bleeds. Hope hurts, hope heals, shattering the grip of hate- past and present repeat. (1776) Short Version: The Afghan Thirteen by RL Brown Death's grim triumph-of the fallen thirteen, betrayed, left behind. Our soldiers' demise at the hands of a few won't be forgotten. 3. A Mississippi Oak /family ties Deep within my roots, generational stories intertwine. 4. Published in Better Than Starbuck, February 2022, p. 41 (Encapsulation of Life’s seasons) Winter folds a tree into a counterfeit death gray boney, lifeless. 5. Echo Mountains of precipitous words echo constant reverberation. Reach into the world of words to find perspicacity. 6. Moons of March (Spring Moon, Worm Moon, and Sugar Moon, Equinox, Morrowless day occurs on the fall and spring equinox, a perfect balance of light and dark.) Sky looks down on earth, with dark eyes of a new moon winks at the spring night, Seeds shed winter's shield as roots stretch in fertile earth- March howls for spring's warmth, Foretokens of spring damp fields of marsh marigolds, hoverflies delight. Loam stirs, breaking free- muddling nightcrawlers rise under the worm moon. Sugar Moon nearby sweet maples release their sap, as March winds breathe change. Terrestrial tides collide rising high, but twice a year. sun and moon poised, a morrowless day arriving on the equinox perfectly balanced. 7. Spring's Aria Morning's first blush slips through the mizzling mist, dawn's chorus begins. Antiphonal tweets, robins, warblers, blackbirds sing dayspring's symphony. The woodland world wakes, feathers fluffed, nestlings listen, to their someday song. Blending choral notes, blackbirds add a mellow tone to twilight's day-song. Chee-pippety-chee, chee-chee, Jenny wren joins in with a peppy note. A rainbow shimmers in the morning dew; colorful warblers echo a descant. An a cappella chorus singing a spring aria, as songbirds unite. “siiih, siiih" “chink chink chink," a sudden signature change, the sunrise song fades. A blue jay's catcall signals a tail twitching taunt, kitty in the weeds. The aria ends with the soft adagio from a mourning dove. perch-coo, coo-COO-coo, coo-ah, coo-coo-coo Short Version: Morning's first blush slips through the mizzling mist, dawn's chorus begins. Antiphonal tweets, robins, warblers, blackbirds sing dayspring's symphony. The woodland world wakes. 8. The Dignity of Winter by R Bronte Brown (96) Trouvaille Review, February 15, 2022 Publication Wind rustles the leaves. Trees shimmer, yawning deeply, Anticipation. Autumn equinox the balance of light and dark, time juncture converts. Turn your face eastward. Fall moon on the horizon blazing golden hues. Extravagant colors! A migratory bird's last song, Light wanes for evening. Winter grants Fall's wish for an encore flower dance, frost procrastinates. Nature splendor yields a harvest of abundance, Thankfulness expressed. Inner autumn calls, time to embrace season’s change. The wind howls for rest. Winter winds whistling Indian Summer's last stance Bowing gracefully Winter’s dignity lifeless trees' quiet strength autumn seeds nestled deep- sheltered. Thank you so much. I hope some of these failed haikus meet your expectations. Sincerely yours, Rhonda Brown
Failed Haiku Submissions
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