Haiku by Maurizio Brancaleoni


bagno all'alba:
la scia del sole tra alluce e illice

bathing at dawn —
the sun glitter between hallux and index toe

*

mattino calmo:
un mosaico d'impronte di piccioni

quiet morning —
a mosaic of pigeon footprints

*

luna calante:
vespe e formiche su carcassa di pane

waning moon —
wasps and ants on bread carcass

*

mattina presto:
cammino nei solchi del SUV sulla sabbia

early morning —
I walk in the ruts of the SUV on the sand

*

rough sea —
the cat's lapping
in the plant saucer

mare agitato:
il lappare del gatto
nel sottovaso

*

luna di tre dì:
il pomfo della puntura interrotta

three-day moon —
wheal of the interrupted puncture

*

mare calmo di mattina:
le zampe rosse dei piccioni

calm morning sea —
red feet of the pigeons

*

malato al sole:
le zampe fredde della mosca

ill in the sun —
cold feet of the fly

*

cirrocumuli:
la chiave dell'auto
fa da cotton fioc

cirrocumuli —
the car key
serves as a cotton swab

*

ascelle al vento:
l'insetto non riesce
a rigirarsi

armpits to the wind —
the bug can't
flip back over

*

dopo il mare
anche sporche le mani
sembran pulite

after the seaside
even if dirty
hands feel clean

*

restless wasps —
the lonely old man
from person to person

vespe irrequiete:
il vecchio solo
di persona in persona

*

ora di pranzo:
condizionatore di
sopravvivenza

lunch time —
survival
conditioner

*

notte d'estate:
centro zanzare
mentre il sonno mi elude

summer night —
I hit mosquitoes squarely
while sleep eludes me

*

mese d'agosto:
anche le case rosse
si spelleranno?

August —
will even the red houses
start to peel?

*

niente acqua per
le labbra secche:
lamiere lucenti

no water for
dry lips —
shining floor plates

*

vento in spiaggia:
una mano sul cell
l’altra sull’ombrellone

wind at the seaside —
one hand on the phone
the other on the beach umbrella

*

Pronto soccorso:
la zanzara bruna
non trova l'orecchio

Emergency Room —
the brown mosquito
can't find the ear

*

bocca sdentata:
alcune case senza
tenda da sole

gap-toothed mouth  —
some houses have
no awning

*

vespa vasaia:
una solitudine tranquilla

potter wasp —
a tranquil solitude

*

nascondendosi
nell'orto il gatto
svicola indisturbato

hiding
in the garden the cat
sneaks away undisturbed

*

primi rovesci:
sotto la giacca a vento
la canottiera

first downpours —
under the windbreaker
a tank top


Maurizio Brancaleoni lives near Rome, Italy.

He holds a master's degree in Language and Translation Studies from Sapienza University. His haiku and senryu have appeared in Dadakuku, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Under The Bashō, Horror Senryu Journal, Cold Moon Journal, Scarlet Dragonfly, Memorie di una geisha, Rakuen, Haiku Corner, Pure Haiku, Five Fleas, Shadow Pond Journal, Haikuniverse, Asahi Haikuist, Plum Tree Tavern and Wales Haiku Journal. In 2023 one of his micropoems was nominated for a Touchstone Award, while a horror ku originally featured in the Halloween-themed issue of Scarlet Dragonfly was re-published in this year's Dwarf Stars anthology. 

Maurizio manages “Leisure Spot", a bilingual blog where he posts interviews, reviews and translations: https://leisurespotblog.blogspot.com/p/interviste-e-recensioni-interviews-and.html