Efflorescence

Haiku by Meagan Bussert, Maya Daneva, Melanie Alberts, Eavonka Ettinger, and joanna ashwell

trying on
several shades
hydrangea

Meagan Bussert
Bloomington, Indiana, USA

agave flower bunch
inside its yellow
a hooded oriole

Maya Daneva
The Netherlands

sunflower patch—
wildly alternating heights
under the same star

Melanie Alberts
Austin, Texas, USA

jacaranda
a crow skirts the edges
of petal fall

Eavonka Ettinger
Long Beach, California,
USA

dahlias
the first smile
pinking the garden

joanna ashwell
United Kingdom

Editor Bio: An English language teacher, freelance editor, editing consultant, writing coach, and mandala artist, Vidya is presently promoting her third poetry book, Light and Line Drawings, which she collaborated on with her friend and fellow poet, Sangita Kalarickal. She is Associate Editor of haibun for the haikuKATHA journal and editor for two full-length books and four anthologies. A 'book' in the Human Library, Chennai Chapter, she was featured in a coffee table book, ‘50 Inspiring Women boys and girls should read about, Chennai Edition’ (2021). Vidya finds meaning in life through yoga.

Instagram: @vidya.shankar.author

Tip Jar

Haiku Girl Summer will always be a free publication. If you want to make a financial contribution, please visit Allyson Whipple’s Buy Me a Coffee page. Mention Haiku Girl Summer in the comment box and your donation will go into a pool that will be divided among the guest editors at the end of the 2026 editorial run.

Merch

If you want to even more ways to share the summer love, you can check out the Haiku Girl Summer merch shop. We have T-shirts and tank tops along with hats, mugs, buttons, and a spiral notebook. Email me if there are other items you’d like to see!