hot sauce
Haiku by Carla Schwartz, Barbara Anna Gaiardoni, Nancy Orr, Sally Quon, and Deborah Karl-Brandt
cucumbers fresh out of pickles
Carla Schwartz
Carlisle, Massachusetts and Meredith, New Hampshire, USA
chives fine leaf our noses almost touching
Barbara Anna Gaiardoni
Italy
steamy sweet corn days
Nancy Orr
Lewiston, Maine, USA
dripping sweet
watermelon –
the bitter rind
Sally Quon
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
the flavor
lingers on her tongue
small yellow plumes
Deborah Karl-Brandt
Sinzig, Germany
Editor Bio: Melissa Dennison writes Japanese short-form poetry inspired by the natural world, particularly the little creatures that share her space. She has been widely published in journals and online publications, such as Presence, Blithe Spirit, Under the Bashō, Five Fleas Itchy Poetry, FreshOutMag, Prune Juice, Poetry Pea, and The Pan Haiku Review. Her poems have been included in various anthologies as well. Melissa has been nominated for a Touchstone award and is a 2025 Golden Pea Award winner for best senryū. She is also one of the co-hosts at The Haiku Foundation’s re:Virals.
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!
