music of summertime
Haiku by Stephanie Zepherelli, Laura Brincat, Sarah Paris, Anju Kishore, and Rupa Anand
discarded galoshes
bare feet dancing
in bluebells
Stephanie Zepherelli
Hawai’i, USA
Click clack and tap tap
A tango in the tea house
Over the empty lake
Laura Brincat
Rome, Italy
the breeze between our toes wind chimes
Sarah Paris
Santa Rosa, California, USA
distant thunder
the shortening rasp
of a milkman's cycle
Anju Kishore
Bengaluru, India
Delhi heat —
the chirp of sparrows
up in the tea gardens
Rupa Anand
New Delhi, India
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!
