you're a sign of hope
and bend without breaking
strength and resilience
birds gather for comfort
cradled within your branches
seeking swaying grace
"the willow tree"
plodding footsteps respect no rhythm
life’s forward tilt, a sneer
what passes for ho or hum
sucks the vigor from its beer
but complaints wear out
a million frowns
and peeves are hope upside down
So, on they trudge, footsteps plodding
scuff life's wedding gown
I would walk when the snow is quiet,
when the trees stand still
and the ground is untouched.
I would not fear the cold.
Winter has taught me
that even empty places
can hold life.
I would walk past the places
that sheltered me before,
step into the snow,
and follow the trail only I could see.
My scars and my steps already tell the story.
The wild already knows.
I have survived every season
that tried to make me disappear.
heaviness of rain
causes footsteps on back deck
waiting for light tap
I walk alone on silent cobblestones,
Deep in a darkness that is mine alone.
The thoughts of past years cannot slow my stride,
With nowhere left to run and nowhere left to hide.
The wraith of a silhouette is all my own,
Dragging its chilled ghost of flesh and bone.
No breath in the air, no whisper anywhere,
Just hollow shadows fading in the winter glare.
Grey-light breaks to warm my heavy steps,
Marked deep upon the frozen stone it cuts.
I marvel at the leaves, all aimless blown,
As morning wakes the ancient, silent cobblestones.
Cold echoes wake the ancient cobblestones,
A hardened soul now walking all alone.
I leave the past and all its grief behind,
A wraith of shadow, silhouette outlined.
A hardened soul now walking all alone,
The chilled ghost of my dying flesh and bone.
A wraith of shadow, silhouette outlined,
The silhouette, a haunting shadow met.
The chilled ghost of my dying flesh and bone,
Grey light breaks down upon the frozen stone.
The silhouette, a haunting shadow met,
As breathless quiet fills the heavy air.
Grey light breaks down upon the frozen stone,
My footsteps echoing a heavy tone.
As breathless quiet fills the heavy air,
A wraith of shadow, silhouette outlined.
My footsteps echoing a heavy tone,
I leave the past and all its grief behind.
A wraith of shadow, silhouette outlined,
Cold echoes wake the ancient cobblestones.
Fridged, bleached tiles underfoot,
icicles wicking warmth.
A shiver quivers,
spine stiffens--
Bellows bound,
cracked mirror,
s a e
h k s
Yellowed walls listen,
boards beneath
breathe cre--ek...
Thunderous footsteps
fall, echoed hallways
r v r e a e-
e e b r t
doorframe quakes,
breaks underweight.
May we be blessed to understand
our future lies before us like a field of freshly fallen snow…
and how we must tread through the snow carefully
because every step we make…will show.
That hazy space you find yourself wandering to between blinks,
It is not fog between your ears.
You will not get lost in it,
Become stuck in it as a fly
Is caught in a spider's pale lair.
As boots are buried in a sudden quicksand.
It is not your damnation,
Not an indication that this is as far as you go.
That the footsteps behind you mark both
Your past and future, and in front
Of you is all cliff and no ground.
It is your playground
It is your arcade
It is clouds soaring above a gray globe.
It is a symbol for pen on paper.
It is ink on canvas.
So embrace it.
Twirl your fingers in it.
Feel its grainy texture run between your palms.
Let yourself wander in it.
In the hush of night,
your memory drifted toward me like a slow, familiar breeze;
the wind spoke your name softly,
carrying echoes of moments we never learned to forget.
Shadows on the wall trembled,
as if they recognized your presence before I did;
and in that tender stillness,
I felt the rhythm of footsteps from another time,
gentle, uncertain, yet moving closer.
Every heartbeat rose like a quiet confession,
reminding me how some connections never fade,
they only rest in silence
waiting for the night to call them back again.
1424 HAIKU
Sponsored by: Brian Strand
Contest Judged: 11/10/2025 6:13:00 AM
( 8th Place )
Written: November 8, 2025
footsteps in the snow
stop at the edge of the porch
you turned away first
When we’re feeling the pain of someone’s death
and looking for something to help restore us…
May we be blessed to remember
we’re always walking
In the footsteps
of those how came before us.
Step by step we walk along,
Breathing in the air so strong.
The sky above the ground below,
Our hearts are light,
Our spirits grow.
Side by side we laugh, and talk,
The road stretched forward as we walk.
Steps complete the mind feels clear,
Calm and balance free of fear.
As we walked, the journey flows,
Stronger still, our friendship grows .
Grateful hearts, refreshed we part,
Feeling light in soul and heart.
I watch
colors distort into
dots tiptoeing on the white wall
Black target expands—engulfs—
flitting between rear and front sight
Blood drums in my ears—
tides I ride with breath held
shallow. It hums, the shadow—
taunts with broken birdsongs
It knows.
All it takes is
a skipped heartbeat
for a sniper to fall
Countdown.
Lens focusing into center
breaths narrow into blade, inhale—
The world refined to
a single shot resting in the barrel—
Exhale.
A light tap on the trigger—
a sparrow’s footprint on fresh snow—
silent, sudden,
the sound catches up after
the recoil sends a shock to spinal cords
That’s when chirps falter into echo
The defiant dusk descended slowly on the beach.
We walked apart, slowly on the sand, but with no speech.
We left our footsteps imprinted clearly on the sand
She walked with her head lowered; I never touched her hand.
I looked at our footsteps on the sand, one light, one deep,
Small waves rolled on our feet, erasing feelings we keep,
Still, we walked, hiding secrets we did not wish to share.
Blast her, she was lovely as the breeze ruffled her hair.
The footsteps stopped and faced each other with a sweet smile
Gleaming eyes were mesmerized but without any guile.
We kissed tenderly and so our footprints did not run
Hold me closely, I whispered, never let go, dear sun.
Each sweet whisper of love could ruin our lasting life.
We were meant to live happily as husband and wife.
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