Day fades into darkness, I cannot sleep.
Like a labourer working the nightshift,
I am stuck in bed, everything still,
wondering what the next day will bring for me.
My last few hours are meant for peace,
yet my mind is loud with thoughts of,
What will they think of me?:
Will they say I am strong
because I won a fight in grade three?
Will they say I am smart
because I built a house at twenty-three?
Maybe they will say I'm weak
because I cried when she left me.
Maybe they will say I'm useless
because in the world,I never changed a thing.
They will say many things when death and I meet,
But on my deathbed,
All I want is to dream
As the life I had was enough for me
Crows
Beckon me
Every single morning.
Copyright © 2026 by Crystal David John
"The Hay(na)ku is a 21st century poetic form designed by Eileen R. Tabios, a Filipino-American poet, fiction writer, artist. The form, which Tabios first called Filipino Haiku, is described by Eileen in an interesting history of hay(na)ku. Inspired by Tabios’ Counting Journal, lately I’ve been writing a hay(na)ku each day in my planner after the day, a quick, tiny and fun way to recap a memorable event or emotion." - - Denise Krebs
Traditionally, Hay(na)ku have:
3 lines
A total of 6 words – 1 in the first, 2 in the second, and 3 in the third
No syllable, rhythm, or meter constraints.
You can also write reverse hay(na)kus.
A blossom greets me in early morning
AP: 1st place 2026
After a good stretch,
a warm hug and
a cup of hot tea
is the best greeting ever.
Homeless
A hand reached out
And said, Hello
Startled was I
On the pavement.
Looking up
Through the sun’s morning glare
The outline of a silhouette
I now saw standing there.
Hello, it said so firm and clear.
I wasn’t sure what this meant
For so long the world had passed me by
Invisible to my stance.
So now I grappled
With the moment
Unable to comprehend
Hello, it said, this voice again.
Neither, could I
Smile or respond
I knew no longer how
For so many years had gone without.
Good morning to you
I hope you are well.
And the shadow passed on by.
My gaze long followed
And stunned was I.
Soon a feeling – oh, so foreign
Came into to me like a rush.
A trinkle of a rivulet
Filled my heart with warmth and hope
For a humanity long forgotten.
Please hear my greetings from earth to you,
wherever in this great Cosmos you may be.
My world has skies that can change their hue,
but mostly they appear blue like the sea.
This earth is graced by types of terrain
varying greatly according to the region.
For miles you might travel on a vast plain
or find yourself in woods where trees are legion.
We have areas where often it gets hot
and places where always it is cold.
Some places are hilly. Some are not.
Some cities are modern; others are really old.
Our rivers are many. To oceans they flow.
As humans, we revel in types of water play.
On tours of other countries we may go.
Mostly in our own homes we like to stay.
We love the cultures to which we belong,
eating typical food and living in different ways.
But modern internet has made connections strong,
We can fly across our planet within days.
How lovely is earth whether mountainous or flat;
whether green with grass or a desert brown.
A beach by water – my favorite is that!
Should you come in peace, I invite you to come down.
l
Space goes on as far as one can see,
dotted with diamond stars and planets.
Space exploration have been going on,
for over the last fifty years.
Earthlings have been trying to find,
life, little green men, knowledge in the cosmos.
ll
It is now time for the universe to hear,
hear about our story here on Earth.
Earth is a planet that is not perfect,
yet a great place to live.
Many wonderful climates to choose from,
with deep blue water to sail or swim in.
A land with tall reaching mountains,
to the vast deserts of hot sand.
Our amazing food is different in each country,
sample many to find the ones you like best.
Then wash it down with one of our many drinks,
from coffee to tea to beer to fresh juice or milk.
Now that your tummy is full,
find a shady beach spot for a nap.
If you decide to go back home,
go in peace from earth to your planet.
Here is to September 5, 2027,
the 50th anniversary of the Golden Record launch.
O vast unbordered sea of fire and silence,
we lift our small blue voice to you.
From a turning stone wrapped in breath and cloud,
we send this trembling greeting.
You who scatter diamonds in endless night,
who spin the slow waltz of suns and shadows,
receive our wonder.
We are brief, yet burning with questions.
In your deep, we learned distance;
in your darkness, we invented light.
Our bones remember ancient stardust,
our thoughts chase the paths of comets.
We have named your storms,
charted your patient constellations,
and still you remain—
mysterious as the first dawn.
Accept our gratitude for the elements of our making:
iron for courage, carbon for dreaming,
time for becoming.
Accept our awe, which never exhausts.
If ever our signals brush your farthest shores,
let them say:
Here lives a fragile species
that looked upward and felt less alone.
O Cosmos, cradle of beginnings without end,
keep us humble, keep us curious.
From Earth, with restless hope,
we greet you.
Farewell to any and all privacy
Greetings to hordes of old friends
knocking at my door
Overnight, a revolution of expectations
Most bound to go unrealized
Never knowing whether to sigh or outright cry
For I’ve just won the Lottery
O, vast expanse of stardust, void, and light,
That burns a hushed symphony through the night,
From trembling earth, a speck of green and blue,
We send our greeting, Cosmos, unto you.
We are your children, born of ancient fire,
Caught in a dance of longing and desire.
We see your nebulae in shades of red,
Where new suns wake upon a starry bed.
We trace the Milky Way’s celestial spine,
And wonder at the wonders that are thine—
The black holes, spinning in their silent gloom,
And comets bring their prophecies of doom.
Yet here, on this small, spinning, vibrant shore,
We gaze above and humbly ask for more.
We breathe the oxygen, a gift of grace,
And send our thoughts into the deeps of space.
Though we are bound to gravity’s firm hand,
Our spirits travel far across the land,
Past Jupiter, where shades of orange sway,
To Andromeda, shining far away.
O, grand abyss, we greet you in the dark,
A tiny, thinking, and passionate spark.
Though we are small, we mirror your great scale,
With love and hope that never seem to fail.
Receive this greeting from our hearts to thee,
A whisper from your vast eternity.
O wondrous Cosmos, vast and bright,
We greet you through the endless night.
From Earth’s embrace, we send our song,
Of hopes and dreams where we belong.
Your swirling stars and dancing light,
Inspire us to reach new height.
We gaze in awe, our hearts ignite,
To join your mysteries, pure and right.
From oceans deep to mountain crest,
We cherish you, our cosmic guest.
Though small, we yearn to understand,
The secrets kept in every strand.
So hear our greeting, wild and free,
From Earth beneath the sky and sea.
With wonder, love, and hopeful plea—
O Cosmos, shine eternally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a paper square holds
more than just ink on its face~
a bridge built of thought,
kindness sent, a gentle hand
reaching out across the miles
When dusk screams in the fury of the night
At the city edge, I greet its tragic departure
Written in a trust to be contemplated with its pampering hue
But darkness dominates the peace of feeling
Until it plunges into the sadness of the night birds' whistles
This body is increasingly swayed by the ambition of the emptiness of space
Pressing the soul to focus more on reflecting it with seduction
While whispering longing to the sharp rocks
But no beautiful smile greets it sincerely
Only the angry waving of the bushes in their own hustle and bustle
I want to return to the embrace of romantic solitude
Carrying a million loves in the purity of my heart
Carving them on plain, colored sheets
Keeping them with a string of prayers to God
To be remembered while the breath of life still lingers
Atambua-NTT, December 1, 2025
I'm grumpy and I'm lumpy
Be nice to me or I'll snarl
Hurry up and feed me
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
“Hello”
Hello, Hello, Hello.
I say Hello to all who pass me by,
No matter the trail,
No matter how steep,
No matter the street,
It is my treat.
I say Hello,
For the smile it brings,
To the young,
To the aged,
To the lonely and the sad.
To all who pass me by.
I say Hello,
For the friend I wish to be
To those who look away,
To those running by,
To those in chairs,
And handheld walkers,
To all who pass me by.
I say Hello,
Even if they can’t,
Even when they won’t.
It’s my way of being kind,
To all who pass me by.
A simple word,
A simple greeting.
As simple as it gets.
That we are one,
Sharing highways in our lives.
I say Hello, to all who pass me by.
Hello, Hello, Hello.
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