Mare Liberum
Solo & Collaborative Poetry with Jacob D. Salzer
Published Work (Haiku & Senryu)
The following is a selection of my haiku and senryu published in books, websites and journals.
All haiku & senryu are copyright © by Jacob D. Salzer
cracked prison wall—
the hollow cells
of a wasp nest
Frogpond 49:3, Autumn 2026
***
birch tree rings . . .
the ghost of a marriage
on her finger
tsuri-dōrō, Oct/Nov/Dec 2026 Issue #35
***
legal paperwork . . .
traces of a forest
in her hands
The Heron’s Nest, Volume XXVIII, Number 3: September 2026
***
grandma's passing . . .
between the pines
the call of geese
2025 Seabeck Haiku Getaway Anthology (Haiku Northwest Press, 2026)
***
a bruised peach
in her text message
evening snow
Password 3.2, 2026
***
her dreamcatcher . . .
the eagle's feather clings
to a spider's thread
Frogpond 49:1 Spring/Summer 2026
***
old-growth forest . . .
I learn the roots
of her family name
Frogpond 49:1 Spring/Summer 2026
***
scent of moss
a cemetery gate
left open
Hedgerow #153, 2026
***
blossom wind
through a chain-linked fence
the meadowlark's song
Wales Haiku Journal, Spring 2026 edition
Also published in the 2026 Haiku Society of America Members’ Anthology
***
dead end—
the asphalt sinks
into wild violets
Frogpond 49:1 Spring/Summer 2026
***
our first kiss . . .
a tulip petal falls
into deep water
A Missing Thread: Selected Haiku & Senryu (Lulu Press, Inc., 2026)
***
somewhere
in tangled blackberry vines
a chickadee's song
Golden Triangle Haiku Award, 2026
***
empty apartment . . .
one carpet stain
I can't remove
Kingfisher #13, Spring 2026
***
mother says
she doesn't have a will . . .
winter wind
First Frost, Spring 2026 issue
***
peeling away
layered kitchen wallpaper . . .
the scent of spruce
First Frost, Spring 2026 issue
***
patterns of ice . . .
a broken window
in the sparrow's song
NOON, Spring 2026 issue
***
a strange silence
on the answering machine . . .
evening snow
Password, issue 3.1, 2026
***
construction debris
through a hole in the fence
purple iris
Haiku Canada Review, February 2026
***
resetting my password the sparrow's song
The Heron's Nest, Volume XXVIII, Number 1: March 2026
***
cracked church wall —
the perfect shapes
in mother's handwriting
Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, Autumn/Winter 2025 issue
***
Canadian geese migrating at dusk the blur of her name
Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, Autumn/Winter 2025 issue
***
forgotten password . . .
a cracked spruce door
in the sparrow's song
Pan Haiku Review, issue 6 2025 Autumn/Winter Edition (PHR6)
***
autumn equinox . . .
a door gently closed
in her eyes
Pan Haiku Review, issue 6 2025 Autumn/Winter Edition (PHR6)
***
burning
the seeds of karma
distant stars
tsuri-dōrō, Issue #30, Nov./Dec. 2025
***
empty nest . . .
a hidden room
in the robin's song
Wales Haiku Journal, Autumn 2025 issue
***
my ghost
in the train window:
fields... horses... bones...
Password, issue 2.3, 2025
***
auto-saving another soul lost in the cloud
Password, issue 2.3, 2025
***
sunshower . . .
her bundle of flowers
tossed into the sea
Hedgerow #150, 2025
***
night wind . . .
a distant wildfire
in her eyes
Haiku Canada Review, October 2025 issue
***
tangled ivy
through a chain-linked fence
the neighbor's eyes
2025 HNA Anthology
***
dark forest path . . .
church bells fading
in a veery's song
Jackdaw Haiku, Fall 2025 issue
***
her tangled words
in blackberry thorns
a chickadee's song
Jackdaw Haiku, Fall 2025 issue
***
the Makah totem pole
in slow drifting fog . . .
my father's eyes
Jackdaw Haiku, Fall 2025 issue
***
where the iceberg
used to be . . .
my mother's eyes
Jackdaw Haiku, Fall 2025 issue
***
moss-covered roots
in the overgrown cemetery
her buried secrets
Jackdaw Haiku, Fall 2025 issue
***
azalea blossoms . . .
the poet sets down
his pen
Jackdaw Haiku, Fall 2025 issue
***
under the hood
of a rusted truck
the hum of bees
Jackdaw Haiku, Fall 2025 issue
***
empty nest . . .
a different silence
in mother's eyes
Little Marvels, Poetry Pea Press' Anthology, 2025
***
among blackberry thorns
and withered leaves . . .
a receipt
Kingfisher #12, 2025
***
cloud nebula . . .
her hands frozen
in a prayer
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, July 28, 2025
***
faint whispers
in her hand-written letter
the raven's dream
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, July 28, 2025
***
a dense forest
in her amygdala
the scent of moss
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, July 28, 2025
***
winter wind
at the end of a dream
the wolf's eyes
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, July 30, 2025
***
barbed-wire fence
in a dead crow's eye
the moon
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, July 30, 2025
***
two fireflies
in a cracked jar
the child's dream
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, July 28, 2025
***
the veteran's voice . . .
water seeps through
a broken window
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, July 30, 2025
***
a no trespassing sign
among trembling reeds
the seagull's cry
Acorn, Fall 2025 issue
***
the long silence
after zazen
a blue iris
The Heron's Nest, Volume XXVIII, Number 3: September 2025
***
city limit sign—
a snapper turtle disappears
in the dark water
Wales Haiku Journal, Summer 2025 issue
***
campfire ash . . .
the lingering scent
of metal and rain
Presence #82, 2025
***
tangled chains
around the cemetery gate
the scent of moss
Cold Moon Journal, 2025
***
steep mountain road . . .
the radio turns
to static
Hedgerow #149, 2025
***
error message:
the riverbed reveals
what's hidden
Password, issue 2.2, 2025
***
a barred owl
lets the light in . . .
broken dice
Password, issue 2.2, 2025
***
a raven dark sea
in the wind in the trees
her whispers
Under the Bashō, 2025
***
sea wind . . .
a distant glacier
in her eyes
2025 ONE ART Haiku Anthology
***
a lunar eclipse —
she talks about
her shadow
Wales Haiku Journal, Spring 2025 issue
***
a cold wind
in the prisoner's letter
the evening sea
Wales Haiku Journal, Spring 2025 issue
***
my old friend . . .
a gold koi wandering
through clouds
Wales Haiku Journal, Spring 2025 issue
***
power outage—
the swaying trees
begin to talk
Chrysanthemum 34, Spring 2025 issue
***
property line . . .
the lingering scent
of English ivy
Kingfisher #11, 2025
***
a glimpse
of her face in a dream
falling snow
Hedgerow #148, 2025
***
her property line
through a chain-linked fence
wild blackberries
Presence #81, 2025
***
tangled ivy . . .
the hidden faces
of a sequoia
Presence #81, 2025
***
in the place
where she used to sit
the morning light
Haiku Canada Review, February 2025
***
her twisted plot . . .
a snake disappears
in the understory
Wales Haiku Journal, Winter 2025 edition
***
tangled thorns—
the scent of blackberries
in the robin's song
Modern Haiku 56:1
***
who am I?
the darkness in the eyes
of a barred owl
Chrysanthemum 33, Fall 2024 issue
***
museum chill . . .
the motionless wings
of a butterfly
Wales Haiku Journal, Autumn 2024 edition
***
tangled shadows
in the prisoner’s letter
a winter sea
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, September 2024
***
minus degree wind . . .
the tomb of a man
and his factory
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, September 2024
***
wildflower meadow—
a door gently closed
in his eyes
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, September 2024
***
a single flame
in forest darkness
the scent of ink
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, September 2024
***
a ship’s skeleton
at the bottom of the sea
the whale’s dream
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, September 2024
***
receding shoreline . . .
the bones of her necklace
in the evening tide
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, September 2024
***
before the thought
of you and I
the endless sea
Mayfly issue 77, Summer 2024
***
her dreamcatcher—
a missing thread
in the spider's web
Wales Haiku Journal, Summer 2024 edition
***
ocean fog . . .
the ghost of a colonist
in my lungs
Password. Very Short Poetry Journal, issue 1.3, 2024
***
a single word
re-ignites the fire
Chinook wind
Hauling the Tide: 2024 Haiku Society of America Members' Anthology
***
woodsmoke . . .
the afterlife
of ants
Under the Bashō, 2024
***
a revolving dream
of her returning . . .
the evening tide
Under the Bashō, 2024
***
fresh snow
a trail of footprints
in the raven's dream
Presence, issue #79
***
empty nest . . .
a cold moon settles
in the ghosts of trees
Presence, issue #79
***
mother's voice
on the answering machine . . .
melting snow
Wales Haiku Journal, Spring 2024 edition
***
sea wind—
the pearls of her necklace
in the raven's nest
Wales Haiku Journal, Spring 2024 edition
***
strands of a web —
the secret
she let go
tsuri-dōrō May/June 2024 issue #21
***
a bruised apple in his voice the scent of rain
cattails, April 2024 issue
***
reaching the shore . . .
a cold wind howls
in the pines
Hedgerow #145, 2024
***
distant thunder
in pine tree darkness
the raven's dream
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, Jan./Feb. 2024
***
autumn moonlight . . .
how quietly she appears
in my dream
2023 Seabeck Haiku Getaway Anthology (Haiku Northwest Press, 2024)
***
returning without you and i the endless sea
Whiptail: journal of the single-line poem, February 2024
***
rows of yellow corn . . .
a dead end sign
on the one-way street
Trash Panda, issue #6
***
a deafening silence
in slow drifting fog . . .
charcoal trees
Trash Panda, issue #6
***
fish bones
in the river's darkness
a bear's dream
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, December 1, 2023
https://heliosparrow.com/2023/12/6-43/
***
a cold wind—
will she remember me
in the next life?
2023 Seabeck Anthology, 4th place in the kukai
***
empty clam shell—
the sound of her voice
in the evening tide
2023 Seabeck Anthology, 4th place in the kukai
***
winter rain . . .
the hidden roots
of my family tree
Under the Bashō 2023, Haiku
***
burned cottonwood seeds from a past life
Under the Bashō 2023, Haiku
***
a long journey . . .
in mother's clothing
the scent of snow
Autumn Moon Haiku Journal 7:1, Autumn/Winter 2023
***
mother's voice
beyond the church wall
a trail of moss
Chrysanthemum 31, Fall issue 2023
***
standing dead tree —
an angel's breath
in the understory
Haiku Canada Review, October 2023 issue
***
her last breath . . .
between patches of snow
a violet in full bloom
Kingfisher #8, 2023
***
mountain wind . . .
a Luna moth's journey
between stars
Hedgerow #143, 2023
***
displaced logs
from a colonial cabin
the sound of a creek
Under the Bashō 2023, Haiku
***
sapphire ice
begins to thaw . . .
the elder's story
Under the Bashō 2023, Haiku
***
climbing
the Seminary Hill forest
a Pacific Wren's song
Under the Bashō 2023, Haiku
***
in the darkness
of a hollow tree
the owl's dream
Under the Bashō 2023, Haiku
***
the red sun sets
between pale white sails
a turbulent sea
Under the Bashō 2023, Haiku
***
her tears . . .
the river ice melts
into a song
Under the Bashō 2023, Haiku
***
oak trees rising
from old church ruins —
voices in the wind
Under the Bashō 2023, Haiku
Fractured by Cattails: 2023 Haiku Society of America Members' Anthology
***
dripping icicle . . .
I step into
someone else's dream
Under the Bashō 2023, Haiku
***
darkness shapes the timeless river returning stones
Hedgerow #142, 2023
***
finishing her sentence the cicada's cry
Hedgerow #142, 2023
***
overgrown cemetery—
the tangled roots
of my family tree
The Heron's Nest, Volume XXV, Number 2: June 2023
***
forest trail . . .
at the end of a thought
a robin's song
deepening leaves: 2022 Seabeck Haiku Getaway Anthology (Haiku Northwest Press, 2023. Edited by Lisa Gerlits & Antoinette Cheung)
***
sudden downpour —
the sound of my friends
clapping
deepening leaves: 2022 Seabeck Haiku Getaway Anthology (Haiku Northwest Press, 2023. Edited by Lisa Gerlits & Antoinette Cheung)
***
winter rain . . .
the untold stories
in his obituary
Haiku Canada Review, February issue 2023
***
forest sunset . . .
grandpa turns off
his iPhone
Hedgerow #141, 2023
***
tree roots descending into darkness the horse's dream
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, December 22, 2022
https://heliosparrow.com/2022/12/5-37/
***
washed ashore
the bones of yesterday
the future of me
Heliosparrow Poetry Journal, December 22, 2022
https://heliosparrow.com/2022/12/4-45/
***
crescent moon —
a glimpse of salmon
in the river's darkness
Sing the Salmon Home Anthology, 2023
***
a long hug
at the train station
evening fog
Frogpond 46:1 Winter 2023
***
river mist...
the faint whispers
of a lost prophet
The Heron's Nest, Volume XXIV, Number 3: September 2022
***
twisted metaphors
in the gnarled oak tree
a robin's song
Frogpond 45:3 Autumn 2022
***
a gentle tide
entering my dream
the call of a loon
Under the Bashō 2022, Haiku
***
trail dust ...
climbing Mount Hood
with my shadow
Under the Bashō 2022, Haiku
***
campfire embers ...
my mother's voice
drifting to sleep
Under the Bashō 2022, Haiku
***
winter rain —
on my resume
the weight of ink
Under the Bashō 2022, Haiku
***
sunbeams
in a trail of dust
a moth in flight
Under the Bashō 2022, Haiku
***
first confession —
a heavy stone falls
into the sea
Under the Bashō 2022, Haiku
***
revisiting
her tombstone
the scent of moss
Under the Bashō 2022, Haiku
***
among endless
trees and deep valleys
the mystery of me
Under the Bashō 2022, Haiku
***
unplugged—
I walk into the forest
without a sound
Under the Bashō 2022, Haiku;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
family game night
the lantern's hum
gathering moths
Under the Bashō 2022, Haiku;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
distant thunder ...
lifetimes echo
in the oak tree
Under the Bashō 2022, Haiku;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
darkness in the old Redwood voices
Under the Bashō 2022, Haiku;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
past lives
from my acoustic guitar
the scent of spruce
The Heron’s Nest, Volume XXIV, Issue 2, June 2022;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
grandpa’s stream
the long journey
of mountain rain
First Frost, issue #3, Spring 2022;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
Saturn's rings . . .
the ghost of a marriage
on her finger
Failed Haiku, issue 74, 2022 (sci-fi edition)
***
finally
without a business suit
summer wind
Frogpond 45:1, Winter 2022
***
a homeless man
mumbles something to himself
winter wind
Hedgerow #137, 2022;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
grandma's ashes . . .
the Columbia River flows
into the sea
Seabeck Haiku Anthology, 2021;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
scent of green tea
in my travel mug
the forest's darkness
The Heron's Nest, Volume XXIII, Number 4: December 2021;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
barely audible downstream sounds of a lonely warrior
Is/Let, October 28, 2021
***
cold wind seeking a flame— the river’s darkness
Is/Let, October 28, 2021;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
in the wet garden strands of her leaving
Is/Let, October 28, 2021;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
dinosaur bones . . .
the length
of my shadow
Frogpond 44:3, Autumn 2021
***
smell of moss
on our ancestor’s headstone
my father’s shadow
H.S.A. Members Anthology 2021;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
polished stone
the hidden messages
in her smile
Failed Haiku, Volume 6, Issue 66
***
sign language
the stories of a farm
in her hands
Presence #70, 2021;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
iPhone factory –
the many parts
of the ego
Prune Juice #34, July 2021
***
scent of cedar lake fishing in a new canoe
Frogpond 44:2, Spring/Summer 2021
***
dream tunnel a worm enters the fallen apple
Heliosparrow Journal, April 24, 2021;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
sea shell —
the old man curls
into a fetus
Heliosparrow Journal, April 24, 2021;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
plum blossom...
before the baby
has a name
The Heron's Nest, Volume XXIII, Number 2: June, 2021;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
forest mist . . .
thoughts drift
into other worlds
Chrysanthemum 29, spring issue 2021;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
morning mist . . .
the cold breath
of a soldier
Modern Haiku 52:2 (Winter-Spring 2021)
***
picking kale—
the darkened veins
in grandma's hands
Kingfisher, issue #3, 2021;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
lost
in my digital footprint . . .
the weight of snow
Kingfisher, issue #2, 2020;
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
cherry blossoms...
a puddle fills
with stars
Second Place, Haiku Sanctuary Kukai, April 2020
***
heavy net
the eyes of a fish
become still
Featured in the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery Masters of Japanese Prints 2020 website exhibition
Inspired and displayed with a print: Fishing Boats with Nets under Ryōgoku Bridge, 1790 by Kitagawa Utamaro I (1753-1806) - Mb4757
SOURCE: https://exhibitions.bristolmuseums.org.uk/japanese-prints/haikus/
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
friendship...
a gold koi swims
between stars
(for Sharon)
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
electric guitar
the reverberation
of teenage dreams
Under the Basho, 2019 (Modern Haiku category)
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
tuning the guitar
the tension
between us
Under the Basho, 2019 (Modern Haiku category)
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
noisy highway...
homeless tents
in the wind
Frogpond 42:3, Autumn 2019
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
darkness...
a moth carries
its own light
The Heron's Nest, Volume XX, September 2018
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
painting
another sunrise
morning rain
Under the Basho, 2017 (Modern Haiku category)
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
guitar solo
a seagull hovers
above the water
Under the Basho, 2017 (Modern Haiku category)
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
fishing after dark river sounds never fading
Under the Basho, 2017
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
empty of desire a room floods with light
Under the Basho, 2017
***
bold winter shapes New York Times
Under the Basho, 2017
***
sunset . . .
the rust on Grandpa's
license plates
The Heron's Nest, Sept. 17 issue, 2017
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
winter rain
headlines trickle down
a vacant driveway
The Heron's Nest, XIX, Number 1, March 2017
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
check-mate
shadows become still
on the marble steps
Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum No. 19, April 2016
How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence
***
flash-back
I adjust the time
on my camera
Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum No. 19, April 2016
How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence
***
staring
at a familiar stranger
sunset
A Hundred Gourds, 5.3, June 2016
How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
smell of lavender
foreign words drift
in the wind
Under the Basho, 2016 (Modern Haiku category)
How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence
***
heavy rain
a forest trail
lost in mud
Under the Basho, 2016 (Modern Haiku category)
How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
this orange
touched by so many hands
I eat with gratitude
The Heron's Nest XVII, Number 3, September, 2015
How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
no longer attached
thoughts come and go
the sound of waves
Chrysanthemum 18, October, 2015
How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
no thoughts
light filters through
the shape of glass
Frogpond 38:3, Autumn 2015
How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
how many
become one
sound of rain
Frogpond 38:3, Autumn 2015
The Living Haiku Anthology
Haiku Commentary
How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2020)
Desert Rain: Haiku Nook Anthology (Lulu, 2022)
Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu, 2022)
***
forgetting my name
the hook disappears
beneath the water
A Hundred Gourds 5.1, December, 2015
Haiku Commentary
How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
crashing
against the shore
moonlight
Modern Haiku 47:1, Winter 2016
How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
solar eclipse
the untold stories
in grandma’s eyes
Failed Haiku, Volume 1, Issue 1, January 2016
How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
as if Jazz
wasn’t enough
rain
Haiku Canada Review, February 2016 Issue
***
her hands unfolding a butterfly
Under the Basho, 2015
Yanty’s Butterfly: Haiku Nook: An Anthology, 2016
How Many Become One: A Haiku Sequence
***
dead insects
on a stagnant pond—
the distant rapids
Birds With No Names: Haiku Poetry
***
dementia . . .
a snowfield devoid
of footprints
Birds With No Names: Haiku Poetry
Mare Liberum: Haiku & Tanka
***
tall stalks of bamboo
reaching over
my old neighbor's fence
The Sound of Rain: Haiku Poetry
***
under one blanket
small whispers
falling asleep
The Sound of Rain: Haiku Poetry