From The Sleepless Planet
眠れない星

The following poems appeared in The Sleepless Planet (Tokyo: Shichigatsu-do, 2018), edited by Toshio Kimura, published by the International Section of the Modern Haiku Association in celebration of the 70th anniversary (in 2017) of Japan’s Gendai Haiku Kyōkai, or Modern Haiku Association. In his introduction, Kimura says “haiku has been recognized as an outstanding poetic form even in languages other than Japanese,” and that “The poets appearing in this anthology are truly active in the vanguard of their respective countries.” The translations into Japanese for my poems, pages 82 and 83, are by Toshio Kimura. You can order the book on the Japanese Amazon site.

Michael Dylan Welch
(U.S. / U.K.)


spring lightning—

a flower’s shadow

against the fortress wall


unfurled awning—

the café crowded

only in the shade


first frost . . .

a pair of shoes

left at the door


leaving home . . .

winter sky

in my daughter’s eyes


moving . . .

our last view

of the family homestead

マイケル・ディラン・ウェルチ
(アメリカ/イギリス)


春の雷―

砦の壁に

花の影


日除け広げて―

日陰のみ

カフェの賑やかさ


初霜や . . .

靴は

そのまま玄関に


巣立ちゆく

娘の眼には

冬の空


引越や . . .

目に焼き付ける

一家の住まい



(和訳:木村聡雄

Japanese translation: Toshio Kimura)