War Haiku.

grey sky

South East Europe - Yugoslavia 1999

(From the Shiki list)

NATO
is bombing Yugoslavia --
Holy Week

Dimitar Anakiev
March 29

sky over Belgrade --
children are waving to NATO
fighting aircraft
air-raid alarm --
NATO bombs are crossing
the flight of crows
shelter --
a child's trembling hand
draws a butterfly

Vid Vukasović
March 29

after bombing
the ruins of a bridge
linked by fog

Nebojša Simin
March 30

knowing nothing
about NATO bombing
yellow narcissus grows

Liliana Miljanić
April 2

air-raid shelter --
speaking with the neighbours
from the upper flat
bomb explosion --
in a cloud of smoke
the gloomy moon
in front of the church
a mother and daughter
with badges "Target"

Zoran Doderović (td)
April 3

nine candles on the cake
all wishes (are) the same - NO more
birthdays in the shelter

Jasminka Nadaškić-Djordjević
April 4

darkening my window
before an air-raid --
the bright moon

Dragan J. Ristic/
April 5

unexploded
yellow NATO bomb --
the field of dandelions

Radovan Čivanović
April 6

after bombing
in my flower-pots
no more flowers

Čivanka Dragosanović
April 6

air-raid --
in the piece of window glass
a piece of the sky

Zoran Doderović
April 6

flocks of wild geese
migrating this winter night
through my restless dreams

Vid Vukasović
April 6

air-raid alarm --
traffic light is working
for no one

Ljubinka Tošić
April 7

dark shelter --
I am stepping on someone
child's toy

Svetomir Djurbabić (td)
April 7

burnt cherry-tree --
the spring is coming
by NATO aircraft

Ferenc Toth
April 8

after the night
of bomb whistling --
morning chirp

Nada Zlatić-Kavgić
April 10

NATO planes --
the beauty of the sky
on the child's face

Goran Poletan
April 10

spring sunshine --
in the ploughed field
a NATO rocket
green meadow --
spring flowers mixed
with NATO leaflets

Aleksandar Pavić(td)
April 10

sunny morning
after the night of bombing --
a dove flies off
air-raid alarm --
a petal of blooming plum
falls down

Pavle Adjanski
April 12

gloomy sky --
walking with my son
in air-raid alarm

Dušan Gladić
April 13

moving nowhere
in air-raid alarm --
a scarecrow

Aleksandar Pavić
April 13

bombing stopped --
next to the garden of red tulips
a site of fire
Easter morning --
cock-a-doodle-doo
and air-raid alarm

Bogoljub T. Mihajlović (td)
April 14

way to the shelter --
someone's phone is ringing
and ringing...
all the day
in the shelter -- this spring
is passing away

Milenko D. čirović-Ljuticki
April 14

smoke and fire --
near the destroyed home
cherries still in bloom
mother's kiss
calming the little girl
after the bomb blast

Vid Vukasović
April 15

detonations --
the X tapes on the pane
divide the sky

Zoran Doderović
April 16

bombing stopped --
the lion from the broken bridge
drowned in Danube

Milan Pokrajac
April 16

broken bridge --
a white car
still on it

Bogdanka Stojanovski
April 18

cartoon stopped,
bombers over my head --
I see a real war

Filip Stojanovski (11 years)
April 18

spring sky --
at the moment of explosion
not any star

Jasminka Nadaškić- Djordjević
April 18

distant explosions
the eyes of children reddened
of tears and smoke
will it ever stop
asks the little girl
her smiling doll

Vid Vukasović
April 20

Pilots returning.
In their cockpits the photos
of their loved ones.

Vid Vukasović
April 21

shelter --
an old woman is wiping
her red apple
deserted town --
the birds also
(are) going away

Dejan Bogojević
April 23

TV building
while burning down
still produces news
a dead cameraman
holds tightly his camera
smeared by blood

(RTS destruction)

Vid Vukasović
April 23

morning coffee --
news about the broken bridge
followed by sparrows' chirping

Sasa Vavić (from Batajnica)
April 28

after the bombing
ashes on the site of fire --
spring dusk

Nevenka Bratić (from Zemun)
April 28

so 'safe' in the shelter
children are covered in
(all) our tears and fears
NATO kill only Serbs
sometimes, maybe, wrong targets
what a human war
young fresh lettuce
we are watching, not eating --
war spring ninety nine

Jasminka Nadaškic-Djordjević
April 28

sound of a bomber --
a blooming chestnut tree
in the moonlight
the refinery is burning --
oil smell enters
our shelter

Zoran Doderović
May 08

explosion --
my sleepy parrot
falls down

Dus\/an Mijajlović Adski (from Niš)
May18

in the sleepless night
and passed memories
falls the bomb
a woman opens
the broken window
to feed a pigeon

Svetlana Mladenović (from Belgrade)
May 27

after air-raid
siren stopped
the still flight of a bird

Vid Vukasović (td)
May 30

cold and bright spring night,
in grandfather's eyes tears: "God,
save the children from bombs!"

Jasminka Nadaškić- Djordjević
Jun 08

Copyright authors, 1999
(td) - Dimitar Anakiev's translation for Shiki list