￼Seasons
An EFL Literary Journal

Aichi University
1Fall 2021

￼Seasons
An EFL Literary Journal2￼© Aichi University 2021
This journal is published by the Institute of Language Education at Aichi
University Toyohashi Campus. All of the literary work in this journal waswritten by students who study English as a foreign language and all of thework remains in the author’s ownership. If you have any questions,comments or submissions, please feel free to contact us at anytime.
Seasons: An EFL Literary Journal
Aichi UniversityToyohashi Campus
811 Kenkyuukan
1-1 Machihata
Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8522
kubokawateacher@gmail.com

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Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of
the dictionary. ~Khalil Gibran

4￼Introduction
Welcome to the fourth edition of our second language
creative writing literary journal. We are happy to provide youwith the gift of poetry. Seasons is a collection of poetry
written by students studying English at Aichi University inJapan. Inside, you’ll find many shinhaiku and free verse
poems.
The writers in this volume are unique—all of the poems arewritten in a second language. In other words, English is nottheir mother tongue, yet they persevered and have written
some impressive poetry in the English language. Writing in asecond language is a great accomplishment and the poems inthis book shine a bright light into the endeavor which is thehuman condition. One must simply open their eyes and theirheart to it.
Briefly on haiku, traditional haiku consists of four mainelements: (1) the form of the poem is usually split into threelines, but not always; 2) the poem contains a seasonalreference word, kigo in Japanese, which refers to the season,
month, or even the exact day the poem took place in order totransport the reader back to the described “moment”—thereason why most traditional haiku are written in the presenttense; (3) the poem has a kireji, literally a “cutting word”,
can be understood as a turn or a volta in sonnets, which is abrief caesuraic pause that can provide juxtaposition between
two images or ideas, and in English haiku is often expressedas punctuation: most commonly an em dash or an ellipsis,
yet could also be a comma, a colon, or a semicolon; and (4)usually follows a 5-7-5 syllabic structure within the three line5An alternative to traditional haiku is shinhaiku, or newhaiku, a trend in Japanese literature at the turn of thetwentieth century led by haiku master Shiki Masaoka(Yamagiwa, 1959). Shinhaiku is a modern take on thetraditional form and focuses on the meaning rather than themeter—shinhaiku does not assume the classic 17 syllable
structure. Further to that, the kigo, kireji, and three-line
form are optional. Thus, shinhaiku frees the writer (andreader) from traditional “constraints” in order to focus onthe self-expression of original ideas, imagery, and sensory
emotions. For Westernized literary minded readers, acomparison could be made with the modern sonnet;
shinhaiku evolved from the original haiku form much likethe modern unrhymed sonnet evolved from its traditional
precursors in the Western literary canon (Yamagiwa, 1959).
Similar to the modern sonnets’ retention of the fourteen-line
structure, the shinhaiku retains some of the traditional
haiku’s original formulaic elements.
Thank you for reading this journal. Please feel free to share itwith others. Be well and write on.
Jared Michael Kubokawa, July 1st, 2021
Reference
Yamagiwa, J. K. (1959). Japanese literature of the Sh wa
period: A guide to Japanese reference and researchmaterials. University of Michigan Press.

6ō￼poem but can be altered as long as the entire haiku contains
17 syllables.

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SpringLook up—cherry blossoms fall
like fluttering kanji~Mao Nishiguchi
The river flows slowly
Cherry blossoms bloom—
The sun is calm
~Akari Chino
The wind is blowing
and looking up...
cherry blossoms~Saki Nakata
When I jumped
The wind blew...
A lot of flowers were here~Haruka Yokoyama
My heart is beating—like the flower waiting
for the spring breeze~Akari Chino7￼￼

SummerBeautiful night
Walking with you—
Wearing yukata~Akari Chino
Put my ear
to a shell...
the sound of waves~Saki Nakata
Melting temperature—eating ice cream
before it melts~Mao Nishiguchi
Open mouth wide
Eat watermelon…
The cicada is crying~Haruka Yokoyama

8￼￼AutumnSkeletons dance &Pumpkins leap…
On Halloween night~Haruka Yokoyama
Halloween—with a lot of snacks
it's so exciting!
~Saki Nakata
Autumn of appetitechestnut, persimmon, sweet potato...
Which food to eat first?
~Mao Nishiguchi

9￼￼WinterWishing at night—
there is Santa Clausin the sky~Saki Nakata
Christmas morning andI can't find presents anywhere...
I'm no longer a kid~Akari Chino
In the kotatsu…
Like a radish
I cannot move
~Haruka Yokoyama
A frigid day...
Curled up with the cat
in the kotatsu~Mao Nishiguchi
Condensation appears on the glass—outside of the window is
the snow scene~Saki Nakata
Put on gloves and boots
Open the door—
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Let's make a snowman!
~Akari Chino
Two white breaths
walking hand in hand—with my precious boy~Mao Nishiguchi
I wake up
The air is clear…
New Year's Day~Haruka Yokoyama

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Untitled by Ami Yamamoto12￼￼Freeform~Akari Chino~
Parakeet
Ta ta ta...
The parakeet is approaching
When I bring my finger closer,
the parakeet shakes the headit’s like a dance
Cycling Day
Depressing the pedals—
Riding with the wind
Fluttering my hair
Swallows singing
The sun shining above
Happening On My Way Home
On my way home,riding my bicycle
and looking for Orion—
13￼Oops! I fell in the rice paddy!
Orion may have laughed at me
Sweet Temptation
Grurururu…
My stomach is screaming
Sweets are calling me“Eat me! Eat me!”I close my ears
I can’t hear. I can’t hear.
I tell myself anyway
To a Comfortable Sleep
In the bed
I can hear sound of rainpara para para…
The sound invites me to sleep
My eyes gradually close…
Like healing music
Drive
Sometimes
My family goes out driving
In the car, playing music,
talking, looking at the view
Smiles overflow more than ever
Sunny days
The car seems to want to run14￼The view from the passenger seat is dazzling
Opening the window,
the smell of rice paddy is coming on the windAt night
The town shows unknown faces
In the forest
We may meet a raccoon
I don't know what will happen
It's like our life
Night Only For Two
You and me are walking
along the coast silently
The wind wraps us
My heart is beating like wave rhythm
Glitter glitterStars stare at us
Half moon is smiling
Hand to hand touchThe dim night hid the red cheeks
but I just know faces of each other illuminatedby the moonlight are smiling

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~ Saki Nakata ~Today is Sunday
Today is Sunday
Go to outside? Spend at home?
What to do?
Today is Sunday
It is at noon now
I decide!
Today is Sunday
Dried Futon smells the sun
Fall’s NightThe wind is blowing
Gho...Gho...
with the wind beating sound
The wind is blowing
Gho...Gho...
with swing maples like blazing in the fire
The wind is blowing
With swing leaves slowly
Go For Rabbit
A rabbit is jumping
Pyon-Pyonbecause she doesn’t want to touch the bomb16

￼A rabbit is eating radish
because that is rabbit’s habit
A rabbit is sleeping peacefully
because she wants to keep her healthToday is Rainy Day
Today is rainy day
Plump...plump...
sound of drops beats the rhythm
Today is rainy day
Pitya…pitya…
Someone plays a puddle
Today is rainy day
croak…croak…
Frogs sing in chorus
Fallen Flower
The flower is fluttering downwith fallen from the tall tree
The flower is dancing slowly
without hesitating and a pause
The flower is falling beautifully
with called by you
It Rains
It rains, making a soundI hear the sound of children
17￼going home drenched
It rains, making a soundI hear the sound of my motherbringing the laundry in a fluster
It rains, making a soundAt first, there are a lot of sounds at the beginning
after a short time, only the sound of rain echoes
Soft and Fluffy
soft and fluffy
I'm on the clouds now
like a duvet
soft and fluffy
ah, I'm in the sea now
a whale calls me
soft and fluffy
sink deeply and deeply
then a dorsal fin hits me
soft and fluffy
ah, when I notice
there on the sofa18￼￼~Mao Nishiguchi~
Rainy Season
sniff sniff—I smell damp concrete
The rainy season has comeribbit ribbit…
I find a frog
I flip the leaves
I find a snail
glow by the water
I find many fireflies
They’re all the creatures of the rainy season
I will find them completely
Fight Off DrowsinessMy little nephew is eating at home
He begins to nod off
His head swings up and down
…nod…nod…
He looks like Shishi-odoshi
Dancing in the BeachIn the blazing sun
19￼Ouch!
The beach is as hot as a griddle
The soles of my feet are burning
I’m in a hurry to step
Looking around—
Everyone is dancing samba!
Balloon
I am released into the sky
I leave the amusement park
I leave my hometown
I leave my country
I will travel
forever and foreverIn the Trainclickety clack...
I’m on my way to university
clickety clack...clickety clack...
I read my favorite bookclickety clack...clickety clack...clickety clack...
My day begins with this soundMermaidSplash—
A whole blue world20

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Dolphins are swimming with me
The water surface is sparkling like a diamond
I dive a bit—
A colorful world
Sea anemones greet me
Clownfish are peeking between them
I stick my head out of the water—
A whole red world
The sunset is looking at me
This world is full of countless colors
Shooting StarTwinkle, twinkle—
Sky without a cloudGlittering like the sea
I lie down with my brothers
Like the character for river 川We look up at the falling sky
Kiran—
We join hands in a hurry
We close our eyes tightly
We mutter three times in our hearts
We smile each other without saying anything

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~Haruka Yokoyama~
One Day Be Dimly
Kero! Kerokero!
The frogs are ringing
Gasagasagasa
At that time, there was some noiseAnd there are no frogs
It became quite all aroundThe dawn night
Creatures have begun to wake up
Koltukekoltuko—
The Excitement Doesn’t Stop
Run! Run! Run!
I can meet that person
The scenery changes
Something is falling from above
It’s like petals on your feet
Flutter, flutter
BreakfastJump!
I can hear something22￼I’m scaredSizzle! Sizzle!
I’m sure it is…
The sound of my bacon sizzlingYour House
Sleeping cats
Sleeping raccoon dogs
Sleeping horses
It’s quiet to the ear, but the sight is noisy.
In your house
Wow! It’s like a zooDreams
I am a witch
I am a dwarf
I am Santa Claus
I am the tears of a crying person in a movie theater
I am a fridge
I am a mermaid
I am a curry carrot
I am the clothes the president is wearing
I can be anything
In a dream…
Feelings of the Washing Machine
Today is hot and sunny
Such a day is the day23

￼When I play an active part
Round and round
Round and round round and round
Guruguruguruguruguruguruguruguruguruguru
I am turning my eyes
I am getting tired
Let's rest a little
The owner has come
It is sad...
I will do my best
Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
There is a cockroach underneathI want to run away
Let's run away secretly
The trick is to walk like a Ninja
Sasasasasa
Oh!
The owner has come
It is sad..
Pyrroline
Pyrroline
Laundry is overNight Dance Party
The night has come
It is all dark...
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￼￼Then hearing footsteps
And hearing the music
It is the beginning of a night dance party
A blue cat is dancing
A big bear is dancing
A clown is dancing
Trees are laughing
The moon is laughing
Yes, this is a dance party for dolls
I visit every night
It is a fun time
Sometimes the dolls are bitten by a dog
It is nothing because there is this party
Dancing dolls
Like a flying butterfly
HIRAHIRA
Like a spinning top
KURUKURU
Dancing dolls
Hearing footsteps
And hearing the music
It is the beginning of a night dance party
Let's dance tonight25

￼Seasons: An EFL Literary Journal
Aichi University

Submit your original poems,
stories and artwork to:

Seasons: An EFL
Literary Journal__________________________________________________________________________________

We accept any form of original writing, but if you needinspiration look ​here​. ​ ​→ ​ ​There is no theme, just express
your feelings and thoughts in a 3 line poem. For example:
An old leafy pond

A car door…

A frog jumping in—

The way the dog dances

The sound of water

Tells me it’s you~Matsuo Basho~Timothy Russell__________________________________________________________________________________

Please send your original​ poems, stories ​or​ artwork​ and your ​name​ tokubokawateacher@gmail.com​. Send as many as you want!

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