Chen-ou Liu's Translation Project: First English-Chinese Haiku and Tanka Blog

Saturday, October 10, 2026

Deadline Eve Gembun

Rain pitter-pattering on the roof all night.

deadline eve
the cursor blinks blinking
after I write



FYI: This could be read as a prequel to the following gembun:

My fingers click-clacking — hail against the window.

what's left unsaid
between words and lines ...
alone at false dawn



At 6 a.m., a film of cold grease has formed over my untouched coffee.

I add three words
revise them then kill the line ...
paper-white dawn



Added:

first autumn chill
the ladder to my tree house
two rungs missing


FYI: This is a sequel to my haiku below:

tree house
a ladder leading
to the moon 



Added:

further in
and further in ...
moonlit fog


Added:

a begging bowl
outside the temple gate
rows of shoes