Tuesday, May 31, 2011

haiku retrospective cxliii

cannery row
bluefin tuna circle
the big tank

23 June 2001


loneliness
the out-of-town guest
at the block party

23 June 2001


fog lifting
the bean vines climb
a little higher

25 June 2001

Monday, May 30, 2011

haiku retrospective cxlii

city playground ~
one red m&m melts
on his hands and face

7 June 2001


brake lights
on the beach freeway ~
heat rises

12 June 2001


summer solstice ~
the bubble caterpillar
sheds his skin

21 June 2001

Sunday, May 29, 2011

haiku retrospective cxli

same old moon
the blur of insects
against the stars

3 June 2001


tropical sunrise
guatemalan security checks
the overhead bins

7 June 2001


hot morning
a bright red poppy buzzes
with seven bees

12 June 2001

Friday, May 27, 2011

haiku retrospective cxl

temper tantrum ~
the ring of the axe blade
on redwood

15 April 2001


mountain thyme
the bumpy flight
of a hornet

3 June 2001


flapjacks
a large raven rummages
through the compost

3 June 2001

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

haiku retrospective cxxxix

restless night ~
tree branches toss
in the wind

29 April 2001


sunday deadline ~
the child climbs on my lap
in tears

29 April 2001


creek canyon
every trail leads
uphill

10 May 2001

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

haiku retrospective cxxxviii

ocean dusk ~
reflections of children
in the wet sand

4 February 2001


four am ~
the silence between tick
and tock

29 April 2001


unsettled weather ~
storm clouds gather
in my sinuses

29 April 2001

Saturday, May 21, 2011

haiku retrospective cxxxvii

old pickup truck ~
the woodcutter shaves
in his rear-view mirror

Up here, there are a lot of woodcutters. They often park their loaded
trucks downtown with signs that say things like "Oak $220 a cord."

This fellow looks dapper and fairly prosperous. He's around 50. His
truck has definitely seen better days. He likes to park right outside
the health food store. I've seen his truck
there a lot.

I don't think he lives in his truck (although I could be wrong). I think
he was just sprucing up for a Friday night date while waiting to see if
he had any customers during the evening grocery rush.

Another strange thing was that he had a short, cropped beard. He was
using his razor to trim around the beard. Like I said, he was dapper.

On the way home from watching the woodcutter shave, I saw the emergency
strobe in my rear-view mirror, so I had two rear-view mirror haiku out of
one trip to town.

26 January 2001

haiku retrospective cxxxvi

weekend wind shift ~
two magpies beat their way
to work


“Beating” is one of the ways of sailing upwind -- a rough and
unpleasant way to get a nasty job done. Shifting winds can
presage a storm.

29 November 2000

haiku retrospective cxxxv

abandoned dredge ~
a wattle-and-daub home
for osprey

21 November 2000


weathervane ~
the dead leaf spins
on spider silk

8 January 2001


four am ~
the silence between tick
and tock

29 April 2001

Friday, May 20, 2011

haiku retrospective cxxxiv

strong hint ~
the baby moves the spoon
to her left hand


When I was a baby, my mother placed my spoon in my right hand.
I took one look at the situation and switched the spoon from
my right hand to my left. My mother got the hint.

Later, after many attempts at teaching me to tie my shoes
the orthodox way, my mother gave up. She showed me how to
make two loops in my shoelaces and cross them over one another.

playground joke ~
she can't even tie her shoes
the right way


Later, as an adult, I found out that the unorthodox way of
tying shoes lies flatter and holds better.

shoe-tying lessons ~
she teaches her children
the wrong way


16 November 2000

haiku retrospective cxxxiii

republican moon ~
the hole in the guillotine
where you put your neck

I read once that the French populace called the hole in the
guillotine "la lune republicaine" during the French Revolution.
Shine atop the gallows, O Republican Moon!

15 November 2000

haiku retrospective cxxxii

fallen oak branch ~
tufts of spanish moss fill
the hollows

4 November 2000


wind storm ~
a swirl of fir needles falls
from the oak

4 November 2000


splitting the bill ~
the ex-wives turn
to conversation

21 November 2000

Thursday, May 19, 2011

haiku retrospective cxxxi

all hallows eve ~
green glitter glue
on the carpet

31 October 2000


hazel fronds sway ~
a soft rain darkens
the path

4 November 2000


autumn deepens ~
redwood needles blanket
the fir stump

4 November 2000

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

haiku retrospective cxxx

bearded iris ~
the hues of the iguana's skin
in sunlight


I recently saw an iguana in the sunlight. The colors of the
iguana's skin were so delicate, so flowery. At the same time,
iguanas are somewhat grotesque.

I'm juxtaposing the iris to the iguana here because the iguana's
coloring and skin texture reminds me of a bearded iris. Also,
it brings out the flowery beauty in the iguana's skin. Bearded
irises also have grotesque little frills that recall the reptile's
frills.

rosebud on the vine ~
the new baby suckles
at his mother's breast


Rosebuds and babies are hackneyed, of course. That new baby's
rosebud lips, rose petal soft skin, sweet scent. I wanted to
highlight the baby's continued connection to the mother ("on
the vine") here.

funeral flowers ~
the refrigerated body
in the coffin


Line 1 was originally "orchid corsage." I wanted to show the
connection between the boxed, dead, prettified flower and the
boxed, dead, prettified body. Other possibilities for line 1:
orchid spray, lily spray, orchid wreath, lily pillow, etc.

I have this feeling that, with the right tweaks, this could
be powerful.

orchid spray ~
the refrigerated body
wears a smile

24 October 2000

Saturday, May 14, 2011

haiku retrospective cxxix

ruby slippers ~
maraschino cherry juice
on her lips

23 October 2000


october wind ~
the baby drops the leaf
again

23 October 2000


foggy night ~
the bridge lights tie the city
to the shore

23 October 2000

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

haiku retrospective cxxviiii

toes in the sand ~
the small boy draws patterns
with a stick

23 October 2000


autumn wind ~
a crooked oak branch
in the maple

23 October 2000


raking the roof ~
a drift of walnut leaves hides
the station wagon

23 October 2000

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

haiku retrospective cxxviii

first cold snap ~
opening a new box
of tissues

15 October 2000


push broom ~
a ridge of golden leaves
on the asphalt

23 October 2000


sand shower ~
the black cat opens
one green eye

23 October 2000

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

haiku retrospective cxxvii

scent of autumn ~
the first bite of an apple
crunchy and sweet

6 October 2000


three rocks
in the raked sand ~
a sip of tea

7 October 2000


untended garden ~
a child crouches to watch
a spider

8 October 2000