haiku retrospective ccxiii

high summer
a cloud of flies
over the road kill

17 July 2002

and four try-ku inspired by silk slips in summertime:

summer heat
the white curve of his hip
against the silk sheet

summer stars
even this thin nightgown
holds in the heat

cats in heat
only a sheer silk slip
between her and the stars

midsummer dawn
greeting the sun clad only
in the sky

19 July 2002

haiku retrospective ccxii

fresh tea
the warmth of his lips
on mine

6 July 2002


the crowd whines
runners take a base
on the balk

13 July 2002


thrift shop
abandoned dreams
half off

14 July 2002

haiku retrospective ccxi

summer evening
scraping leftover curry
into the disposal

24 June 2002


summer doldrums -
not the faintest whiff
of haiku

I can't believe so many people are complaining about the heat. Here in California, it's been cold, cold, cold. We're having early spring weather, with a lot of brisk breezes. Lovely, but not June.

last week in june
making the bed again
with flannel sheets

25 June 2002

haiku retrospective ccx

summer wind
the heavy thwock-thwock
of the fire copter

Heard the first tanker helicopter of the year this morning. These large dark copters carry water from local reservoirs to fight wildfires. Every fifteen minutes or so, I hear the tanker fly overhead. Fire season is here.

charred sign
only YOU can prevent
forest fires

ashes to ashes
the black slope thick
with baby trees

24 June 2002

haiku retrospective ccix

trains of thought
marginal notes
in an old manuscript

clean copy
mistakes vanish
with the flick of a mouse

24 June 2002


car radio
the off switch tunes in
to silence

24 June 2002

haiku retrospective ccviii

moonshine
prickly pears in the sand
around the still

My grandmother's dad had to support his family by tending a still. Her mother was a teetotalling Carrie Nation sort, but times were desperate. My grandmother remembers running barefoot over prickly pears to tell her dad that the Revenuers were on their way.

17 June 2002


california gold
dying oats bleach
in the sun

17 June 2002


summer evening
crescents of cantaloupe
on a blue plate

24 June 2002

haiku retrospective ccvii

midsummer stars
the cry of a loon shatters
the darkness

8 June 2002


deep silence --
the bottom of the canyon
a long, long way down

10 June 2002


railroad tracks
summer shadows fade
into twilight

11 June 2002

haiku retrospective ccvi

seventh-inning stretch
the little girl keeps drawing
in the dust

bronco world series
the catcher fires another one
into left field

round pregnant belly
the jeering Mets fan lands
in my lap

shagging flies
swallows hover
over the outfield

sunday afternoon
the rhythmic ker-chunk
of the batting machine

chalking the field
starting line-ups flutter
in the breeze

pitching duel
lawnmower stripes
on the outfield

hometown dugout
the clear print of his cleat
in the dust

extra innings
the snack bar
runs out of ice

post-game show
the bees' buzzing fades
in the clover

1 June 2002

haiku retrospective ccv

drifting clouds
the butter on my yam
hardens again

26 May 2002


leftover meatloaf
we have an argument
about his ex-wife

26 May 2002


empty nest
the children's voices echo
in her head

8 June 2002

haiku retrospective cciv

too sweet for words

soda fountain
she holds a striped straw
between her brown teeth

brain rot
she changes channels
on the tv remote

diabetes test
she cranks up the brightness
of her smile

southern smile
won't you have another coke,
sugar?

9 May 2002

haiku retrospective cciii

morning tai chi
my form wavers
with the barking dogs

(a moment from yesterday)


silent worship
the sudden clatter
of teaspoons

(a moment from this morning)

30 April 2002


spring funeral
the pink fringe of her shawl
outlines damnation

17 May 2002

haiku retrospective ccii

summer night
the child tosses and turns
on the haystack

28 April 2002


looking around
from this side of the world
rain-splattered roses

29 April 2002


long summer night
the sound of our drums
under the stars

29 April 2002

haiku retrospective cci

spring playground
the scampering and chattering
of squirrels

27 April 2002


idling engine -
she licks the drips
from his ice-cream cone

28 April 2002


dry haystack
the muffled sound
of rain

28 April 2002

haiku retrospective cc

spring storm
the slumped man mutters
on his cell phone

25 April 2002


lofty thoughts
the crowns of the redwoods
lost in the clouds

26 April 2002


spring mist
she swirls her tea mug
to stir in the sugar

27 April 2002

haiku retrospective cxcix

forest path
he stashes his shadow
in the violets

25 April 2002


incubator lights
the flabby flesh
of my empty belly

25 April 2002


april abstract
ben lomond mountain lost its head
in the clouds

25 April 2002

haiku retrospective cxcviii

tax morning
my undrunk tea cold
in the cup

13 April 2002


school daze
the ants teach the crickets
how to sing

19 April 2002


school auditorium
cows show the wildebeests
their feedlot options

19 April 2002



school orientation
pond turtles tell the ducks
how to use their wings

19 April 2002

haiku retrospective cxcvii

forget-me-nots
a soap bubble caught
in his hair

30 March 2002


lazy afternoon
a cloud of soap bubbles
over the bluebells

30 March 2002


prayers
for a dying friend ~
azaleas in bloom

30 March 2002

haiku retrospective cxcvi

march darkness
the scent of garlic toast
in her hair

22 March 2002


soft spring rain
tight cherry buds bob
on slender twigs

24 March 2002


cherry trees in bloom
two large diamond rings
on her gnarled hand

30 March 2002

haiku retrospective cxcv

white faces
the border patrol
waves us through

12 March 2002


falling petals
all the men who have fluttered
my nerves

13 March 2002


gated community
the whock-whock-whock
of border patrol helicopters

13 March 2002

haiku retrospective cxciv

another miscarriage
the petals of the daffodil
unfurl

12 March 2002


grand canyon vista
a coyote panhandles
in the parking lot

12 March 2002


desert solitaire
no cars for fifty miles
along the interstate

12 March 2002

haiku retrospective cxciii

Often, my haiku arise in response to the work of other authors. On the shiki haiku list, haijin would riff off of each other's work. The second haiku in this set was in response to a series of spring haiku about tree frogs.

twilight
the muffled tap of raindrops
on redwood duff

19 February 2002


spring cold
trying to get the frog
out of my throat

21 February 2002


gray afternoon
an open suitcase
full of summer clothes


23 February 2002

haiku retrospective cxcii

night moves
the music too loud
to hear your heart

15 February 2002


february clouds
a raindrop at the heart
of the first violet

17 February 2002


shadowy trees
the horned moon close behind
the setting sun

17 February 2002

haiku retrospective cxci

early spring sunshine
a leaf shadow stretches
across the pond

13 February 2002


february 15th
a broken heart
in the cookie box

15 February 2002


mostly overcast
varied thrushes pick
through the compost

15 February 2002

haiku retrospective cxc

hard frost
the first sign of buds
on the maple

31 January 2002


record highs
god doesn't dance the same dance
every day

10 February 2002


evening chill
dye spreads over the pleated cloth

12 February 2002

haiku retrospective clxxxix

revival meeting six more souls on the preacher's scalp belt

31 January 2002



late friends
the stream of cars
blurs together

31 January 2002


january clouds
birds chatter softly
in the sycamores

31 January 2002

haiku retrospective clxxxviii

oh gull, look!
too late! the children
are gone

28 January 2002


ice
reflecting the moon . . .
sunrise

30 January 2002


moonless night
stars drain from the nets
of herring

30 January 2002

haiku retrospective clxxxvii

macarthur park
someone left the snow
out in the rain

28 January 2002


snow on bricks ~
drifts of wood smoke fall
with the rain

28 January 2002


zen calligraphy
the tracks of the shorebirds
brushed by the waves

28 January 2002