9 Haiku

Concert in the park—

did I suddenly land on

Planet of the Young?

Cupped in my still hand,

loosely curling upon itself—

a strand of her hair

Building’s long shadow

darkens a little park’s lawn—

downtown traffic noise

*

Scratching the sidewalk,

a twisted brown fallen leaf

like an old hawk’s claw

Invisible bird

sings peeSOO! peeSOO! peeSOO!

while the hammers bang

Fall solemnity—

afternoon cup of coffee

under cold grey skies

*

Toward the tall buildings

I walk among tightfaced crowds—

downtown loneliness

Hands jammed in my pants

and dressed like a fallen leaf—

November morning

Gleaming like a grin

among cold unblinking stars—

autumn crescent moon

.

9 Haiku

Nobody but me

at a grey morning bus stop—

What? did the world end?

Plane like a dragon

lifting into dusky skies

with burning red eyes

Jostling morning train—

seated pair of pretty girls

doing their homework

*

This fastdashing train

hurtling toward the horizon

might pierce the sunrise!

Dishes are dirty,

master of meditation,

your garden’s unkempt

Rustle at the door

here at the edge of the world—

our mail must come last

*

Lone man rummaging

through a downtown garbage can

looks a lot like me

Red clay baseball field

pristine in the cold morning—

summer is over

Thick history book

resting closed on the lap of

a girl on the bus

.

Live Right

He was the king

Of a single thing

And then the rest of him

Fell away

He chased his whims

It was all for him

And he shoved the rest

Out of the way

Live right

Through the years

Live right

Through the years

When everything is set up just to take you down

One day he woke

And he was feeling broken

But he kept doing it

All the same

And in the end

He said life was bad

He was the victim of a

Losing game

Live right

Through the years

Live right

Through the years

When everything is set up just to take you down

The winners lose

And we all must choose

Just how we’re gonna

Ride this ride

The honest grace

In a lover’s face

Shows a hint of what

We can find

Live right

Through the years

Live right

Through the years

When everything is set up just to take you down

.

Pray In That Direction

Pray in that direction

Pray to get there too—

The devil never sleeps so

The angels sing the sweetest blues

Save yourself from crying

Make your life anew—

You’re standing on the brink so

Consider everything and choose

It’s time for love and laughter

It’s time to break on through—

What’s tender shows its glow so

Keep rolling with the flow so true

We’re babes in a thick forest

We’re flames upon the moon—

This arrow’s good to go so

Let’s shoot this baby through the roof

.

19 Haiku

Lone seagull cawing

in the blue above green pines—

Please! Please! Don’t leave me!

Bicycling to work—

low growl of breath, and fog damp

on a grinning face

The sputtering flight

of a sparrow in the rain—

sparkling umbrellas

*

Crow on the roof of

a government monolith,

rasping his complaint

This face staring back

at me from my coffee cup—

I resist judgement

Three quiet birds stand

on three thin telephone wires—

grey backdrop sky

*

Staggering mammoth

on the train station platform—

couple embracing

This celebration!

Bright explosions in the streets!

I hide in my house.

In the misty fog,

shrilling his proclamation—

crow on a trash bin

*

Climbing concrete hills

I am my raincoat’s hanger

in a sweaty mist

Dressing before work

I trace each tooth with my tongue

and then tie my shoes

A lone morning dove

cooing in the sleepy fog

on a long black wire

*

Metal tunnel drone

of an aircraft overhead—

then a chilled stillness

Cloud baby waving

from his fleecy bassinet—

enjoying the ride

Purple mask laughing

in the curl of a cloudpuff—

now a grouchy priest!

*

Sparkling golden leaves

crown wind-rustled cottonwoods

on the river bank

Yoga at sunrise—

just noticing a noble

face in the tree’s bark

Window to dark woods

shows a sudden fluttering—

just a passing bat

*

Rattling cicadas—

summer music makes me breathe

slowly, like a cloud

.