9 Haiku

On a stained train seat—

image of a man kissing

his father’s tired head

Bathed in red sunset

the matchstick frames of houses—

bones of a swindle

No need to be scared

of the drinkers at the bar—

after all, they’re you

*

Sunny morning lot—

gull on a streetlamp still lit

a faint orange rose

Under the table

looking for my eyeglasses—

on top of my head!

Battery fading,

that old clock can’t tell the truth—

or is it truer?

*

What a sight to see

passing my gate this morning—

parade of turkeys!

The cat keeps going

in and out of the cottage

while I lay napping

In the twilit clouds

a bug-eyed space alien

grinning back at me

.

15 Haiku

Low cursing gossips

from two passing teenaged girls—

then giddy laughter!

However distant

they still burn and chill at once—

fire truck sirens

Little cat’s white legs

dashing across the asphalt—

winter afternoon

*

Seeing the grey sky

in a puddle in the street—

an empty mirror

By the way a man

crosses the street you can tell

his view of the world

Saturday morning—

wake up and watch the hail blow

and go back to bed

*

In bed with the flu—

lulled by waves of distant cars,

the cat at my feet

Entranced by the sway

of wet leaves in a soft breeze—

hissing April rain

A morning bird sings

TsooEE! TsooEE!—then triplet

bursts of Twit-twit-twit!

*

A brawny old oak

raises its limbs to the sun

while lusty birds croon

Crow on a wire calls

to another, who calls to

another—they’re off!

Pause before a house—

and then its soothing music

I no longer hear

*

Clouds don’t look hungry—

there is so much sky to go

around and around

Two sparrows burst like

fountain sprays from the sidewalk—

what’s exciting them?

Dimes in his rough hand—

only difference between

him and me is luck

.

Life Goes On

Life goes on

When all’s a mess and tragically wrong

And we long

For the blessing of a kiss in the dawn

Life goes on

There’s a glow

Flowing through the cracks and holes

And it shows

Where our nervous next steps go

And so we roll

Lost in the night

Waiting for the tumble of the dice

Every chance

Is a risk with its very own price

Where will you be when the hammer comes down

On the game you play?

Where will you be once you see that there is

No game?

There’s a prayer

Whispered in the hiss of the rain

Everywhere

The blood of the world makes a stain

And we remain

You’re alone

Rolling down a crooked weird road

And your load

Is all that you can ever hope to hold

On your own

What does it take

To shake off all the weight you don’t own?

It’s getting late

And you’re aching from the load of those stones

Once you are free you can be exactly

Just who you are

But now all you see is the gleam of a cold

Far star

Life goes on

When all’s a mess and tragically wrong

And we long

For the blessing of a kiss in the dawn

Life goes on

.

With You

Alone together

on a stone bathed in mists

on another shore

.

10 Haiku

Friday night twilight—

we wait on a cold corner,

traffic blasting by

Ploosh! Plap! and then comes

an indescribable stench!

All from eating beef!

Even the water

for the fake hotel room plant

is fake—fake water!

*

My tender footsteps

down a rain-glazed evening street—

hiss of sizzling tires

So enchanted by

steam rising from a tea cup

while my work screen glares

I turn off my ‘phone’

—freaking pocket computer!—

and feel real Power

*

It’s quite a nice life—

under warm blankets at night

listening to rain

Hearing two men talk

on the train to work I think

of stacking boxes

How much I prefer

walking in the gushing rain

to riding this train!

*

Brighter than streetlamps

lighting my trudge home from work—

a swan-white full moon

.