18 Haiku

Crude roar in the sky— 
on the street he shakes his fist
at the fighter jets

After last night’s rain—

tides of lighted cars and trucks
drifting on wet roads

A tanned grey-haired man

shouts That’s as fun as it gets!—
still wet from surfing

*

Brassy razzmatazz
blaring through the big ballroom—
can we dance to this?

Rosy island clouds

spread into dust in the dusk
over the ocean

Howling tunnel ride,
a warm cup between my thighs—
can’t drink on the train

*

This face in the sky

—slash of a mouth and two eyes—
it doesn’t judge me

I’m an apprentice—

I play a master’s song and
imitate him too

Cinema: flashing
antics of illusionists
pretending to live

*

Walking before dawn—

just over my head some wires
sizzle in the mist

Old guitarist shouts
I already forgot it!
when I play too fast

The hiss of the hose

as she waters her roses
in the soft twilight

*

Bits of broken glass

from car windows smashed by thieves—
stars strewn in the street

The warmth of the earth

under my feet as I watch
the cat nipping grass

We’re rolling slowly

through the tunnel—as dark here
as it is outside

*

Weed whacker buzzes
and flits around a man’s feet—
smell of gas and grass

Abandon yoga

and get swallowed by the world—
foolish destiny

A sliver of sun

slips slowly into the sea—
sunset becomes dusk



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6 Train Ride Haiku

Rumble under foot, 
breath spreading through my belly—
standing on the train

Asleep on the train—

an upside-down umbrella
dangles from her hand

Speeding between stops,

blur of walls through the windows—
a train underground

*

On a train at dawn

we burst out of a tunnel—
mountains of blue clouds!

Clattering of rails

and some ripe basso gossip—
three men ride standing

Through the rear window

I watch where the train just was
rush away from me



.

Blown Down Blues

Oh mama...I’m so sick and sad 
Oh mama...things looks awful bad

All the famous faces

Look so mean and mad

Oh mama...everybody’s used

Oh mama...what we gonna do?

The bank went broke when the deal was done

Then all the houses of cards blew down
What’s the sense of pretending they’re still around?

Oh mama...where we gonna turn?

Oh mama...we keep getting burned

Dealers keep on dealing

Like we’ll never learn

Oh mama...will it ever end?

Oh mama...what’s around the bend?

A sudden rumble took another tumble

In a boom that just went bust
Is there anything left for us in the dust?

Oh mama!

.

5 Haiku

Fennel fields in bloom 
along the old railroad tracks,
a scent of salt flats

Sunday in the park—

shrieking kids bounce in bright tents
under solemn trees

Millionaire landlord

drags an empty metal cart
that makes him happy

*

Dark-eyed little girl
shouting Rabbit! to a tree
in downtown rush hour

Stern men in crisp shirts

gulp wine at a loud cafe—
slow breeze through the palms

.

Flashes 13

What if 
that man
was your father?

Poor folk—

generally more generous
than the rich

Urban person

dreaming
at a magazine

Amazed

every time
I succeed

*

Much too

sunny for my
taste today

Your big

bullfrog boasting
bores me!

Sanity

requires
discipline

Life is great—

but the world
stinks!

.

9 Haiku

A strand of dry grass 
clings to the bronze guitar strings—
music in the trees

White mist on the cliffs—

a dog chases his keeper
jogging on the beach

Scent of peach nectar

brings a tiny whirling blur—
a bird like a bee

*

Curled snake on the path
stops us and makes us silent—
hawk squawks and circles

Palm over the pool—

child tiger god face swaying
in the breezy sky

A tense painted face

tottering on her high heels—
blonde hair like a shield

*

Two women, a man

pass me laughing on the street—
he’s holding a lamp!

Apricot twilight—

slender silver strand of moon
over mellow seas

Seagulls fight for food—

a big dead crab in the surf
that gets swept away



.

7 Haiku

Misty morning beach— 
a black boy in a blue hood
is walking backwards

Black crows and white gulls

stand on a white-streaked railing
and stare at the waves

Morning fishermen

ganged on a damp patch of sand—
shadows in the mist

*

An insistent bird

through the lush trees by the deck—
we sip black coffee

A lake of grey rocks—

copper pheasants and stone cats
gathered at its edge

Summer darkness falls—

fireflies rise over our heads
while we drink red wine

*

A mist in the east—

here a gang of hungry birds
stabbing at dry grass



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