9 Haiku

From white-bearing trees
the snow falls a second time—
sun climbing the east

Diving flight above

then bash! hawk hits a treeside—
just missed that squirrel

The houses and trees

made vague by this morning’s fog—
a world of slow ghosts

*

Alone under clouds

swollen with rain before dawn—
raven’s rasping laugh

Pigeon’s gulping moan

somewhere over the dark streets—
cold fog before dawn

Gull with chickenbone

sails shrieking over the lot—
chased by his brothers

*

Purple-faced clouds brood
on a low gash of twilight—
can’t look at the book

Gulls circle and screech

above a bare parking lot—
dusky pink morning

Spring sun appears and

retreats and appears again—
sky full of birdsong



.

Being Here

I just sat still
And in and out I breathed

I did not care

About stuff in magazines

An image of myself

Blurred and faceless glowed

Looking back at me

From a dark window



.

Flashes 20

A flea fart
is mightier
than art

A star

rots in
a palace

This blues

got ooga-
booga!

*

To know

how lucky you are
is enlightenment

Jazz musicians

of human relations—
improvising always

They’ll do anything to prove

they’re not the bad guy—
except not be the bad guy

*

Shoot

him in
the rifle!

No substitute

for paying
attention

“I know you’re

following Buddha
with that bald head!”

*

Fame

is
hype



.

9 Haiku

The growing approach
of a train I can’t yet see—
distant whisperer

Two women smearing

lotion gossip on the train—
faces, arms and hands

Wary of poop on

the beach I see angel’s feet—
little child’s footprints

*

Under a full moon
shadows of bare branches mesh
on the frosty lawn

Nothing but sky through

the train’s windows as it leans
through a long slow turn

Red cottage under

a giant wall of storm clouds—
a birdless stillness

*

A fluttering ghost

in the darkened train window—
newspaper pages

Three hawks circle slow

in the empty blue above
a scurrying world

 “In any case, the moon”—Jack Kerouac

Blue afternoon moon—

“illuminated clay ball”
bright as any eye!



.

Wherever You May Be

Why don’t you blow down south little birdie?
Winter is drawing near
Your brothers and sisters left in a hurry
Nothing is holding you here

It’s the right time … to ride on the wind

Just spread your wings and glide
Take it down south … hitchhike it in
Get off when you arrive
Get off when you arrive

Swimming the wind up over the city

Snug in the breast of the air
The city at night is glittering pretty
Looking much better from there

While you fly high … up in the sky

You’re blessed to be a bird
You got the right to ride ... the wind in the night
Far above the world
Far above the world

It’s lovely to see you do what you need to

God you’ve got such style!
Once you can see it nothing’s a secret
Been waiting right there all the while

And you go so … gentle and sure

Wherever you may be
As if you knew you’ve … been here before
Wherever you may be
Wherever you may be



.

20 Haiku

Sudden razzmatazz
at my ear from a stray fly’s
rusty trumpeting

Morning after rain—

a big blank silvery sky
like a movie screen

My head in the bed

glows bald in a dark window—
where it all goes on

*

The sky’s like a child—

full of goofy faces and
slow sudden changes

Rust patch on a yellow pipe cap:

Big buxom woman

blowing her harmonica
under blazing sun

Little white-haired man
limping uphill and pushing
an old bicycle

*

Tattered flag droops from

its pole at the post office,
swishes in the wind

Happy my belly

is purring so warmly all
merry morning long!

Cold clear winter dawn—

downtown buildings with sun fire
glowing on the glass

*

Strands of dry cheese like
broken Chinese characters—
late dinner table

A frog with flowers

exploding out of his head—
courtyard ceramic

Leaves like golden moths

riding a slant in the wind—
old hotel window

*

In silence—as if

without moving I might catch
my runaround life

In bed with the flu,

feeling my life leak away—
drear January

Standing close, two men

smoke and talk in the cold park—
two clouds between them

*

The pink-blushing sky

above a dirty shipyard—
smudge of winter dawn

Crescent moon grins down

as the glowing world begins—
sun climbing the east

Long islands of clouds

with salmon-colored bellies—
peeking cold sunrise

*

Dusk: paused on a path,

staring at the boiling tides—
two men’s silhouettes

Dusk: trio of gulls

huddled on a slick sand patch—
dispersed by the tide



.

The Ride

I’ve been ... gliding along on the tide
I’ve been ... thinking my life is a ride

I’ve been ... pushed by the wind through the rain
I’ve been ... feeling it happen again

And it makes me want to say

Hey now brother how

You been getting by?
You been enjoying the ride?

While we’re flying right

Through our time we might
Find that we’ve arrived
On the other side

I fly ... fly like blur down the line

I spend … most of my life in my mind

That’s why I’ve got to say

Hey now brother how

You been getting by?
You been enjoying the ride?

While we’re flying right

Through our lives we might
Find that we’ve arrived
On the other side

I’ve been … gliding along on the tide
I’ve been … thinking my life is a ride



.