10 Haiku

On the train ride home,

a gallery of ancient

archetypal faces

Chill November night—

huge cruise ships to Mexico

like floating cities

The growling buzzsaw

of someone’s Sunday project—

dogs fill the pauses

*

Heavy thudding clumps

from the wet bare bent branches—

a second snowfall

Suburban jogging—

patrol car rolls past almost

as slow as I run

We talked pleasantly

during a long air journey—

didn’t ask his name

*

Before we see her

her heels announce her—strutting

on the train platform

At dusk the grackles

swoosh over the lot, their wings

silver from the lamps

Alone at midnight,

I once saw lava pouring

from lighted buildings

*

“It looks like the trees

went to sleep and their children

all ran away…”

                  —a seven year-old girl, on late autumn

.

Flashes 29

Propped

up by

propaganda

In a repressive society

only comedians

tell the truth

I’m lucky

they let me live; they’re lucky

I’m alive

*

This music sounds

like running

on a treadmill!

Feeling

my life so

clearly now

Waiting

on the mercy

of night

*

Not a “genius”—

but tuned into Big Mind

sometimes

To think

enthusiastically

Of course!

Exciting

romantic

delusions

*

You have to feel good

to help others

feel good

Restraining enthusiasm—

as much of a lie

as pretending it

That job’s

too serious

for me

*

Flirting

with

possibilities

Laughter like

a rattling

chain

We are each

the lover

the other needs

*

A whiff of grass…

and the trees seem

treeier

When you speak

with an individual

there is no “mass man”

This song

is a hit

in heaven

*

He

is

Himself

Discovering truth—

usually

a relief

No having

an opinion

is fine

.

13 Haiku

Descent of swift doves

upon herringbone mountains—

drama in the clouds

A whiff of shampoo

when she tosses her lush curls—

noisy restaurant

Posing for pictures

in front of the monument—

such grandiose smiles

*

A red cardinal’s

crystal metronomic chirp—

lawnmowers buzzing

A white dogwood’s branch

shaking in the aftermath

of a hawk’s take-off

A maple blushing

among murmuring crickets,

a red sagging sun

*

Bicycling at night—

a melon rind moon basking

on pillows of clouds

Listening to wind

through a half-open window

just before sleep comes

Fading motor sound

and the lapping of the tide

just before sleep comes

*

Single sunlit thread

of the spider’s web—a bridge

between two branches

The buzzing shadow

of a zig-zag hummingbird—

the cat’s attention

Waiting for the dawn—

crescent moon like a canoe

in a blueblack sky

*

Bus groans and pauses,

releases a sleepy-faced crowd

in the blushing dawn

.

Flashes 28

Always chasing

that thing I don’t

quite know

If I can imagine this,

something like it

is possible

Every one is

better than you

in some way

*

Suburbia

alienates you

by design

Doing what you want—

always

rebellious

With her

you’ll derail

your destiny

*

I know I have

blind spots—

I just can’t see them!

Walking around

not as a singularity

but as part of this

Flies

clean

themselves!

*

Don’t be an advocate

of the instrument

that rapes you

Giving soul’s never a waste—

it’s only wasted

when there’s no chance to give

It’s sad.

The whole thing is sad.

But you can’t relate to it sadly.

*

You gotta

nose around

in the darkness awhile

They relate to you

through the best

part of themselves

Trusting

yourself

is genius

.