10 Haiku

I feel the billow

of him passing on the path—

a moonlit jogger

A lava sunrise

spreading over hazy hills—

open book unread

A huge white rock moon

above squalling clouds of gulls

like swirling ashes

*

Under grey dome skies—

the hiss of unseen traffic,

faint twitter of birds

Speeding morning train—

flashing between the buildings

the sun stings my eyes

Just over my head

gulls circle and screech and leave

a scent of the sea

*

Yellow canoe moon

bright in a blue satin dusk—

a smile over us

Logs on a hillside—

at first glance homeless people

sprawled in the moonlight

Feeling the thick pulse

of a jet in the twilight—

bright as a planet

*

Bare tree like a cloud,

grey against tall evergreens—

such a dry winter

.

Rat Man Blues

In the mirror

I saw my face

I saw a rat man

In a fat man’s place

I didn’t doubt it

Or try to hide

I saw it surely

As I’m gonna die

What was the answer?

Who was to blame?

Is this my fate?

So I went searching

For some advice

I swear I felt

Like some tumbling dice

I saw the rat men

Living on the street

I’ve got to tell you

God it frightened me

What was the answer?

Who was to blame

For such a fate?

I asked a rat man

What he’s gonna do

Now that the fat man

Has taken all he’s due

He told me Brother

I’ve got to wait

I’ve got no allies

And it’s getting late

I didn’t answer

What could I say?

I saw my fate

.

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

.