Category: HAIKU

The haiku is an ancient (by North American standards) poetic form that consists of 3 lines: the first and last lines have exactly 5 syllables; the middle line has 7. A haiku is supposed to capture the essence of an experience, especially the sensory part. “Intellectualizing” is considered extremely bad form. Therefore, naturally, lots of mine are about Physics!

 

Abstraction

At the age of ten,
waiting for the car to come
take me off to church:

Clouds of hungry gnats
circling in the hot sun
focus thought on thoughts.

Self-centered thinker
thinks of self thinking of self…
finds the infinite.

(A description of the moment I became fully conscious.)

Isolation by Narcissism

We are all alone
believing we’re the only
real human on Earth.

What Got Us Into This Mess:

Accepting the phrase
“Seems reasonable to me”
in place of reason.

Pond Haiku

Eight lotus blossoms,
the garniture of nature,
grace my summer pond.

Pellets strike water,
calling up to the surface
hundreds of goldfish.

Stillness at twilight:
heron standing on one leg
waits for a target.

The pond shrinks with heat,
leaving green algae billows.
The fish wait for cold.

 

(July 4, 2024)

New Year’s Day 2024

Last year was a drag.
2024 is here.
Love it while you can.

 

Old

“Old” was “twice my age”
until that became far-fetched;
now “old” is today!

 

 

(17 June 2023)

View of the World

 

The world view you hold
by expectations becomes
the real world you view.

 

(23 April 2023)

Human Intelligence

 

A sufficiently
narcissist being believes
its thoughts are magic.

 

(21 April 2023)

Dandelions

 

Since I stopped mowing
the dandelions relaxed:
equilibrium!

 

 

(21 April 2023)

Politics

The borborygmus
of rhetoric in Congress
precedes more hot air.

21 March 2023

Tragedy of the Commons

The liar will lie,
though ten thousand search for fact,
so truth is forfeit.

The thief always steals,
though all the rest are honest,
so trust is forfeit.

The hater will hate,
though thousands try to forgive,
so love is forfeit.

The killer will kill,
though ten million try to heal,
so war is coming.

The cynic ignores
emergence of miracles,
so hope is forfeit?

 

21 March 2023

Travel Haiku

Havana 1959

El Presidente’s
reef surrounded by shark nets;
fort with touch-me-nots.

 

Stockholm 1977

A royal wedding
followed by a live sex show
and Millesgården

 

Dubna 1978

Sheremetyevo:
Arrive late and unannounced.
Wait for black Volga.

 

Kona 1979

Freshly off the plane,
fragrance of plumeria
smacked me in the nose!

 

Paris 1980

A Métro platform:
where we all got pepper-sprayed
for speaking English.

 

Antigua 1980

A charming island
beloved of German tourists
stinks of resentment.

 

Brugg 1982

The bank doesn’t mind
the soldier’s rifle, but my
wife can’t sign alone.

 

Tokyo 1983

Anywhere else, you’d
worry on the last subway
alone at midnight.

 

Seibo Byoin Hospital 1983

A blinking Buddha
merges with the less wise world,
fresh out of the womb.

 

Snake River 1991

Flashes of cutthroat
scatter in invisible
water under raft.

 

Bisbee 2009

Mountain become pit,
cupping bright blue & green pools
to its mined-out heart.

Bokelia 2009

Snook tattoo on arm,
my neighbor’s out on parole:
A friendly redneck.

Matlacha 2011

I jumped a tarpon
off the rented dock across
the street from the bar.

New South Wales 2014

Batehaven: parrots,
miles of beautiful water,
but nary a fish.

Belize 2015

Gourmet meals from shacks,
happy folks despite many
reasons to hate us.

 

Zermatt 2017

Pink petunias
frame every scenic vista
of the Matterhorn.