Haiku, Senryu & Other Shorts

tinfoil hat—
stories you can’t
unfold

“Ruuussell!
It’s ma guuuum!

Its’a runnin’ out
a shuuuger!”

–April 28, 2016

All the poets
passed out in the grove

and not one Fern Hill
to show for it.

–June 18, 2017

Now, here comes the 3 O’Clock.
Why are you still, awake?
She loves me not.

–June 9, 2017

She’s so sweet
and, hopefully, so evil.

The sweet, sweet evil
of a Mayberry

criminal.

–April 4, 2017

She hates change.
I refuse
to change.

We should be perfect
for each other.

–November 4, 2015

You know, Al Capone,
he created a lot of jobs.

Of course, he also created
a lot of vacancies.

natural history—
I propose to her
in the astor turret

mockingbirds–
the more that settle
on the page the better

–June 2017

miles of water
from this shore to the next
something to swim to

–May 21, 2017

light years–
the distance between stardust
and endust

–August 28, 2017

My cousin Wayne shared this with me. The Carter Center is calling for people to submit haiku to celebrate President Carter’s 93rd Birthday. Help him syllabrate!

plainspoken–
more than we’ve deserved
for more years

–September 29, 2017

for Eric

If something was really
written on the wind,
how best to interpret it?

Read the swaying
of the swaying trees.

–September 2, 2016

Whatever can calm
the anxious heart is what we
reach for when we reach

— September 13, 2016

Eric says it’s Haiku Month, so this one’s for him.

Outside the rules
from the center of a bell
they heard you ringing

–February 1, 2017

for Cynthia

black coffee dark
only the Suwanee can say
why it holds her

–May 5, 2017

for Early

Left or right, Early
it doesn’t matter to me just
don’t ever leave
whichever side.

— May 2017

crepe myrtle–
home in the Spring
a taffeta address

em>–June 2017

cherry blossoms…
the tree itself
superfluous

I don’t know if I’m more motivated by the carrot or the stick, but I know I’m not motivated by carrot sticks.

–April 15, 2016

easy Monet—
rain on the windshield