Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 2

age of reason
Passage of time brings
us one step closer to death.
At least we have cake.
when needles attack
Nurse hunts for shy vein.
Don’t make me watch don’t make me–
I’m … going … to … faint.
on the menu
Sparkling wine, chatter,
various dead plants, creatures.
It’s what’s for dinner.

sunday sleepies
Saturday was fun
but today demands notice.
Where has weekend gone?
burger biz
Grill sizzles with meat
as hungry patrons line up
for lunchtime quickie.
you snooze, you snooze
Buzzing sound scalds ears
with morning wakeup alarm.
Get up, or throw clock?
street shuffle
Jogger treads sidewalk
while cyclists coast helmetless
in fading sunlight.
gone to pieces
Boo hoo, I did drugs
and wrote best-selling book. Worse?
I lied to Oprah.
tavern toast
Biker gang mingles
with frat boys and old ladies.
Liquor makes this work.
challenger remembered
… trod … the sanctity
of space, put out my hand and
touched the face of God.
some dissembly required
Tab A fits slot B.
Wait, scratched surface and bad screw …
Chair goes to pieces.
dog day after work
Four-legged friend rests
while regulars drink at bar.
Paws that refreshes.
parts of speech
Freedom platitude,
then, call for values, vigor.
Fate of the union.
nonresponsive
She doesn’t answer
but lets it pass aside as
a touchy subject.
in like a clam
This cold nasty morn,
outside conditions rain down
on bleary workers.
five o’clock world
Clock counts down minutes
till quitting time, weekend fun.
Tick, tick, tick, tick … yay!
names, faces escape me
Whatever happened
to ol’ what’s-his-name, you know,
the one with the mole?
spots and pans
Beer, burgers, flicks, trucks,
(Disney, ESPN, Grey’s).
Your Super Bowl ads.
drawn and martyred
Comic panel draws
criticism and riots.
Yet, Cathy lives. Ack!!!!!!
say say say
Jokes at my expense …
Are words flung carelessly, or
am I sensitive?
balancing fact
Chores, pets, work, fun, sleep,
plus time to think, plan, de-stress.
It’s all a juggle.
anxious order
Too much social stuff
brings on fear of going out,
makes me stay home safe.
five-ring circus
Olympic fever
has us in its icy grip.
Shh! Curling is on!
good on paper
Wanted: part-time muse
for literary passion
and light housekeeping.
prison of my own making
Task list grows each day
(can’t say no to anyone!).
Help me sort through this.
germ warfare
Flu epidemic
sweeps through offices and schools.
Cover your nose, mouth!
not quite a-b-c-b
Roses are red, but
haiku demands more than rhyme.
Ah, romantic verse …
not-fry ‘found’ in my fries
Bogus lawsuits cause
consumer probs, so I can’t
sue for fake damage.
charm of the night
Beneath cool facade,
heart pounds with anxious longing
capped with too brief kiss.
film frenzy
Camera, lights, mike,
coffee, 48 hours.
Let’s make a movie.
java jungle
Homeless guy wants food.
I give weekend of coffee.
Wired, warm … no thanks.
italian iced
You say Turin, and
I say Torino. So let’s
call the whole thing off.
it must be sweeps
Ice cubes can kill you.
What you don’t know can kill you.
More at 11.
project runway
Stuck at Gate D2
with delayed flight, bad weather.
Guess I’ll read a book.
stormy leather
Boots squeak on clean floor.
Soles slick with rain residue.
Nature comes inside.
peanut gallery perspective
Back row listens, waits,
while audience still debates.
Complain and complain.
box brigade
Time to pack and move.
Everything must go (or sell).
Leaving in the morn.
three days left
Dashiki? textbook?
Don’t know what to get you for
Black History Month.
bead start
Olympics are done.
But Mardi Gras warming up.
Let the good times roll.
flu-ent
Darkness hits my head,
body too weak to fight back.
Even soup tastes bad.
junior moment
When I fall behind,
I forget to tie my shoes
or write my haiku.
lazy meditation on spring
In like a lion?
Seasons aren’t like animals.
In like a rustle.
drinking stupor
Bar crowd draws tighter
as the hour grows later.
Last call. Time to sleep.
neighborhood watched
It’s paranoia
or just high awareness of
every little thing.
three-sided world
Triangles gaze at
paintings of triangles to
triangulate life.
secret shame
Packrat tendancy
hides in piles and piles of junk
behind those closed doors.
modem mayhem
Signal drops out. Crap.
Call for tech support. Again.
Signal comes and goes.
echoes of the post
Plagiarism is
such an ugly word when sites
copy all your prose.
lyrical horror
Sometimes, when we touch,
the honesty’s too much, and
… I now have to puke.
sartorial kryptonite
Spots tarnish my threads.
Ack, get that liquid away!
Bleach, my nemesis.
dusting in the wind
Why should cleaning be
limited to springtime when
homes are dumps year-round?
to send the very bestest
Homemade cards still need
personal note to convey
happiness, good cheer.
lazier sunday
Nice day to kick back.
Even us workaholics
enjoy the respite.
sorely lackey
Can’t stand up to boss.
It’s hard out here for a wimp.
Loser mafia.
moving along
Spark of life comes from
striving for more than dreams stuck
inside our noggins.
date of doom
Use extreme caution!
Beware the ides of today
and live tomorrow.
public anime
Fight the power. Fight
the power. We’ve got to fight
the powers that be.
mad marchness
Picking teams at will.
What’s important? Seed or skill?
Brackets go bye-bye.
ear-itating contest
Who has the ringtone
that gets the people talking?
DJ King Camphone.
best week forever
Oddly addictive
sound loops and pop culture pics.
You’re the man now, dog.
vernal of truth
Spring has sprung at last.
A lovely time for strolling and
taking in the sights.
throaty threshold
Special growling voice
comes from mix of age, smoking
and sickness unchecked.
worse than automated menu
This rep sends me to
another rep, who sends me
to … I just hung up.
chapter the first
Words tumble on screen
in ever-flowing burst of
manic creation.
not an addict
Healthy addiction
(no matter how benign) is
destructive habit.
solitude sitting
The lonely heart wants
nothing except to belong
to that someone else.
in the clear
Musty boxes and
cluttered closets must yield to
spring cleaning deadline.
sit and spin
Appliance true fact:
Dryer lives up to its name.
Clothes not dry. Drier.
txt rsvp
Wut r u doin
2nite lets get fd up n
ill c u l8r
block caption
Siren gets closer.
Fire truck tends to neighbor’s
late emergency.
pipe down
Dozer cracks asphalt
to scoop hole in street while men
squawk on radios.
leftover decision
Car interior
smells like doggie bag. Time to
risk food poisoning?
first of april
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha!
just batty
Sixty minutes lost
in order to save daylight?
But we like the dark!
compulsive affirmative
Why can’t I say no?
Hate to turn down everything.
Like to please others.
southside waiting
Breeze of cool evening
brings blocks of evolution
to still parking lot.
bundle of boy
Dapper infant shines.
Swaddling clothes make the baby.
Stylish from day one.
the anti-diatribe
Repeating yourself,
the rant is always the same
Why so defensive?
snaps reject
Yo mama so fat,
she has diabetes and
other health problems.
storm of sensationalism
Loudest thunder comes
from squawking forecasters who
cloud up the outlook.
off the truck
Muscles ache with use
(or frequent lack of use) when
furniture involved.
wrong turn, right question
How did I end up
here in my life when I was
headed someplace else?
safely inside
Cave is quite comfy
when hiding out from the world,
life in general.
mow town
Grass needs a-cuttin’
but mower cowers in fear
of lurking tall weeds.
store-spangled banana
Retail-covered land,
as far as the eye can see,
oh say can you spend?
fido and fidon’t
Holiday weekend
sends neighbors far away from here.
But who’ll feed the dog?
where troubles melt like lemon drops
Somewhere over the
rainbow, skies are blue. And dreams
really do come true.
rest of the story
This kind of tired –
aching eyes, nonstop yawning –
makes for deep slumber.
head trauma
Bright light, ow, quit it!
Skull strains to relieve harsh pain.
Migraine, go away.
bus line to P street
Next stop is coming.
Gather my belongings and
stand up to get off.
cabin pressure
Dry atmosphere keeps
us from mingling with puffy
clouds out the window.
chorus curse us
Bad song becomes stuck
in brain like aural taffy.
Ears bleed on inside.
springtime pressures
Rain, rain go away
until you’re needed again
to clean up pollen.
weekend outings
Festival season:
parking crunches, decent temps,
fun all around you.
short circuit, long day
Red wire, then white,
blue, green, then yellow wire.
Flip switch, and … nothing.
talking in circles
Please, please tell the tale
(one we’ve heard a million times)
while we drift to sleep.
forgiveness
You done me wrong, yet
it’s up to me to forgive.
My struggle, my life.
time to starve
Grumbling tummy calls
for food. Now. But it’s hours
until I can gorge.
wonder all
You would be amazed
at the world out there if you
just open your (blank).
sales pitched
Just browsing, thank you.
No, simply looking around.
Eek! Salesman!! Retreat!
and the beat goes on
Poetry of life
plays out in tiny verses
day to day to day.