Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 9
By Wade Kwon- have holly jolly kwanzaa
The shops are abuzz
with bargain hunts and a few
unhappy returns. - bargain has-bin
Crazy deep discounts
drive shoppers wild with armfuls
of clearance goodies. - empty gaze
Vacant stares greet my
eyes from all points, including
my own reflection. - party in the kitchen
Among the cupboards,
we huddle to bask in each
other’s friendly glow. - long-distance edification
The signal phases
in and out, but the caller’s
voice stays in my head. - we’ll take a cap of kindness yet
Pop pop pop goes the
gunfire, the champagne corks
of our rowdy hood. - resolution the first
Resolve not to make
great leaps but tiny steps to
take each passing day. - creaking combustion
The old car groans in
agony with winter’s brute
force driving down temps. - mad memos
Cryptic notes provide
little insight for workings
of deranged psyches. - hue and cry
How many ways are
there to say purple and pink?
Shades of meaning blur. - tip of my … something
Wait! I was going
to tell you something else, but
it has slipped my mind. - shades of contentment
We think we’re happy,
for a little while, at least,
and then the sun shines. - dining in
The best-tasting snacks
at the movies are the ones
smuggled from outside. - groggy going
Late-night escapades
catch up with you in the cold
light of getting up. - booked up
I like reading so
much, books surround me and keep
me turning pages. - spreadshot
Tables, columns and
rows intersect in measured
formulas and grids. - but 100 in May
The South’s version of
global warming: balmy day
in January. - the cold unchecked
The sickness spreads and
lingers, a lumbering weight
that drags down spirits. - re-re-rejection
No. Easy to say,
not easy to hear. Good thing
it’s only my heart. - heuristically programmed algorithmic abacus
The system, not quite
in place, will handle all our
messy, unkempt lives. - thirty calories of karma
Prospects good, said the
fortune in the cookie. A
slip can’t control me. - winter’s gaze
Flakes drift before our
panoramic windows, a
brief show against gray. - the future is now
The future is vids
in 3-D and prosthetic
souls and gummy meds. - tax seasoned
Either I owe the
government, or it owes me.
Form 1040 waits. - tiny tribute
This verse goes out to
all the little people, since
dwarfs are our future. - the meaning of …
To find meaning, look
around and deep within. To
have meaning, be good. - formulaic free-for-all
Check and recheck yields
same wrong results. I cannot
get it to add up. - style files
Note the hem of my
pants and the starch in my shirt.
Ready for runway. - the new west
The cowboy strolled in,
plunked down his hat and whistled
for diet whiskey. - evil twin
Looks like us. Walks and
talks like us. But plots revenge
on all that is good. - what to look for
Her eye catches the
glistening ice crystals and
sunrise all at once. - it will not go away
Some days weaker, some
days stronger, but never quite
back to perfect health. - a proper polka
Couples shuffle on
dance floor, dodging flailing kids
and clumsy steppers. - writers’ strike, day 85
Scribes hold out hope for
fair compensation. And I’m
forced to watch “Big Shots.” - he said she said
Witty banter comes
in packs of two, flavored with
sweet nothings and spice. - super bowl prediction
Who’ll win the big
game on Sunday? Beer vendors,
clips and Tom Petty. - before you know it
Maybe year could slow
down somewhat and give us a
chance to breathe in, out. - the persistence of trouble
Bad habits crop up
even with push to improve
on daily living. - what’s the spread
Teams may clash on field,
but table shows harmony
of homemade dishes. - so much for free time
Boundaries between
work and recreation blur
so much, it’s all work. - super monday
Water cooler buzz:
funniest Bowl ads, and who
you’ll vote for Tuesday. - 1040, over
The check was in the
mail, a small reward to the
earliest filer. - the wednesday wash
Growing discontent
spreads throughout the land, burning
down useless relics. - rising like a cloud above the land
One cool remove, one
cool remove, neither come nor
go nor stay … away. - so close
The night falls without
mercy, yet the day started
out with such promise. - influenza fallout
Not so much the flu
bug but the misery it
brings to attitudes. - coping
The mechanism
involves talk therapy and
chocolate ice cream. - fine lines
Father Goose delights
with crafty verses for a
flock of listeners. - travel brochure
Pack your bags and go.
Discover distant places.
Pack your bags and go. - whole-hearted half-marathon
She ran and ran so
the little girl could find a
way to run herself. - have a heartache
The heart keeps pumping
even in the absence of
another beating. - moving fast
Sometimes, life isn’t
a blur looking back but a
blur ahead as well. - friday night at the coffeehouse
No troubadours, just
slurpers and their laptops at
work while playtime waits. - her needs outweigh the many
A sense of whimsy,
she said, all others need not
apply. Her mind? Set. - chore of babylon
Cleaning, vacuuming,
ironing, correspondence.
These things won’t get done. - a credit card offer or two
The mysterious
stranger who once lived here still
receives his junk mail. - outfidel
It seems to me you
lived your life like a cigar
in the wind. Cough cough. - learned, burned
Hard lessons come to
us, whether awake or just
going through motions. - cacao connection
Not everything can
be fixed, but chocolate can
work sudden wonders. - torn
Work awaits, and yet
compels me not. All kinds of
distractions persist. - up the academy
Best Pictures often
fail to match hype. Let’s throw an
awards cavalcade! - creaks and gasps
Age has funny way
of catching up to you at
least convenient years. - words fall through me
Falling slowly, eyes
that know me. I can’t go back.
It’s time that you won. - mystery machine
We can’t pretend to
know the universe when we
don’t know others’ hearts. - mark of the sharpie
Trusty pen betrays
without warning. How do you
get ink out of pants? - extra 24
Will February
never end? Bonus day brings
a leap of trouble. - trapped in the atl
The flight is delayed
two hours. Even cattle
cars keep to schedule. - cardiac cramp
Feeling of dread starts
somewhere inside, expanding
to swallow hope whole. - lion’s march
Light changes as fresh
days spring to life. Welcome the
warmth, savor the sun. - waiting room habitat
The weary patient
lugs his belongings on a
wobbly cart in tow. - mentally junked
Cluttered room nothing
compared to cluttered mind. Maid
should sweep brain’s cobwebs. - network 2008
It’s my money, and
I want it now! (But shouting
won’t make it happen.) - election bulletin
So far, it’s down to
white dude, black guy and white gal
to run the country. - deck shuffle
Traffic patterns wind
past pedestrians and rows
of poorly parked cars. - internalized deadlines
Rushing to meet those
artificial cutoffs while
not achieving much. - a flat cloud of dust
Two-dimensional
world goes gray with boulders of
nasty allergens. - inventory of a four-door
Ice scraper, glove, old
chestnut, napkins, sticky notes,
dog biscuits and grime. - half a song
Lyrics blossom like
syllabic shoots. Music stays
stuck in hidden notes. - used to be a gold watch
An icon moves on
after decades of service.
Cake, nuts, punch are served. - metadoins
Status update: The
user is writing haiku
and hitting “Post” now. - the pits
Musicians entombed
beneath stage level just to
avoid frightened fans. - sixty-three are doomed
Madness, madness, we
say, when brackets fill with teams
who don’t stand a chance. - cloverrated
Real rocks, shamrocks, too
many don’t know how to rock
the Saint Patty’s Day. - by the basket
Plastic eggs, plastic
grass and chocolate bunnies
rest in woven reeds. - kids kavalcade
Restaurants close, but
theaters and malls are packed.
It must be spring break. - feeling vernal
Hello, Spring, where ya
been? We’re ready to shed our
sweaters and head colds. - hoop it loud
Squeak and dribble, squeak
and pass. Dunk! Squeak and … oomph! Ouch!
Whistle! Bounce and net. - getting seated
The fans arrive with
anticipation of night
filled with surprises. - bunny business
The children scatter
in the hunt for hidden eggs
somewhere in the field. - everything in its place
Never has being
organized been so easy
or so demanding. - and call me in the morning
When head throbs, either
pill or powder to cure. What,
no migraine patch yet? - sniffles to come
Nostrils wince with sore
anticipation; pollen
prepares to erupt. - gasaholics anonymous
No one wants to pay
four bucks a gallon nor do
they want to drive less. - proudly made in a honduran sweatshop
Add a syllable
here, drop a word on this line.
That’s phoning it in. - go outside
How can the mall be
packed on a beautiful spring
day? Retail prison. - binary hexadecimal meter
Hidden among lines
of code is a digital
epic on first life. - free answers
Questions are many,
answers are free. Want to know?
Ask, but don’t be dumb. - daed si luap
.elib suorocnar htiw
tiebla ,ereht si evol eht
,ecrovid ni nevE - not so bumpy
Bad days, good days, and
somewhere in between, we chat
and keep spirits up. - a guy walks into a premise
The comedian
prowls the small uneven stage
hunting for guffaws. - botanical stroll
Softly, the traffic
swirls by in the distance, while
all around is green.
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