Wade on Birmingham

Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 10

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  1. litter rally
    Rubbish! Unkempt room
    surrenders to posse of
    garbage bags. Rubbish!
  2. firefly serenity
    They blink across the
    deep blue darkness, heralding
    winter’s departure.
  3. pollen on hard times
    The yellow coats are
    coming. The yellow coats are
    coming. No escape.
  4. parking fowl
    Hen, rooster and chicks
    roam strip mall asphalt in search
    of pasture and worms.
  5. forks in the road
    Could’ve been a doc,
    lawyer or engineer. Still
    could with right schooling.
  6. the hills in 17 syllables
    Fake convo, “work” at
    fake internship. Break up, then
    hook up. Smash TV.
  7. in the throngs of the hungry
    Why must Lebanese
    fest
    come just once a year? So
    much kibbee to scarf.
  8. a life revealed in real time
    Lugging around the
    heavy biography has
    built muscles, not brains.
  9. lax tax facts
    Accounting methods
    don’t jive with receipts and bills.
    Cut a check and pray.
  10. bye bye birdies
    Take flight, head northward,
    and come back when feathers freeze.
    Always room on branch.
  11. pizza diplomacy
    Italian sausage,
    peppers, mushroom. Such is the
    pie of compromise.
  12. confessions of a modern era
    Plagiarizing text
    messages, virtual fling
    with an avatar.
  13. hocus focus
    Mind wanders. Boredom
    tugs at corner. Then worries.
    Concentrate juices.
  14. gesundheit fahrvergnügen
    Black goo drips onto
    concrete. Ailing vehicle
    has a runny nose.
  15. the segregated church
    The pews and hymnals
    look the same. All God’s children
    split up by levels.
  16. good grief and the peanuts lexicon
    Happiness is a
    warm puppy. Security
    blanket. Great Pumpkin.
  17. diplomatic ties
    Doubt, solitude mark
    the life of an outsider,
    as does joining worlds.
  18. step by step
    Click clack goes the red
    pedometer. Measured steps
    mark the journey’s miles.
  19. sandwich with a twang
    Pimiento cheese sticks
    to slices in an orange crust
    of odd tradition.
  20. the ballad of caveat emptor
    Dear valued client,
    We sort of regret taking
    your cash. Not really.
  21. stylish to the end
    Charlie strolls along
    21st, checked jacket, bright
    pants, always a hat.
  22. killing the blues
    They saw me swinging
    the world by the tail, bouncing
    over a white cloud.
  23. small sign of eco-progress
    Used to be two kinds,
    but now all type of plastics
    fine for recycling.
  24. stuck no more
    The sticker gives up
    its spot on the windshield but
    leaves ghostly footprint.
  25. paradox of outer suburbia
    They drive further and
    further to get away, yet
    build strip malls nearby.
  26. mechanized denial
    I am no robot.
    I am no robot. I am
    no robot. I am no …
  27. the eight-hour day
    Coffee, gossip, check
    e-mail, lunch hour, filing,
    surf Web, pack up, leave.
  28. lunch bunch
    The chicken salad
    taunts the croissant. The pickle
    gives a sour look.
  29. The makeshift casino
    Upstanding players
    swarm blackjack table with cards
    dealt by bored dealer.
  30. compelled
    Drawn back to the coast,
    drawn back to the need for me,
    drawn back to service.
  31. traditions of the absurd
    Smack a piñata,
    remember the Alamo,
    maybe tequila.
  32. outside myrtle beach
    In the land of links,
    the only true hazard is
    roads and trees and such.
  33. lily mountainside
    Patches of snow dot
    patches of dead grass. Morning
    sun frozen in sky.
  34. short of reelfoot
    Sheriff applauds the
    polite motorist. But still
    writes out the ticket.
  35. athens of the west and southeast
    College students with
    backpacks and lattes thin out
    as season closes.
  36. clewiston by the lake
    Shallow waters grow
    more shallow. Walking trail skirts
    shrinking surfaces.
  37. preserving punta gorda
    The fishing village
    shows itself in bold murals
    crumpled by past storms.
  38. man down
    Stealthy pack leaves some
    casualties: camera case, bag
    of fruit, something else.
  39. stir the pot
    Tortillas crisp in
    bubbling oil. Rice, beans stew
    on nearby burners.
  40. disconnect
    She gets my voicemail.
    I get her voicemail. No one
    triumphs at phone tag.
  41. crescent moon, crescent city
    Power lines criss-cross
    inky blue swath. Old friends hug
    goodbye on sidewalk.
  42. time plus savagery equals
    Pay close attention,
    and your day’s frustrations can
    be comedy gold.
  43. the littlest steppers
    Pretty maids all in
    a row, somewhat in sequence,
    dancing without care.
  44. journey to the center of the parking lot
    We cross a vast sea
    of blacktop, setting course for
    a red brick outpost.
  45. one toe in
    With meticulous
    care and painstaking guidelines,
    he shopped for sneakers.
  46. reach for america
    Giving to others
    starts with an inkling but grows
    into a passion.
  47. storming brains
    The group dynamic
    teeters from creative to
    arguing motives.
  48. hazard at every corner
    The black pickup scoots
    through the intersection while
    the light remains red.
  49. pre-itinerary
    Apparently, the
    great adventure begins just
    after the packing.
  50. when a nightmare is just a nightmare
    Dark visions portend
    nothing, except the restless
    psyche of the damned.
  51. terrestrial radio menu
    Soft rock, right-wing talk,
    hit country, all hip-hop, Jack,
    oldies, classic rock.
  52. the love of a travelin’ soldier
    Our love will never
    end, waitin’ for the soldier
    to come back again.
  53. fumbling towards wrigley
    Fans jam the subway
    cars and sidewalks to worship
    in friendly confines.
  54. the grand lobby
    Sprinkled among the
    plush settees, the hoi polloi
    sip moody nightcaps.
  55. coffeehouse, inc.
    Everything smells like
    dark Colombian roast and
    capitalist grind.
  56. gummy chick lit
    Can’t the heroine
    do something other than non-
    stop introspection?
  57. homebody’s lament
    The comforts of home
    can overwhelm the need to
    connect with the world.
  58. rumble in the stratosphere
    Blank sky painted with
    onslaught of dark grays and bolts
    of electric white.
  59. a stack of receipts
    Cherished events fade,
    but the debt remains as a
    red ink reminder.
  60. one bad ingredient
    It takes just one bad
    ingredient to ruin
    perfect paella.
  61. anti-semantic
    When others don’t budge,
    they’re obstinate. But when I
    don’t budge, I stand firm.
  62. car trips 2008
    Stuck in SUV,
    bored kids stare zombie-like at
    video headrest.
  63. i love the 90s
    Heat, humidity
    join forces to spread sweat stains,
    lethargy to all.
  64. stage 6 (2008)
    Drop kiddies off at
    Publix stage. Come back at end
    of weekend. Maybe.
  65. stage 5 (2008)
    Miller Lite Stage: some
    blues, some rock, etc.
    Tame for 20th.
  66. stage 4 (2008)
    Chill at Legacy
    Credit Union Stage
    … until
    war with chair people!
  67. stage 3 (2008)
    Music Oasis
    (real name too long) has bluesy
    news anchorwoman.
  68. stage 2 (2008)
    Coke Stage has must-see
    acts: Miss Diana Ross and
    Reverend Al Green.
  69. stage 1 (2008)
    VitaminWater
    Dance Depot
    … um C D folks
    cut A rug. ‘K? Bye.
  70. stage 0 (2008)
    Engel Stage leaking
    and without power (but I’ve
    called the landlord twice).
  71. advice for the past generation
    I went back in time
    to tell myself not to want
    too much, grow too fast.
  72. measure for measure
    The city gathers
    to rejoice in song, made whole
    by a melody.
  73. the empty chairs
    Settings ready, but
    no one to use them. A life
    as yet incomplete.
  74. get smrt
    Cryptography pops
    up in cereal boxes,
    Coke bottles and PINs.
  75. perfect lawn
    A tall weed springs forth
    amid the elegantly
    shorn blades of zoysia.
  76. that was the nba
    And so, the hip young
    fashionista schools the old
    salt in basketball.
  77. tyranny of i-20
    Trooper pulls over
    trucker. Workers squeeze extra
    lane next to old ones.
  78. summertime officially
    It is hot and clear
    and blue and bright and carefree
    and already here.
  79. it came from sweden
    Mahna mahna (ba
    dee bedebe). Mahna mah-
    na
    (ba debe dee).
  80. r.i.p. george carlin
    A house is just a
    place to keep your stuff while you
    go out, get more stuff.
  81. parents just don’t understand
    The little one coos
    and giggles, then abruptly
    screams and wails like mad.
  82. surly are the servers
    Society built
    on service economy
    runs on bitterness.
  83. gift that keeps on begging
    Simple donation
    sparks mailed solicitations
    to my frustration.
  84. intimacy issues
    Best kind of hug? An
    awkward, uncertain, arm out
    half-grasp with cheek touch.
  85. pump addiction
    High-octane habit
    kicks in once a week. Jonesing
    for petroleum.
  86. first and second
    First half of year flies
    by with nothing to show but
    dreams and memories.
  87. you can stand under my umbrella
    Forecast becomes more
    uncertain by the hour.
    Will it rain or not?
  88. secret humiliation
    Your day moves along
    without incident, until
    disaster hits crotch.
  89. scenes from a strip mall
    Unruly brats. Stores
    standing vacant. Dry cleaner,
    frame shop, nail salon.
  90. the life line
    Reassuring voice
    brings disembodied stirring
    to stressful morning.
  91. they hate our freedom
    We don’t vote, or keep
    up with current events. So
    it seems we are they.
  92. peeking in
    Your status changes.
    I note it with interest.
    Your status changes.
  93. beware the bachelorettes
    The bride-to-be runs
    wild with accomplices in
    tow with veiled pursuits.
  94. give me liberty and give me death
    Festive fireworks
    come not from gunpowder tubes
    but from gun’s powder.
  95. curse the darkness
    It’s always darkest
    before the dawn. Better to
    light a candle than …
  96. fiends in low places
    Office fridge becomes
    crime scene. Pasta and salad
    nabbed by hungry thief.
  97. things that go bump in the day
    Strange sound buzzes once
    a week from cube corner, a
    signal from beyond.
  98. the iPhone line
    Diverse fans chatter
    about calling plans and games.
    Still hours to go.
  99. first and forever
    Scorching Saturday
    afternoon not the same as
    fall game day … someday.
  100. the agenda of the groggy
    Nap time supplanted
    by laundry, lunch, ironing,
    cleaning and phone calls.
  101. soak city
    Step off the plane to
    a drenching rain, then drive off
    and dry off in sun.

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