Wade on Birmingham

Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 13

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  1. a flaw in weather technology
    Who ever heard of
    meteorological
    seasonal rodent?
  2. 140 characters at a time
    I joined Twitter at
    long last, but now I won’t have
    time to surf Friendster.
  3. a little too frosty
    When you can see your
    breath with your eyes closed, it’s way
    too cold to exhale.
  4. the fine line
    The line between real
    world and virtual world gets
    thinner with each click.
  5. the ocean
    The ocean gently
    laps at my toes, inviting
    me to wander in.
  6. making potstickers
    These perfect little
    pockets all in a row filled
    with hidden morsels.
  7. a world of wheels
    Come, let us gawk at
    the oversize trucks and cool
    hot rods that burn cash.
  8. an early visitor
    Pity the nostrils
    blasted by springtime pollen
    two months too early.
  9. dishonesty is the best policy
    A lie, a fib, a
    half-truth, a whopper, a tall
    tale, sometimes ring true.
  10. in a field of dirt
    Out there, somewhere, is
    a vegetable garden just
    before it pokes up.
  11. all the way to carnegie hall
    It takes practice to
    overcome those odd habits
    that steal away time.
  12. pain is relative
    Childbirth, kick in groin,
    chemotherapy. Nothing
    compared to hangnail.
  13. love recession
    Flutters down 15
    percent, as are blushes. But
    lust up 8 percent.
  14. tyranny of expectations
    A silent phone, an
    unreturned message. The hell
    of waiting alone.
  15. what has changed
    Everything inside
    constantly changes. We keep
    the outside constant.
  16. candy is dandy
    Candy is dandy,
    whether hiding in cookies
    or half off on sale.
  17. the playboy
    He showed no fear in
    the face of brutality.
    He smiled and kept on.
  18. the modern cyrano
    I like you, but I
    don’t like you like you. I like
    that I like like you.
  19. barking dogs
    The little hot dog
    shop serves ’em up until it’s
    time to return home.
  20. the opposite
    If the opposite
    of me is you, are we a
    pair or a problem?
  21. statues of limitations
    Oscar cavalcade
    trumpets unseen flicks to a
    crowd of fanatics.
  22. lights, camera, classroom
    The video feed
    carries the instructor to
    bored students elsewhere.
  23. the thoughts, they do not live
    Around and around
    they go, clogging the brain with
    no chance for escape.
  24. a hint of winter
    The car skin shimmers
    with a thousand drops of dew
    held by chilly breeze.
  25. believe in grandma
    Memaw looks upon
    her family through drooping
    eyes, tending slowly.
  26. around the eight ball
    Worst way to win at
    pool? When your opponent sinks
    eight ball too soon. Twice.
  27. mag hags
    Vintage magazines
    engross fans of historic
    kitsch while eating dip.
  28. whither the white blanket
    Elegant flakes spin
    and whirl across the Southern
    sky, settle and melt.
  29. the regulars
    The regulars line
    the bar, sharing tawdry tales
    and bare misery.
  30. snow angel
    Romping atop fields
    of snow, lying down to flap.
    She’s a kid again.
  31. all about the discography
    Record collection
    elicits apologies,
    oohs and ahs at once.
  32. a ring of truth
    I cried because I
    had no cell phone, until I
    met man with no lips.
  33. it just rings and rings
    Why won’t you pick up
    when I call you 20 times
    a day to say hi?
  34. masseuse attack
    The muscles cry out
    for aromatic oils,
    warm towels, soft hands.
  35. gone in 60 minutes
    The days start somewhat
    earlier, or later. Can’t
    tell when clocks are changed.
  36. hobby sounds so quaint
    Extreme knitting, co-
    ed naked kickball, Facebook
    stalking, green Jet Ski.
  37. pink cupcake
    The icing, an inch
    thick. The crumbly inside spills
    forth when wrapperless.
  38. there’s no rain
    I’d like to keep my
    cheeks dry today, so stay with
    me. I’ll have it made.
  39. squeak squeak
    Squeak squeak the soles trudge
    along the pristine floor now
    wet with outside rain.
  40. adrift in a sea of faces
    I don’t know you, do
    I? We’ve met, maybe once or
    hundred times. Can’t think.
  41. concentration
    Stay on task. Focus.
    Stick with it. Shut out noises
    and interruptions.
  42. grandma said
    Kind words go further
    than angry ones. Mind that you
    keep plenty in stock.
  43. wary
    What do you want? With
    me, with them, with anyone?
    Who are you and why?
  44. people are puzzles
    People are puzzles
    to solve. Tab A, slot B don’t
    always seem to fit.
  45. thespian, be not proud
    Slither and slide the
    actors transform the stage by
    being ugly us.
  46. via monorail
    Train wanders not on
    its journey around city
    always straightforward.
  47. cat napping
    Furry purr nestles
    on foot of bed, dreaming of
    warm keyboard, slow mice.
  48. the green line
    I’m off to see her
    somewhere down the monorail,
    14 stops to go.
  49. dead dinosaurs
    Dead dinosaurs roam
    within our tanks, combusting
    for forward motion.
  50. deep dark secrets
    Where once we kept our
    deep dark secrets in check, we
    now blab them online.
  51. a matter of belief
    Just because I don’t
    believe in the Rain God does
    not mean he won’t strike.
  52. an ebbing tide
    The leaky rowboat
    needs a bailout, but we sold
    the bucket for food.
  53. and in conclusion
    Good pacing works fine
    until the end zooms up and
    youcramsuperfast.
  54. collective thinking
    Among artists and
    dreamers, the ideas burst
    like untamed fire.
  55. even the unlovable need love
    The guards lock up the
    warehouse of misfits, unsure
    if they’ll escape hate.
  56. plan d
    Wing it, wing it like
    there’s no tomorrow, wing it
    till the cows come home.
  57. when next we meet
    We shall be older,
    wiser, with worries and grand
    plans, when next we meet.
  58. which equals hilarity
    ˙ɹoɯnɥ ʇɐ sʇdɯǝʇʇɐ
    ɔıʇsɐɹp ʇnoɥʇıʍ ǝʇǝldɯoɔ ʇou
    ʇuǝɯıɹɹǝɯ ɟo ʎɐp
  59. the party schedule
    Shower, dress up, park,
    meet and greet, drink heavily,
    go home, drop, repeat.
  60. made and sold
    The blacksmith hammers
    away to create his art,
    then sells it. Bang, buck.
  61. along the canal
    Along the canal,
    we share a sunset dinner
    filled with memories.
  62. pas de deux
    Their moves mesmerize
    with honed dexterity. Dance,
    fly, spin, imagine.
  63. normal tone of voice
    Tone shifts. Different
    listener. Tone shifts. At work.
    Tone shifts. Be myself.
  64. if tweets and nuts
    “How was your day?” “I
    talked to an online squirrel.”
    (pause) “Did he talk back?”
  65. ennui excitement
    The boring monster
    slayed the villagers with an
    apt non sequitur.
  66. a connecting point
    A to B to C
    needs a who to see that they
    should be a linked we.
  67. all aboard academia
    Our roots are in the
    global classroom, to teach those
    who have much to learn.
  68. nap attack
    A rush of drowsy
    zombies infiltrate the nerve
    center of awake.
  69. broken link
    Snapped. Watch band ceases
    to function, though watch face moves
    ever onward round.
  70. tax season
    Form 1040, where
    each number added becomes
    less in our pockets.
  71. the city through new eyes
    We storm the city
    like old friends, new explorers,
    drinking in the mead.
  72. down the line
    Down the line, sirens
    scream the news. “Death is coming,
    death is coming!” Rats.
  73. preparation
    Preparation is
    an illusion. What comes our
    way, we face and guess.
  74. complimentary
    I can’t take a joke
    or a compliment. Either
    way, it’s attention.
  75. blogerati
    Everything becomes
    fodder for the select few
    willing to share it.
  76. questions beget questions beget questions
    Greet. Ask. Listen. Ask.
    Nod. Repeat. Ask. Inquire.
    Listen. Pause. Listen.
  77. halfway to mud
    Season of rebirth
    wrung wet with rain ritual
    in nurturing ground.
  78. concrete savanna
    From on high, urban
    structures kneel to the crushing
    sky, brick versus steel.
  79. who knew
    Who knew we’d be at
    war, that we’d be bankrupt, that
    torture was OK?
  80. hot wheel
    Steering wheel scorches
    hands turning mighty beast through
    stampede of rabbits.
  81. legs of an artist
    The tent harbors a
    micro-gallery of art
    while the painter hides.
  82. a focused lens
    We banter on the
    meaning of photos, only
    to expose ourselves.
  83. frail
    Beep. Beep. Monitor
    ticks off faint heartbeats, his life
    in green pulsing blips.
  84. in the shadow of Vulcan
    Son of Birmingham
    stuck with hometown, which has stuck
    with him. It’s y’all good.
  85. difference of opinion
    We may share same stage,
    but we live on different
    planets, idiot.
  86. elemental landscaping
    Assorted weeds, clumps
    of dirt define motley yard
    begging for green thumb.
  87. you’re not the blank boss of me
    You tell me what to
    do. Who asked you? You talk, but
    no one’s listening.
  88. the global alley
    When people of the
    world come to the neighborhood,
    we cheer them with beer.
  89. among the ghosts
    Phantoms disperse as
    we saunter into the dark.
    Her lips haunt my lips.
  90. forged onstage
    The Bard’s eloquence
    shines brightly as Bollywood
    spice heats up the night.
  91. afternoon in the african wing
    The spiked urn, the mask
    of war, the ancients live on.
    Outside, it rains on.
  92. plan j
    The thing about Plan
    J is, if we already
    need it, we are screwed.
  93. doppler lies
    Sweeping arm spews dots
    of storms and winds and plagues, not
    quite reaching the ground.
  94. that much sunnier
    Even during the
    stretches of rain, a peek of
    sunlight seems so bright.
  95. paradox of awesome
    To be awesome, you
    can’t announce your awesomeness.
    (Unless you’re awesome!)
  96. revelations between the lines
    Even the smallest
    of missives can contain some
    enlightening facts.
  97. kitchen duet
    She chops, he mixes,
    she measures, he hunts for spoon.
    Cooking symphony.
  98. wet seat
    The booth is damp, but
    pants are dry. Do I really
    want to know how, why?
  99. in hot water
    When you make coffee
    weak, at least drinkers will pass
    out before striking.
  100. a question of questions
    “How are you?” is a
    good opener. “Why are you?”
    silences many.
  101. tails in sync
    The big dog romps with
    the little dog racing for
    sticks and affection.

• • •

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