Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 18
By Wade Kwon[Share on Twitter]
- too much mercury
Ice cream cone becomes
a hot drink. Panting dog bursts
into flames. Sun laughs. - groove thing
If you’re in it, you
don’t need it back. If you need
it back, keep groovin’. - defeat has set in
The light is blinding.
Where to hide from misery
seeping deep within? - common causes in the 21st century
An injustice. A
Facebook group. Now all they need
is to push back hard. - the only tradition that counts
Thousands of years of
tradition, yet on the spot
new ones come to pass. - four-door oven
The dashboard display
says 101 degrees,
but it feels hotter. - marching orders
The little army
of ants runs on the desert
of the windowsill. - in how you look at it
Two strangers each have
perfect vision, but see things
very differently. - she ain’t nothing but a gravedigger
The terran capsules
carry explorers on a
journey to space dust. - ice cream sunday
Cranky cook stirs the
pot, crystallizing the cream
into wondrous mush. - the two-and-a-half-day weekend
Beat the rush to your
favorite vacation site:
your cluttered bedroom. - the worst deal ever
Pay extra, get less,
no customer service, plus
free kick to the groin. - the freedom to
Talk. Get together.
Pray. Shoot guns. Pick leaders. Roam.
Publish. Celebrate. - three dusty roses
The vase becomes an
urn as the blooms turn to dry
petals on the sill. - when life sells you lemons
The girls hawk their brand
of sour-sweet refreshment
as cars rush homeward. - ideas like candy
The ways are many,
the will is weak, and the foes
are getting warmed up. - 2-step program
Step 1: Get over
yourself. Step 2: Try not to
screw this up, OK? - known unknowns
People who “know it
all” are dumb, but so are those
who know their limits. - letting go the words
Sage mom proffers her
advice, all the while knowing
stubborn son won’t heed. - normal earth people
Normal Earth people
drive to work, breed, fight a lot,
devour at will. - summer souvenirs
Each trip to the great
outdoors pulls in a bevy
of bug bites galore. - 5:35 a.m.
Awakened by the
thunder, I pull you closer
to me and drift off. - democracy inaction
If only we had
more people vote, then we’d have
more people to blame. - bad produce needs love, too
Bumps and bruises mar
their skin, but inside, they’re still
full of nutrients. - sparkly vampires
Were vampires not
dandy enough before this
whole glitter effect? - the desire of botany
Recently deceased
plants for love, and others for
recently deceased. - the pews process
Hands together for
prayer. Knees down for reverence.
All rise for singing. - mostly on schedule
This is the time when
we eat. Then we go, come back,
eat, sleep, then repeat. - two moves ahead
The queen will take the
knight, so the rook must guard the
king. Thus, victory! - a messy situation
It’s not hatred. It’s
drama. With a capital
D. No one will win. - gag reel
The comic paces
2 feet left, then right. Boxing,
but with jokes and jabs. - they say it’ll go to a hunnert
They say it’ll go
to a hunnert, if’n we
don’t melt before then. - junior leaguers
The kids on the hill
care little for the ballgame
as they romp freely. - rosemary’s rub
She grabs a branch of
rosemary, if only to
keep the scent nearby. - creeping along
The vines twist their way
through the fence, heading upward
along ensnared limbs. - in our nature
We start out roughly.
We grow more comfortable.
We complain anew. - she beeped
She beeps, and I smile,
a surprise distraction from
this day’s drudgery. - test tube trial
Pipette at ready.
Burners on high. Let’s make some
pharmaceuticals! - be glad
Be glad you’re not on
fire. Or falling apart.
Or crashing a car. - heat indexed
Eggs frying on the
sidewalk. Friends sweating gallons.
The dog is melting. - last meal
The inmate dines on
rack of lamb, chewing his last
bites of consciousness. - go mad
The manager called
for better work, yet left it
all to random chance. - peace in
Whatever happened
to the quaint notion of peace
among all people? - drive-through nation
One by one, they filled
the cars with burgers and shakes
and dry cleaning bags. - fascinated eraser!
(The best part about
being ignored is saying
whatever you want.) - concert in the sun
The performers filed
out onstage, already hot,
sweaty. Time to rock. - the dark part of the brain
A shadow grows in
the cortex, banishing joy,
hope, faith and progress. - lowball
No need to under-
value yourself, when others
will do it for you. - loss of interest
The new keeps popping
up to replace the old, which
used to be the new. - chef concern
The dinner menu
was littered with typos most
unappetizing. - echo effect
The lone voices can
be heard when amplified by
angry followers. - sweat storm
Fabric clings to skin
with perspiration as glue.
No rain, no relief. - the yellow monster that devours children
The yellow monster
that devours children throws
them back up at school. - wanted: constable
The streets aren’t safe. The
homes, unprotected. Would a
lawman scare off crooks? - the trouble with being good
Have folks forgotten
how to be good? Or were they
never so inclined? - crickets in heat
The nighttime chirping
calls not for a mate, but for
climatic relief. - something to hawk
Virtual corners
let people pitch an endless
loop of things to buy. - glimpses of the future
Coming soon: Some team
wins title. New fall color.
We all get fatter. - a death in august
Back to the country,
over dusty roads they drive
to go home and mourn. - the things that make us stronger
Assurance. Giggles.
Kindness. Holding hands. Moments
shared. Forgiveness. Love. - the same
Same shoes. Same house. Same
coffee. Same schedule. Same route.
Something needs to change … - little touches
She reaches over
to unlock my door each time.
My heart says thank you. - cookies in the oven
The bowls licked clean by
an unseen sprite as the heat
climbs in the kitchen. - wadeslist
Nothing for sale, just
a long list of nagging ads
for things to do now. - perchance to ream
The sharp tongue made a
mockery of the once and
prideful principal. - too early for the club
The sweeper takes one
last lap, as the pretzel bowls
become replenished. - inside the furnace
Weeks pass, and the heat
subsides little by little
for times autumnal. - void of no response
Call. No answer. Call.
Voicemail. E-mail. No reply.
Avoidance as game. - the anonymous few
To be unknown in
a public age, suspect for
remaining subtle. - bad romance
Time to go after
one last kiss. Time to find the
last one true soulmate. - the world is really beautiful
Beyond the madness,
tears and wreckage, the world is
really beautiful. - sighs of indecision
One breath means yes, two
breaths mean no. But ongoing
breaths mean confusion. - the new anxiety
The heart keeps racing
long after the terror has
subsided. Fear wins. - unexpect the expected
Persistence sometimes
pays off, when it comes to love
and nonstop tweeting. - neat little piles
Messiness can be
overcome with scrubbing and
stacking and fussing. - at first, i was afraid, i was petrified
Maybe the key to
survival isn’t toughness
but some perspective. - it’s not a living
The clock ticks down to
5. Drones race to the parking
lot. The clock ticks down. - state of cool
A breeze washes out
the fetid miserable
smell of a heat wave. - rip it down
Salvation comes from
something untried, permission
ignored, self-interest. - hard peanut butter
The jar holds one big
clump, cold and unyielding, not
ready for spreading. - down, set, hike
The gray stadium
pulses with a thousand cheers
for the boys below. - freedom isn’t evil
Let us share freedom
not just with the world but with
our own citizens. - dogged
She neither barks nor
wags her nonexistent tail,
just waits for some pats. - up from the abyss
The ocean pushes
down on the diver trying
to resurface, breathe. - a deal with the maple tree
Keep your leaves on, don’t
litter them all over- rats.
Time to get the rake. - everyone gets a new beginning
The 12th chapter can
be the first chapter in the
books we write today. - fall fever
Leaves of gold and orange
and brown swirl madly around
dancing happy souls. - scrimmage
Not a real play, but
a practice run to be strong
during a real play. - a google of bloggers
The most talkative
open typists find themselves
shy around others. - wide open spaces
Bulldozer brings in
grass and trees and swings for all
for a downtown park. - from the ashes
Spark, then flame. The old
apathy burns away to
leave seeds of promise. - ratio of niceness
A little selfish
balances out with lots of
generosity. - company dismissed
The call comes, and the
voice sends everyone scrambling
to print resumes. - all things being equinox
The egg won’t stand, no
matter how much the earth wills
it to. No balance. - mischief managed
Sneaky agents move
to create havoc when the
school bell signals class. - phantom of the alabama
The spirit of the
theater ascends into
the great balcony. - city of tomorrow
Moving sidewalks and
transport tubes unneeded as
long as we can walk. - avatars irl
It’s only awkward
for a moment meeting those
online pals for real. - mixed symptoms
It could be a cold.
Or allergies, fatigue or
pre-hibernation. - louisiana blues
The swamp engulfs all
secrets, hides all outlaws, keeps
mostly to itself. - at a parking lot on third
An angel strolls up
in a familiar way in
a strange setting.
• • •
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Sunday, October 3, 2010, 9:42 am
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