Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 27
By Wade Kwon[Share on Twitter]
- festivus maximus
Let the airing of
grievances bring out the true
holiday spirit. - the instructions are in chinese
Santa’s helpers all
over the world sweat and curse
at bicycle parts. - christmas morning, 8:37
A hurricane struck
the living room leaving shreds
and bows in its wake. - it would have jazz and franklin and some swahili
When will Charlie Brown
discover the true meaning
of Kwanzaa? Good grief. - hipster verse
This haiku is so
played out. Twenty-seven is
the new seventeen. - around the world in 80 weeks
His sails unfurled, he
roamed the South Seas in search of
a cure for heartbreak. - the dentist will be with you shortly
The sound of high-pitched
drilling in the next room made
her squirm in her chair. - meanwhile in the nba
Maybe out-of-work
replacement refs can call some
balks or high sticking. - 2012 in review
47 per-
cent, Sandy, Obamacare,
Aurora, Newtown. - a prayer for the new year
May we all find and
keep the one thing that sets our
heart aflame. Amen. - the naming of dogs
Whatever sets their
tails wagging and tongues drooling
should be sufficient. - on loop at the java hut
The drive-through is manned
by the chipperest fellow
you ever did meet. - the rowing machine is occupied
The regulars were
eying sweaty newcomers
from their treadmill posts. - pint-size perpetual motion machine
The toddler ran from
diner to diner, like a
waiter in training. - one cubicle over
The closest colleague
reeks of cheap tobacco and
some baby’s spit-up. - baptist-catholic scrum
The Catholics prayed
for salvation, while Baptists
damned their wretched foes. - the grownup kids table
Adults should act like
adults, except for adults
who aren’t quite there yet. - surfing at the library
The most powerful
tools of our lifetime, used to
waste moments and gawk. - ghost signs around us
Bricks with paint tell the
story of a city with
big aspirations. - resolution without resolve
Change was scary, and
so the resolute became
the never-started. - the future is always at hand
Technology, norms,
culture, society. All
quickly evolving. - all praise among the faithless
They looked for hope, they
waited for deliverance.
Dusty grew the chants. - other people’s business
She would fret about
the world and its numerous
imperfect people. - water wonderland
Rains pelted with no
place to go, bringing stinging
icy bullet wounds. - a test of the uncharted
No map, no compass,
just a nagging sense of one
direction and goal. - split the check
Who had what? And why
am I paying for someone
else’s martini? - in theory
The brain trust adjourned,
having come up with brilliant
plans no one would do. - zamboni patrol
The rinks prepare for
the whoosh of enforcers and
flying pucks and blood. - iced iced tea
The glass cracks, as the
sugar recrystallizes
in freezing weather. - listening politely
He listened with both
ears, waited for a pause to
ask, “What do you think?” - not-so-sudden fatigue syndrome
No alarm. Wake up.
Fall asleep. No alarm. Wake
up. Repeat till worn. - on a cold street corner downtown
They came to explore
a rough and unseemly place
known as Birmingham. - impatience
A loud sigh escapes
as the world passes by. We’re
stuck here forever. - keeping watch in the lobby
The bar dark, the road
warriors made do with wi-fi
and dingy tables. - graphic outings
The Batman struck fear
in the hearts of Gotham’s crooks
while trapped in boxes. - the long lean line
The slouch, while somewhat
comfortable, gave way to the
grace of high shoulders. - the passion of pursuit
He wobbled along
the craggy terrain, sensing
his love was not far. - to the loudest and the maddest
Some are born to great-
ness. Others are just complete
unrepentant assholes. - tummy rumblings
The unfed organ
made its demands known loudly.
The mouth chewed on it. - jukebox zero
The hits did not keep
on coming. Instead, a long
run of ska and house. - another grand opening
The ribbon held back
the curious throng that had
seen copies before. - a natural forecaster
With a flourish, the
esteemed groundhog rose to the
surface. All hushed. - recovery
The ugly spot where
mole cancer lived oozes on.
Either way, healing. - shortcuts to the universe
A keystroke here, a
recipe hint there, it all
adds up to big time. - the chill of solitude
The dim lights hid the
gnawing and palpitations
from other lone drunks. - to the birthday girl
She will always be
the smiling wonder, strong and
fearless and loving. - a bowl of noodles
The painted bowl sloshed
with hot broth and a tangled
mess of stringy wheat. - nothing to critique
Wisdom and bruises
had given him the peace to
ignore common flaws. - from inside the atom
Neutrons and protons
eye flighty electrons with
caution and wonder. - a hundred years ago
Freedoms trampled, no
equality, lawlessness,
xenophobia. - hamper of dreams
The dirty clothes would
occasionally rustle
ever so slightly. - a soul in search of stimuli
Holes to be filled with
soaring and sobering scads
of fresh ideas. - drunk cupid
For fun, god of love
makes up mismatches from hell
for his amusement. - a many splendored thing
When you find it, don’t
ignore it. Nurture it, and
let it shine from you. - horror at sea
The shrimp cocktail was
somewhat small. The towels were
passably fluffy. - showdown in the lunchroom
The warriors wolfed down
trays of soft tacos, not for
nourishment but sport. - the green wall
A certain calmness
radiated from the leaves
breathing in silence. - keep on leading in the free world
Millard, Zachary,
Rutherford, Chester, Grover,
this day’s for them, too. - speaking in many tongues
Before Babel, we
spoke as one, with a certain
je ne sais quoi. Merde. - in the beginning
Two kids walked through a
quiet garden. One hungered.
Then both were banished. - two of every non-fish
Noah brought the beasts
and birds aboard, worrying
not about sea life. - brotherly hate
Brothers of the good
book often embody less-
than-holy kinship. - to have and have lot
The meaning of Lot
has been lost among lurid
escapades and wine. - centuries of lifetimes
The denizens of
Genesis endure hundreds
of years of boot-up. - on the whole, an average 14 years
Seven years of feast
and seven years of famine.
Early climate change? - on a damp winter’s night
Jacket stained with rain,
he darted through shadowy
alleys bound for home. - ode to the block captain
From behind the blinds,
every jogger looks mean and
each dog a mongrel. - not written in history
What happened is weird
mix of what’s written and what’s
forgotten in time. - the planting
The earth thaws, cracks, laid
open for worms and grains of
plants. Harvest someday. - flakes of hope
Little faces stared
at the darkness hoping to
be blinded by white. - we know what we know
We know what we know,
no more, no less. Open eyes
to know more, no less. - winged features
If everyone could
fly, we would chat and floss at
30,000 feet. - the vestigial bookmark
Ebooks hide out of
eyesight. Too much to read, yet
no stacks to cherish. - late at the schoolhouse
The hallways echo
long after last bell with the
footfalls of stragglers. - the post-modern calendar
There’s a day for love
and grandparents and groundhogs,
but not for daring. - the conclave of literary crafters
They all kept journals
of their deepest secrets while
waiting for big breaks. - always an outsider
The in crowd wasn’t
seeking members, nor was it
trying to shun them. - dizzy from the whirl
Peering from the roof
ledge, woozy from the great height,
unable to move. - basic etiquette for telepathy
We are not meant for
reading minds. We barely grasp
our own twisted thoughts. - buzzing in the brain
A dull tickle grows
into unmanageable
migraine misery. - a moment of darkness
What happened to the
lights? Murmuring, nervous laughs.
Sudden brightness stuns. - joy in a tin pan
Apple, cherry, Key
lime, chocolate, pecan, chess,
lemon icebox, peach. - portent of gloom
Beware the random
day, said the soothsayer. At
dusk, our hopes faded. - orange barrel army
Miles of soldiers lined
the highway, praying no crash
would send them flying. - a giant among fairies
Mischief maker, clad
in red or green, uses pot
of gold to redeem. - pitched perfect
How about a night
of surprises and romance,
guffaws and glances? - if we are to believe the poets
We are haunted by
memory, pursuing a
fantasy, lost, found. - a knight in knoxville
The gallant soldier
tied up his horse on a bike
rack and gripped his sword. - eternal renewal
Spring returns with hope
and vigor, perking up the
land for old time’s sake. - seas, the moment
Two nerds passing in
the night, unaware of their
mutual ripples. - jam equals death
The superhighway
of corpuscles zooms along,
only stopping once. - the nonnomad
She should go on a
walkabout, if only to
cherish what was left. - everyone out of the betting pool
The sharks were harpooned
by bad tips, sentimental
picks, last-second shots. - slow burn
Longer days enflame
a furious desire
that scorches our hearts. - leaves drenched in history
The torrent of rain
brings a flood of memories
to an arid soul. - an incomplete tango
They worked out the steps
in their mind, contentedly
swaying in one place. - retina display
Her bright blue eyes lit
up the windowless room of
his forgotten soul. - black thunder
Trees braced themselves and
the sidewalks shattered as El
Camino roared in. - a mother’s fury
Hail, sleet, thunder, wind,
tornadoes, downpours, lightning.
Alabama spring. - hilarity ensues
Seemingly real but
comic premise turns into
forgotten lame bit. - urban safari
Wild geese cross the lot.
Dogs on leashes sniff for foes.
Koi lurk in dark ponds.
• • •
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