Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 31
By Wade Kwon[Share on Twitter]
- the thermal pendulum
Super cold. Then warm.
Super cold. Then warm. Super
cold. Then warm. Harsh month. - everything mustn’t go
… but leave behind the
memories, good and bad, as
well as our next dreams. - will the groundhog see his shadow at halftime?
And will that mean 6
more weeks of spectacular
music and football? - causes for celebration, february edition
Groundhogs, presidents,
black historical figures
and Cupid’s mayhem. - a confession in ones and zeroes
He stared at the screen,
the screen stared back into his
soul. End transmission. - live broadcasts from early cosmology
Every corner of
the galaxy repeated
its cry, “We are here.” - slice patrol
The chef’s knife zipped though
mountains of potatoes and
onions. Prep with pep. - the bleat goes on
Her pronouncements had
an air of self-absorption,
with no room to grow. - roster of flags
The countries sign in,
one by one, before they try
to crush each other. - a subtle negotiation
“How’s this date?” “Can’t do
it.” “Are you free Friday?” “Yes,
just at 2 a.m.” - cardiopreliminary resuscitation
They found each other
and dusted off their hearts for
synchronization. - the ire next time
The outside world lost
its blanket of snow to be
bathed anew in rain. - the frozen south
Highways of ice, fields
of frost, school yards and parking
lots bereft of life. - a valentine to mother nature
I’d give flowers and
chocolate, but take this bread and
open milk instead. - les mots justes
Amour when feeling
classy, lusty when feeling
lusty, make hearts swell. - psyche drama
A secret buried
so deep, she felt it stab her
kidneys when she stood. - sunday schooling
The children sat in
a circle of chairs to ask
their questions on God. - territorial
Accumulate, then
label. Vigilantly keep
all from others’ grasp. - colors of the windup
Colors mark causes,
symbolize struggles. What hue
aids colorblindness? - the muse in retreat
The muse found a spot
far from the worries of her
coterie and wrote. - stalemate at the entrance
Both held open the
door. Both waited to let the
other one go first. - the negotiation
The figure on the
slip of paper brought out beads
of sweat, tears of joy. - couch to 0k
Warmup for couch takes
bit of stretching and pillow
fluffing before nap. - the quiet of tornado season
No more cars on ice
or supermarket riots
or canceled school days. - back to the gym
After the fanfare
and flights home, early morning
runs and weightlifting. - with knowing abandon
Into an abyss
of delight and mystery
they leapt gracefully. - hiding from hungry vagabonds
They sent their change-of-
address cards to everyone
but the stray kittens. - the piano lesson
He flexed his fingers
and took his time placing each
one on the right keys. - the nexus of flashbacks and dreams
Old friends and classmates
stop to say hi and it’s still
1999. - menu for tomorrow
Visions of crepes and
truffles and ribs and pasta
filled his sleeping feast. - persistence through poor listening skills
Whenever she was
told no, she really heard ask
again and again. - sunday in the park with german shepherds
Big dogs, little dogs,
panting dogs, friendly dogs, all
leashed up and frisky. - the lost art of shutting up
No one asked, yet all
spewed forth their insights and bile
to ruin the web. - reformation
Bad boys can become
less bad boys, unclean women
can become angels. - if x then excedrin
Mathematical graphs
fill the pages. That’s the sound
of my head hurting. - the prickly sort
Claws out, teeth bared, all
the signs of a curmudgeon
fighting his nature. - the builders
The builders were not
to be found, hiding so they
could work hard in peace. - the radio to keep him company
The wee hours came
upon his tired frame as
he eased into night. - sagan on the cliff
“The cosmos is all
that is, or ever was, or
ever will be.” Peace. - the perils of a push-button society
One wrong click could send
the rocket to the sun or
tweet from the wrong brand. - the married spinster
The married spinster
bore no children, save for her
pets Rancor and Deceit. - the utopia of promises
The witch speaks of a
place where neighbors help neighbors
and hipsters rate pubs. - lattice be thankful
Of all the kinds of
pie I’ve tried, my favorite
is all of the kinds. - the fortune teller texted
She warned of visions
of unhappy emoji
in disharmony. - a lucrative scheme
Arrogance and his
brother ignorance bilked the
townspeople at will. - mowing by moonlight
The mower clacked on
top of weeds and tufts in search
of ambitious foes. - somewhat homemade
The sort-of baker
greased the pan and mixed the stuff
for near-complete treats. - a matter of process
He combed his thick hair
with steady strokes, counting the
steps till coffee time. - the privileged few
Live at the expense
of others. Find your way from
the top to the top. - friends say
Indiscreetly they
spill vivid lurid details
with mock air of shame. - flight of the bumble wee
The red kite stumbled
into the currents, half by
breeze, half by kid dash. - in front of the neighbors
The first hint of spring
draws out the easily burned
and the slightly daft. - the rush of days
Flowers went unsmelled,
sunsets unobserved, meals un-
appreciated. - the look
The startling beauty
of her eyes defies mere words.
Let me peer longer. - a scale of hope, a pantry of demons
A few small bites for
survival, a few more for
pleasure, the rest … girth. - sully the skyline
Rooftops etch themselves
among the clouds, distracted
by a brash billboard. - the sky is crying
The pitter patter
of raindrops floods the streets with
the sorrow of spring. - postmodern man
Postmodern Man rules
over Meta Man while most
ironically frank. - customer service 2014
Technology makes
it easy for companies
to shun us quicker. - imprisoned by poverty
Their home became a
jail cell, a sentence of hard
labor, no pleasures. - take flight while you can
Roots are anchors, dead
weight holding you down. Fly off,
and harvest those worms. - method reacting
Sense the commitment
by the actor. Listen to
your belly rumble. - the desert warrior
Endless desert dunes
made the charity ride all
the more heroic. - the invaders who don’t wipe their feet
Who let them in, they
who would cross the threshold with
muddy stinky boots? - consumer culture
Major in Walmart,
taking in a salon to
discuss deep discounts. - baby bumper
She crawled across the
floor, knocking down grownups with
stun beams of cuteness. - the creek that became a river
Torrents brought down an
ocean to overrun the
banks and drown the wee. - the route of least existence
Just a little ways
out into the world, then back
to the great safety. - society of spoilers
First is best, knowledge
trumps insight. To the spoilers
go the victory. - the boys of early spring
The pitcher served up
gift after gift, returned to
the night sky with haste. - first last call
They gulped their cocktails
and headed out for smoky
enclaves to invade. - piper club
The frolicking in
the pool gave way to a lone
piper at sunset. - stillness
One lamp light. Dimness.
One cricket. A steady chirp.
One breeze. Gentle touch. - a frenzied accounting
Scraps detail the odd
costs of doing business and
paying off the feds. - in sagan’s wake
The expanse of the
universe is both fearsome
and gravely humbling. - breaking the code
Do we need strength to
fight genetic destiny
or is it built in? - a reaper’s calling card
Swift and silent he
comes, leaving a cold seat at
the dinner table. - tot shaming
She berated her
young charge while loading the car
and gripping her purse. - impolite society
He would often air
his dirty laundry to get
gasps from nosy peers. - risen and resplendent
Bonnets and pastel
outfits and spiffy shoes make
for full decked-out pews. - the home stretch
The finish line in
sight, whether to speed up or
coast to completion. - severed limbs
The sticker bush put
up a good fight, but landed
curbside anyway. - the path of shorts
Night brings welcome cool
and sufficient darkness to
stroll without long pants. - heavy duty
Can the world’s problems
be solved before a cup of
morning coffee? Nay. - woo is woo
Let words of love go
out via letter, call, text,
tweet, voicemail, Snapchat. - skyline vandals
The rectangular
chiseled cityscape goes full
whore with banned banners. - swagger
A walk, a tone of
voice, a glint in the eye, all
add up to swagger. - out like a lion
The harshest comes late
in the month, slapping the bloom
from the gentle land. - glued to the radar
Polygons and bright
splotches of red and orange make
for Doppler drama. - springtime comes to the new new new south
Squatting in a dark
basement, helmets on, watching
storm fronts on radar. - before the driver waded to safety
The van crept into
the intersection, but the
waters shut it down. - the scale of the future
Sensors detect weight,
bad breath, alertness, dirty
underwear, split ends. - drivers in distress
One felt terrible
for smashing a car, while the
other felt woozy. - loose clothing, tight fit
A diet gone right
means cutting a trim figure
while still indulging. - mighty fine sitting
Sunny afternoon,
comfy chair, quiet hours
watching from the porch. - modern hieroglyphs
Smiley face, frowny
face, tongue out, crying, wink, heart,
random emoji. - the satellite servant rebellion
The detour signs and
the computer voice team up
to send us off course. - egyptian yard sale
Glass pyramid sits
not in the desert but the
streets of the city. - promises promises promises
What’s the use in them
making promises when we
clean up their messes? - smoke and marshmallows
The campfire pops
and crackles, a blazing source
of nighttime comfort. - the quality of mercy
Empathy into
action, grace for others as
a sign of good will.
• • •
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