Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 33
By Wade Kwon[Share on Twitter]
- divided by perspective
Who needs alternate
universes? Damn alter-
nate realities. - someone stole all the magazines
The waiting room had
nothing to read, save for some
pamphlets and blank forms. - talk talk talk talk talk talk talk
The faces emit
chattering sounds in place of
any kind of news. - suspicious minds
Conniving strangers.
Or paranoia. Suspects
and clues everywhere. - the spelling of katz
The “g” is silent,
while the “ei” is pronounced
“aye.” Is that so hard? - putting us through our paces
Walking becomes a
statistic for the mainframes.
They watch every step. - inspiring words
“The rent’s due today.”
“The boss would like to see you.”
“We’ve nothing to lose.” - everyone sweats
Picture of this guy
sweating, this lady sweating,
everyone sweating. - the options of a consumer society
Aisles of colors and
sizes and brands and options
to bloat the landfill. - dali’s smartwatch
His conception of
time warped with the urgency
of the text message. - the last pitch
The mascot danced in
place. The ballboys collected
their gear. The crowd stood. - wages within
The value of work
rises and falls, not with the
times but with the souls. - a heads-down classroom
Bored kids roll their eyes
at the feast of knowledge, left
to their devices. - the no-boil death trap
The microwave lies
in wait for a pure liquid
and countless minutes. - the heaviest lifting
Outrage is easy.
But channeling it into
action is better. - the voices of eternal radio
He spoke to unseen
masses about unexplored
ideas unbound. - a storm delayed by atmospheric detours
The rain should be here
by 3 o’clock, then 4, but
no later than 6. - a trip to the doughnut shop
Every case had pink
and blue and brown and tan and
frosted confections. - remembering the crew of wwii
He poured out a few
ounces of Metamucil
for his dead homies. - sunsets unlimited
The passing of fads,
the withering of circles,
more will take their place. - the longest distance
The longest distance
is between the promise and
the consummation. - patriot acts
Spying on our own
citizens. Attacking non-
violent protestors. - paddle royale
The oldest players
in the world square off on the
smallest court ever. - the petty joys
Letting doors close on
an elevator. Snagging
the last doughnut. Whee. - hands like lightning
Every time he clapped,
a bug lost its wings, their flight
grounded with applause. - the next step
The next step can be
down the beach or off a cliff
or back to safety. - tickled by words
Bon mots can make for
guffaws and wide eyes, even
chest thumps and re-reads. - the patron saint of empires
St. Sterling brought forth
new commerce, and the people
bankrupted themselves. - some ones and super zeroes
Binary problems:
It works or it don’t; advance
or remain in place. - mother nature whispers
She sends her regards
for a resplendent autumn
with a cooling breeze. - all thumbs
In the digital
age, are we our devices
or mere bags of flesh? - a cut above
She gave up her locks
so others could cover their
naked scalps with love. - the publishers on strike
The authors moved on
to their Kindle singles and
handcrafted ebooks. - the stockbrokers’ almanac
Unseasonably
bullish, with periodic
gusts of price fixing. - the batman i know
A billionaire with
a strong work ethic and an
insomniac’s bent. - an unnatural smile
The soul nor the lips
were willing to take part of
a facial charade. - last chance for romance
Intimacy led
to contempt. They knew too much
to ever go back. - the empty coffin
He faked his own death,
but even worse, he faked his
own life for nothing. - abraham lincoln visits the future
Emancipation
worked out well, but what’s with the
expensive coffees? - raining after work
Inspiration passed
my bus stop several times, but
my ride never came. - glory whole
The hollow pursuit
of fame befits its Gen Y
gang of aspirants. - gourd a more perfect union
Pumpkin in my beer.
Pumpkin in my coffee. Food
mashups should be squashed. - expediency in the working world
Better to ask for
forgiveness than to obtain
permission before. - streams of consciousnesses
The flow of jumbled
thoughts and half-truths sputtered to
more nonstop drivel. - the voyage to a new port
He left the shore with
no cares, sailing toward home with
the promise of kin. - slipping degrees
A slight chill and a
few goose bumps settle in as
winter looms closer. - no guilt, just pleasure
How lovely are the
simple sweets of our youth when
shared over some tea? - zombie or not zombie
A nation forged by
exhaustion, expectations
and excesses. (Yawn!) - mash note 404
He declared his love
in a beautiful text that
was stuck in the cloud. - sisterly city envy
What they have, we want.
What they struggle wi/we mock.
What they do, we shun. - the girl in the third row far left
Her magnetic smile
kept me going through the lulls
and hiccups. Thank you. - the essence of hope
The last chocolate chip.
The text message saying yes.
The sun settling down. - faces of dearth
What is the correct
emoji for “indifferent
with a side of guile”? - b and b and be
The morning started
with hot coffee, warm muffins
and birds flying south. - the insecure confessions
They would reveal their
disorders and bank accounts
to faux confidantes. - the orphaned lot
The weeds had free reign
till the suburban posse
got them evicted. - hills mountains crossings bluffs ridges biomes
A strip mall can go
practically anywhere with
the right greased pockets. - metaphysician, heal thyself
What if all of the
hypochondriacs are right
and placebos kill? - charms with every breath
He would take the page
and transform it into a
symphony of speech. - how much longer till candy and costumes?
Children everywhere
(and a few adults) gave up
on sleep for tricks, treats. - panic waits waits waits attacks
You will be sitting
quietly, when the earth shakes
and the mind screams pain. - the shadow of asclepius
She took notes on the
doctor’s notes and patient’s notes,
all for paperwork. - ask me anything
Questions get answers.
False assertions get steamed looks.
Come ons get sly grins. - breaking, the surface
Nothing will ever
be more important than how
celebrities look. - as if by magic
The hurried touch-ups,
the sweat and fret, it all seems
as if by magic. - squashed plans
The Great Pumpkin will
skip visits this year out of
fear of ebola. - the laziest weekend
It begins with a
24-hour nap and
then another one. - a sense of a sense of humor
Eyebrow raised, smirk, smile,
bigger smile, tiny laugh, a
chuckle, belly laugh. - it takes a cabal of strangers
Ills of postmodern
society can be traced
to isolation. - the sugariest treat of all
Little did the ghouls
expect a gallon of sweet
tea poured in their sacks. - the cracks
Society runs
as long as we overlook
daily mistreatment. - costume drama
No one knows who you
are, and yet everyone knows
who you want to be. - but everyone was thinking football
Turkeys to stuff, fall
festivals to run, sweaters
to air, leaves to rake. - the power of check boxes
Mark a box, then one
more. Fill in enough and you
have democracy. - the book on the nightstand
The ideas on
the pages collect dust while
the reader keeps on. - who will untangle the strings?
Corruption and lies,
theft and disenfranchisement,
crimes left to crooks. - annual down time
The white blood cells tell
the rest of the body to
pack it in this week. - more of the same
Status quo as a
platform and candidate wins
even in harsh times. - twenty-first century luddites
Dial-up connection
and a tendency toward
manual gear shifts. - a proper shade of despair
She would stare at the
broken moon and wonder if
her piece had been claimed. - the hyphen is a long series of distractions
Games, humming, drinking,
gossip, snacking, doodling, texts,
reality shows. - man vs. machine
The last man in the
world still had to think up an
eight-letter password. - limb from limb
Soldiers come home in
pieces, broken by bombs. We
owe more than one day. - what can’t be unseen
Of all the world’s vast
horrors, none offends more than
willful ignorance. - urban pictionary
They captured rooftops
and skylines for digital
posterity’s sake. - the feast almost at hand
Get those waistbands loose
and those jawbones warmed up for
gluttonous gorging. - pain without a face
Not even a twitch
betrayed the agony of
brutal depression. - almost midnight at the doughnut shop
Clumps of teenagers
dance, rap, tweet, giggle and fool
around while in line. - a representative will be with you momentarily
A third of our lives
is spent asleep, a third on
the phone with support. - huddled and cozy
No bitter wind can
strip warmth from this campfire
as we gasp at stars. - both liberating and alienating
No one is thinking
about you. And no one is
thinking about you. - inside time for rex
The mutt padded in
and plopped down on the kitchen
floor, safe from the cold. - the slice at the end of the meal
Pie is good, pie is
kind, pie doesn’t judge, pie gives
joy, pie renews faith. - head bugs on a king-size mattress
His anxieties
crept into bed with him and
took all the blankets. - the age of design and wonder
Roaming vacuums clean
our floors while Christmas lights flash
in synch with Dokken. - be less literal
A wordy world of
similes and metaphors
slams into orbit. - the rigors of turkey day
Thankfulness, and then
consumption. Slothfulness, then
consumption again. - oppression 101
Government-sanctioned
violence. Protests. Arrest? Trial.
“Not guilty.” Repeat. - so many thanks
Do not struggle with
gratitude but let it seep
in with every breath. - black friday remainders
A 3 a.m. start
puts you behind only by
a day or two, tops. - pistols in triple overtime
Half the state would like
to crush the other half and
feeling’s mutual.
• • •
Bonus haiku in “To the nines: Wade on Birmingham’s ninth anniversary.”
Read more Wade’s 101.
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