Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 3

drops on in
Flowers are coming
thanks to these passing showers
that soak up the sun.
uno de mayo
Workers’ holiday
marks birth of eight-hour day.
Almost quittin’ time?
señor suave visits the patio
Older gent puffs on
cigarette and borrowed time,
with stylish mustasche.

trailer trailer trailer
In a world where dreams
and nightmares co-exist, it’s
time for summer flicks.
onedownsmanship
You think you’ve got probs?
My girl left me and my dog
has munched my remote.
maple leaf rag
Isn’t it time to
bastardize a holiday
from Canada, eh?
plate show
Slow eater defies
busboy with measured mouthfuls.
Fork ready to stab.
pity me, envy me
Not easy to be
this glamorous all the time.
Life as a diva.
genocide du jour
Three years of “cleansing,”
Sudan too long a bloodbath.
Darfur needs our help.
teleprogress
TV takes over
Internet with programs that
no one watched last night.
if you would
If you would, let me
rest my weary head on your
lap while you mend me.
life of limb
Fallen branches lay
broken on soggy yard to
migrate to the curb.
to play dress-up
The right outfit takes
a closet of somethings and
eye for little things.
my friend flickr
Girls’ club snaps photos
of cocktail hour smiles and
sisterhood on prowl.
metaphysical hookups
If you can’t recall
your last one-night stand, is that
a good thing or bad?
new cpu smell
Shiny monitor
and sleek mouse roam digital
pathways in a flash.
monitored for quality control
Each digit you dial
brings you one step closer to
Guantanamo Bay.
tuned out
Radio chatter
overwhelms lousy hits on
outdated format.
crackle pop snap
Four bars on cell phone
means nothing when you’re shouting
“hello?” “what?” “hello?”
patio beckons
Perfect weather brings
revelers to drink and dance
and celebrate spring.
post must go on
Even when weary,
the call of pen and paper
too strong to resist.
mr. watson, come here or else
(buzz) (pop) (static) “what?”
New cell phone, service: bad sound.
Ninety dollars, please.
hillside gander
View of cityscape
shows breadth of beautiful home
tucked in a valley.
pollen nation
What’s all this about
allergy season running
rampant? Achoo! Dang.
hate the hater
People who live in
houses of fear amuse and
frighten me no end.
cathode withdrawal
Sweeps season concludes
with crazy stunts, surprise deaths.
Back to a real life.
pride of the south
I am standing tall.
This is what we dreamed about.
Do I make you proud?
me tube
Pile of DVDs
pulls me away from nagging
concerns of the world.
troubled minds
You worry too much.
You’re going to make yourself
sick, you know that, right?
meta-indecision
If I had to pick
my least favorite chore, it’s
picking least fave chores.
i-20, drivers 0
Driving westward from
Atlanta seems to be its
own extreme event.
dressed down
If you knew then what
you know now, would you have changed
that horrid outfit?
soon
We real cool. We left
school. We sing sin. We thin gin.
We jazz June. We die …
mailmania
Hard to read issues
when magazines never show
up in my mailbox.
bee keeper
Spelling champ pauses
to C if she can beat U.
Yes, letter perfect.
in your hands
What’s to stop people
from finding new ways to change
the world for better?
self-care struggle
Take care of yourself.
Fretting about you isn’t
doing a whole lot.
electric bugaboo
Blue skies mean nothing
when power blinks out … again.
Popsicles melting!
three degrees
Thermostat battle
rages in homes, offices
over right climate.
tome ranger
Stacks have champion:
Jason the Librarian!
Takes no guff, Dewey?
land of bizarro
Welcome to a world
where upside down and backwards
is normal, sort of.
stage 6
Rock fest at News Stage!
Local acts play in sunlight
to empty crossroads.

Where’s gray-haired guy with
Lil’ Memphis Blues Orchestra?
Soul Patrol, shut out.

Kids with guitars strut
until time to return home
over the mountain.
stage 5
Children’s Festival:
freaky performers, handbells,
to scare the kiddies.
stage 4
Hey, you kids, get off
Coke Stage. Don’t trust anyone
over 70.

Hank Jr. cranks up
redneck party, part of a
fam’ly tradition.

Morris Day weekend:
Call Jerome, if you want to,
all around the world.

Surf sounds ring hollow.
Will real Beach Boy please stand up?
Be true to your scheme.
stage 3
Mason Oasis:
Nice place to visit, but would
not want to toke there.

Air-conditioned church
provides gospel, jazz, and, um,
gospel. And Celtic.
stage 2
Miller Lite Stage is
big blast of testosterone
straight down your throat, bitch.

Allman Brothers’ reach
extends to this band and that.
Ties to whipping post.

Leaderdog, Shinedown,
Puddle of Mudd and Trapt all
sound the same to us.

Snoop Dogg dropped Doggy
years ago, but he’s still the
leader of rap pack.
stage 1
Singer-songwriters
at Mypeople.com stage.
(Rolls right off the tongue.)

Marty Stuart brings
country to the lawn-chair crowd
afraid of Coke Stage.

Los Lonely Boys a
slice of “Heaven” in summer.
Viva la Raza!

Is that John Hiatt?
Weird hearing his voice instead
of other singers’.
stage 0
Tripping over feet
becomes second nature while
at Vault Dance Depot.

Dancing with the stars
helps newcomers learn to move
in time with music.
the stink between the stripes
Putrid odor in
drugstore parking lot forces
drivers to hold breath.
gasp wheeze pant
If I seem out of
breath, it’s because I– wait, I
am so out of shape.
swing and amiss
Crack of bat sounds weird
when aluminum takes place
of wood. Sound option?
scrimpfest
Cut enough corners
and you’ll eventually
go round in circles.
keep forgetting to remember
Remind me to give
you that thing I’m supposed to
return, and your book.
four bucks a bottle
Old soap won’t cut it.
New soap brings foamy scented
chic to washing hands.
go ask alys when she’s 10 feet away
Prick up your ears, and
send in snippets of “private”
funny exchanges.
cricket lullaby
A sad song fills the
room, the moment of longing
passes into night.
as the crow rocks
I run the bath and
pour the wine. You don’t bring me
anything but down.
old haunt
The servers know us
by name: creep chatting on cell
and rotten tipper.
first half
Almost halftime for
the year, yet haven’t taken
down the Christmas tree.
s marks the spot
This looks like a job
for … a guy in tights, cape with
spare time, super skills.
packed house
Old boxes need to
divulge their contents someday.
Moving time is done.
hot enough
Outside heat can’t beat
fever inside my poor head
during summer’s plague.
no time like the present
Now is the time to
start on resolutions for
second half of year.
clock is ticking
Patience may be a
virtue, but who is able
to wait forever?
exercising restraint
Freedom means power
not to do things as well as
doing them unchecked.
one nation
I pledge allegiance
to the flag … with liberty
and justice for all.
a.m. avalanche
After holiday,
back to work, wretched peons.
Work waits for no one.
free to be whee
In sunshine and stars,
let your imagination
run wild with delight.
time out
Even in short week,
weekend brings relief to those
overworked peons.
novel approach
Summer read would be
better on a beach instead
of inside the den.
kudzufication
Creeping vines offer
leafy bounty, pushing miles
past set boundaries.
don’t get it
Unfunny people
think they’re quite hysterical
and won’t stop joking.
night visitor
Who could be at door?
Let’s stay very still and see
if they go away.
optimal conditions
Plan for the best and
hope for the worst, strategy
fit for a cynic.
on a mountain high
Where few hearts survive,
who knows what tomorrow brings?
I keep it alive.
bastille way
French rebels descend
on prison to obtain guns,
fight for liberté.
the in-sightful crowd
Everyone lend a
hand to bring new folks into
the cultural fold.
neverending stories
Get to know me and
you’ll find I’m a raconteur
without a finish.
in case you missed it
Middle East crisis,
day 47,000 …
Fighting continues
systemic high pressure
Lots of hot air and
conflict across the borders.
Blame global warming.
i’ve been there
Phone chat must be quick
or minutes will add up and
cost us a fortune.
lips together
Summer’s kiss reveals
passion on dusty day with
no relief in sight.
we can all live more fearlessly
I hope for more love,
more joy and laughter, and we
can lose all the pain.
drop in drops
Wish it would rain more
and wash away worries of
land going barren.
retail riddle
You can either be
helpful or hindrance when you
service customers.
random facts of kindness
We influence each
other in ways we cannot
begin to fathom.
number crunching
Measuring someone’s
pain on scale of one to 10
rates a 4.5.
shakes and wiggles
Bouncing baby boy
squirms and fusses in my arms
while gaping at world.
around the belt
Don’t worry, unclaimed
luggage. Someone will take you
away from all this.
just mowed there
Dog walker claims no
responsibility for
pooch’s deposits.
attic basement overflow
Not yet ready to
part with loads of furniture,
stuff in storage bays.
container catalog
Fridge smells like last three
meals retrieved from restaurants
with too big portions.
patience is a haiku
If you need me, I’ll
be waiting here for something
or someone for now.
born dumb
Day draws near when school
bus pulls up to corner to
kidnap unlearned.
ready set purée
Countertop kitchen
appliances await one
who will turn them on.
apartmentwarming gift guide
What do you get for
the man who has everything
from 28 moves?
taken to tasks
Dinner party starts
long before guests arrive as
host scrambles to prep.
fall preview
Blank notebooks, pencils,
new backpack, calculator.
Ready for class now.
almost perfect
Shiny new facade
hides hours of coding and
griping at laptop.
lost and found but lost
Scraps of paper hold
notes, info, once important
to someone somewhere.
caught awares
Tragedy unfolds
while we stare at nothing but
trifling distractions.