Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 24
By Wade Kwon[Share on Twitter]
- post-production absurdities
In writing the script
and shooting the film, do they
dream of awards shows? - they’ll never flap in this town again
Nominees’ tummies
eat high-powered butterflies
for nervous breakfast. - a taste of glamour
Let us peek in on
our glitterati in their
native habitat. - collection obsession
What we don’t have gives
way to what we want to have
until we’re buried. - martini time
Gin, and a hint of
vermouth, with maybe olive.
Drink liberally. - surplus day
This day can be the
start of something new or the
closing of doors past. - the winter of shorts
Spring may come in like
heat wave, but who would notice?
Global warming wins. - the politics of bombardment
The barrage of ads
clogs the airwaves like mutant
lint, blinding viewers. - the neighbors are at it again
The cops weren’t called as
the couple’s disturbance was
just angry texting. - faded melodies
If I squint my ears,
they can detect a love song
crooned so long ago. - loss is loss
She looked to the bed
on the floor, empty, quiet,
someone was missing. - puppy couture
No dog is complete
without a hat or scarf and
no more dignity. - confessions in a closed office
Perfectionism
is killing me slowly. A
mistake that endures. - inspirations
Beauty, melodies,
a joke, solitude, childhood
memory, deadlines. - try, then give up
If at first you don’t
succeed, turn on the coffee
pot and drink a cup. - leaves of clover and shoes of horses
Sometimes, the only
luck you need hides inside the
twinkle of an eye. - ranch of the dust bunnies
Uninhibited
and roaming freely across
the vast hardwood plains. - five on five
Dribble and pass, run
and shoot. Block and pick. Never
back down on the court. - faster she breathes
Their fingers touch, and
her breath quickens. Can she hear
his pulse racing, too? - the squash adoption
The motley squadron
of harvested produce waits
to fly to kitchens. - egos with knives
The chef bellowed at
the dishwashers. The waiters
scurried for cover. - listened out
The words ran slower
and slower, hanging in the
air like sonic clouds. - leaves of the trinity
The unwashed and the
rogues came to hear preaching from
St. Patrick himself. - fading pages
Read all about the
rag that went from riches to
irrelevancy. - bundles of neuroses
We stand naked in
hopes that the other one sees
beauty in our flaws. - an author, of sorts
The young scribe had earned
thousands of downloads and Web
notoriety. - green pancakes
Breakfast took on a
tinge of spring to celebrate
friends and renewal. - for who i am
Seeing myself through
her eyes gives me pause. Am I
neurotic and weird? - age isn’t just a number
They picked their cherished
songs from the jukebox that spanned
the many decades. - a square lens
The photographer
seized bits and pieces of joy
for her phone scrapbook. - a fine listener
The tall bottle poured
another glass of cab while
she shared her day’s news. - the hanging judge
The bench welcomed back
the renegade magistrate
who thumped with the best. - the fullest plate
Lives can be filled with
opportunities, loved ones,
or distractions. Pick. - stances are
He kept the world out
with folded arms and earbuds,
aloof and unmoved. - the rejection notice
Dear poet, your verse
is worse and makes us averse
to publishing it. - casual tuesday
Style has given way
to casual chic to a
casual grotesque. - lamb on deck
Such a warm spring feels
great now, but will be hellish
come late summertime. - beware the fools of april
The unfunny spill
their trite amusements upon
a suspecting world. - a piece of the action
Racers drive by in
a blur. Return every few
minutes. Blind finish. - a generation of brats
Coddle away, you
misguided parents. We will
all suffer later. - the temporal triangle
The clock runs backwards
while waiting and waiting in
the doctor’s office. - forgotten silence
Only when the mind
can slip free can we feel the
embrace of stillness. - inane clown posse
Fanatics spend their
time perfecting painted sneers,
gruesome visages. - rolling thunder
His legs lost in war,
he greeted park visitors
with poisonous slurs. - putting out embers
The CEO called
the manager who texted
the peon who slept. - the somewhat good ol’ days
Listen up, children,
to hear tales of days that came
post-prosperity. - the littlest disasters
Mayhem and mistakes
swarm misbegotten souls who
topple under stress. - one fun pass, please
A boy builds his dreams
from cardboard boxes and lets
the world in to play. - three bites
The French take three bites,
I have been told, to stay thin.
We just bite bigger. - a country boy from the city
He could not mask his
down-home ways with fancy suits
and urbane patter. - don’t forget to tip your nerds
The gurus and the
campers held forth over beers
and bright ideas. - broadway in nashville
The neon remains
unlit as travelers walk
past bar after bar. - inner journey
The voyage takes us
to an unknown land, the soul
without signposts. - render unto others
Calculating my
fair share costs more than simply
emptying pockets. - not even a wide spot
The cashier eyed the
road wearily, waiting for
her next lost driver. - digital ghosts
How we must look as
we talk to unseen people
for unseen reasons. - afternoon pick-me-up
Slowly, the drones came
to the counter seeking their
steaming hot fixes. - another round of flapjacks
The girls and boy chirped
for more pancakes as fast as
Mama could fry them up. - wastes of time
Each second squandered
by 7 billion people
devours lifetimes. - a park under siege
Gangs roamed the city
park, but Batman was nowhere
nearby. Gotham falls. - no child left to leave behind
The town elders held
grudges. Pupils went blind from
miseducation. - skirmishes in the race war
The invisible
fault line shakes the residents,
wrecks institutions. - turned around
The photographer
snaps their family moment,
backs to nosy eyes. - calm and clear
The hundreds lost to
raging winds would have loved to
see this sunny day. - furrows in the yard
Negative space, where
trenches of dirt become lines
of sprouts and sunshine. - headspace
The crowded go to
extremes to find peace, quiet,
places to think hard. - dirt nip
Compost heap awaits
transfer to battleground where
it aids seed forces. - anthems to the old
No one celebrates
the collected wisdom or
gumption of elders. - the corner market news
The sweet potatoes
spied on strawberries that were
minding their business. - mat chat
The universe speaks
through the body in yoga.
It says, loudly, “Ow!” - lettuce be thankful
Waves of fresh green and
red and yellow and orangish-
brown swirled the produce. - ears everywhere
Long before a vibe
became a reality,
the crier had sensed. - open-door policy
They came on foot, by
bicycle and car to gawk
at the stranger’s wares. - presence
Focusing on now,
time does not stand still but fades
from our existence. - lines on a map
The squirrels run rampant
across political zones
and property lines. - the need to play in a word sandbox
Syllables pour out
like grains of sand, building book
castles, word spires. - standards beyond standards
Perfection remains
an elusive minx, never
to be caught or tamed. - gadget fever
Shiny and new and
still in the box, beckoning
with beeps and flashes. - spas like us
The mud is relaxed.
The towels, fluffed and piled high.
Bring us a chai tea. - beginner’s curve
Pressure for the slow
witted and tardy, racing
to stay average. - the war on learning
Who can excel when
children fight viciously and
parents defend them? - the boy in the mirror
Looking into the
glass, I spy a trembling lad
staring at the floor. - what to do with ripe tomatoes
Plump tomatoes blush
with naked abandon, as
they get downright sauced. - open, not closed
The best things in life
aren’t always free, but open
to all who seek them. - literature in stereo
The author gently
unwinds his novel into
her waiting earbuds. - on the nature of sass
Only later would
the gentleman come to learn
that her sass was love. - try, try, then give up
Persistence can win
in the end, but surrender
can subtly subvert. - paralysis
People parade by.
Everything happens without
guidance from within. - beach countdown
Sandy shores await,
once the bags are packed, the tank
is filled, the work done. - while her grandmother was under the knife
Waiting for news from
the surgeon, the granddaughter
passed time giving blood. - around sunset
The duo played some
Beatles songs and hummed along,
sitting on the porch. - an endless supply of ones and zeroes
The ink-stained wretches
looked at computers in awe
and with creeping dread. - lazy bones
Neither the spirit
nor the flesh are willing when
it’s a long weekend. - the untamed horizon
Beyond what they could
see was a place of danger
and great mystery. - beyond service
In their graves, they rest
quietly after fighting
for those to be born. - summer at the swimmin’ hole
Skinny dipping ain’t
for kicks, but to get cool as
fast as possible. - bugs’ bounty
Trespassers in the
yard must pay a toll in blood
to winged collectors. - a right proper sandwich
Southern BLT
comes without the B or the
L and tastes just fine. - waiting on the ac
The wheel burns, the air
smothers, the seat belt latch scalds,
and the vinyl stings. - hot on the trail of the ice cream truck
He has popsicles
and ice creams galore, but you
have to catch him first. - sandy sojourn
Only place hotter
than home is the beach. Why do
we go there for fun?
• • •
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