Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 26
By Wade Kwon[Share on Twitter]
- frenemies till the end
They couldn’t agree
on shoe stores, wine lists, small talk
or most anything. - that’s opera, doc
Everyone could tell
the dragon was fake when it
became a giant. - that song
That song reminds me
of gorgeous days, holding your
hand, laughing, crooning. - a day of rest
Even the dog plopped
down to snooze, paying no heed
to the yard’s squirrels. - tolerance goes only so far
The chosen kept a
humble presence, except when
facing the unblessed. - the hanging
The townspeople found
their spots in the square, children
laughing and pointing. - 19 trips to the thrift store
She planned and sewed to
cover her curves. Barely. Best
Halloween ever! - beneath the carpet
Dusty matted scraps
reveal stained subfloor rolling
in uneven waves. - the hum of the vending machines
The break room seemed much
quieter after half of
the floor was laid off. - the fall brigade
Horses with dazzling
manes sweep in on blustery
winds to transform all. - coffee on the porch
He would look up from
his cup to see her gazing
softly at the trees. - petal fatigue
“Autumn is a sec-
ond spring when every leaf is
a flower.” — Camus - a litter of flags
Yellow molehills dot
the turf to interrupt the
ongoing action. - an afternoon quaffing
The bartender showed
us his preferred brew, but we
knew the taproom well. - romp the leaves
Master and canine
set forth on the trail, happy
to hide in the woods. - his only job was to bang the keys
The bride’s side and groom’s
side fanned themselves. The players
kept the tunes going. - the oldies station meets cobain
Grunge playing in the
elevator, Soundgarden
in the garden shop. - the new new prophets
Their cries of doom warn
that the end times are near, that
the future will be … meh. - dump the slump
Good posture can be
sexy, she said, as I sat
upright in my chair. - search, copy, paste, repeat
The answers we seek
can often be found once we
leave route 404. - give a hoot, don’t commute
Ralph poured out lukewarm
latte and swore as he drove
past the bus stop crowd. - a disciplined laziness
Every fiber told
her to do something, but she
kept still, unraveled. - save the darkness
Gazing upon the
night sky reveals the hazy
fog of light from Earth. - the new old season
Viewers tuned in to
see the spectacle, finding
reruns of concepts. - that’s using your head
The players spent their
later years in concussive
haze. The helmets? Fine. - the span of a few hours
Ennui, then blackout,
then worry, then terror, then
exhaustion, now safe. - vehicular gallantry 2012
Parking within the
stripes and letting fire trucks
and police cars through. - the elephant’s dilemma
The pachyderm sweats
over every stomped mouse and
fat joke ever heard. - for richer and for richerer
The way to riches
is down the aisle to marry
a wealthy old fool. - 10:15 in the balcony among the daytraders
They discussed the world’s
affairs over the clatter
of the coffee beans. - a carrot, some rice and a filet
The small plastic scale
dutifully pointed to
ounces sans judgment. - it’s supposed to be fun
Worry crossed the brow
of the mathematician
learning to pole dance. - scene from a dugout
The players waited
nervously to bat, while the
manager crunched stats. - life in the lines
The current zips through
invisibly, electric
mayhem seeks outlet. - binders of women
Motherhood, sharing,
oppression, resilience, wiles,
nurturing and love. - skyfall
Man soars to new heights,
only to plunge himself back
into Earth’s bosom. - willful ignorance
They thought themselves well-
informed, yet filtered out all
dissenting viewpoints. - a better take on childishness
No one’s voice spoke more
clearly than that of the girl
who asked softly, “Why?” - the deer are coming
The bow was restrung.
The fatigues washed and folded.
The alarm clock set. - the boundaries of knowledge
We think we know it
all, but our ignorance is
so unlimited. - the intersection of technology and greed
This new tablet does
everything the old one did,
but comes in purple. - the authentic con man
He knew what he was
talking about, leading those
wanting to follow. - got my mind on my honey
I wonder if she
still thinks about me as she
moves on with her life. - halloween 2012
Scavenging trunks for
gluten-free treats, bobbing for
organic apples. - teasin’ seasons
Winter never shows,
left unwelcome by summer’s
enduring heat wave. - end of the set list scribbled on a napkin
The rutted yard teemed
with guests sipping and laughing
while the band packed up. - the phantom zone
The residents live
in a fog of unhappy
thoughts, immune from ghosts. - frankenfury
She came ashore in
a huff, embracing landmarks
only to crush them. - destroy all monsters
Today, they want some
candy. But tomorrow, they
return for our houses. - canal streets
The murky surface
lapped the tops of cars along
flooded city roads. - a nation of know-it-alls
The fashionable
thing is to chop off one’s ears.
No one’s using them. - over his shoulder
He would laugh at an
odd thought, then reminisce on
things that might have been. - defeat comes in many forms
Weakness, fatigue, poor
planning, despair, undermanned,
loss of interest, time. - proto-butterfly
The cocoon wasn’t
up to specs, so the planners
trashed that model, too. - how we vote
By screen, by ovals,
by absentee, by punches,
with our heads and hearts. - this american century
Conqueror and king,
ally and debtor, brashly
we advance ourselves. - i must confess
I hate children and
pets. I’m shorter in person.
I worship Snooki. - the death of the middle class
They could no longer
afford luxuries such as
iPads, kids and food. - the walk to the park
The sleek mom pushed the
huge stroller up the street, the
dog lunging at cars. - those who came back home
Not a one escaped
without a scar somewhere, a
surprise souvenir. - risk is relative
Speaking up for some,
hang gliding for others, the
line each of us draws. - the unsuspecting turkey
Full of hormones and
grain, the fat turkey strutted
about the homestead. - security layers
Do clothes protect us
from the elements, or keep
us from busting out? - cutting it closer and closer
Her job gone, she stared
at the pile of overdue
bills with tears flowing. - out of place
The walls were closing
in while everyone stared hard
at the odd loner. - goodbye, pumpkin
The last Halloween
treat tasted more bittersweet
than he expected. - gut check
They hit the scale first
thing each morning, peeking through
their trembling fingers. - war on black friday
The bargain hunter
weighs the plight of the worker
against cheap products. - digital servitude
Happily the voice
chirped responses to the man
barely making it. - a creeping fatigue
The view is blurry.
Thoughts come ever so slowly.
Asleep, then awake. - the pilgrimage
Around the table
gather families of blood
and circumstances. - thankfulness, be gone
The smart shoppers head
out to fill their lists while the
smarter ones sleep in. - rivalry implies civility
Their unis are gross,
their coach is the devil, and
their players deal drugs. - away in a manger 2012
No room at the inn,
the couple hit the ER
and took a number. - noel box no. 17
Attics and basements
disgorge their troves of garlands,
lights and ornaments. - the little shadow
The little shadow
tiptoed to keep tabs on the
trespassing neighbor. - a whiff of scandal
A rumor brought out
the bloodhounds and the wolves on
the hunt for fresh meat. - the heart doesn’t want what the heart doesn’t want
Forgiveness, progress
remain untouched, while loathing
jealousy keep watch. - secrets and lives
They went about their
business, keeping all the lies
tidy in their heads. - sleigh maintenance
Elf mechanics put
in new brakes, tune the 13-
reindeer engine up. - deck the gutters
Squirrels sometimes trip
over barbed strings of lights as
they scurry and shop. - saturdays muted
The locker rooms are
empty, the fans have gone home.
Just wait till next year. - almost tropical
The trees shed their leaves
only to broil in the
sun, a fall of fail. - a modern love story
Boy meets girl. Boy texts
girl. Boy Facebooks girl. Boy gets
girl. Boy defriends girl. - the distant corner of the map
Far beyond the well-
worn trails lies the uncharted
way to adventure. - letters from the front
At night, the shells and
rocket grenades seem to hit
all around our base. - the prediction
In 4 months, you will
meet an enchanting lady
and fall for her smile. - thirsty are the damned
If you forget your
social status, bartenders
make you wait for it. - birth of a notion
The ether inhaled
sparks confusion and wonder
leading to rebirth. - job? creator
Each radish rose, each
drizzle of sauce, painstaking
attention to grub. - the legend of johnny football
He could throw for miles
while dodging tanks and flashing
a near-blinding smile. - the fake housewives of siluria
The tans were mostly
chemical, the enhancements
mostly silicon. - the parade of hurricanes and tornadoes
A constant state of
preparedness is its own
natural disaster. - the day the facebook died
No matter how much
they refreshed their laptop and
phone screens, all was blank. - the fugitive 2012
He simply killed his
Twitter account and threw his
cell phone in the trash. - the newtown address
“Let us find strength to
carry on, make us worthy
of their memory.” - debate format
Shall we argue through
competing e-petitions
or talk radio? - bullying at the north pole
Rudolph the red-nosed
reindeer had a very bad
eating disorder. - soup’s on
The brown-red broth seethes
and bubbles, preparing for
senseless consumption. - where once winter
Jack Frost can’t figure
out how to freeze such an in-
temperate planet. - and the world keeps on spinning
Yesterday, over
150,000
souls saw the world end.
• • •
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Saturday, December 22, 2012, 12:39 am
quite the retrospective. love your haikus!
Saturday, December 22, 2012, 12:32 pm
Thanks, Chris!
Thursday, December 27, 2012, 10:58 am
you’re welcome sir!