Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 32
By Wade Kwon[Share on Twitter]
- the road traveled but worth another pass
Two roads diverged in
a yellow wood, but one had
better scenic views. - a loss of productivity
A nickel here, an
extra page there, it all adds
up to lost minutes. - ice ice babies
Anna and Elsa
love and shove like sisters who
seem more cool than cold. - on the clock
Time to fit in three
bullet points, two punchlines and
a moral lesson. - make way for summer
The green carpet rolls
out, lined with daffodils and
squirrel attendants. - how we learned to do everything
Scratch head, search Google,
watch YouTube video, try,
watch again, success! - a storied life
Every bad outcome,
every impossible risk,
every passion dared. - off the charts
Should we explore deep
space, the ocean’s trenches or
within human minds? - our flour of need
The generation’s
greatest minds worked on ways to
make foods gluten-free. - under a toss of the mortarboard
The gown, meant to be
worn but once, hides eagerness
and hesitation. - wearing trucker hats marked scoop
Infinite monkeys
typed on infinite smartphones
for finite paychecks. - in the name of doing business
A round on the links,
a midday doubleheader,
an afternoon flick. - motives and machinations
It’s the journey, not
the destination, unless
it’s domination. - keep earth weird
Invaders came to
conquer, but could find no one
to follow their ways. - security in defense of liberty
Are we too willing
to sacrifice freedoms that
they gave their lives for? - long weekend hangover
Not ready for the
gri/for sorting through email
or fighting traffic. - snappy dialogue
They bantered with the
ease of perfect diction and
melodious barbs. - a mind is a terrible thing
Think, think, overthink.
Analyze, paralyze, churn.
Burn, fall apart, burn. - the one-eyed bully and the frizzy kitten
They are the oddest
couple, one patiently on
gua/one so feisty. - to dream of bagels
The bakery is
open always while she sleeps,
filled with scents divine. - passengers optional
The self-driving car
asked the GPS how to
run underwater. - flours in the pantry
All-purpose, pastry,
cake, whole wheat, self-rising, bread,
bleached and organic. - howling at the sun
The summer of our
discontent cooked us ever
slowly by degrees. - let the machine do it
Washing dishes and
clothes, mowing, microwaving,
vacuuming, driving. - placebo pushers
They do nothing at
all, except what you can dream
up in dementia. - binding book
Extra chapters at
bedtime are worth the morning
bleariness and ache. - modern premise
Mobster sees a shrink.
Plane crashes on an island.
Shows made to be streamed. - down the stretch they come
Mighty steeds run in
circles. Jockeys hang on for
glory and money. - a centering breath
Slowly the heart calms
as serenity becomes
inescapable. - millennials’ movement
Doubt them, stand in their
way, but know that they’re on a
date with destiny. - salvation on i-65
The sign stood as a
warning: “Go to church, or the
devil will get you.” - the flash
Blink. Blink blink. Darkness
interrupted by coded
missives between bugs. - fated to meet cute
The absurdist pair
miss each other till, upon
finding y’all, connect. - worn smooth
Smudges of red clay
marked where he had toiled for
sweat and a pittance. - creators and destroyers
Intense labor and
heart and soul for years to build.
One mean thought to wreck. - pour, sip, repeat
End the day with a
cocktail or glass of wine and
hope for tomorrow. - a casual slip
Strolling becomes a
stumble, leading to a cast
and a long summer. - the man of the moon
He reflects a bright
notion of community
and technology. - the gulf of comedy
She tried to lighten
the mood, but managed only
to make it awkward. - a mighty sunset
The start of summer
ends with a brilliant pastiche
of outrageous skies. - reunion at the library
Minivans clogged the
parking lot. The disparate
tribes huddled inside. - a love song like many others
Whenever their song
played, they stopped, looked into each
other’s eyes and laughed. - signed language
“Bless your heart” was the
most polite middle finger
she’d ever given. - circular flow
Once inside, drivers
loop themselves. They just wanted
to make a left turn. - the streetcar sophisticate
Rider of the rails,
denizen of the trolleys,
stalwart commuter. - a forehead-shaped dent
The gentle bonk of
cranium on cinder peals
up and down the wall. - driving through drizzle
Wipers on, wipers
off. Enough rain to keep cars
sliding toward death. - care is a four-letter word
It takes energy,
focus, consistency and
time to show you care. - a quality of life
Perhaps it’s not a
question of lifestyle but a
matter of choices. - before intermission
The plot crescendos
to a confrontation. The
ushers open doors. - the scrawl of a former man of letters
Gnarled figures engraved
on dusty parchment, rough and
barely legible. - hot and bothered
Craft beer or ice cream?
Lazy stream or swimming pool?
Fan or windows down? - the country, undiscovered
She rushed in to fix
the unfixable, but could
not bear the stillness. - the definition of a patriot
It’s OK to love
America, but not love
lov-v-v-v-v-ve America. - anti-anti-anti-hero
Coming to save the
day, not for humanity,
but for avarice. - new southern fragrances
Barbecue pork, red
clay, honeysuckle, crawfish
boil, shotgun smoke. - repainting the soul
A fresh coat would at
least cover up the rust spots
and hide all the mold. - languid repose
The lumpy couch, the
unmade bed, really any
napping place would do. - the unintended spring
Asphalt wet with a
leak. Precious water wasted
straight to the sewer. - her birthday came and went
A once special day
had become another date
on the calendar. - summer school dropout
If it’s too nice a
day for class in April, it’s
a crime in July. - viral
The celebration
of the unworthy in an
unironic sense. - running of the bulldogs
Around the corner
and down the hallway to the
big bowls of kibble. - pie à la road
They would drive miles for
pie, then drive more miles homeward
discussing said pie. - creatures of habitual offense
Why change, or even
pretend to change, when we all
know we share one fate? - the unadorned bard
Poetry is a
dead end. Perhaps a lute or
a beret would help. - tees for mes
“Haiku is my life.”
“I’m the realest bitch you know.”
“My eyes are up here.” - square feet squared
The tiny house grew
room by room, floor by floor, to
be a McMansion. - the nine
They sit in judgment,
among us but above us,
the law in their hands. - the potato salad express
They inched forwa/with
hunger pangs and nostrils full
of sweet hickory. - the ground is leaking
The broken pipe let
out a gurgling cry for help
to the blacktop street. - every ice cream topping in the world
The bowl could barely
hold the sprinkles, cereal,
chocolate chips and nuts. - shoe ’nuff
The ladies smiled while
sneaking glances at footwear,
going toe to toe. - the past in prose
The bygone eras
won’t stay dead as long as new
authors need fodder. - romance 2014
The phone stays off the
entire evening, leaving
room for flirty looks. - remedial dreams
Test day comes without
warning or preparation
for decades after. - their own private fairway
They chased each other
for half an hour in spin
class, then closed the deal. - homo simpletons
In case we are a
genetic dead e/let us
devolve with honor. - sterile railways
So much for haggard
vagabonds looking to hop
a train to nowhere. - board of misdirectors
The cause became a
nuisance. Service became an
internal matter. - she steps to conquer
Her pace relaxes
as her hips sync to the beats
of the sultry night. - a summer of fun in mere days
Casual freedom
turns to a rushed affair of
time-sensitive glee. - ice cream truck 2014
Craft bourbon ripple
bought with bartered vintage socks.
Deafheaven on loop. - like a boss
A usurper of
attention, a haunter of
dreams, a foe of all. - bug tussles
Winged electrons swirl
around a head nucleus,
fission for a fight. - beginner foxtrot
The count stayed in his
head, even as he shunned small
talk and stepped on toes. - three-act haiku
They met one evening.
He would stay with her always.
She left him for Death. - the anti-joy club
She was troubled by
the petty and the pissy.
She kept them hidden. - super normal
Old comic books as
screenplays? Too trendy. Time for
haiku-driven scripts. - the ritual of friday night
Park, not too early,
at the Hardee’s. Honk at friends,
and ogle the girls. - seeing i to i
I sometimes use I,
but merely in the sense of
the literary. - rounds on the floor
Drunk in bed one, head
wound with seizures in bed two,
car crash incoming. - shy-ku
Even as a long-
standing poet, he choked on
the right words for her. - the internet is my physician
I found my syndrome
online and asked my Facebook
friends how to treat it. - ferguson
A town divided:
an oppressive regime and
wary citizens. - come on, rise up!
Boarded-up windows,
the empty streets, while my broth-
er’s down on his knees. - a house of broken parts
The doorknob gives up.
The faucet cries endlessly.
The thermostat fries. - the beggar at the pumps
The gas started its
flow, then he’d pop up looking
for a quick handout. - ring girls
Their hoops kept a tight
orbit ’round their gyrating
lattitudes all night. - jupiter at 500 feet
Visibility:
none. Crushing pressure, intense
heat, twisting forces. - branching off
A new life comes with
each new abode, job, partner,
friend and decision.
• • •
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