Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 57
By Wade Kwon- a society of things that need food, shelter
Minimum wages,
living wages are the cost
of using humans. - the plight of the omnivorous
The fun thing about
thinking about food is the
endless variety. - a zero-growth strategy
Many are content
with stasis, needing only
to cover the churn. - contentedness is its own reward
Happy to remain
still, grateful for what is and
what is still possessed. - the descent of spring
Warm days with subtle
pollinated breezes
that waft through our toes. - the lavish picnic
Group tees and streamers
galore in the pavilion
at the shady park. - no taste for accounting
On your 1040,
just write “COVID” in giant
letters, pay next year. - the commodification of mindfulness
The utmost holy
oneness with creation … as
an in-app purchase. - age appropriate
Are cartoons for kids?
Is sugary cereal,
or tabletop games? - makes me smile
Half-remembering
a dumb joke, or a mishap
from long, long ago. - drug trials
Try this formula,
feel it fail. Try that prescription,
turn your insides out. - technological leaps
The joy of a new
smartphone is soon outweighed by
figuring it out. - ownership in the digital age
Creative works can
vanish with flip of a switch,
ones into zeros. - planet of the oops
Getting hotter and
hotter, maybe this world is
some other world’s hell. - folders and photos and files and flotsam
A cluttered desktop
is the sign of a cluttered
AI, it muttered. - no one flies kites any more
A scenic hilltop,
gusting winds and a sky full
of aerial hopes. - emerging from the cave
We take baby steps
into a world once consumed
with disease and death. - may the circle be
You are the five you
keep closest. But what happens
when you grow apart? - april 27, 2011
The morning storms spun
up lesser tornadoes to
scar Alabama.The evening brought a
furious set of twisters.
Hundreds would be killed.We remember that
day 10 years on, what we lost,
who we miss dearly. - so bad it’s profitable
Throw a bunch of shows
at the wall and see who streams.
A binge of big bucks. - her fiftieth
A peek back, and a
stride forward into a life
of love and kindness. - one small step for mechanical man
Robots use arms and
legs to traverse terrain we’d
rather not visit. - pièce de résistor
Gonna digitize
my soul and sell it as an
NFT. For Art! - post-pandemic fever
Let’s do everything
all at once without masks and
hugging and sneezing. - enjoy your crippled lungs
So many folks do
not want the vaccine. More room
for me on airplanes. - antibodies and auntie betties
We’re long overdue
to welcome our relatives
back into our lives. - peak pfizer
I will never be
stronger than clomping through Five
Below fully vaxxed. - water can’t wash away relaxation
Even in a burst
of torrential rain, the dream
vacation lazed on. - methodical menuing
It took a few tries,
but he finally landed
on the perfect dish. - little doc
The man can play a
mean trumpet. A marriage of
artist and hot brass. - sgt. woodard
He opened our eyes
after being blinded by
white supremacists. - the medium of garbage
They took out the trash
and converted it to some
profitable art. - typecast
INFJ or
ESTP, MBT-
I is DUM. - 51 laps
On the track, he took
the punishment of asphalt
for some 13 miles. - might as well netflix and chill
They couldn’t agree
on a movie, time, row or
location. Just snacks. - nonfictitious license
Need a long take on
whaling, or race? I have the
perfect doc for that. - right shape, wrong texture
The computer finds
pies in round shapes with one to
two crusts. (And cakes, too.) - graduated, sort of
Their senior year, one
spent half at home, half in masked
spaces, fizzling out. - 3 million and counting
COVID world death toll:
As if we murdered all of
Utah this past year. - original? sin
The smart money’s on
sequels, reboots, revivals,
remakes, do-overs. - a pen like lightning
Deadline? Write faster.
Space to fill? Write faster. New
insights? WRITE FASTER! - rocket ship to uravarice
Is the way to space
paved with profitable ends?
One small step for greed. - a pair of pricks
The first shot feels like
apprehension. The second,
a little like hope. - the movie marathoners
Long past a double
feature, late into the night
and next day, they watched. - breakups and acquisitions
The managers made
moves, hoping for a payoff
soon and mightily. - the tub of the past
The bin held photos
and letters guiding loved ones
to kin, history. - the leaky purse
Out slipped cold hard cash
and plastic cards long worn down
from endless swiping. - words matter
Free speech that causes
blowback. Cancel culture? No,
consequence culture. - nicked with an apostrophe
Sometimes, the perfect
haiku arrives, ‘cept the loss
of a syllable. - the schizoid standoff
He said the voices
had never lied, unlike his
weary family. - pots and panic
Her dating profile
said she could cook it all. Her
dating profile lied. - crimes against nurture
He’s not such a bad
guy, they’d say in defense. That’s
just how he was raised. - white crosses as far as the eye can see
The more veterans
who commit suicide, the
darker this day gets. - the unherbalist
I spray weed killer
over the lawn. I have be-
come what I despise. - tuesday wine and cheese
The hours flew by
as they shared bits and pieces
of their little lives. - retreat or retrench
On top of every-
thing else, the boss said farewell
to the dismayed troops. - safety dance
That weird feeling when
wearing a mask while certain
of no one’s status. - line 3 is just retching noises
Call on line 1, car
warranty threat. Line 2 wants
to buy your house now. - the joys of working on ourselves
We confront our worst
fears, only to find we still
have much work to do. - pictures, but in word form
Reading all about
TV is often more fun
than watching the shows. - the chinese of mississippi
Brought as cheap labor,
they turned to opening shops
for the Black townsfolk. - the world’s oldest smartphone
Calls, some apps, a cracked
screen, slow charging and a lot
of hints to upgrade. - the destiny in your own hands
We do not control
others. We barely have a
grip on our own fate. - littlest buggers
The termites bit through
the foundation and nibbled
away at a dream. - real estate, real ante
They had a tough time
bidding on houses till they
offered their first born. - reefer referendum
As society
inches ever closer to
legal pot, breathe in. - quickee settee
Come on down to the
furniture palace … pick it,
carry it, build it. - the chicken hat
Leave behind something
to have an excuse to come
back and make smooches. - one thumb out
“The movies are like
a machine that generates
empathy.” — Ebert - two hundred years from now
We’ll all be long dead.
No one will remember us.
Take comfort in that. - uncle vanya
When a relative
goes batty holding down the
farm. See, Chekhov’s won. - for the juneteenth time
Freedom Day, where the
freedom came in dribs and drabs
for a hundred years. - hot. girl. summer.
Summer ain’t summer
without the hottest ladies
and their sunny smiles. - sweet, sweet home
A foundation of
love, windows of hope, shelter
for souls, room for peace. - to beat the rubik’s cube
Slide, twist, double back.
See the future in fifty-
four shiny stickers. - endemic to the end of the pandemic
Well, whaddaya know?
The shots worked, and the world is
a little safer. - the cost of moving on
You can’t buy my for-
giveness. I think it just kind
of has to happen. - at my parents’ house
We sat on the same
sofa, in front of the same
bookcase, just agog. - generation gapped
What do you say when
it’s been decades since you last
spoke to each other? - a century on wheels
A formidable
duo, they sailed down highways
searching for freedom. - the curve
She dreaded the spot
on the interstate where all
her nerves knotted up. - critical racist theory
Let’s discuss race, but
only one, and how that one
is superior. - a return to normal
Everyone, feel free
to be giant assholes to
each other again. - not to scale
The digital map
shows the same twisty line with
the same twisty length. - holiday weekend bender
Party. Pass out. Then
party harder. Pass out. Then
really party. Hard. - sunny, sunny florida
It’s been too long, my
palmy, sandy friend. Pour me
a tall Sea Breeze, please. - independence? depends
The land where some are
free, and the home of a few
brave. Long may she live. - the master of the grill
Clean grate, piles of meat.
Get the heat steady, get the
tongs ready. Let’s cook. - unmasked
Tavern full of smiles.
Hearts gladdened by handshakes and
hugs as we gather. - slow ride, but in 17 syllables
They’d call out requests,
and the humble scribe penned such
mediocre verse. - the blinder leading the blind
Sure, I know the way,
I hollered while nervously
checking the compass. - the long road ahead
The car was loaded.
The tank was full. And we were
on our way back home. - the wicked tongue
Don’t ask me. I’ll just
fill your head with such lies and
pleasantries no end. - rap squad
They would turn their pain
into rhymes, their rhymes into
beats, beats into truth. - smallest talk
“I love to hike. Where
do you hike near here?” “Around
the hill or the valley.” - pent-up post-pandemic priorities
Every restaurant
has a 3-hour wait. Ain’t
this what we wanted? - we’re all in this together
Back to flipping off
drivers, blasting staff. Were we
ever civilized? - manufactured outage 2021
Trans kids on sports teams,
Critical Race Theory and
(boo!) vaccine passports. - the secret to managing your to-do giant list
Resetting deadlines
far into the future and
marking that lie “done.” - birmingham-style pizza
A crusty pie with
vinegar-based sauce and an
overrated rep. - president boring
An Oval Office
where the occupant listens
and leads with a plan.
• • •
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