Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 67
By Wade Kwon- the clique round the office
Splinter group lunches
together and shares their best
inside jokes and memes. - giving back giving forward
Spend the time to help
those in your community
who need a kind deed. - suing the family
Where has the stepdad
hidden loot promised to the
next generation? - beacons in an analog world
With no cell service,
they charged their phones only to
use them as flashlights. - sharing the photo albums
The residents burst
to life as they gazed at old
pictures from their youth. - forcing myself to stay present
It’s too easy to
zone out with a phone or book
and miss life as is. - coffee nook
Huddled over a
small table, they shared their lives
with lattes and love. - a daughter’s willfulness
She could be careless
with a stray barb, her meanness
as a defense move. - dad at a distance
Without custody,
he was just a stranger who
popped up at random. - the lonely garbage can
The cart, always with
a little trash, was missed each
time the truck rolled by. - bed of theseus
She planned to swap out
sheets, pillows and mattresses
to suit her own style. - when introverts collide
They gave each other
the space needed to renew
from together time. - escaping country
Too many hicks who
think they know about the world
and shout it out loud. - the spare freezer
A hiding spot for
popsicles of all stripes and
fresh chicken livers. - the fate of democracy
What’s at stake? Just our
free and fair elections which
allow us to rule. - the magic of stir fry
Lots of chopping, a
little peanut oil, 5
minutes in the wok. - the streamer’s goodbye
It is not enough
to cancel a show … Remove
it entirely. - a tough room
The jokes came with few
laughs; an audience of one
remained unamused. - white history vs. black history
One is a complete
fairytale, the other is
the absolute truth. - fair warning
Hey, if you didn’t
want to be in a poem,
don’t date a poet. - the fallible mechanic
It took a few tries
before the car was running
smoothly once again. - the threat of ice
Roads without treatment
become deadly slick with a
slightly frozen rain. - at build-a-bear
Stuffed companions rise
from tables of child labor
and inspiration. - separation anxiety
Don’t stay away too
long, for I shall melt down in
to a wan puddle. - ai shortcuts
Write a love poem
or draw a flaming castle
with unicorn heads. - frozen pizza excavation
It tasted much worse
than normal cardboard pie. We
tossed it in the trash. - tiktok addiction
Flip through videos,
all while consuming junk and
skin and dumb dad jokes. - driving in downtown atlanta at night with google maps
Speed up, slow down, miss
the turn again. Drive in a
bike lane, pray for us. - fleeing north korea
Harrowing journey
through the wilds of China and
other Asian lands. - the birthday weekend
Hours of fun and
cuddles, a band, a movie
and a homemade cake. - happy galentine’s day
Celebrate women
and their grand accomplishments
and their awesomeness! - types of love
Friendly, romantic,
playful, self, familial,
neurotic, endless. - credit card scheme
Sign up and take the
bonus. Wait for another
offer and repeat. - the flat out front
The car with the bum
tire decorated the
quiet one-way street. - the unyielding zipper
Caught menacingly
on the crotch of my black long
johns, foul metal trap. - dreaming of a spring garden
Hoarding seeds, making
compost, envisioning all
the green vegetables. - the looming election
Will enough people
vote? Will they help save our frag-
ile democracy? - constant darkness
Polar oddity:
days and days without any
sunlight. Endless night. - poor things
Emma Stone transforms
from a large toddler into
a Frankenhooker. - barbie
Plastic doll endures
existential crisis that
spurs patriarchy. - oppenheimer
Science nerds convene
in desert to orchestrate
a really big bang. - state vs. state
Abortion seekers,
immigrants and trans youth lurch
across state borders. - the great american ban-a-thon
Libraries become
battleground over books that
possess real knowledge. - burn it down
Oppressive systems
create hardship when making
Hollywood magic. - magic city graffiti
Overpasses and
walls tagged with an uplifting
“You are beautiful.” - 1-d chess
The battle of wits
was no more than a skirmish
of teeny IQs. - misfit day for misfit play
Take a day to leap
for joy and celebrate the
wonders of our lives. - the bad book
Written, then stolen,
a manuscript published un-
der false pretenses. - the show must not go on
Dancers take flight. But
after long intermission,
the gig is canceled. - subscription models everywhere
From streaming vids to
heated seats, the world runs on
tokens, more tokens. - airplane mode
Knees aching, eyes dry,
air stagnant, smartphone useless,
and armed with pretzels. - keeping up with the chinese
Rivals for money,
power and population.
Who wins, who loses? - the yummiest bowl
You pick the fixins,
they cook them on a round grill,
you eat the results. - the nasty office sink
Get it together!
Wash the coffee mugs, and put
away the dry ones. - city of the sun
Streets aligned with the
stars and the moon, pointing to
a higher power. - the color purple
Learn to love yourself,
despite all of the hatred,
abuse, jealousy. - designated cook
Rummage through the fridge
and find us something we can
eat for our dinner. - winter’s last gasp
Winds howl, and rain pours.
We shiver from the icy
cold season again. - an ip world
We’ll never have to
come up with original
work ever again. - ai job hunting
“Smart” robot sifts through
online listings to find a
suitable posting. - the dirtiest microwave
All six sides covered
in grease, with a turntable
caked with gunk and grime. - a hole in the wall
Fist-sized openings
display a raw timeline of
anger and violence. - saving in the twenties
The ant squirrels away
money, while the grasshopper
will not retire. - football mania
This bruising sport has
never been more popular
with the whole dang world. - disability rights and you
At any moment,
we can join the ranks of the
disabled. Fight now. - welcome back
The flowers and trees,
birds and animals come out
of hiding for spring. - the dying treadmill
Each day’s journey is
a little shorter, barely
worth putting on shoes. - escape is imminent
We no longer have
to stay within our prisons
of the soul and mind. - 10,000 steps
Walk a few miles while
stuck at your desk or out on
an hour-long lunch. - blind spots
Even when we try
to be better people, we
fall short of our goals. - trauma is just a state of mind
Surviving (barely)
unspeakable horror leaves
residual pain. - head to the beach
Pack up the car, and
point it south. The ocean and
cold beer are waiting. - paint it till it’s perfect
It wasn’t quite the
shade of green needed, so we
started all over. - an abundance of gift cards
Save a few bucks here,
a few bucks there. Soon, it adds
up to real money. - creative parking
No ticket or tow
truck will deter me from the
perfect outlaw spot. - bless these food stamps
Getting to eat, one
of the highlights of being
unemployed for months. - the human pillow
Aggressive felines
relax on warm body, not
on ample bedspread. - making paella
The trick is to let
the rice cook for awhile to
get that crisp bottom. - 17-syllable tabloid
There’s only so much
drama I can stuff into
three short lines of verse. - let us rejoice
With all the bad that’s
surrounding us, let us be
grateful for good things. - an extra helping of depression
It masks itself in
extra sleep and slowly drains
my vitality. - looming deadline
Pressure’s on, gotta
make sure the project stays on
track till the finish. - the joy of being near
I follow her from
room to room like a lovesick
pup wagging his tail. - fear of an ai world
Mankind obsolete
in a digital hellhole
that we created. - pocket foods
Morsels encased in
pastry — baked, fried or steamed — from
all diverse cultures. - malady compounded
She told the doctor
about her chronic pain. He
said that it’s just pain. - the drivable money pit
A radiator.
The front suspension. Costly
repairs will not stop. - one key short
One stupid lock stands
in the way. Curse these tumblers
keeping us outside. - oversharing unlimited
We have this habit
of sharing the most private
secrets while online. - the flour massacre
They were just trying
to get food when they were gunned
down in the open. - the local rate
When companies pay
less for the same work performed,
that’s a big red flag. - tax the billionaires
No plutocrat I
know opposes it. Send them
the bill right away. - the broken-down washer
We swapped the old one
for the new one, only to
find the new one choked. - unneeded pressure
She found the added
coercion unhelpful and
stressful at the least. - queen of predictions
Gazing into the
crystal ball, she made guesses
about the future. - dessert for days
Enough sweets to feed
an army (or two) looking
for a final course. - tween rockers
Their fledgling fame starts
and ends with a promo pic
on a cookie box. - the war over drugs
It is one thing to
legalize pot, another
to get it started. - the pool is open
Alert the lifeguards
and get out the deck chairs. It’s
time to go swimming. - dei gratia
Working to include
everyone threatens only
those with privilege. - death of a college
Entire campus
swallowed by debt, and students
flee to other schools.
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