Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 69
By Wade Kwon[Share on Twitter/X | Facebook]
- breaking for gold
Dancers sashay to
hip hop beats, showing off and
showing up others. - friendly fire
The two disagree,
unable to budge from their
hardened perspectives. - techno wizardry
The new gizmo works
as advertised. How often
can you proclaim that? - coffeehouse day one
Brand new furniture,
sparkling appliances, good
brews ready to pour. - enemies in the office
They would be at each
other’s throats if not for the
risk to be fired. - school as a battleground
Children’s laughter fills
the hallways as teachers prep
themselves for the war. - reaching out for help
Sometimes the hardest
step is to ask someone to
lend their assistance. - the lone volunteer
He answered the phones
and kept the minutes and took
care of all the bills. - feeling good
All it takes to get
rid of depression is to
fight negative thoughts. - the halls of kiddie lit
Hardy Boys and Tom
Swift, Nancy Drew and Oz, Thing
Two and Narnia. - shun the nonbelievers
They spent their Sundays
blissfully unaware of
the power of Christ. - 0/0 vision
From AC haven
to searing heat, my glasses
completely fog up. - academic grind
Classes generate
huge workload for tired students
to finish at home. - newest member of the family
White paws and black fur
with a vocabulary
of “mew mew meow.” - the empathic brother
He wept in the hope
that his oldest brother would
be happy at last. - stories to tell
Her arsenal was
no more than an array of
fantastical tales. - the breakup
She had the yearly
crisis of confidence that
led to their breakup. - choosing sides
A family breaks
apart on a fault line of
mistrust and half-truths. - familial obsession
Getting fixated
on the one member who seems
the weakest of all. - senior promise
A year to work hard,
celebrate and look back on
a high school career. - billionaire express
What rich prick are we
shooting into space today?
Let’s send all of them. - a doctor who will listen
Not too pressed for time,
willing to pay attention
and serve the patient. - to study wine
Read the label. Pour
a sample. Swish it around.
Take a sip and slurp. - rejoicing of the commenters
A resurrected
online community breathes
air of sweet freedom. - the hill you’ll die on
For a big cause or
small cause, or even if you’re
just being petty. - the life of a teacher
Grading papers and
coming up with lesson plans,
or just staying sane. - pigskin embargo
I gave up watching
football 10 years ago and
haven’t missed it since. - reservation dogs
Four teens dream of life
in California, far from
their crummy home life. - a little lotto win
Crossing state lines to
get lottery ticket, but
winnings go to gas. - it’s not a meal until you wear it
Oops! I dropped some sauce
on my nice clean shirt and I
look like a big mess. - laboring intently
If you do a good
job, they reward you with more
projects. What b.s.! - cleaning the garage
Donate, keep, trash. Keep,
trash. Donate, keep, trash. Donate,
keep, trash. Trash. Trash. Trash. - two american families
The men lost jobs in
factories. The couples work
hard to fall behind. - kid chef
Already a pro
at making burritos and
grilled cheese and ramen. - bourdain the biopic
Our favorite chef writes
books and travels the world to
celebrate cultures. - the toughest job market in years
Can’t get interviews,
can’t get call backs and can’t get
recruiters to help. - when it hurts all over
Doctors somehow fail
to treat chronic pain in an
average body. - the new hopeful
She struts onto the
field, ready to run over
her competitors. - the lesser-known hits
They play them for the
groupies and the true fans, tunes
that sound familiar. - laughter is the best lubrication
Way to overcome
social anxiety is
rubbing funny bones. - finish each other’s sandwiches
She burnt the grilled cheese,
but I ate it anyway …
it was made with love. - a drive-by reunion
They recognized each
other in an instant, did
a fist bump, then left. - return to networking
It wasn’t so bad
wading through people, drinking,
chatting up strangers. - concrete arches
Standing at the show
left us in pain for days, our
legs aching badly. - when plans don’t align
Their evening brought up
a painful realization
they couldn’t foresee. - a nation of immigrants, a nation of laws
We can’t seem to make
up our minds about a path
to citizenship. - an oven like new
Thanks to some repairs,
the oven can once again
get (and stay) heated. - quiet quitting
Fuck this job, I can’t
wait to get out and work at
another dead end. - ambushed in the office
Dispiriting words
send morale crashing in a
humbling instant. - the coolest summer of your life
It’s only gonna
get hotter from here on out.
Better buy sunscreen. - autumnal fare
Fall brings delights such
as pumpkin pie, turkey and
oodles of candy. - new habits come easily
I’ve never had a
problem starting a new plan
and sticking to it. - the surging candidate
She brought a new truth:
Never underestimate
the power of joy. - the fly trap
A bowl with orange-ish
broth luring fruit flies to an
untimely demise. - imagination to text to image
AI is the best
illustrator to capture
wildest dreams onscreen. - originality
Are we ignorant
of where ideas come from
in the first place? Hmm … - the clique
Left out on his own,
he navigates through mankind
with a wary stare. - please vote
Go register now
and be ready to cast a
vote in November. - everything’s circumstantial
Until a smoking
gun pops up, we can’t be sure
if they are guilty. - shooting up southside
Four dead, 17
wounded when gunmen shot at
patrons of club Hush. - the secret ransomware attack
The city would not
admit it was paralyzed
by Russian hackers. - the things they do with reese’s these days
Once a simple cup,
now unrecognizable
as shapes and sizes. - borrowing money from mom
She put aside her
pride and asked for a loan to
prevent disaster. - they aimed for italy
Large bureaucracy
sent them packing for a new
beginning in Spain. - the relationship sojourn
They took time apart
to figure out how to beat
their fears and foibles. - feeling unappreciated
Toiling endlessly
at work for a tiny bit
of recognition. - they fought in the car
Turn off radio,
face each other, speak gently,
listen to what’s said. - the holiday do-over
They rewarded each
other for a job well done.
A full day of fun. - spiraling
Each day, the feeling
of depression is bigger
than the one before. - afraid to speak up
Courage is needed
when it comes to voicing those
matters of the heart. - ready for halloween early
Their yard became a
cemetery overnight
way back in August. - working for the perfectionist
She would let colleagues
know about the proper way
to do everything. - aged out
How old is too old
to hold down a job? Keep
on driving? Not die? - the picture book
Assembled are great
photos from throughout the years
they spent together. - may you live in interesting times
The problem with that
is they’re too interesting
to endure longer. - death to the beater car
Don’t shoot it — a waste
of ammo. Tow it quickly
to any junkyard. - milquetoast confessions
Prefer milk over
water. Drives slowly in the
right lane. Needs glasses. - tricks 2024
Deepfake your friend in
a compromising photo.
Gaslight a lover. - project 2025
So many wicked
ideas crammed into a
political book. - pot pourri
His clothes reeked, his hair
reeked. But the officer could
not find any weed. - one way to two way
No way this one-way
should change to a two-way street.
This is not the way. - the halting road
Every 50 yards,
another stop sign ruined
the daily commute. - klepto phase
He would snag bits and
pieces from family rooms
and closets. But why? - exercise ratio
For every hour
spent sedentary, walk for
10 minutes or so. - never enough spoons
How do you use so
many spoons in the kitchen?
We *have* forks and knives. - no plan survives contact with the enemy
“Everyone has a
plan until they get punched in
the mouth.” — Mike Tyson - the telltale yawn
Tired ran across his
face as the mild evening stretched
into darkest night. - cleaning out the fridge
Shelf after shelf needs
wiping down after taking
out all the spoiled foods. - little annoyances
Having a split nail;
drivers not using blinkers;
volume up too loud. - and a 12-foot skeleton comes to life
Ghosts who haunt your house.
Bats that become vampires.
Witches casting spells. - the menu planning board
Balancing the needs
of all, while trying out some
brand new recipes. - homeless smorgasbord
Sandwiches, chips and
drinks. Tepid soup and other
assorted handouts. - modern circles of hell
Traffic, lousy weed,
digital trolling, health care,
no wifi signal. - stress won’t go away
Knotted stomach aches
while body tenses up. Each
hour, agony. - ballot box blues
Casting votes for hope
or fear, progress or regress,
woman or man-child. - the office beginning
A blur of new names
and faces. Learning passwords
and daily routines. - the missing son
He snuck out of the
house, to party all night with
friends and miscreants. - creative output
In mash notes and hot
dishes, in running errands
and taking selfies. - family squabble
They agreed to bouts
of counseling, not knowing
it would lead to fights. - the break room haven
A quiet place to
heat lunch and drink coffee, to
sit and just be there. - the biggest parade of all
Stand proud, Birmingham:
Our parade serves as the best
salute to our vets.
• • •
Read more Wade’s 101.
Read more poetry at Wade’s Daily Haiku.
Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku.
