Wade’s 101: Haiku retrospective 72
By Wade Kwon[Share on Twitter/X | Facebook]
- southern politeness
Soft noncommittal
answers dance around probing
inquiries, y’all see. - sets at 7 and 9:45
Comedians get
ready, while fans take on the
two-drink minimum. - toxic moms
They said that you were
no damn good and human trash
unworthy of love. - asynchronous planning
Coordinating
our schedules while skimming through
a jumble of texts. - the mythologization of normalcy
A grand adventure
awaits every small errand
or sip of coffee. - freak rain
Summertime is marked
with cloud bursts and steam baths at
any given time. - ai the reporter or journAlIsm
Hallucinations
plague each and every sentence.
Everyone loves slop. - don’t ask me why
Every drunk must have
his drink. Don’t wait for answers.
Just take your chances. - the bad friend
Never calls, never
texts, never makes an effort
to keep things going. - there’s a new tariff in town
Tax on everything.
Prices are skyrocketing.
Recession coming. - billionaire country
Personal jets and
luxury yachts, tailored clothes
and money to burn. - dance party usa
“Alexa, play New
Wave,” she ordered as she spun
in the living room. - the same page
Sometimes, we’re novels
apart in sentiments and
beliefs. We’ll get there. - the war on hemp
Alabama hates
a plant it can’t control.
Getting high no more. - arcade dreams
Pinball machines and
classic video games beep
and boop all evening. - triumph of the shill
An oligarch rules
with his hand out, expecting
a sizable bribe. - grand theft identity
Foreign powers steer
hackers to impersonate
us for money grabs. - hormones run amok
Her body freaks out
from surges, imbalances
and some hot flashes. - she nose a new season
Put aside pesky
allergies and breathe in the
first day of summer. - poetry in america
The excitement of
sharing treasured verses with
a wide audience. - the workout queen
She ruled the gym with
strength (lactose acid, be damned)
poise and protein shakes. - at the adult spelling bee
W-H-Y
D-O I-T? W-
H-Y N-O-T? - a question of surprises
Is it worth the risk
to surprise someone, or is
it going to flop? - bag it
Forget the wrapping
paper and tape. Shove the gift
in a sack and go. - celiac suspicions
Are the chefs being
extra careful about cross-
contamination? - a mighty crush
His heart beat faster,
all because of a pretty
girl who looked his way. - talk and walk
Their neighborhood strolls
wound through the streets featuring
droll conversation. - the right way to tell people off
Bullhorn, graffiti,
skywriting, voicemail, flyers,
keying vehicles. - the cost of (barely) living
Regrettably poor,
earning just enough to get
by and nothing more. - the hug machine
DIY kit that
squeezes the user gently
providing a hug. - the rainbow parade
Marching down Seventh
Avenue, merry strollers
proclaim, “Happy Pride!” - be more yes
Finding adventure
around every corner. Who
am I to say no? - no more kings
We got rid of King
George 250 years
ago. One to go … - monsoon season
Once a day, the skies
turn violent with lightning
and stormy surges. - packing for the lake
A mere five bags hold
everything for my three-day
lakeshore getaway. - the vacation bible school experience
Kids gather to learn
about Jesus and break for
milk and stale cookies. - the scent of sargasso
The stink of thick brown
seaweed makes this vacation
most unbearable. - hacked and confused
A breach so big all
users must reset passwords
before it’s too late. - homegrown empire
She’s building a 10-
million-dollar enterprise
in her spare bedroom. - lessons from the man of steel
What does a baby
from Krypton have to teach us
in the 2000s? - beyond sweaty
I am damp chested
from moderate exercise,
pouring down my face. - the patterns only i see
Eating cereal,
wearing glasses, placing bowls
in the dishwasher. - parking ins and outs
The parking laws are
meaningless when the weekend
rolls around. Go nuts. - in a hundred years
In a hundred years,
we will all be dead and none
of this will matter. - beta testers
To check the software
(or hardware), volunteers try
out the new features. - the garden club
They take pride in their
blossoming roses, also
their pruning techniques. - earworm wars
Catchy melodies
live rent free in my head. No
wonder I’m crazy. - mayor tiktok
Spending all day on
the socials, leadership by
playlists and selfies. - how to make friends in 2025
End loneliness by
joining group activities
and stopping scrolling. - obsessed with asamimichan
Cartoon rabbits bounce
with cheeky energy and
adorable bums. - creeping along, careerwise
A task here, a task
there. Soon we’ll have training and
minor skill building. - the trouble with china
One billion souls, all
under the control of the
Communist Party. - adoption nightmare
Korean market
supplies stolen babies for
the US to take. - sass to the extreme
It begins with a
dangerous provocation
and ends with wan smiles. - seeking slave ships
Black scuba divers
find centuries-old galleons
on the ocean floor. - great aspirations
Making the best use
of time to win at life and
journey much further. - we don’t vacation enough
Why is it so hard
to claim time off and spend it
pursuing fun things? - a junky inheritance
Generational
acquisitions shouldn’t be
hand-me-down millstones. - fruit fix
Berries and apples
and bananas and melons
and pineapples, too. - 90 miles later
Many a journey
starts on a narrow strip of
mat circling around. - what’s in it for me?
Ask the most basic
question for self-interest.
Otherwise, time waste. - the sleep monster
It awakens at
odd hours, gobbling slumber with
ravenous hunger. - pimping books
The staff shows a deep
love of books in reels pushing
reading as vital. - the passing of a man
Unexpectedly
he died, leaving behind loved
ones and legacy. - invasion of privacy
Secrecy can be
tough to manage when prying
eyes wander too close. - representation matters always
Who stands in for us
in media, government,
board rooms and healthcare? - this fragile democracy
A madman with no
compunction upends our rule
of law and order. - for the good of the corporation
Take heed of the stock
price and make it grow and grow
till it hits the sky. - the four-day workweek
A full day reclaimed
in the name of leisure and
Fridays filled with fun. - radical empathy
Fear turns to kindness
when strangers are welcomed no
matter who they are. - the straying stallions
Yet another team
gallops away. City of
dying franchises. - why even go back to school?
When education
makes students dumber thanks to
widespread whitewashing. - the redditors unite
With brews in hand, they
pulled up chairs to join lively
exchange IRL. - ip i see
Creativity
is blunted not by AI
but by old IP. - the gutting of public media
Programming for the
masses to be pre-empted
in rural places. - the gutting of universities
Cutting-edge research
dissolves without the grants and
funding. Science stops. - teaching is learning
What better way to
show off what you’ve learned than by
instructing others? - stranger on the doorstep
Don’t knock at night if
you expect a friendly smile
and a warm welcome. - grief in all its forms
Neverending tears.
Heart in agony. Time to
eat a casserole. - swelter in place
Shade or no shade, the
harsh penalty for being
outdoors is heat stroke. - the guru in the zoom
She had nothing but
tough love to dole out among
the participants. - clutter opportunist
No free space is safe
when the packrat invades shelves,
closets and counters. - enough shame to go around
It’s class warfare and
actual warfare. This is
a moral wasteland. - a hint of grease
That pan is not clean
enough. Wash it again and
really scrub it good. - watercooler moments
We all deserve a
break, where we can shoot the breeze
with our work buddies. - who will run our town?
These mediocre
busybodies are on the
ballot. We decide. - no checks, just imbalances
A runaway prez
steamrolls over rule of law
and other branches. - unlocking the operating system
The users often
overlook nifty tricks and
time-saving shortcuts. - katrina remembered
Hurricane swamps the
levees. No help is coming.
Coastal city drowns. - flee circus
The good ol’ US
of A is no place for lone
outcasts much like me. - back yard beautification
An unyielding sun
showers me in heat as I
pull some nasty weeds. - all’s quiet on the labor front
Quiet quitting and
quiet cracking … I give up!
I’m going crazy!! - the missing food truck
Hungry workers stand
by as their lunch hour winds down.
Where are their tacos?! - the emptiest nest
Both son and daughter
have flown off to college. The
house seems abandoned. - stuck in a sling
Weeks go by. Can’t work,
can’t work out. Ready to be
out of this restraint. - an instant no
He doesn’t need a
minute to think it over —
it’s always easy. - afraid to date
She couldn’t believe
guys were asking her out. What
a predicament. - meet the sims
Taking good care of
this virtual family
means godlike power. - the death of reading
If you made it to
the end of this short poem,
congratulations. - late night hunger
Driving around to
find some diner open at
this ungodly hour. - the s word
The new textbooks don’t
mention the original
American sin.
• • •
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