Daintily they snatched
the apples, where pros would have
gone for sheer volume.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.

Memo to turkeys:
Please report to barnyard for
final, final test.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.

The picture on the
mantel reminds me of what’s
truly important.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.

Worse than protestors
are citizens trying to
suppress their neighbors.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.

Points to be given
for appearance, poise, dance moves
and elocution.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.

Bullets and blades can
hurt, but a tiny microbe
can fell a giant.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.

[Share on Twitter]

1. to put it in perspective
   The weighing of life’s
   petty injustices pales
   next to real trauma.
2. the busy bee
   The busy bee flew
   to her appointments, leaving
   a pollen of smiles.
3. the well in the meadow
   He would visit the
   crumbling well often, hoping
   to refresh his joy.
4. a repository in one hand
   All the world’s knowledge
   came in a small, battery-
   powered wizard’s box.
5. summer’s last gasp
   One last jump in the
   pond, one last afternoon storm,
   one last ice cream cone.
6. the path most taken
   She followed closely
   behind on the wooded trail,
   seeking only peace.
7. the way of the economic dodo
   The capitalists
   shuffled their feet, unable
   to stay with the beat.
8. the team reconfigured
   The right fielder went
   home, the shortstop dropped back, and
   the coach prayed for rain.
9. precision sifting
   A light dusting of
   flour coated the counter
   top, the baker, too.
10. bread and butter
    “What makes you tick?” she
    asked. “Cynicism,” he said.
    “My bread and butter.”
11. a dream on the couch
    Lost on an island,
    the palms sway softly above …
    till the alarm calls.
12. where once was peace
    The factions failed to
    realize their vast divides
    as they shared borders.
13. temperate insanity
    Summer felt like fall
    on a spring-like afternoon
    before winter struck.
14. pacing optional
    Eyes on you, notes a
    blur, microphone feedback and
    a feeling of doom.
15. under oath
    The promises you
    make reveal your true nature
    once you’ve broken them.
16. the birthday girl
    The birthday girl grew
    into a birthday woman
    with little girl dreams.
17. the unattended library
    The books went unread,
    the magazines piled up and
    the reading halted.
18. the test of time
    Good writing brings laughs
    for years. Bad writing brings tears
    every single day.
19. 1984, the short version
    Big Brother is so
    bossy. Let’s love in secret.
    Rats clamped to my face.
20. choose your own adventure
    The same old same old
    versus new and exciting
    shouldn’t be tricky.
21. soon it will be fall
    The brutal heat will
    lift, and a swirl of cool will
    soothe our burnt bodies.
22. whatever happened to …
    The best friends sometimes
    disappear into a haze
    of our yesteryears.
23. how can real life compete?
    Real life versus life
    online. One matters, one is
    a parade of farce.
24. all stacked up
    Opportunities
    hide within the papers stacked
    precariously.
25. tales of the future
    Dining companions
    waited eagerly for each
    fortune to be read.
26. pack up and move on
    Job to job, town to
    town, the hired gun moves with
    the whims of commerce.
27. the comedy gene
    Some people are born
    funny. Some people are born.
    Some people are. Ha!
28. wood chips and vinegar
    It’s not the rub, but
    the preparation. Not the
    sauces but the meat.
29. the fighting butterflies
    The 5-year-olds were
    most fearsome, wearing little
    helmets and jerseys.
30. beach sunset
    The pale sun oozes
    into the waters, melting
    away like sherbet.
31. not so laborious
    Working for less is
    tiring, but not as much
    as unemployment.
32. the branch that took down civilization
    The tropical storm
    swung a tree at the power
    lines, and all went dark.
33. casualties of a blackout
    Milk, frozen pizza,
    eggs, cheeses, jars of sauce and
    homemade potstickers.
34. unlearnable lessons
    Happy idiots
    skate through life without ever
    learning to play nice.
35. along the sidelines
    The marching band warms
    up, the pom-pons shake, and the
    kicker says a prayer.
36. art is all around
    The paintings are flat,
    the photos colorless, but
    the sidewalks burst forth.
37. in remembrance of 9/11, 2001
    The towers still stand
    in spirit. America
    remembers, moves on.
38. fury below the surface
    In digging up the
    poisonous vine, you find the
    root is buried deep.
39. the duckling who would not get wet
    The timid duckling
    tested the waters and found
    them splashably kind.
40. karma points
    Collect them all but
    don’t count on redeeming them
    till fate allows it.
41. caught in a flash
    The gods of rock found
    their stolen souls matted and
    framed for mere gawkers.
42. beyond the summit
    Looking out over
    the world, he found the top to
    be a lonely spot.
43. the gentlemen who were not gentlemen
    They clawed and stole to
    achieve power, finding the
    rewards less than sound.
44. the 11 true paths
    The lost shepherd walked
    the road to enlightenment
    when he found a fork …
45. cue the orchestra
    Handing out trophies
    is harder than it looks when
    actors, flaks watching.
46. haunted inc.
    The screams of budget
    bloodshed and staff slashings knife
    through hallways of ghosts.
47. gullywashers
    Tires crush puddles
    to make little tsunamis
    along flooded streets.
48. wrong turns aplenty
    We learn so much from
    crazy, stupid, immature
    choices. Hopefully.
49. a sense of not belonging
    All eyes stared at the
    two teen boys on the sidewalk,
    in fear and wonder.
50. fighting cell by cell
    The patient patient
    endured the chemicals and
    harsh radiation.
51. dented expectations
    What should have been and
    what is, an ever-changing
    series of letdowns.
52. that mother nature has a sense of humor
    Who left all these dead
    leaves in the yard, on the car
    and in the gutter?
53. rise of the pumpkins
    They lurk behind vines,
    in lowly patches, under
    piles of hay. Orange beasts.
54. the witch and the wardrobe
    The sorceress had
    nothing to wear but black, which
    screamed “I’m a downer.”
55. wisps of escaping tea
    A porcelain cup
    with a few sips of herbal
    tea cooled by degrees.
56. to harvest and harvest not
    In came veggies by
    the bushel, and sometimes, an
    unfortunate mouse.
57. kickoff in 13 minutes
    Impatient shoppers
    clutched their bags of pork rinds and
    cases of light beer.
58. the beauty of a bright blue sky
    The sun plays lightly
    on my nose, which detects hints
    of fall in the air.
59. skyscraper school
    The elevator
    stopped at each department for
    new highs in learning.
60. running on time
    The train disgorged its
    huddled cargo, closed its doors.
    No one said a word.
61. turning of phrase
    The waitress listed
    the specials in her lilt and
    we knew where we were.
62. in the next cosmo quiz
    She patiently taught
    him the basics: gaming, pets,
    coffee and doodles.
63. rumble in the hinterlands
    Mighty were the teams
    that stormed the field, called the toss
    and clashed at the line.
64. call to the antiestablishmentarians
    The youths brought their signs,
    their whistles and their voices
    to bring down the man.
65. trail of leaves
    Bike tires crunched the
    leaves in their path, as autumn
    prepared for hard times.
66. a duty to be brave
    He didn’t flinch when
    they tried to silence him with
    intimidation.
67. a heart under wraps
    She kept her love well
    hidden, but it still peeked out
    occasionally.
68. the cider cup rules
    A cup of fresh-pressed
    cider awaits the weary
    field hand at day’s end.
69. the new southern hospitality
    The strangers picked our
    fields, built our homes, staffed our plants
    till we kicked them out.
70. fall of the visionary
    No one paid heed to
    his ideas, till they leapt
    into our noggins.
71. saturday priorities
    Once the bride and groom
    left the church, the guests turned back
    to the football game.
72. a full dustpan
    The housekeeper swept
    up shards of promises that
    had broken last night.
73. somewhat occupied
    The classes warred, and
    the well-to-do had a good
    chuckle at it all.
74. no blog is an island
    Each site taps the next
    one on the shoulder to check
    if they’re connected.
75. sauna of the south
    What better way to
    cool down after muggy day
    than temperature crash?
76. remedial seasons
    A brisk fall day in
    the South comes long after fall
    began. We are slow.
77. the white box
    The lovely bread that
    scents the air and steams when cut
    came from a machine.
78. calling plays from the recliner
    Yelling loud enough
    should get that lazy defense
    on TV in gear.
79. a healer in waiting
    She would rather cut
    people open to heal them
    than cut them apart.
80. mind body one
    No disconnect, no
    one or other, just renewed
    harmony of self.
81. talking is easy
    Talking is easy.
    Listening requires you
    to hold your own tongue.
82. sketch book
    Line drawings fill the
    notebook with charcoal smudges
    and hints of insight.
83. the instant storyteller
    Her stories are three
    sentences long with all the
    drama of a book.
84. the treat is in the trick
    Hurl the eggs, and roll
    the houses. Let the urchins
    make mischief all night.
85. puppetry from the past
    The Muppets return
    to a world with Auto-Tune
    and cell phone genies.
86. the cult down the street
    Their cause is holy,
    undaunted by loud rebukes
    and simple logic.
87. waking fears
    What’s scarier, the
    fears with our eyes shut or the
    ones in front of us?
88. the patron saint of birmingham
    You can tell him by
    his robes and his soft words, his
    kindness to strangers.
89. revels amongst the dead
    Fear not the rattle
    of bones and spirits, for they
    seek solace with us.
90. envy not
    Envy not. What we
    hold are blessings not burdens,
    resilience not fear.
91. secret to a good pb&j
    Peanut butter in
    every corner, jelly thick
    and evenly spread.
92. pre-kickoff butterflies
    The teams are ready,
    but we are not. One hour
    to crown a victor.
93. the entanglement of southern roots
    So deep the roots grow
    that no room is left for change,
    progress, tolerance.
94. the roof on a brisk fall evening
    The muggers look like
    ants; the uninhibited
    gaze from their windows.
95. twilight of the empire
    The mighty nation
    slid toward oblivion when
    its people lost sight.
96. a mess is still a moment I can seize
    All will be well, e-
    ven after the promises
    broken to yourself.
97. the cost of doing shadiness
    Back room deals led to
    erosion of trust and a
    ballooning of debt.
98. bye bye billions
    Jefferson County
    had leadership bankruptcy,
    then real bankruptcy.
99. game over in happy valley
    Monsters left to roam.
    And the final score: Football
    1, children 0.
100. at the hops
     The connoisseurs with
     pretzel chokers drank fancy
     beers from wee glasses.
101. the waiting game
     Her life moves forward
     without slowing down, but I
     hope to catch up soon.

• • •

Read more Wade’s 101.

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.

[Share on Twitter]

The connoisseurs with
pretzel chokers drank fancy
beers from wee glasses.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.

Monsters left to roam.
And the final score: Football
1, children 0.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.

Jefferson County
had leadership bankruptcy,
then real bankruptcy.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.

Back room deals led to
erosion of trust and a
ballooning of debt.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.

All will be well, e-
ven after the promises
broken to yourself.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.

The mighty nation
slid toward oblivion when
its people lost sight.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.

The muggers look like
ants; the uninhibited
gaze from their windows.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.

So deep the roots grow
that no room is left for change,
progress, tolerance.

• • •

Read more haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku. Or have it delivered daily by e-mail.