A gypsy, cowgirl,
and hula dancer, and yet,
We just call her 'mom'.
The above collage was made by an artist friend of mine about 15 years ago and incorporates three photos of my mom. (Who, for the record, denies these are photos of her, claiming that they are actually of her mother. I have the originals in a box of photos somewhere and I believe my mom is experiencing a bout of 'convenient amnesia.' )
----------------------------------
Neither wilt, nor pause,
nor hesitate, nor waiver,
for the world still turns.
----------------------------------
Cold and rainy nights,
comfort the lonely, who shed
their tears un-noticed.
---------------------------------------
Dreams will fade away,
past pleasures too, as the night's
fog envelopes us.
------------------------------------
Putting on greasepaint,
actors fret about their lines;
Will makeup hide them?
----------------------------------
(a short story told in nine haikus:)
His older sister
showed him how to dance with girls.
His next step ... call one.
He thought he would wait
'til later, but his sister
handed him the phone ...
Starting to panic.
he prayed that she was not home.
'Hi Penelope!' ...
He paused, then stammered,
'Are you going to the dance?'
(She was ... with Tommy.)
Four phone calls later ...
the nervousness was gone, now
he was desperate.
He decided to stop
calling cheerleaders and try
his friend from math class
She said, 'I don't dance,
but I would like to see you,
so I'd love to go.'
His gloom turned into
elation! He had a date!
And a girl liked him!
That night, his homework
did not get done, but lessons
were, most surely, learned,
------------------------------------
Do you feel kinship
with a complete stranger that
shares the same ring-tone?
---------------------------------
Angled, mangled, flanged,
that old desk has many faults,
I can't throw it out!
-------------------------------------
tanka haiku: How you enter rooms,
shows how you deal with your life,
Boldly? Shyly? Sad?
Some folks hesitate, then go,
others can not find the key.
--------------------------------------------------
'Polar bears', she said,
'are the largest carnivals.'
(She meant carnivores.)
-----------------------------------------------------
Quietly they slept,
in a field of bluebonnets;
after-love's reward.
-------------------------------------------
Silent are the trees
through harsh winters, stoically,
they wait for the Spring.
------------------------------------------
Eager young puppies
jump and bark and bounce about
making toddlers squeel.
---------------------------------------------
alone again, he's
forced to face failure with no
shoulder to cry on.
---------------------------------------------
Skies may be blue, but
we all live in a Yellow
Aquamarine ... right?
-----------------------------------------
double haiku: Filtering his thoughts,
he decided not to say
how he really felt.
For she would only
get mad and begin to cry,
'cuz he loathed her friends.
---------------------------------------------------------
purple wads of gum
from underneath her desk kept
sticking to her legs.
---------------------------------------------
double haiku: The dawn was breaking
as he opened the door and
went for a long walk.
On his way back, he
bought coffee, a schmeared bagel
and the New York Times.
------------------------------------------------------------
He whispers her name,
as he lies in bed at night,
so his dreams find her.
-------------------------------------------------
Wishing on a star,
hoping for the future, she
joyfully began.
----------------------------------------------
each day, he walked through
his garden and picked a rose
to place on her grave.
-----------------------------------------------
sipping his coffee,
he glanced at the newspaper,
but still thought of her.
---------------------------------------------
His steak was well done.
He liked it medium, which
is rarely done well.
---------------------------------------------
He knew a woman
who lived quite far away, and
wished to be with her.
--------------------------------------------
he spent all morning
vehemently denying
that he was involved.
---------------------------------------------
The weathered shingles
on the cottage by the lake,
need to be repaired.
----------------------------------------------
Overgrown grass hides,
a long neglected tombstone;
a child forgotten.
----------------------------------------------
Nuzzling pillows
under a down comforter,
she fought waking up.
------------------------------------------------
Do you want to know
what I'm really thinking, or
what you want to know?
------------------------------------------------
Translations are rough,
when you do them on the fly,
(don't blame the zipper.)
--------------------------------------------------
I yell, "Bon voyage"
as the ship glides from the pier,
Strangers laugh and wave.
-------------------------------------------------
His daughter's confused,
Barbie filibustered her.
Oops, wrong tea party.
---------------------------------------
Comments
Much to ponder
It is about 16 above right now--average for this time of year and the winter has really been mellow. You do not get too far politically up here speaking against global warming.
The computer says there is a 7mph wind but I perceive no movement out there at all.
When the cold is intense up here, I do marvel at the pines and those other naked trees.
And there is something eerie about the quiet when there is no wind.
by Richard Day on Sat, 01/14/2012 - 2:59pm
Grieving trees embark
on their sad autumn journeys
shedding leafy tears.
-----------------------------
wind bites, cheeks redden,
cold in the city brings the
January blues.
-------------------------
by MrSmith1 on Sat, 01/14/2012 - 8:40pm
Civil war discussions notwithstanding, y'all live in the wrong part of the country. Just sayin'…
by Verified Atheist on Sun, 01/15/2012 - 9:40am
The price Yankees pay,
for NOT being hillbillies?
Cold winter weather.
------------------------
.
Winters way down South
pale when compared to just one
New England sleigh ride
----------------------------
Some Civil War buffs,
love re-enacting battles;
Gettysburg redux.
by MrSmith1 on Sun, 01/15/2012 - 11:21am
Arrogant Yankees
I ain't no damn hillbilly!
Them be fighting words!
All in jest, of course!
by Verified Atheist on Sun, 01/15/2012 - 1:39pm
LOL! Love that one!
Double haiku: About them hillbillies ...
how many does it take to
screw in a light-bulb?
The answer of course,
is none; their cabin ain't got
no 'lectricity...
by MrSmith1 on Sun, 01/15/2012 - 2:24pm
Some various replies:
--
When Ken lied to her,
Barbie left the skate party.
High heels dot the ice.
--
I once chased my thoughts;
They ran away so quickly.
Now they wait for me.
by moat on Sun, 01/15/2012 - 1:28pm
I especially like that last one.
by Verified Atheist on Sun, 01/15/2012 - 1:40pm
Wonderful!
Barbie's skate party,
ended in chaos, when Ken
missed a toe-loop.
by MrSmith1 on Sun, 01/15/2012 - 2:28pm
Two days of climbing
Slept in a hut with Japanese
We scaled Mount Fuji.
by Oxy Mora on Sun, 01/15/2012 - 1:39pm
Sweet.
----------------------
Scaling Mount Fuji,
I suddenly found myself
posing for photos.
--------------------
by MrSmith1 on Sun, 01/15/2012 - 2:31pm
Smile, you ga-i-jin;
What are they doing up here?
Nice flight jackets, though.
by Oxy Mora on Sun, 01/15/2012 - 10:08pm
tanka haiku: Those life preservers
and flight jackets brag too much.
But you know that, right?
Neither one will give you flight
nor preserve dying folk's lives.
by MrSmith1 on Mon, 01/16/2012 - 9:19am
I like that a lot.
by Oxy Mora on Mon, 01/16/2012 - 10:19am
Thanks, but I think I need to do a re-write on the last two lines... How's this?
Those life preservers
and flight jackets brag too much.
But you know that, right?
No jacket will make you fly,
no vest prevent your decay.
by MrSmith1 on Mon, 01/16/2012 - 2:30pm