Crushed Flower

in the front driveway
a lonely crushed flower
rejected and unloved

Haiku Written Under the Full Caribbean Moon

I needed to escape the Internet and my phone. I needed to escape him. I had the money in the bank, but none of my friends did for a last minute trip to the isle of St. John in the US Virgin Islands. So I went alone, and camped for a week on a beach that belonged to me in a National Park. These are the haiku that I wrote every night under the full moon on the beach, sitting in my chair with a headlamp, although sometimes the moon was so bright I didn't need it. There was so much to do on the island, I didn't think about any problems that much.

a thousand frogs
sing their chorus at dusk
fighting for pretty ears

earplugs needed
to sleep in the alive jungle
caribbean night

a rainbow of fish
seen all day through my mask
sunburn on my back

two stingrays
and a large fish
stare up at floating me

the barracuda
scared me away
underwater scream

i swam
to near island
to conquer my fear

frightened of the dark
jungle black swallows me whole
alone in my tent

jungle rain
followed me
to the beach

which pirates
have set foot
on this shore?

blackbeard watched for
spanish ships up there, now begs
for food at my table

pirate market
now just sells
coral necklaces

the people were rude
until they discovered me
...generous tipper

homesick
after only two days
in paradise

me in a blue dress
holding a giant coconut
caribbean street

two almonds
lay in sand
fresh from tree

paradise has a cost
i paid the mosquito
in gallons of blood

don't look at me
that way mon
see tha wedd'n band!

turquoise beach
no longer
belongs to me

i ran from rain
the frog rejoiced
long song of glee

moonlight shine
reflects off white sand
clear water in dark

last bottle of rum
moonlit turquoise ocean
roars in the still night

puffy white clouds
shroud the moon
peak a boo light

above sea grass
a sea turtle ran from me
in mahoa bay

stoplight screams
up at me
a snorkeling delight

jungle tent
moist dirty...sand
never feel clean

described da pine tree
to da caribbean mon'
he couldn't picture em

lack of good sleep
under frog chorus

Heartache Haiku

forecast today is
a heavy cloud
of unspoken words

watch where
you aim
such dangerous words

i could hit you
with this pillow
feathers well aimed

the cold wind
blows harder
in the dark

jane eyre
keeps me
company

thoughts of
you make
me lonely

every email
i send
is the last

my brother
ten years rest
in april grave

wine, george strait
my memories of him
shoved in a big box

fireworks
explode outside
my front door

another plane
another may
another day

morning call
in German
pretending it's ok

all we
will share
is our words

texas is
for
heartaches

california is
for
regrets

i keep deleting
the poems
of unhurried words

intimate and sincere
shared with naive trust
my thoughts raped

you won't
stay out
of my dreams

this eternal patience
is very long
and boring indeed

i hung up the phone
and wondered how i could find
lying to you so easy

Broken

broken body
to match
broken heart

Spring "Pops" inspired by Jack Kerouac

heavy metal music
floats up
the spring hill to me

bourbon thrift store find
story of a dead pilot
in a March storm

april wind
blew seeds
into my bathtub

I hear
the robin
all over town

the bum
sleeps on
springs sidewalk

gravel crunches
cars speed outside
my screen door

fat winter ass
runs in spring

dust bunnies
multiply in spring
under my bed

text message
unheard among
the bird chatter

crystallized honey
warmed up
on my stove

Battle of the Haiku

Last night me and my 12 year old niece were writing haiku, giving each other a subject to write about. I will just share one of hers:

the breeze comes through fast
leaves are falling in the wind
colors are pretty


not bad for her first one...and here are mine:

past whispers in ear
gnarled piano clanked
whiskey quickly drank

sweet sticky
red love
now dead

long curtain moving
window is a cat's tv
naive birds don't see

barbie hair cut off
brothers can be very mean
sister drama queen

red rose is wilting
the cold breeze blew in last night
petals on the ground

same are love and hate
left growing on passion's tree
frost turns sweet bitter

coward coyote
runs away tail between his legs
passion blazing grass

Haiku Gernerator

This is fun and can be inspirational. Have the computer make haiku for you with the following link:

http://www.everypoet.com/haiku/default.htm

Natural Inspiration

ambrosial love
like a fresh cherry blossom
attracts honey bees

does no one perceive
the lonesome desert flower
yearning for esteem?

my thoughts flutter high
above the hills and the streams
searching for a mate

thor's hammer rings loud
these neoteric gray clouds
blue sky is not found

Playing with my Peas

the goddess of love
steals an Eros arrow
-pricks ardor's bony butt!

a russian proverb
if "the feet follow the heart"
my feet are tired

pitiful pathos
prances with a pink parasol
a pensive pantomime

double-wide queen
he wishes to make me
sometime this spring

i fry my fish now
but cookbooks inspire
dash of dill and fire

My First Haiku and "Pops"

A few of my favorite haiku, written in March 2009

17+ or - Syllables:

fork smeared pink, blue
frosted flower sits uneaten
sugar belly rush

bright florescent red
love sings outside my window
string in beak for nest

Freestyle "Pops":

side to side
the broom sweeps
the summer dust away

unopened mail
shoved secretely
under my sofa

sad dying plants
in the cold room
green thumb brown

never home
--cold bed and
no cat to miss me

my imaginary cat
eats a moth
--Kerouacean moonlight

Albuquerque lights!
glow up at me
ribbon of sky blue bright

hated construction hat
has flown
60,000 miles with me

lonely sky
my open road
hotel rooms my home

i should pay
--gas bill forgotten again

years of email
unread from
an annoying friend

Haiku...Kerouac moon--watched by my imaginary cat

I discovered the joy of writing haiku this last March from my friend Imp, and I love it! I started writing them in 17 syllables, but then found this inspiring "Book of Haiku", a lifetime collection written by Jack Kerouac, written mostly in the 50s and 60s . His American haiku or "pops" appeal to my rebellious nature, with the only rule being that they are written in 3 lines, and he breaks that too sometimes. Haikus are suppose to reflect the seasons, and often mention fall, summer ect. directly or with an image of rain and wind. I would rather just express a thought that is on my mind, but try to tie in a season when possible. Reading his book shed a glimpse of his whole life and what was importantant to him...his cat, the moon, the birds, Buddha, and reading. Perhaps my haiku can shed a light on my life in the same way, and even I can learn more about myself. I'm not trying to be brilliant or artistic, I just like the relief I feel when I can write what is on my mind into a short poem, "pop", or haiku with intimate focus. I'll share my favorite Kerouac poems below, then a few haikus and pops that I wrote in the next blog.

Kerouac:

frozen
in the birdbath
a leaf

...and in his drinking days he wrote this...

Walking down the road with dog
----a crushed leaf

...I love how he stopped only seeing what was beautiful, the first half of the book started making me sick, filled with perfect pictures...

The fly, just as
lonesome as I am
In this empty house

The other man, just as
lonesome as I am
In this empty universe

In back of the Supermarket
in the parking lot weeds
Purple flowers

And the quiet cat
sitting by the post
Perceives the moon