Love of Haiku

Leaving Wyoming

2011-02-07T23:04:00.000-08:00

sunset reflected
in frosted shoshoni lake
ice blazing with fire

pizza and cocoa
cashews empty cans and chips
lady gaga sings

steam rises from spring
a cold february night
leaving wyoming

Spring Fields

2010-06-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

bluegrass banjo
me playing from my art box
in middle of field

painting my toes
sitting in colorful flowers
on an oil field

ten minutes rest
in open field
a suvonior tick

Bird Calls

2010-06-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

hark! the lark sparrow
Alien lazer gun sounds
and a few bird farts

sage chicken disco
males get down and funky
pretty ladies watch

among the grasslands
sounding like its dinner
the grasshopper sparrow

The Melting Bighorns

2010-06-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

melting bighorns
fresh moose print in soil
lion tracks follow

they plowed 14a
winter snow ten feet high
now gone with spring

ice chunks cracking
being washed down
the swelling rivers

No Address

2010-06-02T15:43:00.000-07:00

generosity reversed
his precious library card
taken from me

no address
no door
living among sagebrush
in a tent
on wyoming floor

blackhearted clouds
torment me every night
foreboding lightning

sleep
much needed
no rest
heavy eyelids
flash
the sky sparkles
on electric nights

Rhyming Receipt

2010-05-31T06:58:00.000-07:00

Haiku written
on the back
of a walmart receipt
Nothing to eat

The woods howl at night
Oh! My heart quickens with fright
Until morning light

No home to count sheep
No rest for heavy eyelids
As i write, I sleep

*Searching for my muse

Melting into Spring

2010-04-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

snow blown night, scarf tight
high snow dune drifts swirled
in front of my door

perched on fence post
the meadowlark announces
"SPRING!" in april snow

tall snow drifts melt
to unveil green grass
fast eaten by horses

mud on cowboy boots
mud on fast running dog paws
mud on kitchen floor

blind white furballs purr
cuddled up with mom in barn
horse trough a warm home

Barn Cats

2010-03-13T13:36:00.000-08:00

tiny paw prints
freckle fresh snow
on back deck

pregnant barn cat
cries, curls around my leg
for more spring chicken

like a queen on throne
sits the siamese barn cat
on green lawnmower

grain bin opened
hay forgotten
-horses pause
cat chow pulled out

Feeding the Horses

2010-03-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

antelope play
eat the horse grass
like a locust swarm

veil of morn fog
cloaks hay on my pitchfork
from hungry horses

giant snow boots
big brown horse gallops alone
to barn, greed for feed

february cold
slaps my face at morning feed
wyoming prairie

Japanese Love Haiku

2010-03-12T12:37:00.000-08:00

I usually write my own haiku, but this week I was reading a book called "Japanese Haiku" printed in 1956 from the local library. Here are a few that spoke to me:

In these dark waters
drawn up from
my frozen well...
glittering of spring
-Ringai

Arise from sleep, old cat
and with great yawns
and stretchings...
amble out for love
-Issa

Moon so bright for love
come closer, quilt...
enfold
my passionate cold!
-Sampu

Ah, unrequited love
now elevate your
chin
and keen
Tom-cat, to the moon!
-Kyorai

Snow Frosted Cupcakes

2010-02-22T11:15:00.000-08:00

will take a bite of
these frosted wyoming hills
like a cupcake

Peacocking

2010-02-12T07:55:00.000-08:00

peacocking house finch
perched so the ladies can see
his bright red scarf

My Valentine

2010-02-11T12:49:00.000-08:00

my first valentine
pink hearts in mailbox
recently touched by him

Twigs

2010-02-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

You know spring is coming when you see twigs in bird beaks. I saw my first this morning on my drive to work.

twig in pigeon beak
plastic great horned owl watches
overpass nest mess

Yesterday's Backyard Drama

2010-02-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

cat spying on me
window blinds sway with her tail
hidden curious eyes

horny thrasher song
breaks the winter silence
hoping for spring love

snowflakes falling
like popcorn from the kettle
in God's kitchen

worried birds huddle
around the feeder
for comfort food

my cat screams!
wobbles in the house
white fur in her claws

My Run

2010-01-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

smell of moist dirt and
tropical flowers on run
under orion's belt

Grackle Cackle

2010-01-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

I am currently in south Texas for work, where winters are very tropical.

electric lines
sag under the weight
of thousands of birds

grackles cackle
and laugh at the bird crap
on my truck

Sound of Crunching Snow

2010-01-20T21:37:00.000-08:00

stillness broken
by the sound of crunching snow
as coyotes race by

blur of wild fur
they pause - - - - -
to stare at me

Swarm of Snowflakes

2010-01-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted as much lately, but I have been busy planning my new life. Here is one I wrote in my head a few weeks ago on the way home from work. More soon.

little snowflakes on
highway, fly around my car
like a swarm of gnats

My Guiding Goddesses

2010-01-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

aprodite longs
for hestia's family hearth,
the smell of fresh bread

wilderness calls,
artemis gallops into
energizing new lands

collector of hearts
trades the hoard for
one she treasures

Christmas Cleanup

2009-12-29T13:51:00.000-08:00

on snow lined streets
christmas wrapping paper peeks
out of neighbor trash bins

Winter Scenes

2009-12-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

down at winter's pond
walks a wigeon gracelessly
on frozen water

white paper snowflakes
dance on the window
my niece inside with coco

neighborhood flashing
with colorful christmas lights
grinch stole our snoopy

Falling Snow

2009-12-14T08:43:00.000-08:00

snow falling on mountain
like sifted flour into
sugar cookie batter

a dozen deer
peering at me through snow
from mountain side

my footprints
alone defile
the virgin snow

Cat Hugging Heater

2009-12-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

fresh snow
blankets ground
leaves us in cold

icy howls
give me
chills

warm spot,
curled up cat
hugging heater

puffy juncos in
snow covered pine
busy bird buffet

Cowboy

2009-12-06T21:45:00.000-08:00

wyoming cowboy
warms my heart with texts
from cold coal pit

call from snowfall
while watching surfing
class on warm beach

simple life, desire
everyday survival
to modern world

Winter Scarf

2009-11-30T11:28:00.000-08:00

cradled wood in truck beds
snow dusting cowboy hats
at mid-day chat by road

mountain wearing
a gray fluffy snow cloud
like a winter scarf

warm noodle bar
in downtown albuquerque
on a cold city street

Rough Roads

2009-11-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

every
electric pole
a raptor

every
grassy field
a cow

every
empty highway
a cop

mountains portruding
like jagged white teeth
from grasslands

down the
roughest roads
delightful places

Dark Wilderness

2009-11-21T08:53:00.000-08:00

- alone -
dark wilderness
gnashing it's teeth

crescent moonrise
peeks over dark canyon
ribbon sky blue bright

eerie bull's echo
bouncing off canyon walls
ground vibrating

yip-yap cries and howls
ripple in quick waves from
excited coyotes

Snow

2009-11-16T07:39:00.000-08:00

red mountains calling
fresh powder of snow
frost pines higher up

dog eating
the fresh snow
paw prints

wet gloves
high above the city
snowball fight

icicles decorating
the large boulders
covered in snow

Enchanting Mistress

2009-11-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

the red mountains
luring me further up and in
- an enchanting mistress

red wilderness
lifting her skirts
showing her secrets

Storm

2009-11-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

clouds
blowing in
-rain

thoughts
blowing in
-sadness

drops cascade
off my hood
down cheeks

Behind Juniper Beneath

2009-11-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

"Lay" versus "lie"...I had to look it up. You lay an object, you lie yourself down. Click here for Grammar Girl. Please comment if I still used them incorrectly.

bushy red fur
behind the juniper
a coyote

pine infused breeze
as i lie here with closed eyes
chickadee calls

trail from my house
desert scrub to large pines
unseen red mountain

purple berries
beneath juniper
lay near cones

green pine branches
in the center
jay bright blue

Mustache

2009-11-06T07:33:00.000-08:00

spell cast from
wyatt earp's mustache
now broken - freedom

Claustrophobic

2009-11-04T06:52:00.000-08:00

walls in office
covered with birds
none in my binoculars

that plant
on office shelf
has grown roots

mountain hike
pink valley below
with twinkling lights

when did this
small city get too big
for me to breath?

Moon Rising

2009-11-02T07:11:00.000-08:00

reading till sunset
on top my private hill
overlooking the city

we watched
the moon rise
over the ridge line

hike at night
through juniper and grass
moon lit path

bright full moon
reflecting off
patches of snow

Sprinkled Powder Sugar

2009-10-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

white cold mountains
the chickadees came down
for bird seed and warmth

backyard pine and aspen
now full of mountain bird calls
fight with the sparrows

looks like God
sprinkled powder sugar
on the mountains

its hard to
drive to work
when the seasons change

Fat White Snowflakes

2009-10-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

puffy white snowflakes
falling outside my window
still golden leaf trees

blue hand knitted hat
covered in fat white snowflakes
my run to the car

as snowflakes melt on
my wool coat, I notice a
new shade of gray sky

Sick

2009-10-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

wind howls outside door
wrapped in warm blankets, I'm sick
pills litter the room

I had swine flu.

Sparkling Gem

2009-10-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

through the pine branches
is a sparkling orange gem
floating on red river

sliver of orange glow
between the puffy dull clouds
and the dark mesa

painting the landscape
the sun an adroit artist
magical pink light

Against the Fiery Red

2009-10-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

day painted blue
against the fiery red
tall dark shadow grips

Gloomy

2009-10-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

gloomy clouds
spent the night
more rain today

droplets of water
cling to the tips
on the yucca plant

more yellow leaves
fall off the cold trees
into new puddles

Blitz!

2009-10-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

There is quit a thunder storm outside my window at work right now. "Blitz" is the German word for lightning, but in English it refers to a military invasion, most likely derived from WWII. So I combined the German and English meanings.

blitz blazes through sky
heavy rain falls like arrows
from fat gray generals

october raindrops
stick lazily on window
gray light fills the room

Wandering Around Watermelon

2009-10-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

back stretch
watermelon peak
and dog

spots blur
through the juniper
tail wags happy

sun-kissed horizon
the mountains glow red
hike home in the dark

Two Missed Calls

2009-10-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

two missed october calls
an old voice mail from march
your voice on my phone...save

rainy texas breeze
dark clouds swallow the sunshine
mud on these truck tires

blanket of rain made
the cowboy run to his truck
palms laugh in the wind

Bad Day!

2009-10-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

water exploded
out of cup in my anger
lemons on the floor

wish i could cross
those burned bridges
leading to friends

deep sadness
and don't
know why

no one
to talk to
,sadness

i miss you caring
about me when no one else
cares at all, lonely

i texted
my ex
depressed

ocean of sadness
clouds cry
lost in a big storm

Warm Cinnamon, Cold Days

2009-10-05T07:42:00.001-07:00

crowded pine branches
do not sing like the fresh spring
but wait for fall seed

warm cinnamon rolls
baked from scratch
on a cold october day

sky filled
with five hundred
bright balloons

coco in one hand
green chili burrito in
other, balloon sky

Yellow Leaves

2009-10-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

door blown open
in the middle of sleep
cold october wind

the aspen trees
on my mountain
just turned yellow

from my balcony
beautiful sandia peak
a cold wind blows

small bird
blown out of pine tree
outside work window

coat worn
first time
since spring

German Fun

2009-09-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

eucalyptus breath
calm nerves
beads of sweet

geriatric germans
bobbing buoyantly
wrinkly and wet

lights
ferris wheel
beer

german carnies
hitting on me
he was scared to ride

young man, long apron
looks bored at the slushy stand
oktober rings near

big boobs
squeezed into
bavarian dress, beer

flashing flickering
dancing prancing
colorful lights

dozens of dangling
legs on the ride
zip up zip down

he works the lights
in the german opera house
free late fall show

paper pen scissors
artistic regional words
actors dressed in black

fish tanks, moss
brightly colored skeletons
modern german art

blond girl
kicking ball
pink shorts

street cafe
old cathedral
sound of skateboards

My Warm German Apartment

2009-09-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

two empty beers
and a half full wine glass
sit on the table

hertz brennen
mit
leiben fuer

red, black, and white
cards in a large pile
pretty lace table cloth

ein bettdenke
zwie hertzen

my wet
polka dot bathing suit
sits on the heater

very german
to have a window
for a bathroom door

die krankenwagen
klinkt
duetsch

i hear the streetcar
line sixty-one
from my window

stale smoke
stale marriage
both linger in room

great american
and french authors
on german shelf

deep breath
snore
streetcar

in silence
grinding of teeth
sweat on brow

big black spider
on white wall
quick, but still dead

the pillow
kisses my head
on cool german night

cool friday night
two rented films
sweet english selected

my german window
open, river breeze
reading about old france

early autumn night
the street car

the church bells
r - i - n - g
every hour

warm blanket
murder stories
cool german night

Game of Solitaire

2009-09-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

always by myself
life - a game of solitaire
waiting here for you.

Stupid Passwords

2009-09-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

work passwords keep me
from doing my daily work
the servers hate me :(

Dog Tears

2009-09-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

mountain nightly breeze
blows through backyard trees
early september

howling dog heartache
left behind for a long hike
forlorn doggy cries

No Grass at All

2009-09-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

best friend envious
i don't have a family, mortgage,
or drive bmw

is the grass greener
when there is no grass at all
on my side of fence

Email Ashes

2009-09-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

i reread the last
of our emails to each other
at peace now

deleted emails
our relationship ashes
blow through cyberspace

left facebook
there was no point
without you in my audience

Someday

2009-09-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

i hope that someday
when i don't hate you so much
we can again be friends

scorned, harsh words said
to make you hate me always
to be free from you

Crushed Flower

2009-08-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

in the front driveway
a lonely crushed flower
rejected and unloved

Haiku Written Under the Full Caribbean Moon

2009-08-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

broken body
to match
broken heart

Spring "Pops" inspired by Jack Kerouac

2009-08-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

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"

2009-08-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

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