Haikuicide

[kdnxdr]

fall of chernobyl
cloud passes over my head
I think about you

[kdnxdr]

grotesque mask that smiles
your home is safe no longer
bad technology

[kdnxdr]

chernobyl's children
spirits trapped in twisted pain
twenty years too long

[kdnxdr]

you are not my child
your agony not my own
how can I help you?

[Ganesha]

Chernobyl's storm cloud
passed over Portland, it left
no pretty rainbow

[Bret]

April heat-
the onion in the cupboard
extends a green shoot

[JRH]

sunshine and showers
golden fields of daffodils
finally feels like Spring

Copyright © 26 April 2006 James R. Hoye

JRH

[poetinahat]

thin ties and lapels
and thick plastic spectacles
nerd? no... Dave Brubeck

[Bret]

after hours-
the pianist nurses
a flat fifth of scotch

[Pat~]

verdant landscape lush

lichen-covered, darkened trees

morning after storm

[Bret]

becoming one-
the dog meditates
on his tennis ball

another

August-
the river enters
a thirsty dog

[Bret]

Haiku Bad Boy Hosai Ozaki

In recent history you'd think of Guns N Roses, Courtney Love or maybe your cousin Carl. People you might party with but would'nt want to live next door to. The flamboyant wild child types who would drink all your beer, borrow money they would'nt payback and generally act out.

Surprisingly, many haiku poets of the past were just such folks. Drunken, irresponsible showboats who had more in common with Jim Morrison than Maya Angelou.

There was a sleazy glamour connected with some haiku scribblers that is in marked contrast with most of today's published haiku poets. Today, writing haiku is "obscure, quaint, and harmless" in the public's mind. It's percieved a pastime of Volvo driving vegetarians. The province of Birkenstock wearing people who own lots of cats and listen to bamboo flute music.

Badly behaved sports and movie stars are front page news when they crash a car, or punch a fan, or release an internet sex video. The word "haiku" does not even exist in network news or in the American print media.

Back in Japanese haiku history, many of their poets were more like "Bluesmen" than our modern concept of a "haiku poet." Some of them could'nt hold a job, got thrown out of everyplace they went, and depended on friends for a place to sleep. (Sounds like rock drummers I know.)

Maybe what the American haiku movement needs is a "Haiku Bad Boy." A furniture breaking maniac who shouts concise and gripping imagery while being wrestled into the back of a police car.

Hosai Ozaki (1885-1926) was the last guy you'd want to marry your sister. He wrote "free verse" haiku back when it just was'nt done. No syllable structure, no season words. This guy was a rebel and a genius.

He was an insurance salesman with a law degree that just could'nt hold a straight gig. He drank like a fish and brought untold irritation and grief to friend, family and employer. After losing his health, his job, his wife, and washing out of polite society, he tried to live as a religious but was thrown out of temples for getting drunk, coming in late, and insulting the priests.

At the height of his writing powers, he reached the end of the line as a sexton in a temple on Shodo Island. His only tasks were weeding and sweeping. He died there eight months later.

His verses are lonely and detached as anything in the tradition. I have a collection of his work called "Right under the big sky, I don't wear a hat" trans by Hiroaki Sato. (Stone Bridge Press.)

All the translations are single line. (like all haiku are in Japanese) It traces his early verse right up to what he wrote in exile. A sampling:


Gazing into the storm's darkness my eyes become lit


Sunflowers hugely turn, this is Manchuria


The mountain sunset graveyard tilts toward the sea


I wake from a nap, only the shadows of tired things


This firefly does'nt glow, its hardened


From the lonely body nails begin to grow


This is one of the books that opened my eyes to new horizons in the genre.

[Ganesha]

oh my such a long
read, I droop and am weary
words are virus's

[warau]

51 pages
of haiku in cyberspace
omnipresent here

[Bret]

Would this the wrong thread for haiku related subjects?

Should something "on haiku" be in its own thread?

[Bret]

clear sky-
amillionstarslean over
their balconies

[poetinahat]

...
I wake from a nap, only the shadows of tired things
...
From the lonely body nails begin to grow

I love those two.

Post away, Bret. You're a great addition to this thread.

My feeling? Posts like this one now and then liven the thread. It's mainly for people to post their own, but I like having something else to, in Archie Bunker's words, "break up the monogamy".

[poetinahat]

hairline crack turns grey
more vivid than the dull white
of the porcelain

[Pat~]

Today, writing haiku is...percieved a pastime of Volvo driving vegetarians. The province of Birkenstock wearing people who own lots of cats and listen to bamboo flute music.


square peg in round hole
you can push and shove and squeeze
but i'll never fit :Shrug:

[Bret]

Not there's anything wrong with Volvo's or vegetarians...;)

[D.J.]

Yes, Volvo's are great!
husband sells that equipment -
mining, construction.

I'm a carnivore -
vegitarian, I'm not
but I love Haiku!

[Bret]

pointing to the fog
where the Golden Gate would be:
the tour guide

[poetinahat]

I picked up a shell
examined it, felt its surface
and dropped it again

[JAlpha]

from dark, sweet release
chocolate sooths the bitter
tongue tingling berries

[warau]

a book in my hand
frail pages full of symbols
I don't understand

[Bret]

Border crossing:
a northbound storm changes
nationalities

[Prosthetic Foreheads]

Green, green ev'rywhere
Outside is a sea of green
Photosynthesis

[poetinahat]

I need to want to
but I don't want to want to
so I do nothing

[Ganesha]

so much nada, yes
avoiding the nothing void
is empty Zero

[poetinahat]

to become perfect
is to be invisible
and therefore alone

[D.J.]

Lazy, summer day
spider across my window
busier than I

[Ganesha]

to be alone now
is to be without someone
now's never alone

[poetinahat]

cigarette ashes
coffee grounds, pencil shavings
and five crisp typed sheets

[Beyondian]

Single drifting yaught
Seen by larger boat sparks thought
and new ideas flow

From simple things, come
crowding pictures, vibrant, loud
wanting to be heard

And as I think of
them and everything they bring
I know, I've found it

Again

[Bret]

the maddening heat:
a bug with an angry face
looks up from the ground

[Godfather]

"Ach, leave me be, huh?"
He is not so subtle today,
begging attention.

[JAlpha]

loquacious friends call
can't tell them to "get a life"
how bout "get a blog"?

[Bret]

dappled sunlight-
a woman's red hair turns
on and off

[Beyondian]

Frantic life pauses
For a few precious moments
To enjoy the veiw

[Lady Cat]

The world closes in
on us until we scream. To
escape, we imagine.

[Bret]

April-
the snowman's hat
reaches the earth

[Godfather]

she's a siren whore,
a typical youth gone old.
damn fine piece of work

[Bret]

a month of rain---
ants bring the darkness
underneath the sill

[Godfather]

a sacrifice shines
something has come from somewhere
only strange are times

[Bret]

apple blossoms---
all the sins of man
spring to mind

[poetinahat]

go west, young man
for when you are older
you will face Eastwood

[PrettySpecialGal]

Kosmo's moon shines bright
overtaking the night sky
yeah, that's amore'...

[Godfather]

don't you look at me
only just the and the that,
ah, i'll never know.

[Bret]

personal effects:
his worry stone keeps
its secrets

[Ganesha]

smell of burnt rubber
fills my nose, I suppose home
is another name

[Bret]

Flamenco guitar
angry black notes swarm
out of the sound hole

and


Flamenco-
the mouth of his guitar is
frozen in a scream

[JRH]

Full Moon comes again
bringing all kinds of strangeness
just like the last one

Copyright (c) 9 May 2006 James R. Hoye

[Beyondian]

Long afternoon drags
Between class and break, frozen
Wishing for completion

[Bret]

august afternoon---
our shadows writhe upon
the hard red clay

[poetinahat]

faceless straphangers
in my life, "people on bus"
in theirs, top billing

[Ganesha]

in theirs top billing
must pay stack gaining in height
worry lines deepen

[Bret]

velvet summer night
amillionstarslean over
their balconies

[Ganesha]

Warm night sky-
amillionstarslean over
their balconies

okay, I love this poem but are we breaking from the chain?

their balconies
lean into the void, black noise
screams hello, then zero

okay, it's me, of course, I am losing it...this is not the chain...my god, so sorry...way too many commas and dots...,sorry,...can I just stop apologizing? apparently not!

[Bret]

apparently not-
her reflection is stuck in
the revolving door

haha! I love commas and dots!

BTW, I have seen an elephant ski. But I was at Marine World and I think everyone else saw it too. ;)

[Ganesha]

pink elephants roar
with blue escaping gasses
"tusk tusk," he whispered

[poetinahat]

talk to me about
difference of opinion
but not in that tone

[rich]

How many great lures,
From impatient casts, still swing
From the tall flora?

(a haiku from my blog--published in Rosebud)

[Bret]

downtime-
the devil's wristwatch
has idle hands

[poetinahat]

the fierce warlord
died, blood raging hot, in battle
bones carved into combs

[Bret]

rorschach test:
a nude girl appears
in the coffee stain

[dorkelf]

With shirt inversely
worn, you walk out in public;
I seek your advice

[Bret]

"buy low, sell high"
the remainder was
glossolalia

[Pat~]

Dueling partners;
Fear takes jab while Hope plants feet,
Wielding sword and shield.

[Bret]

spring---
a document blossoms
from the fax machine

[Godfather]

could somebody please
explain the rules of haiku,
for i am confused.

[Bret]

here are a couple links to some so called rules

http://www.ahapoetry.com/keirule.htm

http://haiku-bananza.com/HowTo.php

http://www.cyberoz.net/city/dhugal/davidson.html

There are a horde of "rules". They conflict with each other and are not possible to follow simultaneously.

Despite the fact that the majority of english language haiku published in journals and anthologies in the last 35 years are less than 17 syllables, we are still passing on the "definition" to succeeding generations that a haiku is

a 17 syllable poem in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.

Why? I don't know. It's puzzling. The syllable count thing is a carry over from early translators who tried to make english syllables conform to the Japanese onji or "sound unit". They cannot directly correspond. For instance the word "Tokyo" counts as five sound units in Japanese and as three in english. There are several essays on why onji are not interchangeable with syllables on line. In Japanese, haiku are written in a single line.

Though 17 onji are considered "mandatory" in Japanese, even they deviate from this rule. Basho wrote non 17 onji haiku sometimes. In Japanese, this famous haiku was 17 onji but check out the english trans.

The old pond
A frog jumps in
The sound of water

it's concise with no "padding." 17 syll adherents often are forced to pad their haiku with unnecessary words or avoid using the best words in order to satisfy an arbitrary syllable count. Early translators committed the crime of forcing Japnese haiku to conform to 17 english.

the very old pond
a great big frog jumps into
the sound of water

the 17 syll version is bloated.


Aside from the syllable count (which is debated as hotly as religious differences) there is the season word debate which advocates for the inclusion of something that fixes the haiku's location on the calendar. It may be a holiday, month, season. "Spring" requires no further explanation but you might refer to gardening, ice skating, daylight savings time, the world series, anything that indicates the time of year.

There are some zealots that claim "It's not a haiku without a season word".

There are those who decry the presence of the author in a haiku believing the writer should not be present in the scene.

Senryu however, are the "haiku" that deal with human activity. for example

home early---
my wife scares the shampoo
into my nose

is a "senryu." Though there are some that are hybrids and blur the line.

There are a great many other controversies that rage like tempests in the tiny haiku teapot. Do a search and be even futher confused.

I don't count sylls. I don't like "extra" words. If a 6 syll first line, a five syll second line, or a three syll third line turns out to be the best rendering, I'll go with that. It shouldn't sound like you are counting. The content and execution should be the prime concern. But, there are plenty who wil argue otherwise. ;)

[Beyondian]

The mirror reflects
My face... differently
not sure how

Winter pauses on
the brink of autumn, chilling
warm then cold again

I wait between two
worlds of life, unsure which way
my path will go

The seasons and me
Together are hovering between
two plains, wondering

where will we fall?

[Ganesha]

flicker of crane's red
tongue: white ball of shivering
lightening on black pond

[Bret]

hall of mirrors-
chasing ourselves
toward the exit

[poetinahat]

procrastination
now as monotone as work
even dreams despair

[Bret]

?

...

!


this is my only syllable free haiku :)

[Ganesha]

!!!! o
.. <8> ..
= /~ l ^

[Bret]

S.E.T.I. project:
glyphs and symbols scroll
across the screen

[Pat~]

linking syllables
making every word count
my two-thousandth post :)

[Ganesha]

^_^
*+*

l_ll_l

lion feline cat
I wonder where you are at
kitty, do come out

[Bret]

unknown---
a gust of wind steals
the suicide note

[Ganesha]

welts on wrists sliced clean
she bought razors at local
store, no one noticed

[P.H.Delarran]

small child with flashlight
eager beam searches for God
campfire spits embers

[Godfather]

I'm gonna post a haiku thats been lost... while I still remember it

not these creaking planks,
nor these rattling bones of mine
can escape judgement

[paprikapink]

Here's one of mine that I saved. Just for hysterical porpoises.

our town

at the fireworks stand
a fine crowd, buying, chatting...
bookstore clerk yawns

[Pat~]

Doorway dejavu
Dangling beads and neon paint
Dress my daughter’s room

[Pat~]

I fall down laughing
convulsed in giggles while he
smiles innocently

[Pat~]

sweet juice drips over
the edge of my lime snowcone;
summertime is here!

[Pat~]

Hearts beat in reverse
Love is source of word and deed
Not result of same


Dyslexic lovers
know L-O-V-I-N-G
is how love is spelled

[Pat~]

while the muse dances
nimble fingers tap in time
on the laptop keys

[Pat~]

the sun, and my stare
shielded by dark sunglasses
watch the world go round

[Pat~]

fingertips tingle
been at computer too long
mind going numb, too

[Jo]

Pat has been busy
retrieving lost syllables
for all to enjoy

:D

[P.H.Delarran]

she worked very hard
to reconcile chaos
you are the Bomb, Pat!

[P.H.Delarran]

our metered stanzas
frolic, carefully measured
on outstretched fingers

[Bret]

a troubled sea but
what looked like distant whitecaps
found the wings to fly

[Bret]

wind scatters gravel---
without answering the phone
I know its you

[Bret]

that girl i loved
her name became a ghost town
that sighs in the wind

[Pat~]

all those memories
blow like tumbleweeds through the
ghost town of my mind

[Godfather]

Dissatisfaction,
it's emblazoned on your face
like a burning flag

[Bret]

empty farmhouse---
vandals have
gouged out your eyes

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

***

By the way, if anyone for any reason happened to have hung on to any of the haiku's I posted in the 'chain, chain, chain' thread I'd be really grateful to have them. I didn't do back-ups. (Feels immensely stupid.)

[P.H.Delarran]

moonless sky
faint glow tranquilizing scent
white oleander

[Bret]

the world looks scary---
must I be forced to view it
from out of a skull?

[kdnxdr]

what is good for me
might not be so good for you
the lines blur in love

[Godfather]

you are all you have,
behold the righteouss man. Keep
what you have in you.

One day it will sing,
yourself and just your fine self
will know who you are.

[rich]

I've a lot to say

but don't want to kill more trees

so I do haiku

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Godfather]

a friend of mine died,
never meant harm, but got killed...
was reckless sometimes

[Bret]

empty farmhouse---
an eyeless doll stares into
the past under the porch

[Bret]

sweet peas---
I too curl my hands
into empty air

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[poetinahat]

a handwritten scrawl
on a beer-stinking coaster:
"Call me! - Prince Charming"

[P.H.Delarran]

cracked and torn open
flesh extracted piece by piece
king crab, dinner's crown

[poetinahat]

black crawls up to white
tan turns its soft back to black
at night, tan is blue

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Rivana]

thanks for the rep point
and working through all hours
for our enjoyment

***

nice, Pat.

[Bret]

long distance:
unable to hear your words
over lonely wind

[poetinahat]

sail: unframed canvas
lashed to pole and cross-piece
bends wind to my will

[Bret]

pear blossom scent:
girls are better kissers
she decides

[Bret]

stillness--
the sound of the heat hangs
in the windchimes

[Ganesha]

lips twitch under knife-
your jaw gone, no tongue: I weep
missing all your words

[Godfather]

There is something --
something that lives in a man,
that can save our lives

[poetinahat]

wide-wandering boy
comes home to a life of grey blooms
and pockets of pence

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Bret]

newspaper headlines:
the ink stains my hands
and everything else

[Godfather]

A mad mans embrace
is sobering when it comes,
and sanitising.

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Godfather]

some thing on the chain I was too late for

seek eternal life,
in a temporary world.
and days won't matter.

[Rivana]

Nice GF. :-)

***
(removed by Rivana)

***

[poetinahat]

a blameless life, crushed
like a roach on the floorboard
for mere convenience

[Bret]

room temperature:
the merlot with dinner
retains the day's heat

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Godfather]

hookers in the street,
women can work anywhere
but they can't be me.

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Bret]

butterfly dream-
Am I now Heather Locklear
dreaming I'm with me?

[emeraldcite]

cricket bends a blade
of grass, swooping low to play
a sweet summer song.

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[emeraldcite]

You can sit and watch
the bamboo grow, caging you
like a tamed lion.

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[emeraldcite]

Sometimes, the air is
not enough. Sometimes the fire
cannot keep me warm.

[Rivana]

love sparring with you emerald. ^o^

***
(removed by Rivana)

[emeraldcite]

When the sun arrives
the winged creatures of the night
seek shelter from shame.

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Bret]

July heat---
sunlight strikes my skin at
386,000 miles per second

[Pat~]

sizzling summer day
heat waves dance above pavement
warm tar sticks to shoes

[P.H.Delarran]

hot july evening
musky air thick on damp flesh
hydrangea droops

[emeraldcite]

The last few haiku
are complaining quite a bit.
Must be pretty hot.

[LimeyDawg]

The heat cooks my mind
turning food for thought into
a breeze of hot air

[poetinahat]

nineteen eighty four
i knew then, in manchester,
music was perfect

[LimeyDawg]

Bruce Dickinson sang
in Ipswich that year. Perfect
place to bang your head

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[LimeyDawg]

cool nights soothe my soul
Whippoorwill and cicada
sing a lullaby

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[emeraldcite]

The dark matter in
your eyes moves me like a red
giant out in space.

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Ganesha]

in the sand you lay
ain't I grand you say, your face
fades with the new dawn

[P.H.Delarran]

purple orbs
devour sunlight,wizen
box of raisins

[LimeyDawg]

"who are you?" I ask
my nemesis who stares back
from the mirrored glass

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[LimeyDawg]

true experience
holds love in check from folly;
a slippery clutch

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[LimeyDawg]

a soft faerie's touch
and your sweet scent on the wind
ghosts from another time

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[LimeyDawg]

fireflies in summer
magic dance-lights hide them well
faeries in disguise

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[LimeyDawg]

In dreams they whisper
soft truths to my weary soul
light kisses wake me

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[LimeyDawg]

sunlight streams softly
through gossamer thin curtains
gentle morning kiss

[JRH]

Summertime

string and hook and worm
dangled from the old bridge head
catching fish a bonus
________

sprinkler twirling 'round
as joyful children frolic
beating summer heat
_____

open fire hydrant
flooding the city street
children dance and play
______

swimming in sunshine
wearing oceans of sun block
mosquitos feasting

Copyright 11 Feb 2005

JRH

[JRH]

Oasis

nothing so precious
sips of life-giving water
neath desert's hot sun

Copyright © 14 Nov 2004 James R. Hoye

JRH

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[P.H.Delarran]

transporting dreamers
to destinations
steal horses chug, puff

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Pat~]

Ten, nine, eight, seven
Six, five, four, three, two, one--sold!
Ebay bid is won!

[Bret]

sudden flight:
blackbirds briefly
form one blackbird

[emeraldcite]

signals in the flame:
dancing licks of fire form
a body engulfed

[wordsheff]

Haiku: to sustain
Mental penetration of
Some exquisite warmth.

[P.H.Delarran]

that's the way of things
a skein of yarn unravels
from either end

[Bret]

a well built haiku-
room enough for two strangers
to hide from the rain

[paprikapink]

quick habit to make
taking your last line as my first
hard habit to break

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[P.H.Delarran]

clap your hands, five beats
deliver seven crisp notes
make one thought two

[wordsheff]

Will the poet who
Writes about death in life, write
about life in death?

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[wordsheff]

Haiku of bamboo,
Panda bears like haikus, too
(not bears, more racoons).

[LimeyDawg]

Writer's block takes me
images struggle through the mud
without clarity

[Bret]

graveside visit:
the irony of
freshcut flowers

[Pat~]

Spicy stew brewing;
Gave the pot one final stir,
Then left the kitchen.

[poetinahat]

commuters like bats
carom off subtle cushions
of personal space

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Bret]

sundown, wine gone
our bed is drunken
our bed is glory

[emeraldcite]

Lately I've wondered
why there is so much hatred.
there ought to be peace.

[Pat~]

Indian footsteps
Lighter than the falling snow
On the hunter’s trail

[Bret]

beside
the haz mat storage-
marigolds!

[poetinahat]

memorial day
navy turns to colourblaze
madras plaid is back!

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[emeraldcite]

The Mariana
Trench is more than a mouth on
the face of the world.

[Bret]

softly
nightfall fills the chimney
with soot

[Bret]

morning glories---
where the stars hide
when the sun comes out

[LimeyDawg]

The Red Wheelbarrow
shows that too much can be made
of nothing at all

[Bret]

you just gave me deja ku

[LimeyDawg]

Well, I think there's a cream that can help get rid of it

[Bret]

apply directly to the forehead
apply directly to the forehead
apply...

[emeraldcite]

The Red Wheelbarrow
shows that too much can be made
of nothing at all



But nothing at all
can be more than it appears.
Have you read Nietzsche?

[emeraldcite]

you just gave me deja ku

Well, I think there's a cream that can help get rid of it

apply directly to the forehead
apply directly to the forehead
apply...

You should not reply
unless you can fit your words
in five-seven-five.

[Bret]

haiku police state:
a cop with an abacus
behind the billboard

;)

[emeraldcite]

haiku police state:
facist ruler beats you with
zen simplicity.

[Ganesha]

I sit Zazen, you
flirt with her, the nubile
she is attractive

[poetinahat]

tumble from your mouth
words that sink slowly, like smoke
and smash, like feathers

[LimeyDawg]

haiku police state:
facist ruler beats you with
zen simplicity.

free the form you wretch
I scream in bitter protest
Revolution ho!

[LimeyDawg]

Well, I think there's a cream that can help get rid of it
For all that ails you
science has the perfect cream
sweet silky relief

(I expect to receive a pardon from the governor, lol)

[ddgryphon]

today leaves no mark
tomorrow or yesterday
lather rinse repeat

[LimeyDawg]

But nothing at all
can be more than it appears.
Have you read Nietzsche?

Sure, I've read Nietzsche
once, on a sunday morning
without Cottonelle

[emeraldcite]

Who knew having a
bad day was like being grain
in the thresher's grip?

[LimeyDawg]

A bad day, say you.
You know nothing of grandmas
out of thier Depends

[kdnxdr]

green palmetto palms
sway after ocean's sweet sent
paradise in heat

[Bret]

shrapnel pocked wall---
part of a woman's shadow
is embedded there

[kdnxdr]

nature is a creek
quiet humble meandering
of contemplation

[Bret]

Lebanese tourist-
postcards from an F-16
fall from the sky

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Ganesha]

The Mariana
trench weeps for all life and will
stop all emotion

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Bret]

news from the front---
a mother trembles under
the weight of hope

[Bret]

smoke break---
the building's weight rests against
the intern's back

[Ganesha]

shadows fly across
my face, I am facing north-
east, the moon is full

[Rivana]

(removed by Rivana)

[Bret]

Hot July wind---
I can see depravity
in her plain brown hair

[P.H.Delarran]

in a brown uniform
summer grass stands
alert but unprepared

[Bret]

three's company:
is the cocktail hostess
flirting with my wife?

[P.H.Delarran]

harmlessness
wears many disguises
flirtation beckons

[Bret]

just in case:
each day i practice remorse
in front of a mirror

[P.H.Delarran]

reverse images
are easy to forget while gazing
at my better side

[Bret]

staring in the mirror
i forget
which one i am

[Bret]

Henry Cowell Park---
the river trail runs away
from the day's cares

[Beyondian]

Glistening gold seas
Flicker, shift, and move, sprouting
white fish, like snowdrops

Red plains surge, angry,
Prickling with armoured warriors
screaming their war-chants

White-dressed mountains rise,
give birth to wolf-packs, baying
at three perfect moons

A rocky ocean
Forms, full of black, red, sharpness,
threats of danger

FANGS, dropping swiftly,
attached to hairy, ghastly,
mouths, hungry for prey

Gem-stone walls shimmer,
sending light-fingered trails of
beams over the world

Thus are the worlds of
Imagination, wild, free,
beautiful, and mine

[Godfather]

I shout and offend,
show an undesirable
when I'm insulted.

I shout and offend,
inspire you to whisper,
when I'm insulted.

[emeraldcite]

Lifting you up high,
I dance you through the rainclouds,
bathe you in glory.

[Ganesha]

stare in the mirror
and I reflectively swear
you're better looking

[emeraldcite]

Fresh corpses shambling.
Dawdle and you’ll be a feast:
human recycled.

[PrettySpecialGal]

She so longed to go
And I prayed for her, but now
I cry for my loss

[Ganesha]

the dead mumble so
I can barely hear the hum
of trafficking souls

[Godfather]

There's bad news in town,
there's an empty room upstairs,
Haskins has checked out.

[Godfather]

There's bad news in town,
there's an empty room upstairs,
Haskins has checked out.

[Godfather]

There's bad news in town,
there's an empty room upstairs,
Haskins has checked out.

[Godfather]

There's bad news in town,
there's an empty room upstairs,
Haskins has checked out.

[Godfather]

Now the train rolls in
and the sun rises again,
a friend just checked in.

lets remember that
our brother's here; the man called
poetinahat