WALKING ON THIN ICE

church bells, michigan cold, cleveland snow

I received these 12 senryū/haiku as blog comments from six different poets artists this past month.

Some say haiku are about nature and the four seasons while senryū are about people, usually in a funny way.

Poet Jack McGuane says it this way:
SenryÅ«–Inquiry into the nature of humankind.
Haiku–Inquiry into the nature of the universe.

Seems to me poems about petting a cat or watching a cloud explore nature nature, human nature, and universe nature all at the same time– it’s all universal on various levels, so each is the other and neither just its own.

Here are the 12 comments in reverse order of arrival.

~ ~ ~

Wife, cat, health, talent
humankind, universe, both
the same, senryū-haiku

– Jack McGuane

~ ~ ~

shoveling snow
from cleveland sidewalk
just to see some green

– Ray McNiece

~ ~ ~

Wash hands before kiss wife,
gargle before wash hands, shit
first, get swine flu shot.

– Jack McGuane

~ ~ ~

the economy
is some dumbass bullshit that
i don’t subscribe to.

– fake dada [sumbitch]

~ ~ ~

who would jesus bomb?
imaginary people
cannot bomb people.

– fake dada [sumbitch]

~ ~ ~

Morning Smith haiku
glows from screen, illuminates
small wan winter day.

– Melissa Jay Craig aka Field Marshall May Midwest

~ ~ ~

the wife is sleepin’
unfortunately she snores
that’s why i nudge her.

– fake dada [sumbitch]

~ ~ ~

lots of haiku no
zing throw out haiku keep zing
zen for next haiku

– Jack McGuane

~ ~ ~

Gazing out the win-
dow I see naked trees and
no heat from sun

– Jack McGuane

~ ~ ~

shivering inside
not liking the ice and snow
Michigan cold sucks

– Rune Warrior

~ ~ ~

i do the left shoe
& then i do the right shoe
ev’ry fuckin’ time.

– fake dada [sumbitch]

~ ~ ~

keyboard sits quiet
room is dark with morning words
I hear the church bells

– Steve Reynolds

~ ~ ~

the cat has 9 lies

Nine cat senryū, one for each of their nine lies.

Cat Man Do

The wife, the cat, me
Energetic trilogy
Symbiotically

The curved cat sleeping
Dreaming wet food affection
Thumbs to open fridge

Cat trying her ‘stare’
Sitting stone still and solemn
Unfed, unhappy

Now it’s all ‘meow’
feed me Feed Me FEED ME NOW
To her tune, not ours

I say to come here
She stares at me in disdain
And goes other way

Two ladies with me
On couch — the missus and cat
Fine ménage à trois

Cat sleeping on wife
Absorbing heat, breath, and soul
Creature of the night

May be worry times
But I have my wife and cat
Some health and talent

Hey cat lump on couch
Perform! Need more senryū
To fill my next blog

serial cereal

I like the short succinct 17 syllables of the senryÅ«/haiku. It’s a match made for capturing moments, the small thoughts that slide away forgotten much of the day.

I’ve been writing 5-10 verses a day and gathering them together under an arbitrary unifying title to publish the next day in blog. These are less a coherent whole than yesterday’s thoughts.

Serial Cereal

Electronic beeps,
Techno ringtones, hit song squawks
I hate Cell Fone Land

Night, I mull the day
Weigh where wrong could have been right
Suck lesson from loss

I got my I.Q.
But then so do you you fool
Both just making do

These are some weird times
I eat baked goods and sugar
to deal with the stress

When asked how I was
I replied that I endure
It’s got me this far

We’re all people
Picky and pesky in part
Even the heroes

Sleep eases body
Flesh mind in seamless ease
Through pockets of pain

Sometimes sleep slides us
One trouble to another
With but dream between

Darkness go away
Negativity be gone
Play some other day

ying yang yodel

Ying Yang Yodel

*

Morning Moment

She sits her cup down
In slow motion black ripple
Coffee steam rising

*

Recharge

Hug as we cuddle
A few kisses in passing
Two best being one

*

Sexual Healing

Inside explodes out
Organism orgasm
As outside creeps in

*

Reboot

Gaggle of giggles
Free form fee fie fiddle flow
Laughter in the lane

*

Blue Monday

Her mind mental mud
From stress and insomnia
She no like her see

*

Wound Harbor

She bites herself like
A creature caught in a trap
Gnawing at freedom

*

Backside the Mirror

We will get through this
Reality that neither
Of us understands

*

Steady State

Too often we whine
As we wiggle away from
The good in the bad

six senryū in search of an umbrella

Six Senryū in Search of an Umbrella

~ ~ ~

Don’t Look Back

The daylight frolics
But darkness always lingers
Looking for its chance

~ ~ ~

Good Grief

My stupidity
Today forgets yesterday’s wisdom
Ignorance redux

~ ~ ~

Memes, Myself and Lie

Slogans prowl my brain
Because my mean meme machine
Copies loops within

~ ~ ~

Dichotomy

How now is thou thine
Your inner and outer mind
Sunshine and shadow

~ ~ ~

Chronozone

Yesterday’s guilt grows
In today’s uncertainty
Original sin

~ ~ ~

Recovery

Bu Han tea blossom
Swells in grays and reds and greens
Hot wet aroma