These are haiku/senryu I’ve published on Threads. Each is preceded by the day’s single-word prompt by @haikufeels
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portend
October waxes —
portends haikuists’ scribblings —
full moon; an owl hoots
hex
I’m 37 —
a youth, a spring chicken in
hexadecimal
pass
The hours will pass
with my eyes closed or open
— I choose awareness
lesson
Don’t cheap out, Gramps said,
less’n that'll cost you more
over the long term
feather
Light as a feather,
the good days — and the others,
as heavy as lead
study
Study: verb or noun?
I am happiest doing
one in the other
sing
Old friend Walt Whitman
sings the body electric —
mine sputters and sparks
prickle
I like a srandwich
with prickle and tromato,
mrustard and mrayo
lather
Meetings, deadlines, Slack
have me all in a lather —
thank goodness for rain
sail
An introduction —
no ego, kindness, delight —
and hopes set sail
enforce
Diet of kindness
enforces a regimen
of kindness returned
crawl
Four-thirty Friday
Work week not yet done: email
Time slows to a crawl
diet
The corporate life
a diet of stress and strain
paycheck and no more
clasp
Putting in edgers.
Quick work? No. Just down, old roots.
Digging hands clasp time.
gouge
A glacial cleft,
a gouge in the horizon —
young iceberg is free
graze
In hindsight, their slights
only grazed me — one needn’t
be quite so wounded
slither
All eyes are on him —
they listen with rapt regard —
envy slithers in
hear
Standing stock-still — now,
an hour after parting,
hearing what he said
exit
When I sit — just sit —
for a while, watching the clouds —
ego slips away
bait
Midge on pond water,
free, fearless — alas for fish,
there’s a string attached
classify
Among other Wednesdays,
this one falls in the middle —
hump of the bell curve
summer
At Labor Day’s end —
equinox notwithstanding —
summer’s a lame duck
horseback
"O Muse, we are lost!"
I cried until hoarse, back
when I knew we’d fail
summer
At Labor Day’s end —
equinox notwithstanding —
summer is a lame duck
landscape
Each soul a landscape
of feeling: dull plains, bright peaks;
crevasses; quicksand
act
O Staff Meeting! Thou
art Shakespearean in thy
cunning treacheries
rip
Leave me high and dry —
I’m fine. Tell me I don't try —
my heart rips in two
prompt
Friday feet seek porch
and sunset, end of strife, like
soft rain weeps downhill
navigate
Life, though short, is long
No two decades are the same
River rapids; rocks
repeat
Arise. Black coffee.
Slack messages await.
Thus the rent is paid.
wear
He wears his summer
like a brown glory — nineteen
months old, triumphant
conjure
Sea, sand, family —
and work deadlines all on pause —
conjure simple peace
monsoon
Monsoon is the wind
that carries the rain — power
of metonymy
sunburn
What of Icarus
and his nose? feathers, wax, yes —
did it tan, or peel?
evict
Eve, icked out by snake’s
over-eager sales pitch,
casts doubt on apple
focus
Attention’s spotlight
drifts away from Slack, spreadsheets —
rain on windowpane
learn
Feet and time trace paths
on the rug and down the hall
— our places learn us
planet
Planet: wanderer
in Greek, dwelling at home in
no constellation
choose
Raindrop on tree branch —
debating on when to fall?
If not now, then when?
leak
Today’s roof leak —
nature’s probing fingers seek
future time’s ruins
pbpaste | ./haifmt prompt
roll
A lakeside sunset —
waves roll forth, then whisper back
on into dark night
fuse
A well-used candle
and its dish, cold and solid —
fused in work well done
journal
Journal cover is
a coffee-ring palimpsest —
layered thoughts within
plummet
As lemmings to cliffs,
we charge ahead, cluelessly,
until the plummet
spread
Western setting sun
spreads orchid, rose, and amber
wide to eastern sky
leak
Today's roof leak —
nature's probing fingers seek
future time's ruins
smolder
Old hurts still smolder,
flaring into flame at the
breath of fresh contempt
vessel
Pottery shards in
dark earth — a vessel of hopes
old, maybe broken
lazy
Be not fooled — lazy
river carries along a
continent of silt
rile
Stones in the river —
seaward flow disrupted —
riled, then smoothed out
lawless
Birds at the cat dish —
no remorse, no recompense —
feline law withheld
tackle
With block and tackle,
heavy loads are lifted by
weak hands — and much rope
moment
"I am not sleepy!"
In times of such great moment,
child’s power stands tall
lug
To carry regrets
is human; to let them go
is a gift to self
lecture
Etymology
of lecture is just reading —
more peaceful that way
wise
Following Socrates,
I’m wisest when admitting,
at last, I know squat
pollen
Panspermia is
pollination, but on a
galactic scale
wine
In the wine-dark sea,
raft smashed, Ulysses was free —
“I’ll swim for it”
monarch
Death mask made of gold —
Gaze on glory, ye who see! —
tourists in flip-flops
tarry
On late autumn porch,
sun now sets earlier — dusk —-
time enough
commit
Sins tabulated:
envy, pride, sloth, crankiness —
we forgive ourselves
rebuild
Decades in I know
not all is best the first time —
we rebuild, better
lease
Life itself — to lease,
not own — borrow and return,
parents to children
reuse
Read old books with eyes
open — re-use old lessons,
make your own new ones
observe
Sparrow overhead —
silent, head tilted — watching
my every errand
subtract
Joy is added to
by random acts of kindness
— petty spites subtract
machine
Show me a machine
that makes me happier — then
I'll buy it, else no
mature
Middle-school humor,
fifty-year-old humor have
surprising overlap
layer
Sudden rages burst —
Why? Acquiescence thinly
layered on old pain
manage
How did Mom manage
job, Dad, us two kids fighting?
Too late to ask her
leap
"Pleased to meet you", smile,
and turn — no great leap to guess:
no love is lost there
collect
In my sixth decade —
regrets, joys, hopes collected —
interests compounded
sleep
To sleep, perchance to
wake not icked out by spawn of
my subconscious mind
jump
You cough behind me —
so hilariously, I
jump out of my skin
paint
While I'm awaiting
"Your call's important to us!",
paint on wall peels
squash
Microaggressions
ruin life's joys, bleed soul dry,
squash optimism
compose
The way she kissed me,
poetry composed itself —
oh so long ago
hold
Snared between bear's teeth —
salmon flips and away — scarred,
freedom is better
knit
Rain tapping on roof;
heartbeats gathered together
underneath, close knit
glitch
Noble bird spies cave —
warm, inviting, food within —
one glitch — window pane
glide
Goose, wings wide, gliding
low over river water —
I would trade places
seethe
At age seventeen
I could not wait to get out —
incessant seething
quench
Plunged hissing, steaming,
into cold water — red-hot
iron now cold, cruel
acquire
Post-breakup move-out:
not happy, yet occasion
to lighten the soul
nudge
With a nudge of oar
one is afloat on water,
unmoored from worry
canoe
Full moon glints jumbled
on inky river ripples —
paddle pulls homeward
volunteer
She planted daisies
every year, my grandma, then
— behold — hydrangea
buy
Every time you say
I'm just over-sensitive
I'm not buying it
gallop
Waiting quietly,
showing no worry — inside,
a galloping heart
stall
Unsavory task
is ready for me to work
on it ... excuses ...
evade
But how was _your_ day?
I hasten to add, hoping
you'll follow the slip
conclude
Office workday ends
Drink on porch with beloved
The sun sets; meaning
knot
In knots, I say what
I fear leaving unsaid — I
hang on your reply
whole
Four billion years old —
bruised, pockmarked, pummeled, cratered —
still a whole moon
sauce
Silent resentments,
simmering hot and red like
a sauce, bubbling
solid
Eons of waves make
sand into stone — still solid,
yet differently so
stay
It is cold outside —
no hurrying meteors —
let’s wait a bit more
connect
Stuck for long delay
side by side on the metro —
someone cracks a joke
twist
The oldest of trees
rises not straight and easy
but twisted, like pain
divide
Rocky Mountain drop
of rain lands on summit and
teeters, east, or west ...
plant
Asphalt sidewalk, once
during civilization's
peak — now broken, green
curl
Ancient paint curls
and flakes, which once lay flat — in
motion we don't see
begin
Seven years estranged —
eyes sideways, hesitating —
mouth opens to speak
relish
Workplace victory
is yours — are you happy now,
relishing your ruse?
mother
mother
This day, at my age,
no need for card or phone call —
smile; remember her
cast
Late-night cringy thoughts —
those I've ever mistreated —
a cast of thousands
eat
The center can hold —
spider cafeteria —
a web of flies
fence
A look of distaste —
your face falls as I walk up —
never mind, I'll go
zigzag
Life goals from day one?
No, I'd say I'm getting there
caroming like a pinball
lounge
Atop arm of couch,
domesticated killer
flicks tail and squints
garden
Stranger on metro,
silent — what hopes dwell within?
A garden of their own
swim
Under the kayak
swim fish unseen — tending to
errands of their own
sew
Mom reading aloud
to us when young — forever
sewn in memory
move
Lying still as mud,
in my chest a tap of pulse —
never motionless
carve
One patient river
and millions of years — just wait —
made the canyon grand
scrub
I love spring leaves — but —
car bedazzled with pollen —
it needs a good scrub
abuse
What went wrong? To start,
“you’re just imagining things”
did us no favors
recycle
Out in the forest —
no leaf rake, scooping, or bags —
a thick palimpsest
reform
Chastised, we regret
while planning next steps — to wit:
don’t get caught next time
shoot
Meteor’s demise —
billion years, silent orbits —
seconds of bright flame
nap
The job pays the bills
and I do need to eat — but
oh, to nap sometimes ...
value
White snow — no nuts seen —
but our squirrel friend
knows where each one is
turn
Beard greys as leaves turn —
mind toward knowledge ever yearns —
old passions still burn
punish
Many will shame you
for wanting their honesty —
parents, or partners
embrace
Catch-all cooking tip:
when in doubt, add more garlic —
embrace the moment
discover
Blank sky, calm water —
then, with goggles, dive below —
intricate marvels
mask
Microaggressions
leave me not angry enough
to fight — just despair
enlist
After the big scene —
truly asking, please tell me —
was I the jerk there?
unwind
Modern-day irony:
getting up to exercise —
best way to unwind
flick
The cat is now “fed”,
inasmuch as there’s a dish
of food — tail flick — bye
eclipse
My heart has broken
so many times — yet with you
all else pales behind
suspect
Weekly staff meeting —
one person is defensive —
another sits smug
permit
Saturday morning —
no to-do list, no guilts tripped —
consciousness can wait
pay
One more drink can’t hurt — ?
Except at my age, oh yes,
by morning it will
ghost
Fifty years they had —
good ones, both said — reminders
of the possible
discount
Discounting the risks,
our friend chicken crossed the road
for reasons untold
rest
Turtle on day off,
northbound geese coasting mid-flight —
rest is relative
prank (April 1 2024)
There once was a poet named Anne
who cooked up an internet plan
to inspire haiku
in the hearts of all you
but Fools’ Day is now here at hand
elope
Paper and scissors
have finally worked it out —
poor rock, all alone
lie
On riverbed floor
lies a stone cast in anger
eight hundred years ago
scam
Palaces and yachts;
hovels, starvation; all on
an abundant earth
dream
As cats chase mouse toys,
humans chase dream homes, cars, wealth —
ever compulsion
rinse
After desert rain,
once-dusty streets now glisten
momentarily
drive
High up and southward
geese beat their wings, veeing heads-
first into cold rain
lift
Spring pollen arrives —
much aloft — and to my nose —
another tissue
embark
Drop of melting ice
quivers on hillside tree branch:
ocean, here I come
guess
Wondering if this
will go well — already your
jaw sets — I guess not
want
For want of a nail
the shoe was lost — alas, poor
tilty three-shoed horse
have
Of all the moments
that ever were, only one,
only now, is ours
nod
Flowers nod in breeze
— cliché, I know — sorry, folks —
a long day at work
wash
Arroyo, wadi,
wash: shaped like a river, but
dry almost always
sacrifice
Green leaves without rain
All droop; seven green, three brown
How are they chosen?
drizzle
Drizzle all morning
No punctuation — and then
a crack of thunder
soak
Five days of rain now
and still counting — rivulets
wending riverward
snag
Just one more thing, sir —
before you board the airplane —
have you your passport?
tidal
Locked eternally
facing Earth’s aches — does the moon
wish for innocence?
drift
Sit, said Master Thay,
like a pebble drifting down
to rest in water
tumble
Twisting river, roar
approaching, fall of water,
down to stones below
hike
We climbed that mountain
Above the clouds, fog all around —
a different heaven
accident
It was a third date —
Mom and Dad had barely met —
and now here I am
lullaby
Gentle roof murmurs
Open-window petrichor
Night rain soothes the soul
bend
Breeze bends through curtains
as light as memory, heavy
as wistful regret
vacant
Uncircled peace signs
end abruptly in mid-beach —
shorebird has flown away
river
Long runs and rushes —
the ancient seaward river
folds, turns, flows through time
fickle
The weather, and cats —
what else is fickle? My own
creativity
cake
Baby elephant
caked with mud, small and forlorn —
Mom’s nasal shower
meditate
Still air, pond, hot sun
Dragonfly alights on stem —
waits, and longer waits
assemble
Sidewalk scattering —
O Pigeon Optimism! —
there aren’t enough seeds
pick
Seagull drops a clam
to the stony shore below —
dines on the halfshell
cut
Orchard branches pruned —
in with good, out with bad — but
who wields the knife?
need
Becalmed in mid-sea,
three side-eyeing sailors wait
for a hint of breeze
weave
Final breath — she let
loose strands of life she had so
carefully woven
question
Grey clouds hang shaggy
Like sheep’s untended belly wool
Hints of maybe rain
design
Brand-new spider web
Bead of water glints in sun
No insects fooled yet
paddle
Mallard pair: brown, green
On water, silence — before
and after rainfall
see
Always five stars: six,
one night — what solar system’s
birth or death unfolds?
exclude
Old man and the sea
spoiler alert: fish get caught
No white whale, no sale
request
Mrs. Dalloway
plot summary: rejection
comes back to party
debate
Treeful of swallows;
another dawn; cacophony
ensues, and then flight
describe
Bare, waving branches
describe hopes for the future
upon a grey sky
elicit
Two tentative buds
feeling sun, loosening bonds,
risking a late frost
include
I water my plants
almost as much as I should
green leaves, one yellow
clean
Dishwasher is full
and run. My conscience is clean.
And who needs cupboards.
vibrate
Aspen leaves in fall
A million quivering glints
Hillside ashimmer
fire
Cold ash: job well done
Unburnt wood lumps: you refused
to help out last night
subdue
People are coming
and going, all the day long
Cat squints; tail twitch
play
Hot day in summer
People seek shade and water
Petals sway in breeze
condemn
Century-old home
Now grey and splintered timbers
Sunlight peeks between
reply
Deep cavern, darkness
Water, no sun, no algae
One plink, one echo
sketch
Horizontal sunset
Green tree, black shadow on wall
Two trees side by side
code
Bird chatter fills trees
One certain distant trill — one
wide-eyed bird aroused
stab
Cringing to think of
an ineptitude of mine
thirty years ago
protest
Two cat dishes placed
One whiskered head bows to eat
One raised tail departs
cook
Desert sun’s hammer blows
left me reeling, out of state
seeking shade eastward
negotiate
Past root, bole, and fen,
the many-voiced river wends
murmuring seaward
confused
Eyes closed in the woods
Leaf, bird, bug, deer, snake, mouse sounds
A confusion of lives
retreat
Mouse tiptoes outward
Owl flies low; moon silhouette
A hungry retreat
create
Winter’s first snowfall
Asphalt creations shrouded
Silence surrounding
spend
Snowcloud burdens spent,
silent fields lie sparkling
crisp under starlight
allow
Noonday sun allows
the night storm’s icicles one
brief pendulous drop
add
Snowflakes add, glacier
ancient and ever higher
until the world changes
collapse
Melting icicle
sparkles, drips, not yet fallen —
sword of Damocles
allocate
Beet, pea, cabbage seeds,
hidden all in their rows, sleep
under winter soil
imply
Cold and rainy still
Trees yet twigged and skeletal
Squint to see bud tips
forgive
Rat-a-tat-a-tat
Door slams; woodpecker pauses
Rat-a-tat-a-tat
accept
Leaves curled, they need
water — gratefully they yield
joyful petrichor
laugh
Little icy brook
tumbles laughing over old
dead fallen branches
insist
Green tendrils wending,
like fingers prying barred doors,
up through crumbling brick
remember
Grandfather’s keys, coins,
knife, life gone — leaving only
scratches on old desk
whisper
Late, silent attic
Leafing idly through yearbooks
Memories whisper
educate
Mom and Dad fighting
He won, she lost; he smiled smug
Decades she waited
model
Airplane window seat —
all simple below — one of
my favorite places