~Haikus, Tankas and Rengas~

—‡§§‡—1-10—‡§§‡—

——2-3 July 2004——

Everything in life
Leads to grim finality
It's the daily grind.

Everything I live
Has been touched by high Gods
Replete is my joy.

You think you know me
Yet take no time to think on this
Time waits for no one.

In my memories
Haunting tastes of mangos in
Our mouths and our loves

I wrote a poem
Thinking of you but it did,
Nothing to your heart.

Broken cups and glass
Residue of love and hate.
¿Where is healing touch?

Take for granted naught
For today's joy near & short
Fades away with time.

Take me for granted
And I will never be yours,
My heart flees such bonds.

Obdurate object.
Your heart harder than a stone
Casts away all hope.

One and only love.
Exclusive finality.
¿When will you come near?

—‡§§‡——‡§§‡—​

 

—‡§§‡—11-21—‡§§‡—

——3-5 July 2004——

Sometime lover mine
Came and stayed for awhile
Took with her my heart.

Death impartial
To you perhaps but not me
Took his fill today.

We do not believe
Fate controls our destiny,
It is up to us.

Life replete with things,
Everything has consequence,
In the end all leave.

Rose colored glasses
Tinted our periphery,
See all life gaily.

Feelings of you haunt,
Invade lonely solitude,
Sad this attitude.

There are so many
Articles of deep faith
Bound in daily life.

Your worst critic is,
The woman that lives with Thee,
Heed her advice well.

Death is our best love,
Patiently she bids her time,
Eternity's whore.

She who yells at you,
Is not your foul enemy,
Pride's your fall and end.

—‡§§§§§‡—​

 

—‡§§ ‡—22-32—‡§§‡—


——6 July 2004——

You have been so strange,
You do not love or want me,
Yet you hold on tight.

You should let me go,
I am way too much for you,
Forgive and forget.

Much too big to catch,
You should let this fish go now,
Give up, Try again.

¿Why do you clasp me?
When your words so harsh kill me.
¿Necrophilia?

Your love has been strange,
Neither with me nor without,
Make up your mind now.

If you only knew,
What so deep was in your heart,
You would see disdain.

Do not say you love,
Empty honeyed words for me,
Meaning nothing true.

It fascinates me,
To think that you can find me,
So ordinary.

Go away real soon,
You will make me so happy,
Once you are far gone.

It is really true,
Without you near my world falls
Into dark despair.

—‡§§ ‡—##—‡§§‡—​

 

—‡§§ ‡—33—‡§§‡—

——6 July 2004——

Be careful with words,
As a man I can never whimper
At your gnarl.

¿Why can't you see me?
I know that you dream of love.
Only it's not me.

Your love once cried out,
And my heart reached out to it,
But you turned your back.

The piano soft plays,
Distant melodies of love
And echoes of you.

Diadems of blue,
Turquoise as the summer sky,
Inscribed in gold hair.

Petite and firm breasts,
Beneath a blouse that clings close,
As your breathing heaves.

So serious a smile.
¿Do you keep it when you kiss?
I'll watch curiously.

I like your quiet.
It feels like a Spring meadow,
Or a calm, cool lake.

Two eyes that sparkle,
Haunt me endlessly with blue,
¿How far do they see?

I hope you noticed,
That I noticed you noticed,
My noticing you.

Throw me back into
An ocean or a river,
My heart is riven.

—‡§§§‡—43—‡§§‡—​

 

—‡§§‡—44—‡§§‡—

——6-7 July 2004——

Your hair forms a bun,
I want to undo it all,
And watch it soon fall.

A comb through your hair,
Gently I would daily pass,
'Til death overtook.

In my warm embrace,
You'll find a home forever,
And all of you wrap.

It is not the truth,
That I am obsessed with you,
But there's nothing else.

I don't know if I
Can come home and fight with you too,
When at work I must.

Your tongue is too sharp,
It cuts hearts like a fine knife.
¿Where's your grindstone kept?

You throw barbs like darts,
Pierce & stick inside the soul,
Where no one sees blood.

Happy-sad, Smile-frown,
In this see-saw you drive me.
¿When will I find peace?

A tongue that lashes,
Rapid whips out from your heart.
¿Can't you contain ire?

¿Is it possible,
When you shyly look at me,
That we think the same?

¿What is in your smile?
Frienship only breaks my heart,
Show me tender love.

—‡§§‡—54—‡§§‡—​

 

—‡§§‡—55—‡§§‡—

—§§ 7 -10 July 2004 §§—

Minority we,
Serving in military,
A life of service.

A fool has loose lips,
Wisdom contains words inside,
Very near the heart.

There are some long days,
Full of frustration at work,
When I bare my fangs.

Love is a dull bore,
Focus on One,—Lose the Rest,
All's diversity.

Please do not despair,
Life is short but very sweet,
Love will find a way.

Do not give up yet,
There's years for us to find ways,
To nurture our Love.

Stop your impatience,
It it's worthwhile it needs time;
To seed, sprout & grow.

You doubt me always,
Yet my promises are good.
¿Is this truly Love?

We take-off and land,
Constrained by our armchair rests,
¿Does Life freely flow?

The choice is not mind's,
Presented with a thousand,—
Our heart picks the One.

¿Why do you feel fear?
¿Do you think we control life?
We cannot drive Fate.

—‡§§‡—65—‡§§‡—​

 

—‡§§‡—66—‡§§‡—

—§§ 10 -12 July 2004 §§—

Serendipity,
Magic in a chance event,—
That is what love does.

Cupid is insane,
Arbitrary in his choice,—
Subjugates our Heart.

Continual change,
Yesterday's norm has gone out,—
Now only the new.

All of Life is change.
¿How canst Thou hold on?—¡It's Past!
¿Where goeth Thy future?

Child runs through the house,
Happiness in small footfalls,
Soon she will grow up.

Blond, blue-eyed beauty,
Innocence you are at three,
Flowering bloom soon.

An argument is,
So easily incited,
So hard to forget.

If you bite with words,
Then no Love can ever be,
For all trust will flee.

God gives us many,
Wonderful things to perceive,
Life is glorious.

All I know is change,
Everything daily transmutes,
Nothing fastened is.

It's repetition,
It has all been said before,
Only change, the words.

—‡§§‡—76—‡§§‡—​

 

Haikus 77 to 86

‡—77—‡

10 July 2004
Exist in clear now,
Tomorrow dark illusion,
Present joy exists.

25 July 2004
Bad pizza was worth
This little bit of our thoughts,
We quickly brought forth.

I am at a point,
Where I don't get insulted,—
Easy to move on.

The sun shines brightly,
Fills my window pane with light,—
Yellow it glitters.
Yellow glitter gold. ¿Eternal?

You are so thoughtful
Keeping words close to your heart,
Never releasing.

Brown hair feels like down,
Fluffs and whirls on head softly,
Then tousles around.

Your smile is so nice,
With its wry wrinkles on high,
Filling sky with mirth.

12 August 2004
My constant mistress
Has been dark, deep wide Ocean,
With her killer love.

15 August 2004
Flower—rose button,
Your lips pucker up to kiss—
¿Are they angel breath?

17 August 2004
Magical Hula,
Wansome dance sings songs to life—
¿Can your hands speak truth?​

 

Haikus Written on Tobacco Smoke

September 2004

—

Bitter tobacco—
Cooling sun fades orange,
Sky-pallid grey smoke.

Ashen cloudlets waft up
Shaman prophecy olden—
Summer sky's veil falls.

Thoughts curl snake-smoke
Burnt calligraphy floats up—
Revelation's dawn.

When to put it out?
Sun already fades to moon—
Where goes life this day?

Curls, wisps, foggy bits—
Travel ether's way askance,
Taste,—brown autumn leaves.

Random ashes fall
Residue mist, bitter-leaf—
Childhood dreams burn up.

Ceiling frescoes drawn--
Could it be your hand afar?
Wander smoke,—find her!

Shifting clouds greying,
Accepting sun's final glow—
Tobacco-filled sky.

Prayer calls at dusk
Pensive smoke ponders G-d's will—
Olympians race on.

Long cigar stub glows—
Even bitterness finds joy,
Jasmin-sweet briefness, life.

Smoke filled eyes tear up—
Lavender tinged sky-mirror,
Life consumes itself.

Unrealized dreams,
Nicotine inspirations,
Smoke fades—red sunset.

Crepuscular pinks,
Incapacitated dreams—
Haunt Fall's reveries.

Gold crescent reflects sun—
Forgets her lost love distant—
Starless shrouded night.

—​

 

Rich in Friends

"The Bounty of a Lifetime
Is the Joy of Friends."

8 August 2004

Corpus Christi, Texas

—

Old friends are the best
They know the past and quirks,
Easy to refresh.

New friends are best,
Inquisitive their mind's eye,
Make us all anew.

Rounds—Bach's partitas,
All friends roll on-and-on,
Filling up our hearts.

—​

 

Not First, Last Love

8 May 2004
Corpus Christi, Texas

—
Love in Abeyance.
As Oft First Love Is.

Openly Tendered,
Gingerly Gathered,
Secretly Nurtured,
Tenderly Offered,

Unspoken Measure,—
Trust Beyond Treasure.
—
​

 

Short & Sweet

Too bad life is so short.
Maybe not so sweet,
If it were long.

All Good is brief and lost.
Many are now gone,
But you and me,

Can still find treasure trove,
Absolve all our sins,
And love 'til done.​

 

How to Win the War

—

I've a little battle chart
To siege & win your cruel heart.

First sweet kisses quite obscene,
In places that lie unseen,
To winnow battle forces
Sometimes playing demure roles.

Causing hot-wild gyrations,
Uncontrolled perturbations,
Preventing intercessions-

In this deadly game of love.

—​

 

Haikus About Women in Veils

25 August 2004

Culture—jealousy,
¿So different from our own?
¿Or more violent?

Black bhurka veils sun,
Absorbs all rays from high orb,—
Darkn'd horizon.

Daily mourning clothes
Born woman in desert sand,—
Eternal midnight.

'Neath sheer dark veil'd cloth,—
Sparkle black eyes,—ruby lips,—
Summer fades unseen.

—​

 

2 Haikus About the Moon

27 August 2004

Gold moon goblet hangs,
Waiting for her lover true—
Cup fills with bright joy.

Perched on rainbow dreams,
Luna sways & sings her songs—
Aurora casts spells.

—​

 

Moon-Bird-Sun Ha-i-ku Trilogy

2 September 2004

Tired eyes that can't close,
Incandescent moon thoughts bright—
Cast light on all night.

¡She said she should shoo!—
How moon denies she knows sun,—
Nightingale warbles.

¡Sleep's dream's ointment's gone!
Moon,—eerie longs in sad songs,
¡Azure—maddening!

—​

 

6 Haikus & 1 Tanga 'Bout Dance

"Two hearts can't be indifferent embraced,
Flowing-warm enveloped-motion rhythmic."

$##$$##$$##$$##$

The spell is woven—
Smiles & Warm embraces dear.
Fragile illusion,
Momentary trick of love—
Shooting summer stars from high.

Soft breasts on hard chest—
Sweaty dance embraces night,
Summer rhythm sways.

Left-hand-on-right-hip—
Telegraphing connection—
¡As we spin & swirl!

Slowly cheek-to-cheek,
While others hop to the beat,
We embrace as one.

Inner thigh-on-thigh,
Rub our syncopated beats—
¡Smooth skin soon will melt!

Mystic wordless trance,
Driven by a magic beat,
¡Chocolate dance steams!

I cannot squeeze more,
You cannot hold me tighter—
¡Dance will soon explode!

$##$$##$$##$$##$​

 

7 Haikus of Love

—

Sing me dulcet songs,
Jasmine chanted melodies—
Gay enthralling heart.

Sun's heart-flower sings,
Croons and bends twirling voicings,
Summer's breeze can't say.

'Bout romance seldom
Do I kid,—'specially when
It involves a beer.

Crescent moons your breasts;
Pale & softly distant hills—
Soft summer kisses.

Braided golden strands—
Ravenous frenzied kisses,
Summer's two green eyes.

Soft-tongue, velvet slip—
Sage-oregano, warm-breath,
Female summer musk.

Mirage love for sale—
Cheap the price—beauty dances,
Summer,—Blossom fades.

—​

 

Lemonada

Limonada—Spanish,
Lemonade—English, mix 'em,—
Lemonada—Spanglish.

Summer's yellow tang,
Simplicity refreshes,—
Cool well for the soul.

Lemon peel crisp-tang,
Hot summer ice-sweet draught—
Citrus bloom fragrance.
Every year returns crisp fresh,—
Oval fruit and waxed green leaves.

Draught—chameleon,
Draws out, Calls forth, Pulls load—Depth,
So many meanings, . . .
Slender shifter naught of build,
Diversity creates—one sound.​

 

Humble Haiku Echoes of Basho

—

Long ago you lived
Clarity—Saw, ate, drank, shat, loved,—
Words timeless soul pierced.

—

Ancient lily pond—
Leaping-splashing-jumping frog, . . .
Gurgling water flow.
(Gurgling-water flow.)
(Gurgling, waters flow.)
(Gurgling water's flow.)
(Gurgling, water-flow.)
(Gurgling-water-flow.)

Temple bells resound,
Dear ears perk—readied stay, bolt;
Mold forms molten brass.​

(Echo on one of Basho's "Views". Some other
echoes—man-made and nature-made, both molded,
both create reactions, sounds or movements true to
their resulting nature.)

Weeded fields of grass,
Armored knights clashing bloodied.
Lasting,— legacy.
(Lasting, legacy.)
(Lasting-legacy.)
(Lasting, . . . legacy)
(¡Lasting!¿Legacy?)
(¿Lasting legacy?)​

(Basho wrote his haunting haiku about struggle
and glory after having climbed up to the ruins of a once
formidable castle that dominated an entire region. He saw
the summer grasses overrunning the fortifications and
wept. Other echos—¿Transitory or permanent man's
works or glories? ¿Summer grasses—summer glory or
recurring victory?¿ Man's glory as beautiful as summer
grasses?¿ Man's glories reached through struggles bloody,
but lacking the permanence of fragile summer grass? etc.)