*Actually, the plural of "haiku" is "haiku", but I am an American, so.
1
In the summertime,
I don't mind walking home from
Ballard Avenue.
I know what you meant
about mystery, because
I love to pretend.
I feel aches and pains,
but I better not be sick.
Now is a bad time.
It's true what he said:
In this life, you're on your own.
But, don't go crazy.
5
I just overheard,
"Do you know the band Belly?"
and felt sorta old.
Rain on a hot day
makes the nighttime much better.
I like this corner.
My hair feels so soft;
I want to run my fingers
through it all night long.
Out on the sidewalk,
head bowed, hiding from the sun.
Thought I wanted this.
I know I'll forget
before too long, but for now,
memories persist.
10
The stale air here sits
on my skin like a thin sheet
I can't sleep under.
Okay, here's the plan:
I'll hide in these bushes, but
you hide in plain sight.
It may be hot, but
so are all the women, so
shut up and enjoy.
Here is a haiku,
and it is not about you.
Maybe a little.
Sleeping bag and pad
rolled out, next to the open
living room door. Sleep.
15
Passing Fremont bus
has misspelled the neighborhood.
Is it a fake bus?
I've found love at last,
but it happened so quickly;
this cold theater!
I'm wearing flip-flops
at an open house for a
Master's Degree. Yeah!
On Monday nights, bands
have an impossible task:
to not be boring.
Sometimes I wonder
if I'll just run out of time
before the end comes.
20
All these Sounders fans,
draped with green jerseys and scarves,
make me feel happy.
Shopping for her dress,
surrounded by these women;
a good afternoon.
Sending a message
into the void, quietly.
Does it make a sound?
I know this place well,
as well as this cell, at the
bottom of this well.
Sometimes a city
emerges on the bus, with
all these characters.
25
Will I find it at
Fred Meyer? Which department?
Imaginary.
I forgot how much
I love a sleepy bus ride
to work; it's peaceful.
Bus better come soon,
or else I might look silly
wearing shades at night.
When I feel unsure,
I have to remind myself:
This is just a test.
He says it's just like
atom bombs and blunt razors.
That doesn't sound good.
30
Majestic and tall!
I want to climb that mountain,
those valleys, these hills.
Proud exclamation:
"Look at this daisy freshness!"
She does have a point.
If the best revenge
is success, is watching you
fail the second best?
First day of Autumn
is glorious, bright and hot.
Indian summer!
I both love and hate
this place. Can't quit you today.
Maybe tomorrow.
35
Heart of the city;
watching the world become dark,
but we're not there yet.
I will never know
what it is like to find it,
until I look there.
The uniform clouds
advance steadily in rows,
so like commuters.
Neon urban light,
piled up and glowing, but I
will stare this place down.
Night descends on me:
hungry, indifferent, blind.
Darkness eats me up.
40
Here on the corner
everyone stares at the road,
expectantly. Still.
These shoes, with these socks,
make for a squeaky left foot
when I walk. Squeak...squeak!
It is easier
to travel to a date when
you know you look good.
It is easier
to look good on a date if
you don't get stood up.
Thus ends another
day to remind me of why
I hate the cold cold.
45
You return to me,
quiet and insidious.
Were you ever gone?
Full bus, open seats.
Move your crotch, or sit down, or
stand on the roof, chump.
All those train stations
are the scenes of heinous crimes:
where hearts get broken.
Sooty black tumor
living inside of my head.
Or is it my heart?
The light, separate
from the dark, shows us the world,
illuminated.
