The World According to Haiku

For the good folks at One Single Impression, who provide the weekly prompts, including this spectacle. Do see how the real poets creatively handled the prompt. Singing in public,dancing, or worse, holding hands.What a spectacle! Failing too fastfor reading between the lines:Age before beauty. Truly, my goal at all times is to make my children uncomfortable with how odd I am. I remember being totally embarrassed by my own father and what he would do in public. It's nice to know I got... Read Full Story

I first thought of writing of my battle with poison oak from my standpoint, seeing as I'm utterly resolved to rid my property of this evil plant. But, as I understand it, haiku is at its best when the subject is nature. So, for this week's One Single Impression, I offer you this. Unnaturally strongis nature's own defiance.Poison oak on fire. The plant's leaves can be a deep, dark green or a gorgeous red -- the kind of red that makes a wanderer want to pick the leaf. I'm not a wanderer, but... Read Full Story

I had a spurt of creativity in the park today as I waited for the kids to be paroled from school. Fall was all around me, waiting to be observed and noted. I had my handy-dandy notebook with me, and I wrote three ku. Two were nature-ridden and one was an observation about man-made items. I'd like to share them with you. I really would. Except I lost the piece of paper. In the rush to gather up various backpacks, lunch boxes, trumpets and the like, the poems must have taken flight. I even... Read Full Story

I scored the big ticket on Friday when I got to be one of five parent chaperones for Youngest's field trip. [While I am often sarcastic and facetious, I am being neither here, at this moment. I was, in fact, happy to get to go. I like hanging out with the lad.] This was my third trip to the Richardson Bay Audubon Center. I also got to accompany Eldest and Daughter on their field trips there, lo, these many years ago. I've got two 'ku to help kindle my memories of it. The first relates to our... Read Full Story

I worked for a newspaper for a decade. I was a J-major in college. I started reading the newspaper on a daily basis when I was the ripe old age of eight. News matters to me. Make that news mattered to me. It did until the day a number of years ago when I realized I couldn't read the daily horror without bits of it flaking off and covering my soul. I'm sure I've mentioned the blinders I put on when faced with a story that is sure to do me no good. Three babies tossed into the river by their... Read Full Story