mydailyhaiku

mydailyhaiku.com

home the haiku summer 2004 next

by Chris Smith

15 June 2004 - 21 September 2004

6-15-04 a quiet sadness

arriving home from work

man's best friend indeed

6-16-04 before the earthquake

stacked neatly against the wall

bone china lemmings

6-17-04 open window breeze

pitter-patter rumble crack

summer sleep tonight

6-18-04 joggers pass by

the crumbling junkyard car wrecks

shaking off their rust

6-19-04 tomorrow's forest

sprouting up above the lawn

clear-cut by the mower

6-20-04 the teats of a cow

aligned across the bottom

of a tanker truck

6-21-04 it's not enough

this rain that falls so soft

upon my withered fields

6-22-04 the evening sky

I lay on my back to see

lavender gardens

6-23-04 potted indoor plant

bent toward the window

trying to escape

6-24-04 I bask in my sun

these modern fluorescent lights

my skin pale and cold

6-25-04 shaking the bag

to find the broken pretzels

thinning the herd

6-26-04 near the nature trail

a bird chirps repeatedly

turn off your cell phone

6-27-04 off-center doorknob

otherwise our cabin had

perfect symmetry

6-28-04 sinking in quicksand

my most organized plans still

may not get me out

6-29-04 some toss their pennies

in their lifetimes these people

toss away dollars

6-30-04 where back yards could blend

a strip of grass gone to seed

mutters the message

7-1-04 full moon tomorrow

that feathered waxing edge will be

perfectly round

7-2-04 tree sprouts in gutters

like window box flowers for

lazy homeowners

7-3-04 distant tanker ships

send wakes that break the stillness

of our quiet shore

7-4-04 inchworms butterflies

and stingerless honey bees

watch out for spiders

7-5-04 my favorite fireworks

drifted over the village

a warm starry night

7-6-04 this evening sunshine

glaring in my salt stung eyes

hottest sun all day

7-7-04 the cavemen murdered

with bare hands and stones but now

they take down towers

7-8-04 what a beautiful

grassy hill for our picnic

oh it's a landfill

7-9-04 that narrow creek bed

where children play grows wider

old friends disappear

7-10-04 so hot this campfire

the night caresses my back

with a soothing breeze

7-11-04 in the hollow tree

I found hundreds of acorns

all squirreled back home

7-12-04 the scummiest pond

stagnant but green is often

the most beautiful

7-13-04 the soldiers at war

huddle close as if married

till death do they part

7-14-04 topiary trees

in a primeval forest

impress nobody

7-15-04 on the bank there lies

the happiest fisherman

no bait on his hook

7-16-04 a happy dog smiles

and does more than wag his tail

he wags his rump

7-17-04 the robin's belly

plump from gorging on berries

of the mountain ash

7-18-04 there are no crops here

the rain cools the pavement and

washes off the grime

7-19-04 land rushes past me

up through the open moonroof

the heavens are still

7-20-04 why hope

for a sunny day

to mow the lawn

7-21-04 the sun cools enough

before it sets for birds to

fly across its face

7-22-04 the glare on the lake

softens with the setting sun

as the world exhales

7-23-04 the perfectionist

often the first to admit

doing something wrong

7-24-04 hidden garden walls

so like the walls the loner

builds around himself

7-25-04 the skunk nibbles on

tender wildflower petals

turning scent into stink

7-26-04 early morning clouds

that cancel plans most often

lift and drift away

7-27-04 hang on little bag

of vending machine pretzels

hang on for dear life

7-28-04 get moving rabbit

kick up your heels antelope

hope is on the way

7-29-04 along the roadside

it's such a dangerous place

for that cat to sleep

7-30-04 look mama

a bag of birdseed

let's plant bluejays

7-31-04 gray sky sunset

your cool breeze is welcome

on this muggy night

8-1-04 the ant on the hood

tucks his elbows tucks his knees

I step on the gas

8-2-04 two butterflies fly

in circles round each other

waltzing in traffic

8-3-04 a busy harbor

the sun glistens on the scales

of a floating fish

8-4-04 we dread the forecast

but raindrops sound so soothing

on my windowsill

8-5-04 she saw the cloud as

fluffy wild and white while he

saw its dark bottom

8-6-04 a lone butterfly

flutters through the factory

jealous workers stare

8-7-04 canoe race victor

poses with a trophy but

missed a scenic ride

8-8-04 these cool autumn days

so lovely in October

less so in August

8-9-04 that dove I dreamt of

a sea gull hovering high

above a trash heap

8-10-04 after that massage

if I were to fall asleep

the best sleep ever

8-11-04 beneath a low sky

the plains lie perfectly flat

like a parking lot

8-12-04 those black eyes Susans

in clusters between the graves

glow brightest at dusk

8-13-04 tarnished key

so steady in a

withered hand

8-14-04 gray squirrel

runs above the street

on a wire

8-15-04 that overgrown grass

clumps together and fights back

the lawn mower stalls

8-16-04 so much time in life

wasted just watching the red

and waiting for green

8-17-04 as she dries her hair

and I step in the shower

a blast of warm air

8-18-04 a strip of duct tape

and that child's little white sock

now a pleasant flight

8-19-04 a rattlesnake sound

left right and all around us

nope just grasshoppers

8-20-04 as the airplane lands

on water near our kayak

we brace for ripples

8-21-04 a distressed sea gull

cawing outside our window

wake up Seattle

8-22-04 an ancient river

carving through copper canyons

oh look, a golf course

8-23-04 a puff of exhaust

as I cross the rainy street

feels warm on my leg

8-24-05 no I missed his smile

I was staring at the blood

on his machete

8-25-04 admired housefly

bounces off the screen until

he finds his freedom

8-26-04 this broken bird feels

so feather light in my hand

like he still might fly

8-27-04 after closing time

near the patio dance floor

a hanging plant twirls

8-28-04 over wet pavement

as the sun breaks through the clouds

now I smell the rain

8-29-04 buttered fish fillet

still slippery like the fish

when I pulled the hook

8-30-04 I am so sorry

cucumber vine so sorry

for stealing your fruit

8-31-04 zip-locked and twist-tied

in a pair of plastic bags

fresh cluster of grapes

9-1-04 along the edges

of park benches wind gathers

the first autumn leaves

9-2-04 that brilliant red tree

the first one to shed its leaves

that was my father

9-3-04 folded sports section

wedged inside the restroom stall

unread now for days

9-4-04 mosquitoes buzzing

in my ear make this hot night

seem even hotter

9-5-04 hey quiet bullfrog

why do you sit near that dog

why aren't you moving?

9-6-04 prices fall like leaves

and racks of summer dresses

grow bare like the trees

9-7-04 the first raindrop

the fattest raindrop

strikes my cheek

9-8-04 awkward fawn

with quivering legs

look both ways

9-9-04 rain beats on the house

in waves so hard that even

the dog is anxious

9-10-04 a flooded basement

floating amongst the debris

an Easter basket

9-11-04 a white flag waving

in the middle of a swamp

marks the fourteenth hole

9-12-04 my shovel

a guillotine for

unsuspecting worms

9-13-04 the checkpoint soldier

pauses near the dusty van

an army of one

9-14-04 a stray bullet strikes

the ground harmlessly this time

near the jungle gym

9-15-04 a grubby old man

on a bike scans the curbside

for hidden treasure

9-16-04 at the riverwalk

an old couple stops to rest

kids on bikes whiz by

9-17-04 a rough winter wind

slams the bag against a bench

then wiggles it free

9-18-04 the wet lawn shimmers

in the light of the street lamp

as I coil the hose

9-19-04 bubbles of shampoo

a milky way galaxy

spirals down the drain

9-20-04 amidst the traffic

the squirrel stands tall and proud

he stands immortal

9-21-04 cool September sun

lingers in the golden dust

of the practice field