Haiku

(Haiku is one of the most popular styles of oriental poetry, westernised into a 5-7-5 syllable format where all the words should be used wisely. Technically, those haiku concerning one’s self of other persons are termed senryu).

~

64. Advice

an opinion 

if commercially sought

is surely worthless 

*

63. Daylight

on the stroke of two

sixty minutes disappeared

right before my eyes

*

62. Evidence

when all’s said and done

dust settles and every 

word will leave its mark,

*

61. Fools of 2025

the masters of war

read sombre declarations 

pens ready in hand

*

60. Vote

demos and kratos

the devil’s toxic cocktail

people with power

*

59. Light(n)ing

a Windsor whale basks

a warhead falls on Ukraine

both drones in the sky

*

55. Lionesses

lionesses roar

English women fight stronger

the pride of the pride

*

54. Stubble

the sky is on fire

smoke besieges the village

police closed the road.

*

53. Red Face

expressionless mask

a cold stare and a cold heart

cold war emotions

*

52. Storm

Dudley and Eunice

a windbag and his mistress

imminent blowjob

*

51. Coeur de Lion

the secret is out

open heart valve surgery

it’s what makes me tick

*

50. Transformed

what is in a name?

call me anything you like

but not he or she

*

49. Write-off

cancelling culture

erasing our memories

won’t change history

*

48. Strictly

natural beauty

held fast in a silent world

dance dance lovely girl

*

47.Petals

sun peels off cracked paint

blue flakes pepper the brown earth

fallen petals glint

*

46. Emma

weak September sun

a fairy tale in New York

youth loses its bloom

*

45. Bathers

we all swim along

sharing each other’s water;

wave, slipstream or wake

*

44. Blossom

spring still centre stage

April rain comes late in May

blossom falls like snow

*

43. Think?

words in black on white

are where the damage is done

think before you ink

*

42. Maundy

bent as if in prayer

like the fronds of the willow

your hair bathes my feet

*

41. Christmas Eve

bedtime christmas eve

bristling anticipation

sleepy boys and girls

*

40. Viral

virus not viral

pandemic not endemic

mask not masquerade

*

39. Trojans

heartless broken land

armour stripped and left to bleed

tarnished from within

*

38. Lumens

early evening

pale blue fades to darkly frame

brilliant Venus

*

37. Orphans

As we age, they say

we become children once more,

orphans at eighty

*

36. 999 

evening air crackles

we celebrate our heroes

who can’t hear us clap

*

35. Isolate

only two metres

less than I can spit a pip

it might be a mile

*

34. Heartache

Damascene moment

breathing problems but no pain

part-time ventricle

*

33. Decade

2019 dies

a new decade is unveiled

hail 2020

*

32. Letter C

Pacific Ocean

name, fluid as the water

C pronounced three ways

*

31. Blind Eye

crowd-scape talking heads

facial recognition scans

searching for lost souls

*

30. EU

enemies now friends!

let’s all ride a gravy train

how long will it last?

*

29. ER

globe is warming up

extinction rebellion

need to let off steam

 *

28. Identity Crises 1,2,3

1. words still sound the same

name looks unfamiliar

couldn’t be could it

2. one persona spent

pick another from a box

looks as good as new

3. hiding in plain sight

will you tell them, or should I?

best it comes from you

*

27. Labour Pains

socialism

like eating a shit roll with

champagne from a mug

*

26. Who’s who?

masquerade removed

enigma or babushka

reflect and decide

*

25. Nine-liner

flimsy four-inch reel

8mm windows

I run from frame to frame

fifty years ago

I was just a schoolboy then

fit as a gun dog

these previous pictures

a brief portal to my past

thought lost forever

*

24. Trout Men

Halford and Skues duel

back to back, upstream, downstream

one dry fly one wet

*

23. Sakura

Ripe cherry blossom

pink sunset held within trees

sublime sakura

*

22. Netsuke

Holding Netsuke

safe in the palm of my hand

its story unfolds

*

21. Okinawa

Ninety is no age

people in Okinawa

live longer than most

*

20. Exchange

Santa Claus arrives

he takes back Jo Jo the elf

Bea cries happy tears

*

19. Brand

Ink stains on forearm

My name is lost to numbers

Forever the slave

*

18. Ladybird

our good lady’s cloak

upon it writ seven joys

or seven sorrows

*

17. Advice

dirt thrown at others

removes ground on which you stand

stay strong and stand tall

*

16. Fowl Play

children chase black coots

they flee in all directions

on bladderwrack feet

*

15. Avatar

Thought I knew you, but

seeing your internet face

feels like a cheap trick

*

14. Neige

The sky suffocates

the city’s colour rubbed out

noises are muffled

*

13. Greydom

We steal small children,

the smiling old grey people

Papa and Anmar

*

12. Cohen

 poet leaves his stage

soft words still ring in our ears

cry hallelujah

*

11. Obvious 

it is what it is

let me explain this further

we are where we are

*

10. Valentine

 Today is the day

Do you really love me then?

So say it damn you!

*

9. Blur

a smudge of colour

bluebells pave the forest floor

a vague dawn unfurls

*

8. Juliet

 the beauty of youth

such a resplendent flower

obliviously

*

7. Tansaku

 in search of kigo

I thumb through the sajiki

thus kidai is found

*

6. Wordfish

poets fish for words

asleep on syllable seas

silver musefish dreams

*

5. Halloween 

all Hallows Eve ends

old bones return to the grave

skeleton keys lost

*

4. Cricket 

willow pattern cups

sliced cucumber sandwiches

scorer takes a break

*

3. So 

so illiterate

don’t start a sentence with so

stupid so-and-so

*

2. Muesli 

in my Zen like trance

whilst masticating muesli

seeds sown grow rich fruit

*

1. Demos

we will stand in line

together, to choose the path

that will divide us