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).

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