The Unseen

This week’s prompt from One Deep Breath is about the unseen.

O Inspiration,
Driving me with whips of thought
To write it all down.

A damp autumn breeze
Whispers promises and threats
Of winter coming.

It would be too easy to write only about things I can’t find, that’s been a constant in my life, but I would also be remiss to not acknowledge it once…

Where is my cellphone?
I could have sworn it was here!
Call it and listen.

The Countryside

This week’s prompt from One Deep Breath “visits the countryside.” Since I live in the country, next to in-laws with a working chicken farm, I get up-close and personal (too much so, far too often) with life in the countryside. Three rather snarky senryu come to mind.

Crickets, katydids
Weave their magic nightsong…
Beagles break the spell.

Twenty-four/seven:
Farmers sacrifice their time
To feed the world.

Filthy, crowded, hot:
A scene from the depths of Hell?
No, a chicken house.

Many of my previous haiku and senryu also deal with rural themes: exurban encroachment, night near a pond, foggy morning roads, foggy evening roads, buzzards, kudzu, grain fields, raptors, livestock, fishing. I’m honored to share them with you.

Waxing crescent

A sliver of moon
Hung in hazy evening sky:
Heaven’s boomerang.

Night song

After a hard rain:
Song of frog and cicada
Pierces the night fog.

Music

The weekly prompt from One Deep Breath is about the role that music plays in our lives. Thanks to Crafty Green Poet for showing me the link.

Evening on the pond.
A lullaby for the sun,
by the insect choir.

Shaking the mirrors:
Deep techno beats in my car!
I dance in my seat.

Unseasonable

A cool afternoon.
The calendar says August —
The sky, October.

Shelter

A bird takes shelter
Under a pokeberry leaf,
In the summer rain.

Artist

A willow bends down,
Drawing gentle green ripples
In the pond below.

Goaltender

A pine tree stands guard
Over a basketball goal,
Dunking its needles.

Dogwood at night

A warm full moon night.
Spots against the indigo:
Pale dogwood blossoms.

Clover

Along the roadside —
Clover blooming in a field:
Green speckled with white.

Phew

Behind a fence,
Portable outhouses sprout
Like stinky flowers.

Cash crop

The cattle are gone.
Now a crop of houses grow
In the old pasture.

Pollen

Gusty morning winds,
Lift yellow clouds of pollen
From a row of pines.

Snooze

An overweight cat
Sleeping soundly in my lap —
Purring or snoring?

The Longest Yard

Highway median,
An endless strip of green grass —
The longest yard.

Wakeup call

Bright morning sunshine —
Pushing through the window blinds,
Lifts me out of bed.

Barefoot

Barefoot in the grass,
Celebrating the new spring —
The bugs dance with me.

Moving day

A string of warm days!
The potted herbs come outside,
For sun and fresh air.

Yard work

Some weeds try a bribe,
Offer flowers or berries...
Pull up or mow down?

Before the robin

A late-winter night:
The sound of young frogs peeping
From a distant pond.

Progress?

A highway work site.
Orange construction barrels
instead of flowers.

State of the Union

State of the Union:
Saying it’s all wonderful,
Doesn’t make it so.

Separation anxiety

The Boy has left home,
A year before he should have.
We have to let go.

Payback

Sitting on a stump —
Pine sap sticks to seat of pants!
Set the stump on fire!

One-sided

A January night,
Standing before a bonfire:
Hot front, chilly back.

Abandoned house

Standing forgotten:
A dilapidated house
Awaits the ’dozer.

HORACE FINKLE - Teen Ghost: Horace's Haikus

Young ghost finds haiku!
“Dead Poets’ Society”
Has a new meaning.

In honor of HORACE FINKLE - Teen Ghost: Horace's Haikus.

Lunar ring

Full moon overhead,
Hub of a wheel in the sky:
A wide ring of fog.

Indoor chimney

Faint tendrils of steam,
Rising from a coffee pot:
An indoor chimney.