Mourning Dove Dawn: March 2015

Haiku Selfie

I'm so addicted

can't resist the urge to haiku

oh god, so messed up

Tales

stories are retold

the author with the best one

forever copied

too generous

one more flake of snow?

how kind of you to offer

but I've had enough

White and Black

I am white and when I see a person of color

I notice that I'm not a person of color

I am instantly reminded

that there exists in our world

the human thought of racism

and I believe that racism is evil

The thought that evil exists is a painful thought

I am white and when I see a person of color

I notice that I'm not a person of color

and I feel pain

I am white and when I see a person of color

I notice that they are a person of color

I am instantly reminded

that there exists in our world

the human thought of racism

and I believe that racism is evil

and I remember that the two co-exist

The evil of racism / The thought that racism is evil

and I believe that all evil things will end

The thought that evil will end gives me great joy

I am white and when I see a person of color

I notice that they are a person of color

and I feel joy

spring sunbeams

(haiku)

real sunshine at last
the kind that finds snow hiding
and melts it away

the hidden

(haiku)

writing my haiku
gives me a weapon to fight
big, scary demons

haunted

(haiku)

haiku poetry
one-way communication
with the long-lost dead

how to have a happy spouse

(haiku)

live in harmony
men, put the toilet seat down
women, shut up

(An alternate title for this poem is "The Ups and Downs of Marriage.")

intimate connections

(inspired by "The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow" by Jerome K. Jerome, available free on Project Gutenberg)

(haiku)

the tiny coral

laboring to build his house

joins two continents

(Inspired by a translation of Catullus’s famous funeral poem known as “Hail and Farewell”)

when I heard

my heart dropped, through the floor

I flew through airports, never seeing doors

hot tears swept visions from my head

our shared Decembers

not a shred left

visions from my head fled

when I arrived

to see your body stretched abed

I cried my final words, as well unsaid

for all the ears you've left for hearing

too‐late pleas for one last shred

of brother's pranks and drunken phone calls,

retorts of sound advice

brothers' love

visions in your head

echoes of my sound advice

calling twice

I love you, bro

I love you, too

a brother's love

and sound advice

calling twice

I love you, man

I love you, too

a brother's love

echoes of sound advice

our lives

they somehow came apart

untwined from days of bunk beds

game controllers

sets of Legos

Nerf Gun wars, broken vases

Texas Hold 'Em table, cards and chips

matching Spring Break surfboards

push‐ups

foreign trips

apart, yet brothers

shared excitement

fading quickly

frozen memories

one toboggan sled,

one ride, two grown-up men

sopping wet

from flooded brother's eyes

a brand‐new suit

a tie

a shirt you'd never buy

they've dressed you for your trip

to where, I cannot guess

I'll find out soon enough

tomorrow

soon enough

who cares!

we shared Decembers!

listening

to my echoed calls

our highs and lows

"What's up?"

"Take care, bro!"

we still say,

"See you later..."

"next year's wedding..."

"family funeral..."

"birthday party..."

shared Decembers

What's In This Poetry Blog?

Mourning Dove Dawn

Table of Contents

What Is Poetry?

poetry concepts defined but not pinned down nor cornered nor tortured into conformity

Precision Warriors: A Poet's Hall of Fame

sharing the human connection with those who have also paid attention

Season Sushi

flowing through the physical world on a time surfboard

Nature Struck

the awesome that happens when you disconnect from all things electric and simply pay attention to what's left after that

Haiku Collections

each bunch is a whirlwind of poems rounded up and tied together with a pretty ribbon

A Parent Gives

on discovering a loved one's implosion

Haibun (prose with haiku)

created when a beloved haiku poem-child of mine whispers to me begging permission to venture forth and seek out its own further extrapolation

Image Poetry (poem/image)

a picture-poem partially composed of its own correspondence with the universe

Haiga (haiku with image)

a story in which the words argue with the picture and vice versa

Committing Poetry

on the act of placing words adjacent to one another using a heart mirror

Shards of Discarded Soul Mates

an archaeological dig into what once had been deceived into believing it was able to master a willing young soul

Global Heartwarming

baby steps toward the idea of what humanity might be shopping for in building the utopia of its dreams

Shorter Poems

it just is

Longer Poems

after diving headfirst into the depths of an idea and finding oneself surfacing in the center of a word conflagration

Poem Pastiche (all poems, titles)

distilled verbose thoughts

Order, Alphabetical (all poems, first lines)

first lines of poems in this poetry collection

Blog Archive

titles of all entries in this blog but not necessarily in the order in which they were written

Twitter haiku artist

(haiku)

@AshiAkira

I see Japan through your eyes

my heart leaps with joy

can we talk

(haiku)

just want to tell you
I like you when you're sober
love you either way

loner

(haiku)

planet earth too small

pity the poor misanthrope

nowhere else to live

Pi-ku

In honor of Pi Day, here is a radical of "pi-ku"
(eight-syllable poems in three lines, of 3, 1, and 4 syllables)

Pi Poem Piquant
key lime pie
melds
sweet and sour

Pi Poem Party
celebrate
"pi"
eat a "pi"zza

Pi Poem Puzzles
mathematics
solves
great mysteries

Pi Poem Passionate
skipping stones
laughs
skinny dipping

Pi Poem Pretend
carrot nose
scarf
coal eyes and mouth

Pi Poem Pasture
campfire songs
moon
whispering in tents

Pi Poem Pick
certainty
doubt
just one of these

Pi Poem Pre-Teens
my first kiss
lips
over braces

magazine quiz

(haiku)

"Choke on weak coffee?"

Compatibility Test

passed. Both said, "I do."

smoldering coals

(haiku)

snowstorm's flurries swirl

staying warm by the unlit hearth

reading love letters from old boyfriends

teen magazine

(haiku)

quiz: "What is true love?"

wait... I know this one... I think...

give me a minute...

resolution

(haiku)

guide to happiness

as the year ends, reflect on

overlooked blessings

Ode to ancient haiku poet Matsuo Basho

~ ~ ~ frog ~ ~ ~ pond ~ ~ ~ splash ~ ~ ~

Forms of Poetry

GLOSSARY: "poem" "haiku" "senryu"

poem

A "poem" is a word or words that move a person, either a writer or a reader. More specifically, whatever the poet says is a poem, is a poem. He should know. He created it. Ditto for the reader. When the reader comes into contact with words and says, "That's poetry!" it is poetry. Additionally, anything besides words that evokes in the mind of a person the feeling that they have just had a poetic experience, is defined as poetry.

Traditionally, a poem is a beautiful word drawing, meant to capture the essence of a strong emotion and place it in the reader's mind. It has been gained through the poet's close observation, fostered by his recognition of a truth about human life. This recognition of a universal truth creates a feeling of connectedness among those who come to an understanding and full appreciation of this truth, of themselves with other people and with the universe; and creates in them a calmness of sense that one has a place within that universe, and imports a sense that one is in possession of a particular knowledge about that space and about oneself. Or, a knowledge that there is no rhyme or reason to the universe, so there is no hope of placement within it, or connection to it or to other people. This feeling, too, of the futility of believing that there is a connection possible, paradoxically connects one with others who have also recognized this futility as a truth. Whatever is the feeling induced by the poetic experience, it stands to comfort the poet and the reader in a way that is biologically satisfying, waking up the area of the brain connected to honing the social skills necessary for survival. Because proper use of this area of the brain is so closely related to one's actual survival, poetry is a particularly personal and invasive experience.

Traditional forms of poetry additionally follow specific constraining rules, such as a limit to the number of syllables in a line, a particular numbered sequence of lines, or a rhyming structure in a series of lines.

haiku

"Haiku" is a work of art that can only be created in a pen and ink drawing using the traditional characters of the Japanese language. It is a poem gained through observation and description of nature and reflective of a truth about the human condition.

"Traditional haiku" is a poem evoking the haiku experience, though it may be created in any language.

"Natural haiku" contains reference only to that which is observed in the natural world untouched by humans. No direct mention is made of the existence of any human thought or activity.

A haiku which contains a reference to nature may also contain a reference to a human experience. The one is used to illustrate and deepen understanding of the other.

A haiku is very short; it can be spoken aloud in a single breath. It contains a season word meant to evoke a memory of a physical reaction of the human body in its ever-changing natural environment, or an emotional reaction of the human spirit to changes it encounters in its ever-changing environment.

The experiencing of a haiku evokes a sudden change in perspective which creates a surprise, which, in the reader, leads to the recognition of the point in the poet's mind from which he leaped; this is similar to an "aha!" moment.

More broadly, "haiku" is a poem that can be written in any language and, though incorporation of a "season word" is desirable, it is not required. All of the other elements of constraint in the creation of a traditional haiku do still apply.

"Five-seven-five haiku" is a three-line haiku written in seventeen syllables under syllabic constraints for each line; the first, second, and third lines must contain five, seven, and five spoken syllables, respectively. The poet may follow the constraint of using the dictionary-defined syllabic structure of a word, but it is preferred to use the spoken language in determining syllable count. Pronunciation of syllables depends on the speaker, who may be speaking in a particular dialect or may use syllables in a different manner than usual for emotional or dramatic effect. Therefore, the word "poem" may be counted as one or two syllables, depending on how it is spoken within the poem. In reading aloud any 5-7-5 haiku, the reader must find the correct syllable structure to speak the poem aloud so that it adds up to exactly seventeen syllables. Any summation to seventeen syllables is acceptable, even if they do not fit neatly into the 5-7-5 three-line structure, though the 5-7-5 structure is the aim. The idea is to achieve a balance of the three spoken lines that effects the feeling experienced in using the 5-7-5 structure.

Each of the three lines in a 5-7-5 haiku can be read independently of the others, and each is a complete thought and expresses its own meaning. Together, the three lines express an extended thought.

"Seventeen-syllable haiku" follows the rules for 5-7-5 haiku, except that the seventeen syllables do not need to break neatly into three lines which each can be read independently of the other two lines.

The definition of haiku, similar to the definition of a poem, is further expanded to include anything at all deemed to be haiku by its creator or by the one who experiences it.

"American haiku" may be any form of haiku created by one who identifies as American.

"Found haiku" is the poem which results from a reader's having fortuitously discovered that he has stumbled across something extraordinary: a haiku has been brazenly hiding in plain sight among the ordinary words of prose he had been perusing. The bits which comprise the haiku are then carefully collected and stored for future enjoyment. Knowing that such treasures exist in the wild adds a level of excitement to reading. Keep your eyes open; a haiku might be so close that, if it was a snake, it would have bit you.

Any haiku can be breaking any or all of the rules of haiku and still be a haiku.

Examples of different forms of haiku may be found on the website: https://sites.google.com/site/susannaleepoetry/

senryu

A senryu is any haiku that breaks the rules of traditional haiku but calls for its own label because it has less to do with a reference to nature and more to do with the dark humor which results from close observation of any one (or more) of the elements which comprise all things human.

I prefer to label all of my "senryu" as "haiku." I ignore the term "senryu," as I don't intend for readers to have to keep straight those distinctions which are borderline in adding meaning to this venture.

blinders on

(haiku)

escape from real life

write a haiku on Twitter

snow on frozen pond

speeding ticket explanation

(haiku)

eight eyes, hairy legs

black spider on my dashboard

it jumps! STEP ON IT!

mission

(haiku)

vow to Teresa

saint who saw heaven on earth

make it so for all

party poopers

(haiku)

not a day goes by

when mosquitoes don't eat me

sole summer complaint

stormy harbor

(haiku)

"All hands below deck!"

"Ideas?" "Yes, more champagne!"

lightning threatens yacht

sweets

(haiku)

taking time tonight

relaxing with family

chocolate chip cookies

taking flight

(haiku)

birds, squirrels, dragonflies,

bats, butterflies, hummingbirds,

soaring in my mind

social mirror

(haiku)

it is pitiful

I value my own haiku

more when retweeted

the first hour

(haiku)

"enjoy these moments"

contemplate wise words at dawn

sipping my coffee

the visit

(haiku)

soaking in my son

each time he leaves I don't know

if he will come back

stalker

(haiku)

that creepy feeling

searching roofs through sunglasses

that damn crow again

truths

(haiku)

believe in our God

help yourself and all others

question existence

tea for one

(haiku)

cradle my teacup

streaming hot tears overflow

my teen son...so lost

summer stew

(haiku)

black crow on hot roof

swan simmers in man-made pond

cat slinks under deck

the glistening

(haiku)

a single bird calls

entranced by morning dewdrops

sparkles on green leaves

Snow Angels

(haiku)

children softly sleep

snow, no school, don't wake them up

unbroken whitescape

sniffing

(haiku)

early morning walk

puppy says hi to his friends

pees on every bush

slacker

(haiku)

watched it on TV

New York City Marathon

stand up... my knees creak

what if

what if the best tasting foods
were also the most nutritious?

what if the most fun thing to do
was also good exercise?

what if doing what makes you most happy
would also make others ecstatic?

what if we had all of the answers
and also knew all of the questions?

what are we fighting for?

(haiku)

war is always fought
so that worthy survivors
can enjoy world peace

cautious

(haiku)

"His plane crashed last night"
you won't read this of my dad
he won't fly at all

shorthand

(haiku)

a tiny haiku

is never a mere trifle

iceberg tip tells tale

time wanderer

(haiku)

in February
visit my Autumn haiku
to see falling leaves

hope

(haiku)

thank God things do change
Aung San Suu Kyi elected
humanity wins

Haiku Gift Cards

The 5-7-5 Wishing Well

greeting cards for all occasions

NEWBORN

having a baby

changes your life forever

cherish these moments

FIRST BIRTHDAY

a child's precious smiles

such wondrous joy to behold!

our hearts are captured

RITE OF PASSAGE INTO YOUNG ADULTHOOD

today you're grown up

new responsibilities

you will make us proud

NEW DRIVER

look out, new driver!

don't worry, it's okay

no money for gas

18TH BIRTHDAY

you're eighteen years old

not a baby anymore

now you can pay rent

HIGH-SCHOOL GRADUATION

as you find your path

we expect great things from you

make us very proud

COLLEGE GRADUATION

great accomplishment!

you've earned a college degree

don't you feel smarter?

ENGAGEMENT

made for each other

planning to share a new life

let love guide you on

WEDDING

together as one

you begin this adventure

enjoy the journey

FIRST PREGNANCY

heard you're expecting

parenthood's not for sissies

sleep now, while you can

PARTY INVITATION

you are invited!

join us as we celebrate

make our joy complete

COME-AS-YOU-ARE PARTY

what are you wearing?

come to our party like that

dress as you are now

FAMILY REUNION

if you think you're weird

you should see the rest of us

meet your relatives

CHRISTMAS

if "Joy" were a gift

I could put under the tree

I'd wrap one for you

HAPPY NOT-MY-OWN-RELIGION HOLIDAY
as you celebrate
your wrong religious beliefs
I'm happy with you

HOLIDAY

the best things in life

you can't put into a box

I wish these for you

THANK YOU TO A VOLUNTEER

we appreciate

from the bottom of our hearts

all the good you do

COMING OUT

sharing this moment

is especially joyful

so happy for you!

BIRTHDAY FOR ONE WHO HAS EVERYTHING

congratulations!

you have everything you need

and you're still breathing

OVER-THE-HILL BIRTHDAY

you still surprise me

birthdays chase you and chase you

but you outrun them

RETIREMENT
leisure awaits you

free time to do what you want
relax. you've earned it

MISSING YOU

you live far away

yet I see your smiling face

each night in my dreams

RECONCILIATION

remembering you

I think of all we once had

and I want you back

DOWN-SIZING
you told me your boss
doesn't need you anymore
that must be so hard

DIFFICULT SITUATION

you are not alone

as you face this new challenge

I'm here by your side

SICKNESS

sorry you are ill

hoping modern medicine

makes you better soon

ACCIDENT

life just isn't fair

let me know what I can do

as you recover

INTERVENTION

just want to tell you

I like you when you're sober

love you either way

HOSPICE

wishing you great strength

through what you are facing now

call me anytime

SYMPATHY

so very sorry

for the loss of your loved one

I am here for you

LOSS OF A BELOVED PET

having a great pet

is one of life's true treasures

so sad for your loss

100TH BIRTHDAY

one hundred years young

I look to your example

my inspiration

posy

(haiku)

perfect pink posy

you deserve your own haiku

short, sweet, and precious

Heart Shards Over Ice

Make Mine A DOUBLE

Attraction

sweet chemistry wins:

forced to abandon my mind,

I follow my heart

Wedding Vows

married to a man
who cannot remember
she needs a hug every day
to stay alive inside

33rd Wedding Anniversary

too much honesty

can cause love to disappear;

keep up the façade

Empty Nest

there are worse ways

to spend your life

than trapped

with the person who

once made you happy

Tearstream

meaningless haiku
cannot dam this tsunami
torrents flush heartache

Pacing In Place

grasses grow and grow
my emotionless heart stilled
you might not come back

Divorce Negotiations

wild jackals rip
community property
only the strong eat

Cast

ex-es play no part

the curtain has risen again

the show must go on

TV

(haiku)

we wish

continued distraction from

intolerable existence

unwound

(haiku)

antique chiming clock

adorning my piano

unwound, is silent

wary

(haiku)

heron can't relax

one eye on me and my dog

too risky! takes flight

winter sloth

(haiku)

exercise calls me

"Let's play in the warm sunbeam!"

almost convincing

winter woods

(haiku)

orange flames flicker

fireplace glows, feet snuggly warm

hold me 'til summer

writer's block

(haiku)

last summer's music

cicadas trilled in my poems

now frozen silence

Hysteria In Hibernation

The Dead Dark of Winter

slo-mo

taking time to watch
November dawn lights up trees

one by one, dead leaves

unyielding horizon

following winter solstice
barely bearable December darkness

for hours before dawn each day
I stare at the unyielding eastern horizon

silently I stare into the night
silently demanding light

my sun, my love, slowly surfaces
has kept me waiting

with no apologies

winter is too stingy with its sunlight

sitting in the dark
waiting impatiently for
January dawn

the saying goes . . .

they're great a short time
more than three days and they stink
fish, guests, and winter

winter stampede

bread, milk, eggs, water

panicked shoppers clear the shelves

rumors of snow storm

winter woods

orange flames flicker
fireplace glows, feet snuggly warm
hold me 'til summer

picture window sunbathing

Summer's sun warms me,

brightens my day, though it's just

Winter's, in disguise

cold winter

no matter my wishes
January mornings
still frigid

winter sloth

exercise calls me

"Let's play in the warm sunbeam!"

almost convincing

out of season

yen for fresh peaches
Christmas cactus flower blooms
small consolation

haiku for a January morning

winter haiku
doesn't deserve a full
seventeen syllables

writer's ice block

too cold for haiku
January won't yield
these three lines fall short

Burpee's, packet of Hope

to survive winter
I count on next summer's joys
watermelon seeds

the bright side

shoveling my driveway
for the sixth day in a row
no mosquitoes yet

courtship

February skies
gray, gray, cold, bold, frigid gray
yet... birds, pairing off

Falling Hard For Fall

COLORS OF CHANGE

autumn roll call

colored puffs on hills

each autumn tree shouts out loud

"Red!" "Orange!" "Yellow!"

sugar high colors

autumn leaves dancing

summer weather was just right

sugar high colors

flash mob

autumn's winds swirl leaves

dazzling lightning colors fly

I am blown away

coverlet

many-colored lawns

patchwork quilt of autumn leaves

warms the neighborhood

falling angels

leaves do not plummet

rather, they fall gracefully

crisp death mimics wings

Anticipating Spring's Arrival

Are We There Yet?
Are We There Yet?
Are We There Yet?
Are We There Yet?
Are We There Yet?

Snow Bound

spring a month away

might as well be twenty years

or a life sentence

The Dregs of Winter

holding on, 'til spring

two more weeks, then the solstice

today, it's snowing

Patience, Patience

pawing through the snow

looking for spring, signs of life

nothing but dead leaves

Late Winter Hike

searching for flowers,

again, I came up empty

snow melts on hearth rug

As Yet, No Sign Of Spring

marching on the trail

searching in vain for flowers

crunching, rocks and ice

Maybe Tomorrow

not a bit of green

no daffodils peeking yet

only glistening snow

The Longest Month

trying my patience

March winds, rain, gloom, hopelessness

where is promised Spring?

Spring Mirage

At the outer limits

of what I could stand

of winter

With the same desperation

as the desert wanderer

who stumbles upon an oasis

and drinks heartily...

I just saw a robin!

Tag-Team Wrestling Play-By-Play

"March has a choke-hold!"
"Hang on, April's back! and she's
ripped off winter's grip!"

And Don't Come Back 'Til Next Year

snow lounges on deck

snow lazes about on roof
outstays guest welcome

Hurry It Up!

slothful winter sun
will melt six inches of snow
sees no need to rush

Vernal Dance Step

impatient for spring

I stomp on small piles of snow
"Melt! Melt now! Faster!"

Summer's Sun Understudy

morning's bright sunshine
reflected off frosty ground
recalling summer

Flutter Tease

are those butterflies?
nope, just morning snow flurries
curse you, long winter!

Almost There

the melting snow piles

the extra bits of sunshine

the greening grasses

Determination

grit your teeth and smile
daffodils keep on pushing
through dirt and cold snow

Sproing!

under snow's surface
crouched crocus flexes, uncoils,
jumps up, shouts for joy!

Sleepyheads

daffodils abed

sun calls, "Time to rise and shine!"

pulls off snow blanket

Sure Sign of Spring

my favorite poet
tweets about flowers, not snow
yay! spring has arrived

Spring Love Dance

oh, beautiful fir!
two birds, dancing their love dance
their nest, in your boughs

Blue Puzzle

dainty blue eggshell

all of the pieces are here
...except the robin

on the sidelines

(haiku)

I watch others run

competition makes them sweat

I sit...nice and cool

NOTE: For an interesting and humorous read along the same lines, see "The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow" by Jerome K. Jerome, available free on Project Gutenberg.