senryu collection

pigeons pecking everywhere, weeks seems to mock me 

yellowed photos of family, tractor in background sepia too

mint tea

chill between us

carries weight

aged rosary—

no more room 

for any prayers

needing to pray

only a T'ang poem

comes out

morning fatigue

solitary daisies on 

dirty breakfast table

"save America..."

packing my things 

for Hell

cranberry juice for breakfast, too much haiku education tiresome

"Immigration's the problem" words said by an immigrant 

in dark woods 

all the misunderstandings 

monmon left me

remnants of rain: 17 onji of senryu of haiku

political climate dismal...weighty—getting more eggs

harboring resentment, thoughts i don't vocalize toward Trump

'happy marriage' quite the lie—the potatoes a bit hard 

each bite of bacon...blistering winter wind inside this place

hometown soil, cling to my shoes eating a BLT

traumatized by roaches—my Starbucks' runnin' late

morning rain yesterday's bad decisions greet me 

hanging eucalyptus

in dry shower...

decompress decompress

rainpour...everything but actual policies

dusky autumn

submerged scandals

each election season

ships that sink i quietly ignore the news

requiem for America, wearily arriving at work

health care and financial planning, a nearly dead sugar daddy 

wanting to live 

wanting to avoid 

sting of suffering 

brilliant red 

of a sea anemone 

in my forties 

and still horny 

bought 

bag of candy corn—

nothing really happening now 

flossing then brushing teeth, seduced by my bed

land of immigrants—he despises what he is 

DM from sugar daddy...

nothin' like scent

of crisp money

dreams: swimming with koi in some unnamed river 

O, to be re-parented...leaving bag of laundry unfolded 

plain and unornamented, essence of me and the life i want 

day in day out trudging to work: another week i slowly regret

apricot jam: Shinko-san is on my mind this morning 

*Tokizane Shinko: she was a master senryu poet

knife's flash

every one of butcher's words

punctuated

'leave kigo alone dear' 

Shinko-san whispers 

over tea

*Tokizane Shinko (1929-2007) one of Japan's foremost senryu poets

in center of city

storm of leaves

collapse inside me

loverless man 

i am usually steeped 

in dark coffee

balmy wind 

over rape flowers 

im a man in lust

suffering 

is a man's lot too 

more canned margaritas

often recycling themes

male poet

writing like a woman

thirty minutes on bus, widow clutching her groceries

inside my anger 

Andromeda

stretching her border

purple of eggplant 

i inelegantly 

dismiss him 

living with a bastard

ironing 

bastard's work clothes 

eating

pungent 

onion

more

layers

of

trauma

to 

peel

back

what

i

hold

prisoner

in

this

body...

'entitled

selfishness'

slow rise of steam 

failed dreams of 

an opera singer 

clearing 

in the wooded areas

of my soul 

after fifteen years, bare tree branches in my heart

rushing home...

no Copenhagen train station

in heart's darkness

my name 

in his mouth...

unpleasant adjective

urinal: phone numbers of pervy lonely menfolk 

in granite—my name alongside Japanese senryu poets

old pewter candelabra, surge of remorse...but for what?

vomiting—a million smiles of the indoctrinated

jam-staind butter knife

on counter...

ill codeswitch no more

ocean crabs notice

humans walk

sideways

another work day—my insanity a precious black jewel 

fears have become priceless...long work to the hotel 

do humans speak of fears? car accident at intersection