haiku posted to Shiki Internet Salon ==================================== staring at my coffee cup daydreaming of cold dark beer cat stalking invisible mouse blinded by sunlight I miss the comfort of thunderclouds I stayed up all night trying to dream about you after the storm digital clock blinks midnight gust of autumn the only visitor in my empty room your hurried kiss another meteor... my son's first baseball glove somewhere under the snow in garbled voice-mail my three year-old aches for his daddy obscured by mist your face across the ocean the locusts bow in silence as the train slowly passes another reminder that autumn is here: frost on my windshield the rhythm of graffitti thunder - passing freight train in a swirl of color and too much sangria the room is dancing retreating from my headlights army of frogs three moves to check mate: fireplace reflection dancing in your eyes etched into my face deep valleys of sorrow shattering the reflected moon frog's lonely swim chimney smoke caressing the amber sky the red vinyl booths worn, cracked, cigarette-scarred tonight my pillow five beers later his wife's glare burnt coffee rescued from a stack of bills missing renga link driving through the fog my grandmother forgets my name poor butterfly! a frog has just eaten the perfect photograph violent thunderstorm - the computer room, however, is silent under his pillow wrinkled postcard reads: "Daddy please come home" under a crescent moon farmer and ox threshing wheat sad little girl ignoring the sunset evening retreats behind the horizon - the gathering frost fat old cat ignoring the mouse mouse turds in my kitchen: at least I know I am not alone no longer a kitten the ball of yarn no longer a toy his life spared the grateful fly drowns in my Coke too shy to dance he watches her fall in love my morning coffee growing cold in rush hour traffic autumn sunset the coffee finally kicks in palm trees swaying in the snow on my television first snow fall - streets lined with fender-benders hand-in-hand under the moonlight our snow angels long after the snow has stopped bare trees shivering few days later the enchantment is gone - dirty snow between glances fox footprints in the snow paid in full for his poetry with her smile incoming plane - kildeer concedes its nesting rights waving from the terminal long after your plane has gone delayed at the gate a flock of seagulls takes off right on time migrating geese also remind me that you are gone after showering your "I love you" reappears on the mirror through the bathroom fog a heart etched on the mirror St. Paul skyline: ice castles of electric night decorating the dormant smokestack: a Christmas tree winter fog: two blankets and I still shiver snow is falling in a provocative dance - this coffee is too weak bungled forecast: six inches of "partly cloudy" in my driveway the street lamp caresses the falling snow: butterflies descending huddled by the fire the snow outside melted by glowing embers long distance to my father competing with the Weather Channel the storm over I clutch my blanket tightly and dream of you the snow has ended and with it my fountain of words another plane takes off - I wonder if she is still waving goodbye winter dusk: the horizon's amber glow fades to violet the fog retreats her gown trailing in the snow New Year's Eve my eyes avoiding every clock shoulders of diamond: broken glass along the highway penetrating the Christmas fog gifts from my children Clifton Park: a suburb completely safe from inspiration winter rain erasing the promise of Christmas snow through the winter rain another pair of headlights that isn't yours winter evening snow merges with sky in a continuum of grey poised to attack her green eyes incinerate the new cat Valentine's Day: two interlocking hearts drawn in the fresh snow beyond the locked door an ambush awaits - a dozen white roses one day later rose petals on the floor midnight moon: the eye of the dragon is watching me an unwelcome guest peers into my window - bright morning sun from my sickbed the same number of ceiling tiles as yesterday my red wool scarf is all that's left of the mighty snowman in the street impromptu rivers of melted snow through the hot tea mist your smiling eyes on this warm March day the trees are crying for their leaves like the bare branches my bones tremble in the March wind softly muting my dreams of Spring April snow along the graveyard fence a little girl picks daisies warm spring day a trash can filled with Christmas cards masked by tree branches the streetlight can only flicker... warm and content my cats sleep unaware of my tears so many things to do today - snow falling from a tree branch rainy day I ignore the telephone you smile... beyond this fog of light are countless stars I cannot see right on time she buys her morning coffee and ignores my smile first day of spring - still dreaming of apple blossoms in the hallway the laces of our shoes intertwined through the fingerprints on my window - cloudless blue sky unable to escape the subway station of my dreams sitting by the window the breeze shifts direction from pizza to chow mein I am the mirror in which you cannot smile - your loving father distant church bells punish my Sunday hangover at the pawn shop a tarnished wedding band priced for quick sale on your doorstep with the usual punctuality: your consolation prize staring at an empty wine glass filling mine yet again your thoughtful gift burning in the fire reflected in your pupils I seem so small on the mantlepiece my son's crayon self-portrait crying for Daddy passing her classmates she hides her perfect paper in the window a cat stalks its reflection thunderclap! I suddenly remember where I left my umbrella after the storm a shroud of dogwood blossoms a well-hit softball shatters my Sunday nap incense of burning leaves fills the pastel sky amidst the debris a trembling man clutches a tiny jacket channel surfing between test patterns window shopping I stare at myself on video after the storm the locusts' song replaced by sirens lying in bed after too much TV afraid to dream wind-swept leaves: when my eyes are closed, an ocean wave not knowing how I will pay this month's rent my cat sleeps late with my rent I ignore the spider web my pet firefly motionless in his jar a starless sky hazy night the full moon is hot and tired an old friend knocking at my door distant thunder passing the cemetary a sudden urge to buy flowers at the flower shop the irises, your eyes in and out of focus emerging from its nest with a mighty roar the construction crane when I am in love I am afraid to count flower petals sparrows erupt from the trees the sound of thunder distant thunder two lovers kissing goodbye staring at a sheet of paper - a night without words reading Kafka I pause to kill a fly rough day at work - I rescue a fly from a spider web the evening conceals an absence of wind almost time to leave my son clings to me cold spring rain seeing my scowl the woodpecker feigns innocence approaching the mountain the airplane's shadow rises pen in hand I watch the river below sign its name in rock mockingbird sings to the rythym of the freeway sleepless night the wind in the palms another passing train Venice Beach body builders can't stop the rain emerging from the sand dunes another jet do these minnows know the tidal pool is receding? trying to decipher the hidden message in the sea gull tracks Ventura Freeway racing against Suburbia night after night her silhouette practising kata approaching thunder the crows are no longer laughing hot summer night the lark and the nightingale sing in harmony more bitter than this coffee the indigo sky perched on my balcony I mimick the mockingbird an old monk changes a light bulb by candlelight overcast night the only stars are fireflies the ambulance is gone as is the need to meet the neighbors more tragic than the loss itself your tiny voice asking why the full moon's reluctant companion: a lonely seagull unawakened by my tears on your face drinking this coffee instead of throwing it out I know I am single dreaming she mutters that she's still awake somewhere in the clouds I am searching for these words outdoor concert: a lonely pigeon answers the oboe my tulips against her cheek kissing... after the storm each droplet on my window a rainbow gazing into an open field daydreaming of trains passing train overtaken by the tea kettle more fleeting than your kiss - this shadow on the moon slow dance of the setting moon: another sleepless night the shadows return - locusts fall asleep one by one awakened by the lilac breeze =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Paul David Mena Stillwater, MN, USA last update: 3 August, 1995