~Haikus, Tankas and Rengas~

Touch, So Gentle . . .

A slight gentle touch;
This side of Heaven could be,
Life's consummation.
(A man's greatest joy.)

1 November 2004
Corpus Christi, Texas

In a dream you came,—
Encased in vision's aura,
Forever hearts merged, . . .

Intimacy so gentle,—
Not even Time's glancing touch,
Soft-tender, could kiss your Soul.​

 

Love's Love

Love's paradox,—Love,
Loving its Self first,—But then,
Giving Life as well.
(Giving even Life Its Self)
(Losing even Love Its Self)
(All of this for Love.)

1 November 2004
Corpus Christi, Texas

Love—strange in Its Love,—
Love that doth not love Its Self;
Can't call Its Self Love,
Yet Love, gives even Its Self,
Sacrificing for Its Love.

Love—strange in Its Life,—
For having no Love Its Self;
Can't Its Self be Love,
Yet Life, gives even Its Self,
Sacrificing for Its Love.​

 

¿Golden, Prophecy?
Augury divine,—
The gods's perfect sighted gift;
Bumbling gambling man.

3 November 2004
Corpus Christi, Texas

Gods,— Never awed-fill,
Gods, Never awed feel,
¿Ambrosia's taste feel replete?
¿Ambrosia's taste fill replete?
Desire, . . . uncertain.​

 

Cherry Blossom Renga

Memory recalls
Dewy blossoms in the Spring,
Pink blooms and black bark—
Kimono clad maids.

5 November 2004
Corpus Christi, Texas

Kimono's cuff seeks,
Sakura, . . . & . . . Sakura, . . .
¿Why picks she pink blooms?

Kimono's cuff hides,
Sakura, . . . & . . . Sakura, . . .
Kind Spring picks pink blooms.

Kimono's cuff picks,
Sakura, . . . & . . . Sakura, . . .
Kind lips, kisses pink.

Kimono hid blooms,
Sakura . . . & . . . Sakura,
Two pink buds bursting.

Kimono's pink blooms,
Sakura, . . . & . . . Sakura,
Silk imprints fade too.​

 

Orb to Orb Haiku

Early afternoon,
Running East, sun South, dry grass—
Stalks reflect Sol's light.

6 November 2004
Corpus Christi, Texas

Cerulean sphere,
Seven white cranes fly,—no fear,
Blue orb—Sol—orb clear.
Heaven's light comes to my eye,
Transforming—my spirit's joy. ​

 

Forever Song Haiku

Vocal chords resound;
Beaks chirp, squeak and peep, tongues hiss—
Every creature sings its song.

6 November 2004
Corpus Christi, Texas

Heart's voice mellow sings,—
Issues forth gold melody,—
Even,— threnody.​

 

Hello Kiss Haiku

Everywhere pink shows,—
¡Phantasmagorically!
Though it's really Fall,
Fond illusions that it's Spring.

9 November 2004
Corpus Christi, Texas

Two eyelids flutter,
Though soft closed for a full kiss,—
Two strawberry lips . . .​

 

Tea Ceremony

Between Mass and Song,—
Oda Nobunaga's time—
Tea Ceremony.

3 November 2004
Corpus Christi, Texas

Grass green Leaf.— Brewing, . . .
Rain . . . drops . . . stirred—pink garden blooms;
Rain . . . drops . . . pink garden blooms—stirred;
Stirred. Rain . . . drops . . .—pink garden blooms;
Stirred . . . rain . . . drops . . . pink sakura,—
Pink garden blooms—rain . . . drops . . . stirred;
Drops—pink garden blooms—rain . . . stirred;
Bamboo whisk flicks sharp.​

 

Memorial Day 2004 Renga

Memories of those,
That fought for us and hard fell
Amidst dark battles;
But I just think random thoughts,
No khaki wear I this day.

11 November 2004
Corpus Christi, Texas

Gone before us now,—
Unsung heroes—didn't ask how;
Blasted in the breach,
Remnants scattered on some beach,
Far from those that God do preach.

Uncle now long gone,
Used to smoke cigars and probe,
Existence's notes,—
Frequency needed—just one,
For heart's time to resonate.

¡¡—&—!!

Sleek as F-18's,
Banded yellow-brown—courting,
Grey nest assorting,
Thoughtlessly and fierce they stung,
At imaginary wrong.

Church day—skipping rope,
Eight a.m. she saw them come,
Watched the bombs black smoke,
Heard Arizona explode,
Nine years old her tears did choke.

Next day dead—front lawn,
Zero pilot in his suit,
Fleeing to shelter, . . .
¿Was he the one that strafed them,
As they made their violent run?

Three days they remained,
Hearing tapping sailor's cry,
Battleship entombed,—
Oahu curfew quiet,
Ford Island was stiller yet.

Across dark channel,
Welders's torches flashed-sparkled,
Fleet will go to sea,
Sooner than anyone thought,
Bloody, bitter fight is on.

Half a century,
I am bathing two young girls,
Elder lady comes,
Cries and reminisces long,
Of the times she lived right here.

Smell of onions cut by mom,
Sister humming something odd,
And those strange planes that arrived,
With a swarming hornet's buzz.

¡¡—&—!!

Lovers come and go,—
True friends—well, . . . ¡That's something else!
Orange's—Sun's rise.

¡¡—&—!!

Cool autumn insists,—
Boiling kettle's swirling mists,—
Coffee—nutmeg wisps.

¡¡—& —!!​

 

Two Haikus for a Ghost

Words, great deceivers,
Leading our beliefs, unseen,
Until that clear day
We recognize impostors,
Posturing and Gesturing.

Corpus Christi, Texas.
16 November 2004

—°—"•"—°—

Somewhere without words,
Resonate cold bitter worlds,
Inside deep dark soul.

Awaiting life's call,
Somewhere without any words,
Sweet flows sensation.

(Sweet flow—sensation.)
(Sweet flow's sensation.)
(Sweet sensation flows.)

—°—"•"—°—​

 

Dark to Light to Dark Haiku

Rose pink starts out day
Swaddling clothes for short traverse
Sometimes wander dark.

Corpus Christi, Texas.
17 November 2004

—°——°—

Emerge without sight,
Seeking lighted rainbows high,
Fade back to moonlight.

—°——°—​

 

Leonid Meteor Shower Haiku

Day's vast skies covered—
Lightning and thunder,—then night,
Occulted white fog.

18 November 2004
Corpus Christi, Texas

Eye's tear—finger's tip, . . .
Slowly mist occults new moon, —
Hidden, meteors, . . .​

 

Cálculo Haiku

Vagamos paso a paso,
Pagamos peso a peso.

18 November 2004
Corpus Christi, Texas

Diferenciar, . . .
Integrar el corazón, —
¿Sumar la vida? . . .​

 

¿Who Made Who and Why? Haiku

About origins,
There is a question some think
Faith can quick answer.

18 November 2004
Corpus Christi, Texas

Hydrogen formed suns, . . .
Carbon from star's fusion, . . .
¿Who made hydrogen?​

 

Blue Love

Having spent a life
Undulating on seas's waves,
¿How can I resist
When she tends blue affections?

21 November 2004
Houston, Texas

Blue rose without thorns,
Kissing jade rolling ocean, . . .
So comes turquoise love.​

 

Apple Blossoms

One word written down
The page transfixes,—meanings
Suddenly appear,
Distant underlying thoughts,
Remote origins their source.

21 November 2004
Houston, Texas

One white down feather,
(One white apple bloom,)
(White blossoms,—green twigs,)

Spirals down slow, goes wither? . . .
(Slow spirals down, onto me, . . .)
(Down slow spirals, goes whither? . . .)
Smells—purple heather.
(Smelling of heaven.)
(Purple smells heaven.)​

 

Sealed Fate

Maya hides time's truth,
Everything's forever writ.—
Braille we touch through life.

21 November 2004
Houston, Texas

Time no one shatters,
(Time only matters,)
(Only Love masters,)

Spinning Maya's illusions, . . .
(Golden threads trill can matter, . . .)
(Picking life's short strands gladder, . . .)

Poisonous adder, . . .
(Children's gay patter, . . .)
(Happy brief chatter, . . .)​

 

Rain's Prelude

There's always glad songs
Music sounds in everything,
Refreshing waters.

21 November 2004
Houston, Texas

a, b, c, b, c, . . . #
(Innocent small notes,)
(Sweet sounding dew drops,)
Bach's prelude twelve speeds up, . . .
(Slow patter goes to frenzy, . . .)
(Big drops deep, little notes high, . . .)
Rain's patter--Heart's song..
(Heart drives melody, . . .)
(Rain's song moves heart's beat, . . .)​

 

Ruby Strand Renga

Words flow like red gems,
But feel like kisses sweet-warm,
¿Heart—where's Eden's vale?

22 November 2004
Houston, Texas

Red ember glows wine,
Omar Khayyam's shiraz flows,—
Purple flower'd kiss.

Gentle touches warm,
Mentality's bagatelle;
¿How to dance to this?

Moist rose-button lips,—
Silk-smooth—suave slides—skin's soft song,
(Smooth silk—suave slides—soft song's skin,)
Shifting melodies.
(Melodies in shifts)

Sparkling diadems,
Shining from such distances,
Thoughts or stars or eyes, . . .

Iridescent love,
(Iridescent life,)
¿How can mortals know clear truth?
Only embraces, . . .
(¿What embraces love?)
(¿What, embraces, love?)
(Warm embraces brief, . . .)

As gentle as rain,—
Autumn leaves falling, . . .
Snowflakes in life's heart..​

 

Salt Diamond Haiku

Few animals waste,
Body's precious chemicals,
Humans shed salt tears,
Often while their hearts are shred,
¿Even grief must pay a price?

24 November 2004

Corpus Christi, Texas

Diamonds tear down cheeks,
Cutting rosy silk—blood melts, . . .
Salt, . . . green-oceans, . . .

(Incarnadine seas)
(Ruby red kiss-dreams)
(Ruby red oceans)​