McGoodwin Haikus:
I believe that the more traditional Haiku dealt with such subjects as the cicadas chirping around the moon-lit pool - but, even in the classics, there are variations from that purity. Perhaps the form, which demands a clear image, will allow some of such as follow.
1.
Old man looks.
At chalky, rotund reflection.
"My God," he asks, "who's that?"
2
Old man views print out
Extracts check-book, then pen,
Begins to write check.
3.
Old man stares at vomit
And cigarette butts
Around base of elm tree.
4.
Old man feels confident,
Reads new tobacco findings,
Loses all hope.
5.
Old man notices spots.
Wipes glasses with shirt-tail;
Notices a blur.
6..
Old man always says:
"I wouldn't kid'
About a serious matter."
7.
Old man drops letter,
Labors to retrieve, reaches it,
Can't remove foot.
8.
The old man rises, sways, waits;
Straightens, stretches, lifts one heel,
Starts to walk.
9.
The old man looks the same
Slumped, ashen, unmoving.
But, this time, he's dead.
10.
Old man sees youth in bizarre costume,
Peers through the mists of time
And nods.
11.
Old man's gravitated fat
Raises the trajectory
Of his stream.
12.
Old man puts two orthotic devices
In one shoe.
Notices crowding.