Life in 17 Syllables

No Spray for This Menace :: April 3, 2008

2008-04-03T23:26:00.000-07:00

Projects swarm around
Me like a cloud of gnats on
A warm summer’s night.

Beyond the Surface :: April 2, 2008

2008-04-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

Does poetry live
In the honey-soaked layers
Of my baklava?

Not a Morning Person :: April 1, 2008

2008-04-01T23:49:00.000-07:00

Swirls of ashen fog
Beyond my window suggest
My true mental state.

You Know Your Meeting Is Long When … :: March 31, 2008

2008-03-31T22:55:00.000-07:00

Rings in the wood grain
Of the conference table
Expand each hour …

Literary Longings :: March 29, 2008

2008-03-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

In the used bookstore,
Desperate titles beckon,
Hoping for a touch.

Post-Katrina Metaphor :: March 28, 2008

2008-03-28T23:13:00.000-07:00

Through the cracked blacktop
On Bourbon Street, honey bush
Pokes its slight, green fist.

Food for Thought :: March 26, 2008

2008-03-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

New Orleans feels like
A warm beignet dipped into
Cold café au lait.

Regional Differences :: March 25, 2008

2008-03-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

Gumbo and crawfish,
Spiced by blue fire, spar all night
Inside my bowels.

Death’s Scythe :: March 21, 2008

2008-03-21T22:44:00.000-07:00

My toenail acts like
Death’s scythe, sending all my socks
To an early grave.

Visual Doppler Effect? :: March 20, 2008

2008-03-20T22:43:00.000-07:00

The airplane’s image
Grows then shrinks along the car’s
Curving windshield.

Eastern Washington Scene :: March 16, 2008

2008-03-16T23:01:00.000-07:00

Dispassionate clouds
Drag shimmering veils of rain
Across callous plains.

Hanford’s Legacy :: March 15, 2008

2008-03-15T22:59:00.000-07:00

Radioactive
Tumbleweeds cartwheel over
Carpets of scrub brush.

Overdue Visit :: March 14, 2008

2008-03-14T22:57:00.000-07:00

College memories,
Buried like fossils, surface
As we reunite.

Zen and the Art of Shaving :: March 13, 2008

2008-03-14T00:24:00.002-07:00

The lone, wiry hair
Juts from my chin like bonsai
On a craggy peak.

Why I’m a Writer :: March 12, 2008

2008-03-14T00:24:00.001-07:00

The meeting started
Full of sunshine; then I spoke
And dark clouds moved in.

Peek du Soleil :: March 11, 2008

2008-03-14T00:23:00.002-07:00

The sun teases me
With glimpses of gorgeous beams
Through gossamer clouds.

I Hate Mondays :: March 10, 2008

2008-03-14T00:23:00.001-07:00

Burrowed in my bed
Like a skittish mole, I cringe
As the morning breaks.

D.S.T. :: March 9, 2008

2008-03-09T10:26:00.002-07:00

I mourn the hour,
Murdered in its prime by a
Government decree.

Together :: March 8, 2008

2008-03-09T10:26:00.001-07:00

The moon shines brighter
For the darkness; together,
Each fits the other.

What Is a Lie? :: March 7, 2008

2008-03-09T10:25:00.002-07:00

A lie is simply
Telling the truth about things
That did not happen.

Digging :: March 6, 2008

2008-03-09T10:25:00.001-07:00

Today my writing
Feels like I am digging through
Hard ground with a spoon.

Just for Me :: March 5, 2008

2008-03-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

The day is still. Gray.
Then a wayward breeze rustles
Green buds, just for me.

Below the Surface :: March 4, 2008

2008-03-04T23:37:00.000-08:00

You opened your mouth
And out came death, wrapped up in
Rich honeysuckle.

What We Do :: March 3, 2008

2008-03-03T00:26:00.000-08:00

Most of us don’t wake
Planning to cause people pain.
But that’s what we do.

Midnight Lindy Hop? :: March 2, 2008

2008-03-02T00:26:00.000-08:00

Above me at night,
My neighbors transform into
Dancing elephants.

Branching Out :: March 1, 2008

2008-03-01T15:07:00.000-08:00

Cutting up tree limbs,
I defy expectations
And dirty my hands.

See Ya in Four :: February 29, 2008

2008-02-29T15:31:00.000-08:00

Doing its duty,
The reclusive day appears
And then leaps away.

Bullied by Time :: February 28, 2008

2008-02-28T00:24:00.000-08:00

Hours grab my hands
And pull, while cruel seconds
Shove me from behind.

A Pause in the Dark :: February 27, 2008

2008-02-27T11:13:00.000-08:00

Painted in sunlight,
The world beyond my window
Shimmers with promise.

Shower Confessions :: February 26, 2008

2008-02-27T00:23:00.001-08:00

Shower confessions
Reveal parts of me that can’t
Get clean with water.

Don’t Look Down :: February 25, 2008

2008-02-25T22:37:00.001-08:00

Writing on deadline
Feels like walking on a log
Across a ravine.

Thorny Wisdom :: February 24, 2008

2008-02-24T23:51:00.000-08:00

Looking at bushes
Is less fun when you’re crashing
Through them on your bike.

Ancient Torture? :: January 30, 2008

2008-01-30T08:03:00.000-08:00

Lying on hard ground,
Twisted like a pretzel, I
Am yoga’s captive.

Office Charybdis :: January 28, 2008

2008-01-30T08:02:00.000-08:00

Swirling paperwork,
Like some fantastic whirlpool,
Sucks away my day.

Absence Makes the Haiku Grow Fonder :: January 24, 2008

2008-01-24T23:58:00.000-08:00

“Were you abducted?”
The question hangs in the air.
“No, but my time was.”

Winter Hiatus :: December 22--January 1

2007-12-22T01:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!
May the peace of the season
Find room in your hearts.

Always Be Prepared :: December 21, 2007

2007-12-22T01:19:00.001-08:00

Packing my suitcase,
I put in 10 pairs of socks.
I’ll be gone eight days ...

Writing Night #3 :: December 20, 2007

2007-12-20T23:21:00.002-08:00

I wish that writing
Was like the shake of my heart,
The sigh of my lungs.

Immoral Morsels :: December 19, 2007

2007-12-20T23:21:00.001-08:00

’Tis the season for
Devilish sugar dressed as
Angelic cookies.

You Are What You Drink :: December 18, 2007

2007-12-20T23:20:00.002-08:00

Word by deadly word,
I take in the gossip like
Sips of slow poison.

Please Don’t Blow :: December 17, 2007

2007-12-20T23:20:00.001-08:00

Lust boils inside me,
Steadily building pressure,
Showing signs of steam.

That Seahawks Tint :: December 16, 2007

2007-12-16T21:45:00.002-08:00

I watch Seattle
Show its true football colors:
Plain mediocher.

Don’t Tell PETA :: December 15, 2007

2007-12-16T21:45:00.001-08:00

Why do yippy dogs
Make me want to punt their butts
Into Lake Union?

Doused :: December 14, 2007

2007-12-16T21:44:00.000-08:00

Twelve hours of sleep
Calm my throat’s raging fires
Into red embers.

Circus Freak :: December 13, 2007

2007-12-16T21:43:00.004-08:00

I break a glass and
Swallow its rough shards. At least,
That’s how my throat feels.

Losing Proposition :: December 12, 2007

2007-12-16T21:43:00.003-08:00

Tasks swarm around me
Like a black cloud of vexed bees.
I duck and run home.

Some Walls Are Good :: December 11, 2007

2007-12-16T21:43:00.001-08:00

Here’s a conundrum:
My art becomes freer when
It has boundaries.

The Daily Grind :: December 10, 2007

2007-12-16T21:42:00.000-08:00

Finding poetry
In my mundane life is like
Licking sandpaper.

An Object in the Park :: December 9, 2007

2007-12-16T21:22:00.002-08:00

She saw “cherry pie”;
I saw “PB&J sandwich.”
What was it really?

1 A.M. Concert :: December 8, 2007

2007-12-16T21:22:00.001-08:00

The bedsprings above
Squeak in rhythm as they sing
Teenage love duets.

Sweet Seduction :: December 7, 2007

2007-12-16T21:21:00.000-08:00

The cup of cocoa —
My first in more than a year —
Fills me with dark joy …

Bread Line :: December 6, 2007

2007-12-14T23:27:00.001-08:00

At the youth shelter,
I offer Heather warm bread
And warmer wishes.

Fragmented :: December 5, 2007

2007-12-14T23:18:00.002-08:00

My day has broken
Like Humpty Dumpty. Sadly,
I’m like the king’s men.

Good Morning Picasso! :: December 4, 2007

2007-12-14T23:18:00.001-08:00

Stark light from the east
Flattens Seattle’s skyline
Into cubist art.

Mind Over Splatter :: December 3, 2007

2007-12-14T23:17:00.001-08:00

Despite driving rain,
We carry our Christmas tree
Gaily through the streets.

Monthly Departure :: December 2, 2007

2007-12-04T00:27:00.001-08:00

Dollars wave goodbye,
Their journey to creditors
About to begin …

Wintery Demise :: December 1, 2007

2007-12-04T00:24:00.000-08:00

Feathery snowflakes
Coat Seattle in cotton,
Then shrink from the rain.

Wisdom-Smack :: November 30, 2007

2007-11-30T11:22:00.002-08:00

Studying Proverbs,
I’m back-handed by wisdom,
Left reeling, red-faced.

Irresponsible :: November 29, 2007

2007-11-30T11:22:00.000-08:00

Irresponsible:
When I’m late to the office
Because I can be.

My Superpower :: November 28, 2007

2007-11-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

My superpower
Would be to stop car engines
Of stupid drivers.

Where to Start? :: November 27, 2007

2007-11-30T11:20:00.000-08:00

My obligations
Feel like massive, endless walls
In a sprawling maze.

Hello in There? :: November 26, 2007

2007-11-30T11:19:00.000-08:00

I go to the well
Of inspiration to find
It’s out of order.

Blank :: November 25, 2007

2007-11-30T11:18:00.000-08:00

Decades of her life
Penciled inside are erased
By Jan’s Alzheimer’s.

Montana Therapy :: November 24, 2007

2007-11-30T11:17:00.001-08:00

Walking lazily,
Kicking rocks along the road,
We breathe out rank stress.

Not Your Normal Hangover :: November 23, 2007

2007-11-30T11:17:00.000-08:00

Waking up groggy,
I recall what did me in:
Late-night pinochle.

Christmas Spirit :: November 22, 2007

2007-11-30T11:16:00.000-08:00

The silvery strand
Of cheap tinsel gleams with joy,
Transforming our tree.

Culture Shock :: November 21, 2007

2007-11-22T17:25:00.000-08:00

“Is prosciutto cheese?”
Small-town Montana is quaint.
We miss Seattle.

A Kind of Death :: November 20, 2007

2007-11-22T17:22:00.000-08:00

Like a black mamba,
An asphalt road snakes its way
Through my childhood home.

Should’ve Worn Sneakers :: November 19, 2007

2007-11-22T17:21:00.000-08:00

For a brief moment,
Today’s to-do list felt like
A 10K footrace.

Picasso Was Right :: November 18, 2007

2007-11-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

Art washes our souls,
Cleaning away the coarse dust
Of everyday life.

Glassblowing 101 :: November 17, 2007

2007-11-22T17:19:00.000-08:00

Artists dip steel rods
Into molten honey to
Form three glowing bowls.

Just An Illusion :: November 16, 2007

2007-11-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

Scrubbing our bathtub,
I remove months of sludge so
Guests won’t know we’re slobs.

The Least of These :: November 15, 2007

2007-11-15T23:37:00.001-08:00

At the soup kitchen
I recall as I serve bread:
Jesus was homeless.

That’s MR. Lightweight … :: November 14, 2007

2007-11-15T23:36:00.000-08:00

A bottle of wine ---
Some grim, edgy Cotes du Rhone ---
Renders me squiffy.

Sunny Side Up :: November 13, 2007

2007-11-14T23:43:00.000-08:00

Leaves like toasted bread
Are gently buttered yellow
By the morning sun.

Cranky :: November 12, 2007

2007-11-12T17:15:00.001-08:00

Biting wind and rain ---
Seems today woke up on the
Wrong side of the bed.

Altitude & Attitude :: November 11, 2007

2007-11-12T17:14:00.004-08:00

Dressed in tawny clouds,
Mount Rainier acts like Nature’s
Top supermodel.

Freefall :: November 10, 2007

2007-11-12T17:14:00.003-08:00

My blood sugar drops
Like some out-of-control plane
Spinning toward a cliff.

Magical Week :: November 9, 2007

2007-11-12T17:14:00.001-08:00

‘Tis a mystery:
Monday I’m five weeks behind.
Friday --- I’m caught up.

Pummeled :: November 8, 2007

2007-11-12T17:13:00.002-08:00

I feel like a steak
As Katie works me with her
Tenderizer fists.

Therapy Session #20 :: November 7, 2007

2007-11-12T17:13:00.001-08:00

My playground bully
Appears after 30 years.
This time I punch him.

The Sound of Industry :: November 6, 2007

2007-11-12T17:12:00.000-08:00

Gray cubicle walls
Emit a bumblebee hum
From my toil within.

Irish Rock-God :: November 5, 2007

2007-11-08T07:57:00.001-08:00

From the bare Moore stage,
Glen Hansard grabs his guitar
And plays with our souls.

Urban Shopping :: November 4, 2007

2007-11-05T23:13:00.000-08:00

Worse than a dog fight,
Two snarling women each grab
For the last cheap coat.

Their True Colors :: November 3, 2007

2007-11-04T09:51:00.001-08:00

Cotton-candy pink
And tangerine duke it out
In tonight’s sunset.

Fevered Dreams :: November 2, 2007

2007-11-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

Melting faces and
Fuchsia poodles share brain time
In my febrile state.

I Feel Like A Puppet :: November 1, 2007

2007-11-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

First my body boils,
Then switches to an icy clime.
The virus chuckles.

File It Under “Peace” :: October 31, 2007

2007-10-31T23:28:00.001-07:00

Peace like a river
Flows through my body as I
File my paperwork.

Happy Birthday (Kind Of) :: October 30, 2007

2007-10-31T23:27:00.001-07:00

Mom turns 70 …
Wait a minute. That makes me ...
Older than I'd like!

Challenged Be-leafs :: October 29, 2007

2007-10-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

Leaves in denial:
They cling to their green and pray
As red streaks appear …

Happy Anniversary (To Me) :: October 28, 2007

2007-10-29T23:11:00.000-07:00

Hand-in-hand we stroll
Into the lush clover fields
Of year number two.

Lazy-Day Play :: October 27, 2007

2007-10-29T18:32:00.001-07:00

Five glowing aspens
Peek in on our afternoon
Of lazy Upwords.

Death Splash :: October 26, 2007

2007-10-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

Gently lapping waves
Bleed white foam, ripped open by
A rogue sea lion.

Weekend Persuasion :: October 25, 2007

2007-10-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

“Three days of quiet,”
Whisper the San Juan Islands.
“Just step on the boat …”

Hoovered :: October 24, 2007

2007-10-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Acting like seven
Ravenous vacuum cleaners,
Meetings suck my day.

Night Watch :: October 23, 2007

2007-10-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

The full-bodied moon
Draws up its scarf of clouds and
Starts its chilly guard.

Oops! :: October 22, 2007

2007-10-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to explain
How I nearly squashed my wife
On my drive to work.

Fluidity :: October 21, 2007

2007-10-22T00:06:00.000-07:00

During our breakfast
Conversation flows with ease,
Like my spilled water.

Dear Inspiration ... :: October 20, 2007

2007-10-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Inspiration ---
Why do you hide in red leaves?
Please visit me too.

Follow the Lights … :: October 19, 2007

2007-10-20T12:20:00.001-07:00

Like will-o’-the-wisps,
Glowing balls tease us at our
Nighttime golf tourney.