MrSmith1's picture

    A Further Fatherly Friday Afternoon at the Haikulodeon


     

    Here's this week's heap of haikus:

     

     

     

     

     

    double haiku:

    Sunday's Father's Day.
    I wish I could celebrate,
    instead of just mourn.


    My dad left too soon
    and yet ...after all these years,
    I still feel his love.

     

    Photo#1: My dad, me and my sister circa 1954. 
    Photo#2: Me and my dad circa 1963.

     

    ---

     

    Purgatory; a
    place for the not good enough
    and the not so bad.
     
     
     
    ---
     
     
     
     
     In hospitals, I've
    noticed, the better you feel, 
    the more you're ignored.
     
     
     
    ---

     

    When our jobs are done
    and our lessons all are learned,
    we're meant to move on.
     
    ---
     
    The toll of lives lost,
    will always make us sad, as
    we but guess their fate.
     
     
    ---

     

     

    ---

     


    Before a pinkish-
    purple sky, an old tree asks
    for it's lover's hand.

    (I've misplaced the photo that goes with this one.  I will find it and post it later. )
     

    ---

     

    Chasing a sunset,
    he hopes for one last glimpse as
    the day fades away …

     

     

    ---

     

     

    tanka haiku:

    Those that can not deal
    with their friend’s adversities,
    fear their own weakness.

        But smooth sailing weakens sailors
        while stormy weather breeds strength

     

     

    ---

     

     


    A humid morning.
    Across the street, some workers
    sip coffee and smoke.

     

     

     

    ---

     

     

    Chills run down her spine,
    up her esophagus, and
    now she spits ice cubes.


     

    ---

     

     

     

    No matter what heights
    your Melody soars, Rhythm
    Will still be master.

     

     

    ==

     


    Deep in the forest,
    patches of stippled sunlight,
    warm a leaf-strewn trail.


     

    ---

    To demonstrate the
    effectiveness of our new
    super-glue ... Hang on!!


    (Photo courtesy Kristina Rebelo)

     

    ---

     

     

     Or so it seems-ku:
     
    An elevator
    that stops on ev'ry floor will
    never let you down.
     

     


    ---

     

     


    His hum-drum life had
    hum-drum relationships and
    even hum-drum drums.

     

    ---

     

     

     A wise old man sat
    amidst the rubble and smiled
    at all he had learned.
     

     

     


    ---

     

     


    In a bawdy boite,
    patrons cry out in dismay,
    "Put it all back on!"

     

     

     
    ---

     

     

     

    He ordered flowers
    to be sent to his girlfriend ...
    'cuz he knew she knew.
     
     

     


    ---

     

     


     She whispered to him,
    ‘I’ll fulfill all your dreams' … But
    he’d dreamt of Pirates.

     

     

     

    ---

    haiku quintet:

    Ah pain ... the revenge
    of the forces of darkness
    which seek to kill hope.

    What may irritate
    one man, another may find
    excruciating.

    Chronic pain can kill
    aspirations and desire;
    in their place, you cope.

    Do not judge others
    for their inability
    to deal with their pain.

    For you can not know
    their threshold ... Just assume it's
    as high as your own.

     


    ---

     

    Appreciation
    of Life's complexities makes
    easy answers hard.
     
     
    ---
     
     
     
    Tucked in his wallet
    was a photo from his youth
    of a secret love.
     
     
     
    ---

     

     

    ---

    His toy soldiers were
    lying in the lawn; battle
    called due to bedtime.

     

     

     

    ---

     

     Summer Stock-ku:
     
    When acting in barns
    laughter in the rafters comes
    with the whole gestalt.

     

     

    ---

     

     

    little speckled birds
    clinging to branches that sway
    in the morning breeze.

     

    ---

    `

    Loose litter swirling
    through the canyons of midtown;
    Urban tumbleweeds.

     

     

    ---

     

     Driving blue highways,
    seeking out less traveled roads,
    small town life endures.
     

     

     

    ---

     

     

    Cold and rainy nights,
    comfort the lonely, who shed
    their tears un-noticed.

     

     

    ---

     

     

    When daffodils bloom,
    near the edge of your garden,
    passers-by may pluck.

     

     

    ---

     

     

    A shooting rampage
    no longer surprises us,
    but it still saddens.

     

     

    ---

     

    triple haiku:

    I have crossed into
    a secret realm, and wish
    to hide forever.

    Hide from harlequins,
    scamps and poseurs, and people
    with damned agendas.

    Hide your heart away
    to keep it safe from danger
    What's Good will find you.

     

    ****

    haiku quartet:

    Sharp angles and harsh
    invectives, angry music
    does not int'rest me.

    At this point of time
    I want to smooth the edges,
    and heal all the wounds,

    I want to think up
    answers rather than simply
    ask some more questions.

    Youth should ask questions,
    They should demand to know, and
    we must find answers.

     

     

    ===

     

     

     

     

    I was listening to the Frank Loesser musical, "The Most Happy Fella" the other night..  Here are two songs from it that are not dramatic, not angry, not blockbuster-y,  just lovely sweet tunes with wonderful harmonies; something I think we all need at the moment.

    Sometimes I think 3 and 4 part harmonies could heal the world.  Just before I was diagnosed with AS, I used to walk the halls of NBC with my walk-man (It was 1984), and though I was in pain, and didn't know what was wrong with me, I knew something was wrong, but I got into listening to the Weavers with their beautiful blend of voices and harmonies and I think that went a long way towards helping me cope and get through the tough and uncertain times.   I recommend listening to songs with good harmonies as a way to help cope with adversity.   Something about a good harmony will help to pull your world back together.   Listen to these and see if you agree.

     

     

     

    Oh and one more thing ... I saw on another thread, someone posted the old Leiber and Stoller song, Is That All There Is, sung by Peggy Lee.  I wrote a parody of it in 2007, which dealt with someone with a chronic disease asking, "Is this all my life will be?"

     

    "Is this all my life will be?"

    I think everyone with a chronic disease asks this question at some point.

    We pine for the life we envisioned for ourselves; the one that seemed well within our grasp just before we were diagnosed, the one that seems lost to us now...

    We mourn for the life we almost had, the path we were, at one time, so determinedly walking on.

    But then, our lives changed ... and nothing has been the same. It's only natural to feel sadness at what might have been. But, at some point, we have to acknowledge our newly discovered limitations, and focus our lives on where we are now. Stop comparing our lives now with what we envisioned our lives would be before all this happened. It's not always easy. Some much of our past surrounds us, reminding us of who we used to be. We have to learn to love who we are now as much as we love who we were then.

    Yesterday, someone on the Spondylitis Association message board, in regards to having AS, wondered whether this was as good as her life will ever be.   I wrote this song parody in reply to her question:

     

    IS THAT ALL MY LIFE WILL BE?
    (with apologies to Leiber and Stoller, and, of course, Peggy Lee.)

    SPOKEN:

    I remember when I was a very young man,
    and I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis.
    I'll never forget the look on my mother's face as she wrapped me in
    her arms and hugged me outside the doctor's office. And later, I sat
    there in the car staring out the window, watching the world go by,
    And when we arrived back home, I said to myself, "Is that it?"

    "Is this as good as my life will ever be?"

    SUNG:

    Is this all my life will be,
    is this all it'll be,
    If this is all it'll be, my friends,
    then why keep dancing
    Let's give up the quest, and go to the mall
    If that's all, my life will be,


    SPOKEN:

    And when I was ten years older, my rheumatologist told me that I had
    to have an operation to replace my hip. There were doctors and
    nurses, and anaesthesiologists, and a beautiful physical therapist in
    a pink sweater, which made her look like a princess,
    and as I lay there doing my leg exercises,
    I had such a feeling of depression overwhelm me,
    I don't know why, but it all seemed so pointless,
    I said to myself, "Why am I doing all this?"
    Why go through all this if my life's not going to get any better?


    SUNG:

    Is this all my life will be,
    is this all it'll be,
    If this is all it'll be, my friends,
    then why keep dancing
    Let's give up the quest,
    and drink till "last call"
    If that's all, my life will be,


    SPOKEN:

    Then I fell in love, with the most wonderful woman in the world. We
    would take long walks on the beach or just sit for hours gazing into
    each other's eyes. We were so very much in love.

    Then one day, she went away.
    And I thought I'd die -- but I didn't.

    And when I didn't, I said to myself,
    "Is this all my life will be?"


    SUNG:

    Is this all my life will be,
    is this all it'll be,
    If this is all it'll be, my friends,
    then why keep dancing


    SPOKEN:

    I know what you must be saying to yourselves.
    If that's the way you feel about Life, why don't you just end it all?

    Oh, no. my friends. Y'see, I've learned so much more since then. For
    I know now that Life is not just about feeling well, and that there
    is so much to be learned from achieving something in spite of an
    obstacle. That having every opportunity is not the same as intensely
    focusing on a single truly desired opportunity. And accepting your
    fate and doing what you want in spite of it, will make you a hero,
    maybe not to everyone, but to everyone who knows you. And
    that "sucking it up" is something that each and every person in the
    entire world does in their own way, every single day. So, live your
    life as much as you are able, and don't worry about it measuring up
    to your previous impossibly limitless standards. All there is to
    Life is Living. You chose how to make the living meaningful. The true
    test will come when that final moment arrives and you're breathing
    your last breath. That is when I pray you will NOT be saying to
    yourself,


    SUNG:

    Is this all my life has been,
    is this all that it's been,
    If this is all it has ever been, my friends,
    then I won't keep dancing
    I'll take my last breath, and my curtain call
    If that's all, my life has been.

                  ------------

    Life is instructive and experiential.
    Learn and Live, and Love it all.


     

    Comments

    with the whole gestalt

    of a world filled with hatred

    running through his veins


    Good ones, Trope!!
     


    Thanks. I think one best part, just like jazz improv session, is end of going places you had know idea of when one starts with that borrowed line.


    like misfit island

    place for the not good enough

    my home welcomes all


    My good Lord, this just goes on and on with ideas.\

    Where do I come from?

    I recall the railroad car

    Where diapers were changed

    I was around two?

    All these women there?

    We all seem so lost

    We are all deprived of love

    We all seem losted

    Life is not so fair

    But life is just life

    Equality is not there

    Life is so unfair

     

    hahahahah

    Count these.

    I think I got the number

    Nice post!


    Thanks, DD!   I went back to re-write the improv poem I wrote about being lost that I posted a few days ago on your Facebook an Experience thread, but I got busy with other things at work and wasn't able to finish it, so I will work on it and re-post it later in the week. 

    BTW.  The Haikulodeon logo this week is my variation on the graffiti style that used to be seen painted on NYC Subway cars.
     


    The graffiti style

    that used to be, still remains

    on sides of rail cars
     


    Ha!!  Thanks Trope!!
     


    The Father's Day Haiku Challenge:  Write a haiku about your dad.  Photos optional.

     

     

    triple haiku:


    I only knew my dad
    when I was far too young to
    appreciate him.

    My dad worked as an
    insurance adjuster.  He
    was funny and warm.

    Friday nights, Mom worked.
    Dad would cook some fish and we'd
    eat and watch TV.

     

    ---

     

     

     

     

     

     


     


    Twelve when I lost him,

    dedicated to us, I still

    appreciate him.

    [that's me on the right]


    Much to remember,

    but none of it comes with words -

    at least none I know.

    What's the translation?

    I'm missing the right language -

    the one with his voice.

    I can't spell his smile,

    or find the letters he laughed -

    playfully teasing.

    Much to remember,

    and none of it needs a word -

    except for one ... dad.


    Excellent.


    Well done, Missy!!  Beautiful!


    I have been a dad
    much longer than I had one:
    Reverse engineer.

    If I do this long enough,
    I will learn how it is done.


    Nice, moat!!  Happy Fathers' Day!
     


    You know what Moat?

    I think of all of my failures and sins; but my kids still love me and call me and see me.

    What the hell else could I want?

    Besides beautiful granddaughters of course!


    It's all so surreal;

    reality is drifting

    on fanciful seas.

    The birds are laughing;

    crooked branches are twisting

    atop bended trees.

    Sunlight in mirrors;

    old beliefs still afflicting

    beyond the disease.


    Mr.  Smith.

    I trust you.

    Why are so many folks mad at each other on this rmrd blog.

    I cannot get an answer.

    The Confederate Flag must ex masted.

    I do not understand the anger?

    Maybe you know. I do not get the issue or the anger?

    You know me [email protected]

    I do not get it?


    It is not simple.
    Victory has its own price.
    Payment is not clear.

    Look at the the big space between
    where generations collide.

     


    I have to think about this.

    But it appears you have a point.

    As Always, Moat has a point. ha


    Good one, moat! 


     

     

     


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