(Hi.  Sorry for the lateness of this posting.  Two reasons;  1) I severely sprained my forearm on Monday morning while getting ready to go to work.  I was pushing down on some garbage and put my weight on my right arm and suddenly heard a loud snap and had a lot of pain in my right forearm.  I could barefly finish getting dressed, so I called 911 for an ambulance and went to the ER.  The took x-rays and 6 hours later decided, there was no break in my arm,but that I had severely sprained it.  They gave me a couple of vicodins and a wrist brace and send me home, which was a bit of a struggle since in the rush to get to the ER I had only taken one of my canes. I normally use two for balance.  Anyway, since I put my weight on my arm every time I walk, I was not a happy camper.  I stayed home from work for a couple days to let the arm heal, but, it's still painful and annoying.  I went back to work today, but am moving very slowly and deliberately and everything was taking twice as long as normal.  2) The second reason is that photobucket, where I upload all the photos that I use for my postings has been having technical problems and has been closed for maintenance again all day today.  So, I am posting a smaller number of haikus than normal and they are without photos. )  Hopefully, things will straighten out during the next day or two and I can post the images that go with the haikus.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

Here's this week's heap of haikus:





If you need a laugh,
ask a child what adults say
when they're whispering.



---

 If you syncopate
a fascinatin’ rhythm,
will you strike a chord?
 

---


Those being drenched do
not think of how they may
be blessed by the storm.



---
 

Autumn leaves are strewn
across a quiet sidewalk ...
'rose petals' for dogs.

 

(Photo courtesy of Kristina Rebelo)

---


There's an urge within
that tells us; go to the sea,
make peace with the tides.




---

double haiku:

Ev'ning winds whisper
of wolves that lurk in shadows
as I pitch my tent.

Quietly, Sunrise
From my sleeping bag I stare
at dew on the grass.


---






Walking to her job,
she never seems to smile,
but oh, Friday nights ...



---

 


As he walked away,
he thought about what she said.
The truth of it hurt.



---



The more I listen,
the more I understand and
less I know 'for sure.'


---

double haiku:


May all souls be blessed,
past transgressions forgiven,
the sick comforted.

haiku: They spent All Souls Day,
still stuck in Purgatory.
Heaven help them ... please.



---


 

double haiku:
 

Two ballet dancers
arch their backs and reach their arms
up to the heavens.

A plea to God to
understand the suffering
of this mortal realm.



---


The fabric of Life,
from order to chaos,
slowly unravels.



---


Seldom will you see
a second thought that dances
in the morning breeze.




---




Dad just discovered
the marble his son had lost ...
Quite a somersault.




---


Above an old pub,
a performance space attracts
eager young actors.
 

 
---
 

Late one afternoon
gunslingers rode into town
the sheriff drew first.



---

Her sharp tongue belied
a sad insecurity
when it came to love.
 

---

****

This weekend, Spondyville's town handyman, Throckmorton "Pops" DeMaupassant, will once again climb the rickety ladder to the tower high atop the Spondyvile Town Hall and re-set the town clock, which marks the official end of Daylight Savings Time in Spondyville for another year.

As always, a small crowd will gather across the street in Ankylosinger Square to watch "Pops" perform his task at 2AM on Sunday morning. This loyal group of Spondyville residents will yell encouragement and remind "Pops" to "Fall Back!" (This vocal "reminder" was deemed necessary after the year 2001 incident, when "Pops" mistakenly set the clock forward in the fall and back in the spring, thus confusing everyone for the entire year.)

Tragedy was, once again, averted last year, when "Pops" again set the clock forward one hour instead of back. The crowd yelled up to him, "Fall Back, Fall Back!!", but "Pops", who had come straight from an all-day "Simon Sez" session over at the Senior Center, had a flashback to earlier in the afternoon, and proceeded to 'fall back' off of the ladder. Fortunately, he grabbed the hands of the clock as he fell, which re-set the clock to the proper time. He then had the good sense to hold on until the local EMS unit arrived to pry his hands off the clock and take him to the ER for observation. (Where one doctor looked at him, rolled his eyes, threw up his hands and sent him home … But never mind that.)

Hopefully, this weekend, "Pops" will once again remember that the yelling of the crowd refers to what he is supposed to do with the clock and not what to do while on the ladder.

As per tradition, "Pops" will perform his task while wearing his purple plaid beret, and uttering his now famous slogan, "An hour saved is a minute earned sixty times."

In a concession to the reality that "Pops" just MIGHT be getting a little too old for this job, he has agreed to begin training his future replacement. Todd Tripzen-Stumbles, a recent graduate of Spondyville High School for the non-performing arts, who will offer his assistance, if needed, and hold the ladder for "Pops".

For the "100 percenters" in the crowd, (Spondyvilleans who are totally fused in the neck and spine), there are, of course, prism binoculars available, donated by the Marie Strumpell Charitable Foundation. Coffee and crullers will be provided for all by the adjacent Spondy Cafe. Officer Floyd Crimp (aka 'Officer Crimp, the Cop with a limp.'), asks all residents of Spondyville to make sure they toss their uneaten donuts into the "Crullers for Coppers" barrel outside the post office, AND remember to set YOUR clocks back one hour on Saturday night.



****

This month, HBO will be showing a documentary about my former neighbor, photographer, Tony Vaccaro. Tony was the nephew of my then landlord, Giuseppe, when I lived in Long Island City. Tony lived across the hall from Giuseppe on the first floor of a three story walk-up. I lived on right half of the 3rd floor. Tony had been a photographer for Look magazine in the Fifties, and took a number of now iconic photos, but before that he was a soldier in WW2, who also took lots of photographs. Tony is 93 now and finally beginning to get the recognition in America that he deserves. Check out the documentary when it plays on HBO.

---

And finally ... From October 1958 ...