Haiku ~ written August 20-28 2009

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my twitter window
on computer monitor
personal ant farm

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each tweet, a ripple
butterflies above the pond
causing hurricanes

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zen is very much
like noticing the slash mark
in between two/words

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punished by myself
for the lot of joys I passed
waiting to be good

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under solemn oath
the fox treed by tired hounds
promised them all naps

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never expecting
changes in your stagnant life
does not hinder them

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sleeping through my life
warm and safe, caught up in dreams
God yanks the covers

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the cracks in my heart
repaired by time's arteries
drop, by drop, by drop

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lights, slow sensor beeps
the room clock synchronizes
with my traitor heart

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thoughtless wind frees them
twirling ghosts pass ancient eyes
he and leaves are one

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singed fur, lifeless eyes
subhuman evil giggles
tiny voices mewl

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seventh-story glass
stares out for a hundred miles
and whispers to stars

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and if I wouldn't die
would I still sit near the sun
like I dare today..

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traffic lights changing
the wind swings them back and forth
flipping plastic cups

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squealing rubber burns
subwoofers rattle windows
drowned-out crickets sing

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beautiful bare feet
pretty lady with a cane
wears pain on her face

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just one little me
looking at the world so big,
wondering so wide

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if I understood
what kind of sushi 很 was
I would order two

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after the rain stops
trees blow-dry their soaking leaves
with solar power

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without a pink slip
mountainous old-growth forest
is given the axe

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I'm the one she cursed
how furious one must be
to become that curse

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human saline drips
in the cracks between the keys
circuit board encroached

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whirring, clicking buzz
electromechanical
lights blink "One Free Play"

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kissing, making up,
last thoughts in the confused space
behind blackened eyes

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black and white jumping
two old men playing checkers
two kids twirling rope

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phone to satellite
thousand mile round trip to say
"hold on a minute..."

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no after-sex glow
no shared dreams, no eye-gazing
just watching TV

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who needed it more?
the starlet with sultry eyes
or the chinchillas..

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each of us living
intrepid and cowardly
like fat men dancing

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"made in His image"
photoshopped, resized and cropped
malformed artifacts

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our purpose in life
taken so seriously
God's television

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every day, sunshine
ants crawl, birds sing, babies born
monotonousness

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Haiku ~ written August 14 2009

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sunset tide breaking
even in tranquility
waves show no mercy

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alley roses bloom
making exquisite efforts
and wither unseen

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standing in pavement
an unencumbered violet
reaches for the sun..

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solemn battlefield
where green soldiers have fallen
reeks of new-mown grass

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trees standing decades
cut down, bleached, turned to notebooks
thoughtlessly crumpled

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dandelion seeds
the wind's momentary toys
snowstorm in reverse

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silent carnations
die willingly in vases
for the sake of love

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Haiku ~ written August 9-10 2009

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peaceful companions
brainwashed like canine zombies
in Michael Vick's pit

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a world with no "pets"
wild things, humans interact
life as it should be...

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live for all you're worth
slumber with eternity
rise like you're the sun

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sparrows pilot skies
one wing tied behind their back
outmaneuver jets

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all the hope I held
all the time I had, useless
as penguin feathers

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ignored and overlooked
but with forgiveness, no one
loves as hard as you

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racing with the bus
heart pounding, disconsolate
just for one last look

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bewildered puppy
watching the car speed away
tires spew landfill dust

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my own mind police
synapses tazing themselves
into submission

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our friend, innocence
is really just ignorance
as a frightened child

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difference between
erotica and porno
porno tells the truth

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illuminated
fireflies are God's painting
living stars at night

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one plus forever
multiplied by space and mind
is infinity

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busy shopping mall
sparrow watches for bread crumbs
his small soul mindful...

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when you think of God
don't try to guess his name
try to see his face

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living on the street
having thoughts of "peace and light"
useless luxury

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waiting for "the" life...
hope is much more dangerous
than it seems to be

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fast food restaurant
pigeons considered vermin
feed them just the same

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warm and slippery
I enjoy the smell of you
hair tickles my nose

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red as a color
can make us buy valentines
or scare us to death

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Happy Haiku (dedicated to @shevot)

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sitting on the pot
my shorts around my ankles
hammock for ferrets

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dressing the ferrets
too bad my shirt isn't red
bleeding everywhere

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when you have ferrets
never leave your drink alone
..expect tsunamis

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nine buck ferret toy
hundred dollar camera
plastic bag: priceless!

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where the heck are they?
a frantic search of the house!
...sleeping in their cage

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cleaning the cages
bending over to feed them
simple ferret bridge

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no socks in the drawer
but gathered under the bed
by sleeping ferrets

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dogs should come equipped
with special anti-lock brakes
for linoleum

~

explain the concept
of anthropomorphism
to the talking cat

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one ferret plus one
plus impulse equals seven
ferret math explained!

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the picture of grace
cat slips from the windowsill
humiliated...

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when we encounter
a slight gastric disturbance
why do we blame dogs?

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Nine Lives

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nonchalant kitty
screech of tires, metal dented!
eight more lives to go...

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young cat chased by dogs!
saved by its wits and a fence
seven lives to go...

~

cat slips off a roof
cushioned by branches and leaves
six more lives to go...

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limp, shallow breathing
forgotten keys, feline's found!
five more lives to go...

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stuck in tree for days...
faint meowing heard by girl
four more lives to go...

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owner abandoned
lonely man needs whiskered face :)
only three more lives...

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out, under the hood
choked engine fails, startled cat!
this life and one more...

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feline's older now
crosses paths with short-chained dog
last time is the charm...

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old cat is weak now
fur soaked by hoomin tears, tired
just one last cat nap...

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awakened by light
fingers stroke his ears, gently
purring on God's lap

~

_______

Cats don't have nine lives. Cats kept outside, abandoned cats, often become feral cats. All the lives used by the cat in this haiku story could have easily been saved at any time. While there are 84 million plus owned cats in the United States, there is an estimated population of *70 to 120* million feral cats. In essense, the feral domestic cat lives like any other wild animal.

You will notice that all the lives used by the cat in this story are lost because the cat is left outside to fend for itself - against dogs, traffic, and other hazards. Cats cannot survive all falls, do not have perfect balance, and not are suited to living outdoors. Cats are left in cars, killed by sleeping on car engines when it's cold, and a multitude of other hazards. They are not indestructable.

The average lifespan of an indoor cat is approximately sixteen years. The life span of a cat kept outdoors is roughly estimated to be around three to five years. If you were a cat, where would you want to live - indoors or out?

This insanity has got to stop. The solution to the problem of feral cats is simple, if we would only take the time and the small bit of money it would take to fix the problem...

Spay and neuter your cats. It's that simple. Not just the females, but the males as well. It takes two to tango ;) One cat, in the course of seven years through its offspring, can produce roughly 420,000 kittens! That's *one* cat in seven years. There is no need for this recklessness and neglect.

Cats are not second-class citizens. They are euthanized in alarming numbers, more than any other companion animal. There is no excuse for this. They deserve our respect as much as any of our other companion animals.

This was a story. Cats don't have nine lives. Save one.

@hoomin

Haiku ~ written August 7-8 2009

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ferret only holds
when it could bite through my hand
honors me with teeth

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dog and tail are one
but excited, happy, scared...
dog and tail are two

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walking through the park
most people oblivious
wind, trees wave at me

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dog chained in the yard
no shade, food, water - nothing
owner's cool in house

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small bird in a cage
he and I are quite the same
wanting our freedom

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I look to the light
a crescendo of the sun
too bright, much too bright

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cure for depression -
balance neurochemicals...
tears work better

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trying to build trust
like the sand in an oyster
one grain at a time

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anger; frustration
I hear them walking loudly
- best friends forever

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half heart of a man
longing, beating to be whole
sacrificed its half

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the teaming ocean
violent storms or gentle waves
made of single drops

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the root is wretched
it struggles out of the earth
becoming stunning

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constant color grey
even in the negative
is always seen grey

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eyes to eyes with him
nose to cold black nose we are
canine in my soul...

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kennel door opens
always the pups adopted
old dogs fade to black

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washing the dishes
suddenly enlightenment!
drying the dishes

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strafing like biplanes
the readhead is on his six!
(hummingbirds feeding)

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melting ice floe breaks
struggling white-furred paws paddle
black nose goes under...

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my two year old girl
asks me what holds up the sky?
and I do not know

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grooving to myself
quiet neighborhood, loud song
police flashlight shines

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sparrow, legs curled, cold
under the tree where he sang
one that God forgot

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married in secret
it was their custom to rage
against traditon

(#haikuchallenge for "custom")

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bats soaring at night
aerodynamic chaos
makes the moon flicker

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broken down city
buildings echo a gunshot
no one notices...

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Haiku ~ written August 6-7 2009

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gawp sitting -smile- gawp
gawp gawp "oooh nice..." -smirk- gawp gawp
gawp SMACK! bloody lip

(#haikuchallenge for "gawp")

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the moon is a pearl
upside down ocean of clouds
earth is sailing by

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harsh bright white lights shine
pacing back and forth, waiting
impotent, afraid

(#haikuchallenge for "impotent")

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scanning the distance
standing where the ripples end
life comes up for air...

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ear-splitting buzzing
frying pan carbonizing
broken smoke alarm

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she's someone else now
limbic area injured
as if she had died

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didn't she tell me?
I really thought she'd be here
cab ride for nothing

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locked up in the back
I hear the free ones barking
my new home awaits...

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silence and darkness
no electric power now
icey wires spark

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nothing near to eat
chewing on infected leg
held by chained steel trap

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Haiku ~ written August 5-6 2009

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whiskers with green eyes
staring at the falling snow
no home to go to

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bird perched in a tree
wind moves the branches, bird falls
landing dead on leaves

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solitary wolf
his mate has been gone for weeks
hunters heard close by

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truck stop tiger stares
from the jungle to the cage
trucks drive in and out

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frustrated ferret
speedbumping, eyes straight ahead
waiting for his chance...

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sparrows sleep at night
covered by the leaves of trees
thunderstorm brewing

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pups sleeping soundly
helpless balls of newborn fur
angels without wings

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Glen Canyon flooded
thoughtless motorboats racing
cliffs forever drowned

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twitter, like neurons
synapses connecting tweeps
network works as one

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riding past the plant
General Mills factory
smells of booberry

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skyscraper rises
people moving at its feet
infested city

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anipals typing
saying silly things in jive
hoomins watch and smile

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bird perched in a tree
wind moves the branches, bird falls
landing dead on leaves

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the taste of her lips
lingers as he thinks of her
while drinking coffee

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starless darkened sky
invisible clouds gather
black rain starts to fall

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Sparrows sleep at night
covered by the leaves of trees
thunderstorm brewing

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twitter service down
thoughts of millions feeling lost
inconvenienced tweeps

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coal-colored cat tail
sticking out from the branches
twitching at the moon

~