the way of haiku

haiku 1080

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:13:00 -0400

woven in my breathtruth beyond understandingquiet as winter

haiku 1079

Sun, 02 Aug 2026 08:45:00 -0400

coffee on the stovesparks the memory of oneno longer with us

haiku 1078

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 05:58:00 -0400

hidden in sunshinea sobering reminder:winter is coming

haiku 1077

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 07:34:00 -0400

in the yardanimal topiariesdying in the sun

haiku 1076

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 07:12:00 -0400

eyes filled with tearsshe glides across the floorin the reddest dress

haiku 1075

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 07:05:00 -0400

red foxleisurely crosses the highwaycrow in his mouth

haiku 1074

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:06:00 -0400

wind blows high in treesempty logging truck rolls by—cat snores in window

haiku 1073

Fri, 08 May 2026 06:29:00 -0400

above the cat's earsthe sun warms the eastern pinesa heater warms my toes

haiku 1072

Fri, 08 May 2026 06:26:00 -0400

morning chillrainy and muddy outsidecoffee on the stove

haiku 1071

Thu, 07 May 2026 10:02:00 -0400

"Enjoy the moment,"says the sun to the pine treesdancing with the wind.

haiku 1070

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 04:49:00 -0400

rumbling boilertinkling radiatorscozy home

haiku 1069

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 05:18:00 -0400

making space for peacepines shadow snow covered pathsmy breath is the wind

haiku 1068

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 12:46:00 -0400

on the couchbetween us onlyweightless silence

haiku 1067

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 09:19:00 -0400

Four days of goodbut imperfect coffee, and now—Aeropress again!

haiku 1066

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 06:03:00 -0400

empty roombare walls bounce voicesvoices voices

haiku 1065

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 05:59:00 -0400

walkingfigures of eight around the ballroomafraid to stop

haiku 1064

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 06:52:00 -0400

a little bit of grace:Gandalf dies in his arms --the dooms of love

haiku 1063

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 17:00:00 -0400

in the pre-dawn hushthe regional hospitalis barely awake

haiku 1062

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 16:05:00 -0400

grocery shoppingduring flu seasononly exhaling

haiku 1061

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 16:04:00 -0400

winter exercise:walking for miles in the kitchenlistening to books

tanka 0044

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 14:16:00 -0400

Wolf Moon brought snow --at a distant farm standsits my sourdough breadMick Jones scream-sings in my head:"Should I stay or should I go?"

haiku 1060

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 08:49:00 -0400

in his final breathnot a lifetime of shiningjust a shimmer

haiku 1059

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 19:39:00 -0400

avocado plantthriving during a harsh winterin the basement

haiku 1058

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 07:22:00 -0400

in the nightonly the sound of a mousemaking her nest

haiku 1057

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 07:11:00 -0400

pink flagpoking through the snow—Spring will bring clover

haiku 1056

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 16:38:00 -0400

bubbles burstbelow the ice--frozen lake

haiku 1055

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 11:49:00 -0400

winter's frostobscures the worldbehind the glass

The Kettle

Sat, 27 Dec 2025 12:54:00 -0400

On the 27th day of the last month of the year, Eldred Scott Merryweather found himself running out of Walmart, screaming.

Never having been much of a Christmas shopper, he'd decided to venture into his local superstore to see whether there were any post-holiday bargains. He knew what he wanted, and he doubted they'd have it—he'd checked, even at the website—but Scott (as everyone but his mother called him) had thought, Why the heck not?

Well, he thought as he raced toward the exit, I'm finding out the answer to that right now!

The automatic doors barely opened in time for Scott as he plunged through them into the gray afternoon. He skidded to a stop near a semicircle of abandoned shopping carts and bent over, hands on his knees. His lungs burned as he went back over what had just happened.

Inside, somewhere between Seasonal Clearance and Housewares, Scott had managed to locate the very thing he’d come for: a modest electric kettle in a dented box. It had a yellow sticker that announced FINAL MARKDOWN. He’d felt a quiet sense of triumph. This, he’d thought, was how sensible adults shopped. He snatched the kettle from the shelf.

As he walked toward the front of the store to the registers, the lights flickered. Not dramatically. Just noticeably.

A cheerfully robotic, recorded voice crackled overhead, wishing everyone a very happy returns season. At that same moment, every display screen in the store reset itself to the same looping image: a smiling snowman with a long carrot nose, and imperfectly set charcoal eyes, repeating Rollback! Rollback! in a voice that grew slower with each iteration.

By the time the snowman got to Rrrrrrrooooooooollllllllllllllbaaaaaaaaaaaaccccccccccckkkkkkkk! shoppers and employees were frozen in place. Carts stopped mid-roll. Then, somewhere in the store, a bell dinged.

And Scott's kettle began to boil.

Not just his. All of them. Every kettle box on every shelf, plus all the demo models, hissed and rattled as if waking from a long sleep. Steam leaked through cardboard seams. Whistles whistled. A woman screamed. A child laughed, then—too soon—went silent.

Scott dropped his kettle and ran.

Now, in the parking lot, the exit doors slid shut behind him with a decisive thunk. The building stood there, same as ever—big, blue, humming faintly.

Scott stopped, smoothed his hair, wiped his eyes, and laughed sharply.

"Online," he said. "From now on, I only shop online!"

As Scott straightened himself and walked toward his car, his pocket buzzed.

Probably Mom, he thought, pulling his phone out and unlocking it. His jaw dropped as he read the alert:

Walmart App: Your kettle is back in stock.

haiku 1054

Sat, 27 Dec 2025 07:24:00 -0400

clear cold beautiful--morning sun in northern Mainepaints my face's age

haiku 1053

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 09:05:00 -0400

snowblowing completehe sits on the mudroom benchplucking ice from his beard