Two Concrete Poems

                                                 Concrete Poem #1

MEN

    O!

P       a                      u                          

                                                         s                 

                                                                                                               e

                                                    Gridlock

                               BEEP

beepbeepbeepbeepBEEPbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep

                               BEEP

Calendar

a calendar page

noting my father's birthday

and the earth rotates

he took two-year-old me to

High Park to see the duckies

no ducks!

"duckies don't work

on Sunday"

he knew the exact wall

where Humpty Dumpty sat

(HD took lots of, um, breaks)

and the earth rotates

but memories remain

Daily Haiku Prompt: calendar

Another Day, Another Orchid Haiku

orchid losing blooms

but look closely and marvel:

new buds appearing

Daily Haiku Prompts: orchid, buds

Winter Scene and Classic Movie

Winter Scene

snow on hilly road

we watch cars slide back down it --

classic winter fun

Classic Movie

Two For The Road:

driving each other crazy

classic MGA

(Photo c Barbara Etlin)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw4Jc1zZTGk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpB-9YB3aOs

daily haiku prompts: road and classic

Paradise Lost: Tanka for the Blue Jays

we came very close

although winning is better

we can still be proud

they had some great players and

we were tough competitors

Avocado

a capricious fruit

avocado's ripe moment

then swings to rotten

it causes disappointment

like Lucy fools Charlie Brown

(Daily Haiku Prompts: ripe, swings)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqzA1VOiC-M

Tanka for my Mother

a true Libra, she

needed beauty and colour

red, yellow, blue, green

the artist splashed a rainbow

on canvas to free her soul

Imitate the Sun, oil painting by Frances Etlin-Rapoport

Daily Haiku Prompt: red

Detour

Canada geese take a

detour in protest of the

evil southern winds

Photo: Getty images

(Daily Haiku Prompt: Geese)

Daily Haiku Prompt: Wild

waitress auditions

to get bigger tips as she

dramatizes the menu

acts out the daily special

she serves wild rice with panache

https://tenor.com/view/monkey-dancing-monkey-dance-gif-3790182910027680828

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egMWlD3fLJ8

Time Magician

soft guitar music

shrimp and white wine

on the patio

magenta-streaked sky

typical Key West sunset

at Mallory Square

the snake charmer

was charming but

had too much wine

need to leave now

"hurry up but walk slowly

and don't make me laugh"

impossible requests

you did two of them

but you did make me laugh

Unexpected

it's March, barely spring

wisteria vine surprise--

first purple flower

wisteria won't

bloom until its seventh year--

mine waited for nine

This happened when we lived in our house. There were lots of green leaves climbing the fence but I had given up on ever seeing a flower.

https://boreal-owl.livejournal.com/62556.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZj032MNIx4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9IwBJYTwQ0

Elbows Up Revisited

banged elbow on the wall

so elbows up hurts me now--

need to ice and rest

A Day Brightener

toddler in stroller

saw my owl t-shirt

said "owl," waved, smiled

perspicacious child

because he knows the

most important word

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQetemT1sWc

In The Early Morning Brain

In The Early Morning Brain

early morning phone call:

wasted time listening to

a useless message

fast-tracking breakfast

stumbled while I was half-asleep:

nearly dropped coffee pot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B34qwRrkSvQ

Daily Haiku Prompt: rain

 Rain

owls don't like the rain

it makes their feathers soggy--

dinner will be late

Fog

steady puffs of white smoke

now you see it, now you don't--

Golden Gate magic

Daily Haiku Prompt: garden

 Garden

cholesterol pill

becomes a health garden

for ants on the floor

Tanka for Father's Day

 my father's birthday

doesn't hurt as it once did

nor does Father's Day

pencil sketch hangs on the wall

memory of his voice fades

Supportive

 

"Why do I buy more

owls?" I ask and he replies,

"For more-owl support."

Flight Plan and Copy Editor's Debut (two haiku)

Flight Plan

Photo: NASA

fly me to the moon

with its one-sixth gravity

instant weight loss plan

Copy Editor's Debut

seven-year-old me

puzzled over Babar's name--

Barbara, misspelled?