When Boss is crabby
More gets done. But when Dad is
Crabby, walls get built
Will you make a choice
About where to be crabby
At work or at home
While telling stories
She snuggles and falls asleep
Both peaceful and safe
The rule for haiku
Just seventeen syllables
And one complete thought
A sliver of blue
In a sea of puffy pink
Lipstick on a pig
People at the zoo
Diff’rent in so many ways
And yet all the same
A wise old proverb
Do not fear moving slowly
Do fear standing still
Doesn’t freedom need
Clean water and energy
To be enduring?
Sure, I’ll watch your kids
What? You’re not here to ask me?
Guess I can’t say no
Looking at pictures
They laugh at what they once were
Only I recall
Days pass so slowly
Except when looking back. Then
They seem to fly by
How long does it take
To go from stressed to relaxed?
Need a whole weekend
How long does it take
To go from relaxed to stressed?
Just snap your fingers
Fame, fortune and love
Validation that their words
Speak truth to others
Write Camp Milwaukee
A gathering of writers
All want the same thing
Some recital pieces
Are over before they start
Others never end
Address the whole world
Show them and show your nation
New ways of being
Just deal with him straight
You’ll find the best outcome and
He will respect you
I created you
I’ll torture you forever
So love me or else
He screams like a girl
Don’t compare him to others
Just love who he is
Fiction is not real
Bad fiction just entertains
While good reveals truth
A year of haiku
One per day and more waiting
A whim becomes need
Hopes, dreams and passions
They used to take center stage
Now wait in the wings
I love my Daddy
When he takes me swimming and
When he reads me books
As parents we know
What’s best for their cuts and scrapes
But not for our own
Tore off the band-aid
His eyes wet with betrayal
Pain deep but short-lived
Doing what I shouldn’t
Thwarting my own hopes and dreams
Need to stay focused
Headed for trouble
No parents to set boundaries
Starved for affection
Caught him playing house
Arm around the neighbor girl
Wasn’t his idea
Dad turned seventy
Outlived all previous men
Live on borrowed time
At the same time ask
Why we fight and who we are
One nation or world?
