Haiku Conundrum
I can’t quit haiku
grab day’s poetry moments
before words escape
count on my fingers
seeking right rhythm and beat
5-7-5 fit
structure gives courage
step out like sax soloist
poetry improv
my haiku flow fast
like booze and smoke in jazz bars
quick composition
written in margins
pretty posts for Instagram
in notebooks, on scraps
private and public
--counting right now in Starbucks--
I can’t stop haiku
which begs this question:
how do I save every one?
scattered like fall leaves
deciduous words
I want them neat and tidy
contained in clean bins
what would Basho say?
—the first great haiku master—
he’d answer in verse:
leaves in a trash can
once beautiful, now brittle
spread yours on the ground