Gendai Haiku

-in the style of and dedicated to Master Haiku Poet Kobayashi Issa

     i close my eyes

between poems by Issa

     and swallow them whole

*

morning tea--

sweet honey, bitter lemon

preview the day's possibilities

*

     warm bath, quiet reflection--

     the old man soaks 

      in peace

*

a troubled mind

melting 

     in the heat of worry

*

     lovers become enemies

now friends again--

     time brings wisdom for healing

*

the universe

interrupts my inertia--

cold coffee

*

the universe

delivers my exercise plan--

reheating cold coffee

*

tiny moth

shares my elevator--

what floor, friend?

*

tiny moth

shares my elevator--

apartment hunting

*

hillside cows

napping with indifference—

spring rain

*

      clouds admire their work,

the moon surveys the damage—

  spring rain

*
much in common,

morning sun warms old bones--

lazy house cat and me

*

careful, summer flies,

i have yet to clean

springtime webs!

*

midlife lament--
everything hurts,
reasons unknown

-for J.K. Jr. 

*

changing demographics
from old young man
to young old man

-inspired by JC of SSF

*

jumping to their death
to cool my hot bath--
beads of sweat

*

reading "Quotable Einstein"
at 3:00 a.m. --
who am i kidding?

*

walking the lake path
we speak of everything
and nothing

*

clouds parading west
seek storm instructions--
sunrise

*

short bird song
then quiet again--
"back to sleep, children"

*

short bird song
then quiet again--
bad dream?

-5:30 a.m.

Ken Owen

Van Niddy Press   May 2019