Maryland

fireflies ‘f antietam –
out on th’grassy field, she asks
what’s left to be said
(12-17)



-->

sailing ‘n th’chesapeake –
behind those dunes she’s reading
‘bout how t’be happy
(1-18)





docked ‘t ego alley –
th’buskers try t’raise some cash, ‘n’ th’child
salutes th’midshipmen
(12-17)







june rains, linc’cum line –
obese lass talks about th’wait,
incomprehens’ble
(4-16)





watched mortar explode
on 'nam hillside - now th'harbor
fireworks make him jump
(9-05)









vet ‘n th’inner harbor –
went t’nam, now even th’fireworks
make him grind his teeth
(1-17)






curses th’o’s traffic –
th’radio reports th’acc’dent
near maryland house
(3-17)







baby copperheads –
t’ th’through hiker, th’maryland trail
holds his worst nightmare
(8-17)






visionary’s art –
th’intense joy’f th’harbor summer
through th’prism ‘f th’confined
(2-16)






outside gaithersburg,
looking f’r th’westbound train, but stopped
at ‘n ancient farmhouse
(1-16)








wreck ‘n th’catonsville pike –
trying t’find seventy west,
saw th’steamy city
(12-17)






sailing chesapeake shore
cabins' shutters closing
in sun's reflection
(9-08)







slurps th’crab off his thumbs –
from th’eastern shore, makes th’big point
‘f eating’m in season
(3-17)







up from th’eastern shore,
‘n’ lost his wallet ‘t camden yards –
wouldn’t norm’ly beg
(7-17)









woke up t’ th’copperheads –
a-t hiker tells ‘bout th’night
on th’maryland trail
(3-17)








assateague salt marsh -
trav'ler seeks respite from heat,
clapper rails still hunt
(12-13)







salt marsh clapper rails –
th’tourists’re in assateague, but they
go ‘bout their business
(12-17)






one night, mar’land trail,
through-hiker’s nightmare comes true –
whole nest ‘f copperheads
(6-15)







from th’pickup bed, watch
cowboys change drivers without
stopping – chesapeake bridge
(7-15)








camden yards gambler -
decades of wins and losses
betting on the o's
(12-13)






harper's ferry, now
antietam - firefly, how much
hist'ry do you know?
(12-14)







smell of fresh crab cakes,
eye on harbor tourguides
and the pickpockets
(12-11)









woods near arundel,
unwraps rich cheese, loaf and jug
misses home, boulogne
(12-11)








south mountain: the trail,
or th'road t'denver - sets down th'pack,
and flips a quarter
(12-14)








cut west ‘n hagerstown,
or stay with her, ‘n’ watch th’leaves turn
in th’small college town
(9-16)






nanjemoy egret,
th’leaves changing around his stage,
‘n’ his regal d’cision
(5-17)






hustling th’ravens game –
used t’play music, but th’streaming
‘bout killed th’industry
(1-18)






wore th’hijab t’th’harbor –
sharp words, cold winds, ‘n’ th’struggle t’be
openly muslim
(4-18)









ravens’ nineteenth pick –
watchin’ th’game from th’towson couch
getting’ drunk ‘n’ vi’lent
(11-15)







high hopes ‘t th’wedding –
th’whole raven team, her fam’ly,
cruciate ligament
(11-15)







th’inner harbor shines –
game day, ‘n’ she can’t stand th’ravens,
can’t bear it t’go home
(11-15)






long walk down howard,
cold bus stop, sidelong glances –
they, too, far from home
(4-16)






has th’right t’walk quickly
down howard – they watch his breath,
‘n’ he mumbles ‘bout drugs
(10-17)




 

clogging up th’system –
first frost, ‘n’ th’city workers have t’take
th’fatberg from th’sewer
(10-17)









saints' day - poe and ruth?
visionary museum's
here in the harbor
(8-05)







nanjemoy eagle
in talons a trout that saw
fall colors, last time
(10-08)





‘they should just get jobs,’
th’old man says, but ‘s christmas time
‘n sandtown-winchester
(5-15)







sandtown winchester –
first snows ‘f christmas settle in,
sense ‘f desperation spreads
(1-17)

harbor tunnel slows
t'a crawl - maine t' georgia trip stops
as th'east coast counts down
(12-11)





stuck ‘n th’harbor tunnel –
traffic’s not moving, ‘n’ the east coast
starting its countdown
(1-17)






countdown ‘n baltimore –
hotelier’s nervous, some guy’s
arsenal’s on th’roof
(1-18)







epiphany feast
awaits, but traffic's backed up
since maryland house
(12-11)






between steel bridge and
harbor tunnel, truck jackknifed -
miles back, snow tests brakes
(12-11)







from th’visionary,
th’icy walk t’ th’inner harbor –
what are th’gulls saying?
(7-17)






icy glazed harbor,
late night at th'visionary -
crab cakes for breakfast
(9-08)






ice ‘t th’poe memorial –
too worried about th’danger
t’think about th’guy’s life
(8-17)








justice f’r mister poe –
in life, th’maudlin verse, in death,
th’icy grave on greene
(4-16)









bal'more has drum gigs
but's hard to pay the gas bill
'round 'bout febr'ary
(12-11)









inner harbor march –
scarf ‘n’ hat ‘gainst th’wind, guy mumbles
something ‘bout cocaine
(5-17)






th’old priest on dubois –
th’sailor hides from th’april rains,
gives him th’sack of jewels
(1-16)








down on th’eastern shore,
mallets, crabs, th’start of th’season –
he loves th’sounds of home
(4-16)






sea breeze, spring morning -
th'ocean city bartender
jams door with driftwood
(12-14)









he’d give you th’driftwood
but he found it ‘n assateague,
‘n’ he needs it t’hold th’door
(1-17)



 



spring ‘t th’metro station –
happened t’come, says th’musician
cause ‘t’s called shady grove
(1-17)









likes th’black eyed susans -
they survive th’chesapeake rains,
‘n’ still come back cheerful
(3-17)



-->



field ‘f black-eyed susans –
th’train pushes west ‘n hagerstown,
‘n’ he’ll miss her dearly
(1-18)









oysters ‘n’ tobacco –
may fog, charles county lad’s tales
‘f th’way it’s always been
(4-16)







brown ‘n’ orange, th’orioles’
shirts ‘n’ hats fill th’inner harbor –
hope for th’new season
(10-17)






maryland death fest –
even among th’blooming flow’rs,
hundreds ‘f black skull shirts
(7-17)






nanjemoy creek dawn -
egret hesitates, decides
to stay for summer
(3-10)





washington county –
spring rains, ‘n’ they’re hauling off th’perp
f’r using th’online tools
(1-18)







spring ‘n ocean city –
he’ll stay f’r another season
but wants t’throw th’driftwood
(12-17)








fireflies ‘t antietam –
any possibility
th’souls’re still among us?
(3-17)



e pluribus haiku

Massachusetts

near th’sox game, make peace
with th’traffic madness – same laws,
different culture
(3-16)






logan tarmac tale –
visa took seventeen years,
but made it for th’fourth
(8-17)




-->
concord t’lexington –
in th’rush hour traffic, he spits
at th’freedom billboard
(1-18)




back roads t’ th’ peace p’goda,
th’green berkshire woods – th’kids feel ‘t home,
though they’ve never been
(3-16)








stop and go traffic -
storrow drivers' distractions,
sunbathers on charles
(2-10)







backup, storrow drive –
some guy was lookin’ too close
‘t th’sunbathers on th’charles
(10-15)







cape sand in his pack -
ten rides 'n' a hike t'get out here,
much easier t'get back
(12-14)






two kids 'n th'laundromat -
guess wellfleet's got noth'n for 'em,
their laughter fills th'night
(12-14)







wellfleet laundromat –
barefoot kids find joy ‘n th’refuge.
outside, rains ‘til dawn
(10-16)








august gale on th’cape –
th’road, and th’dunes alongside it,
completely swallowed
(10-16)







long pond fishermen,
surprised by th’august downpour –
weekend in their trucks
(10-16)








blue line to revere –
th’ocean, th’boardwalk, th’strong feeling
everyone’s related
(6-16)


 



was hustling th’commons,
but needed th’break, fell asleep
‘t th’puritans’ gravestones
(1-17)







waiting for the ship -
these minutes, says th'girl, th'best in
th'whole vineyard summer
(1-15)







warm night, socks ‘n’ sandals,
chess program beats you, ten moves –
café, central square
(2-16)







drives around cambridge,
controls th’car, hidden in th’trunk –
‘t lights, opens th’windows
(2-16)






th’question of racism –
surprised at what th’fans might do
down ‘long yawkey way
(9-17)








construction worker,
bar ‘n southie – tells ‘bout th’treasure
he found in th’big dig
(11-17)






midnight ‘n east sandwich –
they notice th’open windows,
‘n’ try t’imagine th’life
(8-17)





on harvard line man
wears sandals, leisure suit, gets
off at central square
(7-05)





red line eccentric –
wrote twelve books, wears sock 'n' sandals,
gets off ‘t central square
(2-17)




august ‘n provincetown,
th’lass blows glass, sells her mobiles –
she, too, loves th’sea breeze
(2-17)








through hiker ‘n th’berkshires –
even th’trails have th’sense ‘f order,
‘n’ th’leaves are starting t’turn
(9-17)




 

acorns from th’berkshires –
back ‘n brookline, he feels guilty
digging ‘n th’crowded yard
(11-17)






at harvard, th'students
so frugal 'n' clever, th'autumn
night, beating th'pinball
(12-14)






buskers ‘f harvard square –
hustle, traffic, ‘n’ distraction,
th’squirrel drops th’acorn
(12-17)







gravestones 'f th'puritans
acorns 'n his knees, he stops t'read'm
on his way t'th'commons
(12-14)








in th’berkshires, fin’ly –
even with th’fallen leaves, th’noise
‘s gentler on th’spirit
(10-15)






holds th’berkshire acorns
tight ‘n his pocket – promises
not t’drop’m in th’city
(10-16)





killed women and kids
in 'nam, so comm ave peaceniks
could wear nixon masks
(9-05)





 

killed women ‘n’ kids ‘n’ ‘nam,
has t’tell someone – picks th’drunk kids
comm ave, halloween
(10-16)







northampton costume,
gender-free superhero –
maybe not a costume
(7-17)






protesting agnew,
thousands line boylston and charles –
streetlights kind’f pointless
(10-16)







old bak'ry's nutmeg -
wild-eyed woman, glad it's not
the salem of yore
(11-13)





symph'ny road trumpets
introduce an october
of fenway's silence
(10-10)





saxes in th’brownstones –
symphony road’s a madhouse
when th’kids’re back in town
(10-16)






changing leaves below,
sounds’f kenmore square – bathed in th’lights
‘f th’flashing citgo sign
(3-17)









old whalers' stories
served up in new bedford bar -
dead leaves, open door
(~4-10)








cradle ‘f th’rev’lution,
they say – you’d think th’mass pike boys
‘d let you drink this tea
(2-17)

jersey girl points out
th’red trolleys, names like alewife,
snowflake on her tongue
(2-17)





raging nor’easter,
nantucket lass – their turkey
without her husband
(11-15)





near worcester, th’farmhouse –
classic dinner, th’golden bird,
grew th’cranb’rries herself
(11-17)







at sea it’s much worse,
she says – take refuge from th’snow
‘n th’whaler’s museum
(11-15)








turkey, dressing, pie,
raging snows - all th’nantucket
fam’lies have th’same pray’r
(11-15)









raging nor’easter –
nantucket family’s prayer
lasts longer’n th’turkey
(2-17)






hol’day nor’easter –
nantucket mechanic works
on th’lighthouse beacon
(8-17)







p-town curios
in dusty case - outside, sea
and snow from three sides
(2-10)







lass at th’gloucester shore
screams ‘t th’waves – hol’days are coming,
‘n’ he’s not coming back
(11-17)






south station rehab
rent stub lost in christmas bills -
bitter wind from docks
(~4-10)






revere beach boardwalk -
cold angry sea brings new year,
plover finds th'french fry
(2-10)





th’way he says ‘garden’ –
know he’s got hockey ‘n his bones,
been here all his life
(11-17)






why he stopped ‘t stockbridge –
th’long trip west, ‘n’ it’s icy ‘n’ cold,
he’s got th’memory
(11-17)






winter tide, scituate,
th’freezing water’s flooded th’houses –
seems th’ocean’s angry
(1-18)







proctor’s ledge, salem –
th’boys don’t like th’pow’rful, th’lass says,
tongue catches th’snowflake
(11-17)






myles standish rooftop,
bathed ‘n th’glow ‘f th’changing citgo sign –
here’s t’another year
(6-16)






rains pound p-town,
kids spend th’entire new year's break
watching ‘back t’th’future’
(2-16)





proctor’s ledge – salem
lass says this barren hillside's
where it all happened
(1-16)






tex'n scorns th'tiny states,
icy nashua fades 'n th'mirror -
th'world'll spread out soon
(12-14)









odd light, th’snowy fields
driver wonders why th’u f o
would visit th’berkshires
(10-16)






mass pike west ‘f worcester –
morning sun, silver mirrors,
truck runs through th’blizzard
(10-15)





gloucester’s rocky coast –
even in th’blizzard, she waits,
thinking th’boat’ll come in
(10-15)








these little states gone -
icy nashua in mirror -
before you realize
(3-10)








mass pike hitchhiker -
lights on frozen fields are not
just coincidence
(7-05)








andrew square traffic,
st. pat's party somewhere, miss
kid on ninety-three
(3-10)







pulls on th’cigarette,
over garden traffic, says
how much he hates th’habs
(10-15)






curses th’habs ‘n’ th’leafs both –
thin cigar ‘n’ heavy accent,
th’garden kid’s willing t’fight
(4-17)







revere beach ocean
breeze lifts spirit like a kite
but folks never leave
(7-05)







kenmore square, march wind -
he sells his book of poetry,
she's read th'one before
(11-14)








march sleet, kenmore square –
th’guy sells th’poetry book to th’lass,
she’s read th’one before
(1-17)






grim march day, logan –
taken twenty years t’get here,
she’s crying tears ‘f joy
(3-16)






mass pike pace quickens
inbound drivers' urgent plans -
trees bloom in city
(2-10)







weather breaks ‘n th’city,
first frisbees, ‘n’ kids along th’charles –
mind th’crazy traffic!
(1-17)








th’cars don’t respect th’lanes –
th’flowers bloom ‘n th’beacon hill sites,
‘n’ not a moment ‘f peace
(3-17)







near steep rock hill,
th’marathon runner, by chance
happens t’see th’old flame
(10-15)







spring concerts, brookline –
they’ll take th’T to th’club, he’ll stay
with th’allman brothers
(2-17)










along revere’s route,
th’ambulence – she’d use th’earbuds
t’train for th’marathon
(4-18)







thrown off crew f'r drinking,
now he spits off th'mass ave bridge
aiming for th'cockswain
(12-14)







th’oars splat hard on th’charles –
by may even th’harvard kids
have found their refuge
(8-17)





small, purple, ancient,
she found’m ‘n th’em’rald necklace – calls ‘m
th’canada mayflow’r
(2-17)





 
-->

brick walls ‘f brattle street –
voices ‘f puritans ‘n th’spring breeze,
so darn judgmental
(2-18)








in th’grass ‘t king’s chapel,
mom reads th’puritans’ headstones
th’lass scrolls through tinder
(4-18)







‘n th’emerald necklace,
finds th’canada mayflower –
been here all along
(11-17)




bright logan tarmac -
beyond, blossoms of city,
here, dull empty wait
(3-10)


e pluribus haiku

Michigan

loves cars, loves t’tinker –
loves th’t-bird convert’ble, ‘n’ t’cruise
th’mich’gan countryside
(10-16)







ludington downpour –
wonder if th’badger ferry
will lift her spirits
(2-16)






quebec - l.a. run,
stranded in ypsi - huron's
fish seek shaded pools
(10-10)









summer in th’cool pines –
looks across th’lake ‘t chicago,
alas, still seething
(8-16)









corktown remod’ller –
old truck, fresh wood and supplies,
practical vision
(5-15)








the all-star diner
cold sundae on a hot day
instead of dinner
(7-05)









off th’road at jackson,
can’t b’lieve an ice cream sundae
can be th’whole dinner
(6-16)





-->

blames th’zebra mussels –
fishing near saint jo, ‘n’ haunted
by th’clearness ‘f th’water
(12-17)








kid rock ‘t th’stadium –
brings drums, lights ‘n’ hard politics,
wants t’run for senate
(9-17)







she likes th’jazz fiddle –
‘minds her ‘f summers ‘n black bottom,
th’harlem of detroit
(5-15)






from th’shore ‘f his town ‘n th’thumb,
he’d watch th’ships – but joined th’navy,
‘n’ now he’s coming home
(6-17)






detroit parking lot -
monarch shows weary hiker
dance of the moment
(2-14)




-->

th’old cadillac’s parked
somewhere outside ann arbor –
vines’ve enveloped th’fins
(9-17)







reb flag ‘t th’tigers game –
surely you don’t mean we should
secede from th’union?
(9-17)



-->

th’lass sells all kinds ‘f fruit
in th’cool lake michigan breeze –
th’cherries are th’ripest
(1-18)








worked in th’car plants ‘n flint,
just f’r spite, dropped bolts ‘n th’panels ‘f cars –
spits th’rage on th’hot road
(4-17)







monarch’s erratic dance –
his stage, th’detroit parking lot
where th’two guys were killed
(6-16)







traverse city lunch –
peanut butter, fig bars, cheese,
wood basket ‘f cherries
(2-16)






spent th’summer fishing,
found th’laughing whitefish river –
‘bout didn’t come home
(2-16)





lansing tailgater
shows odyssean journey
pointing to his hand
(9-08)








ninety four ‘n ypsi –
not fleeing th’motor city,
going t’ th’buckeye game
(6-17)





down ‘n th’cut river gorge,
th’leaves’ve turned, th’water’s fresh and cold –
from th’bridge, th’whole wide north
(10-16)








says 'tiger stadium'
twice - gives the old man chills, just
t'hear it 'n october
(1-07)








big night for arson -
these days, much less 'f detroit t'care,
much more of it t'burn
(10-14)








lots ‘f empty houses –
what th’angry detroit kids do,
set th’devil’s night fires
(1-17)






takes th’shotgun on th’roof –
still r’members how devil’s night
took much ‘f west detroit
(10=17)






no work in car plants
so slowly leaves turn, fall on
foggy streets of flint
(10-08)









lion cornerback,
another torn ligament -
please pass th'damn gravy
(11-13)






stuffing, gravy, th’bird
done so well – th’dad watches th’lions,
so he’ll be angry
(1-17)






after th’turkey, th’nap –
seems t’be more beer than ever,
after th’lions lose
(10-17)






fried trout, black coffee
cold bath in the mastinique
frost on a tree stump
(1-10)








woodward avenue –
q – line riders argue ‘bout
th’trolley’s heat system
(11-17)







saginaw drifter
came home for th'holidays, but
thinks there's work 'n texas
(11-14)





facebook sock puppets –
lansing barista wonders
why th’hol’day crowds’re mean
(2-18)






go’n t’texas f’r th’winter,
saginaw fellow, down ‘n’ out,
thought he’d take some car
(1-16)







arctic snowy owl
come south t’detroit ‘n january –
less snow, ‘n’ plenty t’eat
(1-18)







down from th’north country –
even kalamazoo’s ramp,
th’iced slope t’chicago
(9-17)








muskegon lad’s hand –
cold as it is, good enough
t’show how he got here
(10-16)








mackinac bridge wish -
more coins t'pay th'toll, melt th'ice, fill
these empty pockets
(1-07)









reaches for th’coins t’throw
off th’frozen mackinac bridge –
a tingle ‘n th’fingers
(2-17)





old ‘n’ scratchy radio,
blizzards, ‘n’ th’windsor bridge, ‘n’ dozens
‘f michael jackson songs
(10-16)


 


won’t go back t’yemen –
dearborn, ‘n’ its gray slushy snow
‘s what he’ll learn t’call home
(6-17)





iced freeway, detroit
rush hour – they seem not t’notice
all th’abandoned cars
(6-16)





 

foam cups, icy road –
they all hurry t’get t’detroit,
‘cept th’abandoned cars
(9-16)






used t’kalamazoo
as th’junction – from th’frozen north,
he turns t’chicago
(1-16)








ruins of detroit -
a thin vaneer of ice cracks,
th'man grips th'shopping cart
(10-10)









ypsi musician
thawing out in diner - once
moved to hell and back
(10-10)








small lake huron town -
kid uses cold mangled thumb,
points out where he's from
(1-12)






'nother house burned down,
't's either meth, 'r stealing copper -
winter 'n towns like hell
(1-12)





frozen u.p. roads -
an old car's heating system,
a vast wilderness
(11-09)








up ‘n th’peninsula
t’see th’place, even th’twin cities
kids, impressed by th’snow
(4-18)





wixom kid with skates –
goes straight to th’rink after school,
dreaming of his wings
(5-15)







detroit's abandoned
cars, styrofoam coffee cups -
icy highway wind
(10-05)






benton harbor winds –
th’lake’s gray ‘n’ choppy, ‘n’ he spends march
thinking ‘bout th’city
(3-17)





‘cross th’mackinac bridge,
he throws th’change – a long trip south,
‘n’ th’irish luck’ll melt th’ice
(2-18)






tales ‘f huron’s fury –
in th’grove ‘f blooming cherries,
find ‘em hard t’believe
(9-16)






old mission winery,
lake's lapping waves - haiku for
the cherry blossoms
(12-13)






cherry blossoms ‘n’ th’lake –
he slips into nostalgia
‘t th’old mission win’ry
(10-17)







‘long th’dequindre cut,
th’budding trees – th’bicyclist feels
th’city’s will t’survive
(11-17)





 

snow lets up, he says,
manistique’ll get some tourists –
it’s only april
(2-18)







flint city water –
april and th’snow is melting
‘n’ they’d rather drink that
(4-18)










field ‘f blue-eyed mary –
fort’nately th’russ forest lass,
no problem camping
(10-17)






russ forest sunrise –
they realize they’re sleeping in
th’field ‘f blue-eyed mary
(6-16)








saginaw plumber –
cousins’re like th’rest, into th’drugs,
no cash for th’may rent
(4-18)









three days, mich’gan woods –
now she’s at th’drugstore, ‘cause she
has t’have th’calamine
(6-16)







they call it "a squared" -
chalk dust edges window panes,
willow buds outside
(1-07)








abstract algebra,
hyperbole – a-squared lass
feels th’pull of th’spring breeze
(2-17)





ann arbor t’austin,
temptation ‘f spring, or career
‘n abstract algebra?
(5-15)








beach ‘t benton harbor,
th’gulls, th’late spring, th’anger he’s kept
over th’way th’vote went
(5-18)








t’saint joe then ‘round th’lake,
‘nough supplies for th’trip out west,
bag ‘f fresh-picked cherries
(3-17)





picking petals from
th’gallup daisy, says we can’t
divide by zero
(5-15)



e pluribus haiku