Sunday, June 07, 2015

Illinois

vienna postman,
forty miles ‘f country roads, but,
th’fourth’s his fav’rite day
(11-16)




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spits ‘n th’flower boxes
no respect f’r daley’s legacy,
cost him years of pain
(2-18)







kingshighway shoulder,
flat stone stuck in his sandal -
cahokia fossil?
(12-10)





porsche convertible,
zero-t’hundred ‘n th’eisenhow’r
pork belly futures?
(6-15)







sore from detassling,
knox county roads shimmering,
drive home first, then sleep
(9-08)








a fourth of crackers -
ancient farmhouse, acid rock,
washington county
(8-11)









porsche convertible,
lakeshore drive sparkle in sun -
let me off at king
(3-10)





porsche convertible
veers on th’skyway – hiker wants
any road to eighty
(6-16)








dead stop on th’eden’s –
th’convertible driver’s angst –
single minute’s passed
(3-17)






locusts ‘t th’bald knob cross
once you hear th’klan tale,
never see it th’same again
(11-16)







kentucky side's just
as steamy, says pilot of
cave-in-rock ferry
(7-05)







commuter scorns th’sox
traffic – th’radio mentions
strangler and the loop 
(6-16)





in skokie, th’debate –
consid’ring th’lakeshore ‘n’ th’sox game,
whether t’take th’tollway
(9-17)






in the kickapoo,
lazy waters, shallow breeze
mud on nettled legs
(11-11)






cahokia mound's
shadow - east saint louis fries;
bones rest one more year
(4-10)



 

shadow ‘f cahokia,
th’racetrack pulls th’economy –
it, too, ‘s temp’rary
(9-17)




blazing heat, cornfield,
ten silos here, small town there,
train stretches t'champaign
(12-14)






north ‘f champaign, th’train’s stopped –
he peers through th’cars ‘t th’tiny town,
th’locusts hit their stride
(11-16)






sox traffic ties up
th'dan ryan - locals grateful
to have their streets back
(7-05)



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screened porch in buckley
city’s card claims he ran th’light,
what card, th’guy says ‘n’ laughs
(1-18)






danville exit sign,
no shade from sun's reflection
skin reddens and dries
(9-08)







fragrant hay on truck
old blue hills, sunset, dirt road
lincoln's gaze on plate
(7-05)







weeds have overgrown
th’old foundation ‘t grand tower
where she’d watch th’river
(2-17)





corn tassels for miles
august breeze, shimmering fields
near use exit sign
(9-08)






threw its gov’nors ‘n jail
‘nother year ‘n’ no budget, but
he’s waiting f’r th’blues fest
(7-17)






ready for th’eclipse
stayed in herrin when th’mines closed,
nothing better t’do
(8-17)






rockland lass points out
th’jewelweed – it’s brightest when
th’poison ivy’s bloomed
(8-16)









back ‘f th’station wagon
saw th’tornado, north ‘f eighty
even dad was ‘fraid
(11-16)







carlinville clerk says
not much to see here except
labor day cyclists
(9-08)






bridgeport hiker’s sweat
get on the wrong side ‘f this bridge,
they throw you on th’road
(5-15)









off thunderstorm road,
civil war graveyard's secrets
rest in a cool shade
(10-05)







orange cones and sox game
add minutes to the commute -
strangler to the loop
(3-10)








drummers ‘t thirty fifth –
like th’cubs suck signs, make bronzeville
a highly charged place
(11-17)






outside new baden,
drivers in traffic gaze at
harvest beans, flooded
(10-09)




giant city stars,
falling leaf - he made it to
another campfire
(8-10)





giant city tale –
when th’bright leaves’ve dropped ‘t’s easier t’see
th’caves ‘f th’ancient people
(11-17)





th’view from navy pier
autumn sky in th’angled glass,
reflected ‘n th’water
(7-17)






anger ‘f th’olney lass –
throws acorns ‘n th’park, sees th’ghostly
face of th’white squirrel
(2-18)








seventy miles ‘n hour
bumper t’bumper – th’leaves reflect
‘n th’windows ‘f lakeshore drive
(11-16)







civil war graveyard,
near th’lake, clear fall day, catches
th’sun – thunderstorm road
(10-16)







murph dormer to roof,
to tree and down to bushes,
to apple-fest jam
(3-10)






the heron circles
at evergreen reservoir -
might stay for winter
(11-09)








in the shawnee caves
nomads barter for hemp socks -
october drizzle
(6-12)






under th’long branch porch,
some coins, lost and forgotten –
but now, th’rainbow’re back
(10-16)








raining in th’shawnee
they’ve come from th’world ‘f stress ‘n’ pain,
welcome home brother!
(10-16)





walmart pumpkin sale
drivers become impatient
trail of tears junction
(11-09)






chief illiniwek,
blanket with indian corn -
image, illusion
(7-05)







alone at th’longbranch,
th’kid stares into th’capp’cino –
she left with th’rainbows
(12-16)






well into vets' day
mums keep their yellows, dragons
guard the castle park
(11-10)









layover ‘n o’hare
so far yet from th’fam’ly farm
she still smells th’turkey
(3-18)








or’nge cones, endless night –
dixon-bound, in th’cold, won’t stop,
on edge for th’danger
(3-17)







old couch ‘n th’parking spot –
even th’rogers park snowplows
shoveled around it
(7-17)





what money he had,
spent ‘t th’casino – now ‘t snows ‘t th’base
‘f th’superman statue
(9-17)



 

el platform drudg’ry –
six lanes ‘f dan ryan, both sides,
long winter ‘f potholes
(2-18)







potholes ‘n th’dan ryan
long winter’s made’m big enough
t’take a whole muffler
(9-17)






ribbon of traffic
soars down brown icy hillside
about to cross th'spoon
(11-09)







perry county teens
making plans behind manger -
snow on courthouse stone
(1-13)









not knowing grand tow'r
tales, we stop at th'river's edge -
in comes the new year
(12-11)









doorman warns her ‘f th’ice,
glad they plow as well ‘s they do –
mir’cle mile’s th’driveway
(10-15)







th’world comes t’chicago,
no need t’ever leave th’city –
from th’kitchen, th’lake’s ice
(10-15)








grew up in th’hancock,
whenever it’s icy, they’d
just go t’ th’roof f’r dinner
(10-15)




 

shadow ‘f cahokia,
styrofoam in th’icy wind –
it too lasts f’rever
(11-16)









illinois central
‘n th’snowy silence – th’graffiti,
from another world
(11-16)








machine capp'cino
warms hand, feet slip on ice at
effingham rest stop
(1-07)










gray january -
salt stains shoulders near king bridge,
sun sets behind arch
(1-10)






from dempster, bagels
so warm ‘n’ fresh, last only
t’th’indiana line
(2-16)






off th’road at dempster,
she knows th’tastiest bagels
for th’cold trip up north
(4-17)






old man, winter coat,
th’john a logan museum
whispers th’word ‘traitor’
(2-16)






deisel fuel chapel
where gravel lot fades to weeds -
icy carlyle sign
(1-10)




ice ‘n th’western suburbs -
traffic report will tell th’time
from strangler to th’loop
(9-17)





one eighty degrees,
th’icy interstate ‘n dixon
god knows ‘bout th’children
(2-16)







depot's crackling snow -
train man statue's gaze falls on
town I abandoned
(1-13)








from b’hind his thick coat
‘t th’ john a logan museum,
mumbles ‘bout “traitors”
(4-17)






tollway ‘r th’dan ryan
aversion to th’or’nge cones ‘n’ ice
‘n’ th’feeling ‘f mortal’ty
 (4-17)





glazed ice on bean fields -
blue hue deepens, sun sets on
okawville exit
(1-10)









unyielding winter -
working man's song, a hard brake,
pekin road off ramp
(1-07)









the toll collector,
on frigid night near o'hare -
smile of the buddha
(12-11)









tollway or dan ryan
or'nge cones on slick deadly ice
fatal drudgery
(1-07)








worked thirty-three years,
ford plant, chicago heights - now,
it's cold, 'n' i'm leavin'
(3-10)








ry'n and ninety fifth -
warm change on icy platform -
first train to the loop
(5-11)







on snowy o'hare
tarmac, pilot says it's all
physics - but i pray
(8-05)








plane circles o'hare,
march hail sweeps city beneath -
above clouds, sun sets
(3-10)






stresses ‘f river north
highway signs ‘r east-west, northbound
they cross th’green river
(1-17)





the green-colored beer
green streamers, bulls game background
outside, spring on rush
(3-11)








shamrocks ‘t th’post office –
t’th’cobden peach farmer, th’late freeze
is th’worst kind of luck
(3-17)








off th’road ‘n joliet
th’march sun hits th’prison, ‘n’ somehow
it looks familiar
(4-18)








frost on th’daffodils
th’carbondale lass, drying th’sheets
out in th’morning sun
(2-18)






six lane ninety four
lake cook traffic hides spring - then,
japanese garden
(9-05)








energy twister
hit th’school that stiffed th’gay couple –
now, th’weeds grow ‘n th’ruins
(4-18)






rain pounds river road,
piasa cliffs - high water,
frogs jump in darkness
(5-10)






grew up in th’hancock
has th’stunning views ‘n’ th’fine dining,
come spring, dreams ‘f freedom
(1-17)







memphis wood river
sign - low wet mud, fresh new corn,
ghosts of cahokia
(5-10)








she points out th’trillium,
‘n’ giant city romance - tale
thousands of years old
(2-17)






picasso ‘n th’spring breeze –
he likes t’eat th’unsold mangoes
‘n’ watch th’women of th’loop
(8-17






loop flower boxes
th’stunningly pretty city,
totally bankrupt
(8-17)






murdale laundromat
may rains, dust and lint, a nap
dryer calmly waits
(5-11)









"th'judges 'r all on th'take,"
she says and shrugs - flowers bloom 'n
loop buildings' boxes
(11-14)








big muddy's
risen
standing water in the fields -
long plantin' season
(3-10)








picasso statue,
flow’ring trees – see chicago
from all perspectives
(2-16)







pigeons ‘t th’picasso –
chicago’s blooming, ought t’be
‘nough food f’r ev’ryone
(4-17)








in th’shawnee, th’trillium
th’eastern forests’re so gentle,
th’songbirds, too, entranced
(1-18)






she knows th’wild garlic
jumped off th’chicago-bound train
‘cause she missed it so
(12-17)







knows ev’ry detail
‘n th’lincoln museum – he’s shown
th’schoolkids f’r twenty years
(2-16)



 

lincoln museum
kids rush in from th’class picnic,
reb tourist holds th’door
(10-17)







inside loop taxi
blossoms reflect off glass walls
open the window!
(7-05)



 

th’cairo floods recede –
years ‘f hardship ‘n’ christian hucksters,
‘n’ they’ve become jewish
(9-17)






off th’el ‘t addison
th’kids’re rowdy ‘n’ wild – they cut school
for opening day
(11-16)






- more illinois haiku (carbondale and local- some repeated)


e pluribus haiku

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