e pluribus haiku

hello again!

2009-07-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

this project has been going on for maybe five or six years, but has been picking up steam recently; i've added over a hundred in just five or six months. brought a friend here to show it though, and noticed that most of the map links (every haiku has one) were dead; i've been working on those. i guess the map-providers in this web world are a restless lot, but i guess i should have predicted that. i find myself more indebted to u-texas; i'm grateful for their maps at least until i get my own. and, to those who unwittingly contributed pictures of "summer", "fall", "winter", "new year" and "spring".

it is published every july 4, a tribute to my own native country.

read these incorrectly dated notes, hidden

alabama

2007-08-11T22:10:00.001-07:00

-

kudzu chokes back road,
ominous warning posted:
go back to mobile
(4-10)

good manners steeping,
iced tea, mint, lemon, sugar,
sweet heart of dixie
(7-05)

nice fiddle ya got
come up blount mountain - got some
folks play all summer
(8-05)

trowbridge egg n' olive -
iced tea to cool the tongue, from
florence gossip's sting
(4-10)

fairhope maiden's wish -
her own front porch, summer read,
someone to talk to
(4-10)

old yankee hat on
rider, old 'bama clay in
truck, fall sky outside
(8-05)

confederate flag,
united we stand sticker-
'bama football day
(8-05)

plain old city bus -
a mid-winter way to work
selma's reflection
(4-10)

hasn't been this cold
in gadsden - since the war of
northern aggression
(8-05)

eastbound at grand bay -
epiphany wind, unprepared
dawn's light in her eyes
(4-10)

road forks in mobile -
cut north to face family,
or winter on gulf
(4-10)

caden temple gift,
from shrimper's wife to buddha -
new year's storm hits gulf
(4-10)

not much to see here,
grim march rain's soaking florence,
muscle shoals plays the blues
(9-08)

-

alaska

2007-02-22T12:24:00.001-08:00

-

purple lights swirling
heavens' light show pins our backs
to northern tundra
(9-05)

tokyo to new york,
her plane laid over 'n anch'rage
that sun never set
(1-12)

tok junction campsite
stuck at fork in road - ok
'til 'bout september
(9-05)

anchorage harbor
sunset turns into sunrise
slowly, in silence
(8-05)

near prince william sound,
week in an alpine meadow =
devil's clubs talk back
(12-11)

in denali's lap
a field of ripe blueberries -
the bear takes a breath
(7-05)

ninilchik harbor
onion dome reaches for moon
salmon boat docks full
(7-05)

near tok, ancient saab
vermont tags, loaded down with
alcan gravel dust
(10-08)

fairbanks mission soup,
still warm as days get shorter -
stay for the oil boom?
(12-11)

down'n tok he'll decide,
hitch to forty-eight for winter,
'r cut back t'kenai
(12-11)

otherworldly robe,
feet on fresh-turned earth - kenai
sun on old b'liever
(12-11)

sitka fishing boat
saved those deer from certain death -
frigid march waters
(12-11)

eight straight days of rain,
not a road out of the place -
juneau in april
(12-11)

single ptarmigan,
a stunted spruce, a spring cover -
freeze-dried blueberries
(12-11)

-

arizona

2007-02-02T21:18:00.001-08:00

-

sixty six motel -
gideon's cool, but kingman's walks
egg-fry hot by nine
(5-10)

somewhere outside why
desert summer stillness asks -
always traveling?
(11-05)

like geronimo -
hides in apache cave, scorns
air conditioning
(7-05)

window rock on fourth -
this isn't arizona,
but sure is u.s.
(4-10)

strip pinon snow -
canyon's fresh blanket shelters
from mormon country
(2-10)

navajo blankets,
ride, from gap to snowed-in flag,
remain unfinished
(4-10)

balloon santa, propped
up on phoenix lawn, inches
from prickly cactus
(12-11)

tucson saguaros,
twinkling stars greet new year,
guard pass through mountains
(9-08)

cactus garden brims
with exotic blossoms in
phoenix midday sun
(7-05)

saguaros stand guard -
joy of desert chickory,
escape from tucson
(4-10)

phoenix traffic - swath
of mexican gold poppies
don't mind the diesel
(4-10)

-

arkansas

2007-01-26T20:24:00.000-08:00

-

eastbound, little rock
has steamy edge - baked west fades
in rearview mirror
(2-10)

eureka skater's
steep venue - victorians,
cliffside wildflowers
(2-10)

two-lane near ozark,
woods ease into fall, old truck
into second gear
(1-07)

man from spur, texas
wants wooded ozark land-
snow falls on 'closed' sign
(10-05)

hard life of drinking
ends on icy glazed park bench
in texarkana
(9-08)

has millions, but gets
heet for truck, says 'nice weather' -
and leaves for f'ettev'lle
(8-05)

fort smith freeway bridge
feeling - ice breaks on river,
clear skies to the west
(2-10)

hope waitress' ashtray's
smoke floats to faded ceiling,
another year ends
(9-08)

at small church in hope,
late guests find spring rains, jammed door -
it takes a good yank
(2-10)

at mountain home sign,
dawn reaches ridge - ride or two
from dulcimer jam
(2-10)

-

california

2007-01-23T22:33:00.000-08:00

-

summer evening -
he curses the four oh five
and all its people
(8-10)

humboldt redwood dreams,
ferns, rotted bark as mattress,
canopy as tent
(9-08)

somewhere out in haight,
deals acid and trips all day,
even on the fourth
(1-12)

road to manzanar -
sweat imprisons, sun rises,
camp memories burn
(3-10)

panhachel 'til may
then bring it to malibu
in time for arts fest
(9-10)

takes three days to get
from south l.a. to north by thumb
nights with roadside flowers
(7-05)

road splits in barstow
where hopes fry like egg on road
some hikers still stuck
(7-05)

candlestick vendor
doesn't want to run for change -
tired of long season
(2-10)

savage traffic fumes -
neon diamond, sunset haze,
christmas eve descends
(12-11)

high sierra storm
ice on pines and patios
takes one's breath away
(7-05)

lodi trucker's words -
it's only green in winter,
brown, rest of the time
(12-10)

mountain winds whistle,
snow-laden pines sway and shriek -
long barn and its glade
(12-10)

art on venice walls -
you ignore it all winter,
he tags the palm tree
(4-10)

backup on the five
cars, sun, air con - for this we
trade scraping windshields?
(7-05)

week in griffith park
love, coffee, peanut butter
christmas comes and goes
(9-10)

police on the ten
stop hikers five yards from sign -
no christmas spirit
(2-10)

even at new year
flowers blooming on hillside -
l.a. freeway bridge
(2-10)

santa monica
cop, no hot crimes, spends new year
waking the homeless
(9-10)

venice canal's edge
old country's reflection in
a champagne bottle
(9-10)

sleeps days,big sur woods -
spring moon at highway crossing,
nights by ocean waves
(9-10)

-

colorado

2007-01-19T22:06:00.001-08:00

-

pueblo yards blazing,
no tree in sight - the good thing,
don't have to hitchhike
(1-12)

aspen leaves shimmer
soft afternoon light shines through -
delay denver life
(8-05)

asleep in the hay,
down mountain roads near aspen,
but truck loses wheel
(1-12)

hitchhiking against
traffic - estes park aspens
shimmer in the sun
(1-12)

we live in rifle,
see no ir'ny in the name -
happy fourth to ya
(1-12)

mem'ry, horizon
melt together in june sun
next town, dinosaur
(9-08)

flatlanders in vail
all summer, filling their tanks -
trip home's all downhill
(8-05)

trinidad cowboy
in town to belt down a few
cuss out the broncos
(9-08)

high above denver,
tunnels blocked by drifts, car stuck,
white noise, no defrost
(9-08)

larimer diner
omellete's ham and cheese - warmth for
next mile-high blizzard
(2-10)

rancher from hugo,
larimer street club, march squall -
his eyes will adjust
(1-12)

limon boxcar door
slams on april fools' day joke
whole punchline, i missed
(10-08)

-

connecticut

2007-01-16T23:00:00.001-08:00

-

new canaan car wash
scrubs august earth off license,
constitution state!
(10-08)

old mystic hiker,
pot of pine needle tea: first
frost melts with sunrise
(10-08)

groton trucker's horn,
celebrating pats' vict'ry
at rest stop exit
(10-08)

leaves turn peacefully
but wall street and its culture -
just down the merritt
(7-05)

pequot gamer says
lot less snow up here these days -
lot more rusted cars
(2-10)

powder ridge ski lift
gears grind, heart heals painfully
eternal delays
(10-08)

tea served in step-van,
bridge freezes where ninety-five
crosses thames river
(10-08)

poet's glasses crack
'tween pack and icy road sign
at avon junction
(10-08)

housatonic woods
campfire crackles against chill
bitter march morning
(10-08)

choose to be patient,
sheep will move when weather breaks,
quaker hill back road
(10-08)

algonquin campfire
breakfast - the blackest coffee
to thaw the late freeze
(3-10)

u-conn hoops champ says
campus comes alive in march,
no town to speak of
(1-07)

-

delaware

2007-01-13T20:09:00.001-08:00

-

rehoboth lifeguard,
his attention diverted,
loses a moment
(1-07)

r.v.'s in dover -
ribs and beer, anticipation;
race day approaches
(4-10)

diplomat's beemer
double parked in rehoboth -
summer's patience gone
(4-10)

dover nascar champ
logos bathed in vict'ry lights
speed, power, gold tooth
(4-10)

two ninety five bridge
traffic hums - in batt'ry park,
fall comes in with tide
(4-10)

outside zwaanendael,
leaves in wind - couple argues
about 'going dutch'
(4-10)

big night at the schwarz -
small town wears pearls and heels,
first snow hits east coast
(4-10)

chopped wood, blazing fire,
can of beans, bread, potatoes -
hardscrabble new year
(9-08)

epiphany tide at
rehoboth - bottle, note from
canary islands
(4-10)

dime off memorial -
frozen delaware's better
than that flyers' rink
(4-10)

wilmington rest stop
tourist daydream - visit folks
tax refund's going to
(7-05)

ocean of water
spring rains, and nothing to do
beth'ny's dry's ever
(4-10)

-

florida

2007-01-12T22:18:00.001-08:00

-

jupiter dune tracks,
lead out into ocean tides,
June's gentle blanket
(10-08)

arrive at key west
to summer sunset dock dreamers
kiss the earth, grateful

got friends in boca
it's a good place to thaw out
when champagne goes flat
(9-05)

old ybor city,
trolley to cuban kitchen-
cigar and champagne
(6-08)

la-dee-dah's nightlife,
a spring break destination,
weary bum's tangent
(9-08)

jupiter beach dunes -
starry march night reaches wide,
pulls gray ocean tides
(9-05)

cards in jupiter -
cigars, flask, hoops brackets, and
jacket just in case
(3-10)

builder frames house,
tampa reaches to marshes -
scrub jay moves her nest
(4-10)

-

georgia

2007-01-03T22:07:00.000-08:00

-

used to play for free,
all atlanta'd go t'the park -
brothers in summer
(9-05)

okra and cornmeal,
and where'd you get that cookin' oil?
when in rome, she says
(5-11)

feel this macon heat
you'll know why those brothers kicked
it when they played blues
(8-05)

y'all git back up on
se'nty five north, cold or not,
don't come back, y'hear?
(3-10)

stone mountain trailhead -
fragrance of rhododendron,
hopes of reaching maine
(8-05)

georgia blue ridge sun
wakens forest animals,
showers touch young blooms
(10-05)

stone mountain flowers
bloom with pollen and promise
shoes oiled and ready
(10-05)

night train from hartsfield -
scraped elbow in fragrant bush,
ways west of downtown
(3-10)

freight train, georgia hills,
red wine, thick loaf, pepper cheese -
peepers call from night
(3-10)

-

hawaii

2005-11-25T22:07:00.000-08:00

-

labor day - haiku
stairs guard takes our photograph;
in fog, a smile's lost
(10-10)

frigid small town vows
behind, waikiki ahead -
surf breaks and crashes
(2-10)

met in oahu,
came over to big island,
tired of winter crowds
(3-10)

landing, we share dreams
hers, more champagne, waikiki
mine, the haiku steps
12-11

haiku valley fog
envelops a steep ladder -
balanced on new year
(10-10)

ocean's pearl sparkles
from mainland march, sun has strayed
temptress oahu!
(10-05)

busy restaurant
loses bride's lu'au - groom's eyes
on duke in finals
(3-10)

easter rains - hilo
laundromat's dull dryer lint,
needle on old jeans
(4-10)

-

idaho

2005-11-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

-

cour d'alene boxcar
shuts out steady mountain rain
pine smell slips through cracks
(7-05)

quarter in the snake,
small plop of an august dream-
undammed illusions
(1-07)

bitter years at camps;
minidoka memories -
locusts at window
(3-10)

in pocatello
got enough to camp in these
cottonwoods a while
(2-10)

cour d'alene drunkard
wants to see that cali map -
first snows of winter
(1-12)

panhandle woodsman,
winter's wood surrounds cabin-
sawdust falls from beard
(1-07)

window sealed against
moscow snows - not like russia,
'cept for the vodka
(1-12)

st. joe forest home
bear knows where fish jump in spring -
let him have first try
(10-05)

they called it the red
'cause it ran red with salmon -
they came up hungry
(4-10)

grandpa pulled salmon
from the river by th'bucketfull
's why it's called the red
(1-12)

river ice breaks up,
fishin's good, but he dries out
in a boise jail
(1-12)

-

illinois

2005-11-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

-

kingshighway shoulder
stone stuck in my sandal -
cahokia fossil?
(12-10)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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 icy night near o'hare -
smile of the buddha
(12-11)

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

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

worked thirty-three years
ford plant in chicago heights - but now,
it's cold, and i'm leaving
(3-10)

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

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)

not knowing grand tow'r
tales, we stop it river's edge
it brings the new year
(12-11)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

indiana

2005-11-04T20:47:00.000-08:00

-

world's freshest melons,
posey county moon's shadow -
town called solitude
(5-11)

dunes picnic sunburn
sharp pain of needing to be
back around the lake
(1-10)

richmond - a town of
quaker seminarians -
cicadas' silence
(5-11)

came here for the race -
a thousand miles to indy
certain spark and fire
(5-11)

deep in the hoosier,
campground fire fades to pink ash -
tomorrow, winter
(1-10)

Broadway's faded hues-
quilt of steelworkers' fam'lies,
memories' winter hearth
(1-10)

at gary on-ramp
sun catches hard metal shiv
on icy shoulder
(8-05)

near on-ramp outside
of indianapolis -
snow falls on dog's grave
(8-05)

indiana pike
rest stop blizzard - she longs for
california sun
(5-11)

terre haute diner's
muddy coffee - new year plans
unfathomable
(5-11)

this state lived for hoops
but march hopes flickered and died
since he threw that chair
(1-10)

-

iowa

2005-10-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

-

ladybug climbs map -
up thirty, uphill, upwind
beneath, cyclist sleeps
(3-10)

des moines ramp traffic
spares grasshopper - patiently,
northwest to southeast
(2-10)

outside dyersville,
fields of ripe corn and baseball -
fantasy's bullpen
(3-10)

highway one onramp-
truckers fumes and the shrill cry
of redwinged blackbirds
(7-05)

flood of ninety-three
june rains push skunk river- can't
leave town fast enough
(1-07)

english river bridge
to yonder amish window -
a banjo carries
(5-11)

lincoln highway bridge
shelter from thunder, lightning
summer storm moment
(5-10)

read plates on 80
commute through midsummer night
coralville- hey, Maine!
(7-05)

football saturday
cars backed up past hawkeye drive
beat minnesota!
(7-05)

crisp fall morn, cold look -
don't walk on the don't walk sign
in cedar rapids
(5-10)

quarter in wapsi,
wish floating downstream, through corn
ready for harvest
(1-07)

pottawattomie,
read through dead leaves on bumper,
frames this license plate
(9-08)

stone city gravel
roads sneak up on its buildings -
orion watches
(2-10)

thirty five 'n' eighty =
warm tea, numb fingers, a choice:
texas or west coast?
(12-11)

burg poet's topic
as blizzard pushes through door -
ash and omelette grease
(12-11)

on one, near annie
drunken rider, car in drifts
argues which way is north
(3-10)

amana tourists
pick up mill workers' german -
outside, a blizzard
(2-10)

amana woolens-
outside the mill, icy glaze
covers corn and brick
(7-05)

icy solon road,
eternal damnation sign
frames empty cabin
(7-05)

orange triangle
buggy blocks kalona road
wood wheels on packed snow
(7-05)

leaving for padre,
champagne, map on small table
in winnebago
(4-10)

named this town lisbon
railroad, dreams, cities, people
but dreams don't till weeds
(7-05)

fresh rhubarb, cups of
sugar, sharp pie - black coffee,
ready for wellman
(3-10)

-

kansas

2005-10-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

-

longhorn by old fence,
plains rising, weeds grow up sign -
wichita, 50
(2-10)

way up the flint ridge,
spits back at steamy lowlands -
drier on high plains
(2-10)

no soul on high plains,
sun beats on barren rock -
sign says, "toronto"
(3-10)

lawrence exit blues
busker, played in town through fourth -
last place 'til denver
(5-10)

longhorn guards weed patch
on road west to wichita
sign of things to come!
(7-05)

wyandotte county
backroads cricket song lyrics
lost in translation
(9-08)

old folks remember
the last dust storm to pass through
this part of kansas
(8-05)

circle water tower
find kansas town name in sun
class of sixty two!
(9-05)

dog hits tire at night,
when towns like ware are asleep -
but crickets hear
(10-05)

field of sunflowers
following sun to the west
over the flint hills
(7-05)

whole field of milo
clear crisp air a hundred miles
train whistle pierces
(7=05)

kansans always know
which way is west, to lean in
to the bitter wind
(7-05)

flint ridge longhorn warns
westbound traffic: high plains drifts
leave no sign of road
(9-08)

they'd mined galena-
one new year, sixty six caved,
car fell twenty feet
(1-07)

marais des cygnes sky,
warm wind billows northbound geese,
road weighed down by cars
(9-08)

phone poles in a line -
with no roads, how did spring rains
find garden city?
(2-10)

red and blue balloons,
drunken graduates still in robes -
parents load the van
(5-10)

-

kentucky

2005-10-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

-

rock climbers, the red -
uncommon tongues, but common
single-mindedness
(10-10)

paducah street fair
elvis impersonator
even has jeweled belt!
(7-05)

roadside tobacco
field - a nap too restless
just north of campbell
(12-09)

came for the derby,
liked iced tea, local accents -
hers especially
(9-08)

go back to l'u'ville,
locals get drunk on fourth, and
don't like city folk
(1-07)

lou'v'lle traffic slows,
icy roads unusual
before thanksgiving
(9-08)

absolutely lost,
paris streets, background colors,
the leaf hesitates
(10-10)

hazard county fog,
coal comp'nies, workers' history -
woodstove's acrid sting
(10-10)

cali to murray,
car dead, she reckons with gap,
frosted cables spark
(8-11)

old scot in the boone:
"we didn't like cumberlands" -
hot stick, winter fire
(10-10)

orion and friends,
mountain air on combs parkway -
utter lack of cars
(10-10)

across river bridge
to louisville- northern march
in rearview mirror
(10-05)

-

louisiana

2005-10-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

-

plantation's secrets -
humid night stops myrtles' clocks
for timeless complaint
(5-10)

shreveport diner grits,
butter and honey, sunrise
to fry an egg with
(9-08)

buskers hide bottles,
illicit french quarter port -
champagne soon enough
(5-10)

bourbon street fiddler's
yankee accent fades away -
parade approaches
(8-05)

stone's throw from n'orleans -
crawdad gumbo, zydeco,
'r own kind of christmas
(12-11)

vagrancy's a crime
'f'you'll get on out of n'o'l'ans
save jail cells for gras
(8-05)

tourists in n'orleans
made gras the world's parade -
we do lafayette
(9-08)

kudzu envelops
spirit, blocks april sunshine -
far from ponchartrain
(9-08)

waiting to give blood,
on a seedy n'orleans stoop,
magnolias bloom
(9-08)

ten west t'ward texas -
"wisht i'd traveled when i's young" -
wildflowers beckon
(5-10)

morganza spillway:
give the river what it wants -
atchafalaya
(5-11)

-

maine

2005-10-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

-

acadia hiker,
stopped to fish and swim, halfway
halifax - d.c.
(3-10)

last tourists have gone -
leaves litter bar harbor streets,
sea breeze brings a chill
(3-10)

monson's fifty miles,
fallen leaves cover the trail -
moose watches from bush
(3-10)

six shades of orange -
bricks, sunrise, leaves, the banks of
the androscoggin
(7-05)

aroostok woodsman
understands apple-drunk moose
but not clearcutters
(7-05)

path to katahdin-
last leaves fallen, pack weightless
breath vapor vanished
(10-09)

days from katahdin -
crunch of leaves fills woods for miles,
winter's silence looms
(4-10)

an aroostok moose
eats apples this time of year
gets drunk and surly
(10-08)

single road anakes up
into quebec - monson store
closes for saints' day
(9-10)

warm pizza, old bug
icy sacco road driveway,
vacationland tags
(1-07)

frozen gravel pokes
tired feet, salt-lined pack leans
on bath exit sign
(1-07)

'roostok cabin fire
's burned the same wood for eight months
no dent in the pile
(9-10)

-

maryland

2005-10-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

-

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

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

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

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

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)

harbor tunnel's at
a crawl - from maine to georgia,
but here for new year
(12-11)

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)

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

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

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

-

massachusetts

2005-10-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

-

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

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

mass pike hitchhiker
says northern lights are omen-
not coincidence
(7-05)

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

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

at harvard yard, old
prof expounds under bright trees,
squirrel hides acorns
(2-10)

old whalers' stories
served up in new bedford bar -
dead leaves through open door

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

south station rehab
rent stub lost in christmas bills =
bitter wind from docks

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

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

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

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

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

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

-

michigan

2005-10-07T20:59:00.000-07:00

-

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

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

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

tiger stadium
on the lips in october
rare and special treat
(1-07)

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

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

mackinac bridge wish
quarters that pay toll, melt ice
don't empty pockets
(1-07)

ruins of detroit -
a thin vaneer of ice cracks,
man with 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 it is
(1-12)

don't know about hell,
but folks in these other towns
cook meth all winter
(1-12)

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

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

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

-

minnesota

2005-10-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

-

old boat on white bear
rhythm of ripples on hull
minutes into days
(1-10)

grasshopper on rush
trying to make it to shore
before bass gets him
(1-10)

twinkiedome drama
yankee fans push envelope
june belongs to twins
(1-10)

chisago lowland
visitors - mallards fly in
for wild rice dinner
(1-10)

north shore gulls adrift,
lake breezes changing their minds -
and days turn shorter
(8-11)

outside two harbors,
night softens lake and wisconsin,
but for some fireworks
(8-11)

dinkytown lattes -
punks agree june's too short to
suffer through classes
(1-10)

superior shore's
cold august rain lets up in
split rock tunnel's glow
(9-05)

dinkytown cafe
workers don't know what happened
to the baseball scores
(7-05)

ten thousand lakes, but
one loon's cry throttles the night
even at the town park
(7-05)

half a mile from downtown
dirt path, green woods, secret beach
minneapolis
(7-05)

needin' thirty bucks,
they'll walk through any open door in
minneapolis

omelettes come and go,
fall breeze cateches sports section -
life at the seward
(1-10)

oak savannah, they
call it - pin oaks hold out on
minnesota plain
(1-12)

some jerk broke his nose
high school hockey's serious
in eden prairie
(1-10)

drunken sioux warrior
wrong city bus, bad blizzard
minneapolis
(1-10)

-

mississippi

2005-09-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

-

yazoo city cop -
through crack in tinted window,
a sweltering heat
(4-10)

kudzu in mirror,
mint tea waiting, y'all come back-
world sees yazoo city
(10-08)

desoto campfire -
stories of small-town picnics
and not fitting in
(3-10)

holed up in jackson
labor day hurricane blues
cot springs on off beat
(9-08)

woke in tombigbee,
red clay bed, pine for blanket,
campfire for coffee
(10-08)

this very crossroads,
a very limited fame-
alone on new year
(10-08)

natchez trace roadside
aroma - unknown blossoms,
or maybe old ghosts?
(7-05)

desoto campfire
smokes wood wet from march drizzle,
better'n any cologne
(10-08)

-

missouri

2005-09-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

-

a single two-lane
snakes through branson - takes all of
august to get through
(2-10)

current rafters' fire
of brush from sandy bottoms
mem'ries of lost loves
(2-10)

clear skies up st. jo
way, but river keeps rising -
right over the road
(7-05)

trucks' rumble as bass,
locusts' melody, harsh glow
kingdom city sign
(4-10)

june rain pounds the bridge,
muddy missouri rises -
earth city sign's lost
(4-10)

lake of the ozarks
water dirty - but still lets
a boy catch a fish
(7-05)

missouri cow game -
drive through green hills, count, lose all
at cemetery
(2-10)

live in the moment,
steady canoe, shoot rapids
on current river
(7-05)

st. gen exit ramp,
weeds aflower, locusts deafen -
roads drift into haze
(9-09)

y'all come back t'see us,
branson waitress says - august
traffic chokes the road
(1-07)

leg blown off in 'nam,
now i sit in bootheel house,
watch weeds go to seed
(9-05)

white spires, bridge at cape
dove's wings balanced on great river
november's sun falls
11-09

louisiana,
mexico - missouri towns,
road sign winterdreams
(8-05)

quilt on truman's bed
for eighty lamar winters
little close to wood stove
(2-10)

scarred concrete pillar,
icy shoulder - mem'ry of
mcgwire highway sign
(1-11)

the arch soars, a steel
ribbon cuts, turns - but unlike
my kite, it comes back
(8-05)

lambert lot shuttle
suitcases press on child's doll
now safe from march rain
(1-10)

plane veers over arch
westbound, a world opens up -
march ozark sunset
(3-10)

foot of the king bridge,
press waits for tournament teams -
sweet sixteen comes home
(3-10)

flooded bootheel plain
march sun, exit bridge doubt me -
bragadoccio
(3-11)

-

montana

2005-09-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

-

bitteroot valley
elk stop for aspen breakfast -
tenuous balance
(2-10)

surprise creek baseball -
game with no fences, challenge
to contain oneself
(10-10)

thunder, august squalls,
trucker grinding ev'ry gear-
coming out of butte
(1-07)

bear crosses road to
missoula, back into sumac -
and not to college
(8-05)

rains in kalispell -
leaves blown down past camper where
hunters are huddled
(2-10)

cabin at foot of
elevation mountain - watch
orion stand tall
(2-10)

rancher eyes raven,
wolf tracks in snow - there's trouble
in the bitteroot
(2-10)

billings policeman
knows when blizzard's expected
and who'll be stranded
(9-08)

ranchers here'n cam'ron
have trouble getting calves through
winter without wolves
(2-10)

gears shift, trucks rumble,
orion pokes fire embers -
butte cloverleaf fades...
(9-05)

eureka teller
smiles at loonies and toonies -
spring's come down rockies
(2-10)

-

nebraska

2005-09-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

-

chadron yard breakfast
homemade bread, cheese, wine and field
of black-eyed susans
(2-10)

near ogalalla
interstate forks, prairie blooms
in both directions
(2-10)

picnic at carhenge -
prairie stretches out for miles,
cool shade of old truck
(4-10)

redwinged blackbird nests
in weeds by york exit sign -
hiker hides his face
(2-10)

kept our son back in
lincoln schools - so he'd have a
shot at these huskers
(8-05)

lincoln capitol
guard - jingling keys, cold hands, hot
tea - talking huskers
(2-10)

ash on icy lot,
rusty heaps balance on prairie -
place called alliance
(4-10)

this road goes on to
new york, but in this snowstorm
york would be enough
(8-05)

steakhouse champagne toast -
a fortune from union yards,
this cork pops for thee
(2-10)

-

nevada

2005-09-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

-

looking down at sparks
desert summer loses grip -
eastbound train starts out
(2-10)

houses built angled
away from sun - 's why they call
it caliente
(2-10)

eastbound train from sparks
through cold desert summer night
chills us to the bone
(~05)

outside enterprise
burning sun reddens the weak -
rock caves offer shade
(2-10)

unforgiving chill
desert summer night settles
miles still from elko
(1-07)

vegas pool tanner
came once to cop convention
and never went home
(10-08)

dusty old pickup -
campground host, in dunes sign's glow,
curses lost food stamps
(9-10)

on cold desert train,
dawn brings empty fall stillness
somewhere near elko
(10-08)

neon boneyard tale -
autumn moon, memories
of golden slipper
(9-10)

homestead dreams derailed-
toxic waste, never to thaw,
stay frozen, yucca
(1-07)

vegas stopover
flight calls to snow belt towns fade
slots' whirrs take over
(~06)

left my aging ma
't home on frigid plains - i rest
'neath old stardust sign
(9-10)

hits vegas for slots -
new years day he sees lake mead,
even quits drinking
(9-10)

delayed by new year
fog - vegas pilot's never seen
a ceiling this low
(12-10)

reno slots winner
cap full of quarters - stumbles
into march blizzard
(2-10)

-

new hampshire

2005-09-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

-

down from granite peak
crumbled white mountain king
whose reign has ended
(7-05)

leaves on keane roadsides
blow in wind of passing cars,
without their purpose
(10-05)

first frost in the whites -
the trail laundry, stuffed in pack -
only maine ahead
(3-10)

seven pumpkins wide,
boxed in by granite - what's this
'live free or die' thing?
(12-11)

manchester cafe
wag, sees blizzard - 'moved here for
live free or die tags'
(3-10)

freezing rain and snow -
union leader's confident
turnout'll break record
(1-12)

lonely stretch of four -
snow on tongue, eyes glaze over
at andover sign
(12-11)

north church through window,
eggnog in hand, he's forgot - doomed
to repeat hist'ry?
(12-11)

on four going west,
's used to portsmouth, but christmas
's back to mastigouche
(12-11)

u n h tassel -
relatives and friends toast her,
she yearns for the whites
(12-11)

-

new jersey

2005-09-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

-

in millionaire's porsche,
you'd think atlantic city'd shine
on fourth - it doesn't
(1-12)

hoboken summers -
tight families, no place to hide -
you'd be crooning too
(1-12)

lavallette houses
only some are still lived in
from labor day on
(9-05)

bumper to bumper,
open window, bay head sea breeze,
labor day mem'ries
(1-07)

library perched high
on rock cliff above highway-
gold leaves, dark tunnel
11-09

pollution sunset
frames giants traffic, wasteland
what's this 'garden state?'
(9-05)

signs for hoboken
vast wetlands ready to freeze
diesel cloud sunset
(11-09)

warm dark eyes, fur hood -
she tries hard to imagine
life beyond paramus
(1-12)

delaware water
gap's winter wooded stillness-
this is new jersey?
(1-07)

garden state turnpike
window down, february
another car stripped
(7-05)

atlantic city -
hear lu's story at new year:
died at slot machine
(12-11)

bus from oranges,
holland tunnel, knicks final
we go dutch on fares
(12-11)

-

new mexico

2005-08-13T22:51:00.001-07:00

-

showers make cacti bloom
soft desert colors catch sun,
gracing jornada
(7-08)

a fine drizzle mist,
steam rises in mesilla -
they call it "monsoon"...
(9-08)

get out of this sun,
some water on roadside tongue -
'n alamogordo
(9-05)

roswell's alien
culture - tourists, reflection,
midsummernight's glass
(3-10)

shade of mesquite tree,
view of mesquite exit road sign -
breeze, not from diesels
(8-05)

spectacular sky
frames jagged organs - steals eyes
from apache plumes
(8-05)

off las alturas,
road crosses a baked-out wash,
lizard hides in shade
(3-10)

jumped any boxcar
said santa fe; buried him
in raton weeds though
(8-05)

bare feet up mountain,
as promised to la virgen
de guadalupe
(11-11)

dineh coder's tale -
sun hits frost on lead and coal,
war-hardened spirit
(12-11)

new year starts out east,
crosses time zones, overtakes
us outside deming
(2-10)

champagne flat as hell,
allman brothers drum solo -
alamogordo
(3-10)

promise forgotten,
eyes drawn to cruces' valley -
prickly pear flowers
(3-10)

deming families' pain,
sore feet sunk in timeless sand -
old bataan stories
(12-11)

pale purple cactus
at my feet blooming - beyond,
organs and blue sky
(3-10)

on high cruces ramp,
distracted by wide valley -
a few spring raindrops
(3-10)

hummingbirds hover,
fight at kitchen feeder - march
sun sets on organs
(3-10)

-

new york

2005-07-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

-

stranded hiker waits,
at schenectady off ramp
june's songbirds note dawn
(1-10)

canal hist'ry buff,
rusted erie lock hardware,
flowering ragweed
(2-10)

soho loft vixen -
good life from summer art trade,
yen for open road
(4-10)

squeegie people swarm
car at houston street red light -
say "hewston", pay more!
(7-05)

bridal veil falls
water whiter than others' -
hits rocks just as hard
(7-05)

yankee stadium
jackhammers beyond left field
october's shattered?
(7-08)

civil war statue
ignored by midtown shoppers
gathers fallen leaves
(12-11)

beneath brooklyn bridge,
immigrants shooting baskets -
fresh fall breeze from sea
(3-10)

neighbor of stonewall:
openly gay's not a crime -
steel-toed boots kick leaves
(12=11)

throgsneck hitchhiker -
snow, baggage tag on worn pack,
going to peru
(9-05)

tonawanda drifts -
snowplowers smash into parked cars,
unable to see
(2-10)

soho chocolate -
farm kid watches passersby,
feeling toes again
(4-10)

christmas tree farmer -
truck bed down to pine needles,
lured by soho's wares
(1-12)

N train incident -
somewhere in Brooklyn, a man's
vanished at Christmas
(4-10)

ice at goat island
floats canada or u.s.
for its last moments
(7-05)

coin off tappan zee -
icy hudson won't want it
st. christopher will
(7-05)

step on kerouac,
shut pickup door on rome
spring rains - this, your home
(12-11)

falls customs agents
dismantling truck's wheel housing -
march sleet ices tires
(2-10)

-

north carolina

2005-07-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

-

road pastor's sermon -
locusts, moses, commandments -
rocky mount exit
(5-10)

what would buddha do
sticker stuck on duck beach van -
drifter peels it off
(5-10)

'bout back to lejeune,
after short leave over fourth,
but stopped for a drink
(10-08)

fly through hole in screen -
have post boxes here in Kyle?
fahn thank you how're you?
(8-05)

near wilmington
girl explains to soldier, ways
of venus flytrap
(3-10)

rain pounds outer banks
vacation becomes card game-
a motel, belowdecks...
(7-05)

rolls a cigarette,
inhales humid blue feeling
of winston-salem
(5-10)

o'coker's brogue - she'll
tell tourists about blackbeard
n'hoi toide all summer
(5-10)

tourists 'v'all cleared out,
got this choppy sound to ourselves -
okracoke ferry
(5-10)

cape fear beachcomber -
knows where and when each ship sank,
many winters back
(5-10)

light snow dusts raleigh,
traffic slows to fearful crawl -
now hear my footsteps
(5-10)

"should stop your trav'ling,
settle down along the shore..."
lent rains pound nag's head
(5-10)

waiting in franklin
march snow, a-t hikers pounce
on diner placemats
(1-07)

gentle wind on beach,
uplifting sense of hist'ry -
kitty hawk in spring
(5-10)

-

north dakota

2005-07-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

-

as seen from white butte outward,
wide plain slopes for miles - nearby,
prairie smoke blooming
(2-10)

bismarck yard camper:
burlington northern owner
was once one of us
(8-05)

fargo yard boxcar
good for long ride - wait in weeds,
when train starts, jump on
(8-05)

after west fargo
no interstate junctions 'til
billings - frost on boots
(12-11)

fargo boxcar drunk
doesn't know which way is south -
frosted weeds witness
(2-10)

stranded in bismarck -
roads keep drifting over, and
it's thirty below
(2-10)

you don't understand
how these devil's lake winters
make faith an issue
(12-11)

a town called minot,
nothing but prairie around -
one winter, i left
(5-11)

new year with folks in
zap - sounds a little livelier
than it really is
(5-11)

drift prairie marsh geese,
oblivious, cold - just in
from manitoba
(2-10)

-

ohio

2005-07-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

-

t'ledo zoo panda
fresh bamboo flown in daily
held up in detroit
(7-05)

t'ledo streets were once
covered with elms - all summer,
they held our secrets
(3-10)

serpent mound story -
body lines up with solstice,
happens to be now
(4-10)

erie driftwood beach
pebbles, sand under bare feet
nuke plant fades from view
(7-05)

turnpike rest stop dawn -
rock star spotted near bathroom;
august's lively beat
(4-10)

black shiny carriage,
wooden wheel on cracking ice -
holmes county backroad
(1-10)

outside toledo
frozen slush falling from truck
makes glazed road deadly
(7-05)

from catawba shores
truck tires cracking snow on ice -
some will sink in spring
(1-10)

blizzard hides white lines
truck light dance toward troy exit
no such thing as brakes
(2-10)

hoarse, thirsty blades fans
celebrating new year win -
champagne on lake floes
(9-08)

-

oklahoma

2005-07-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

-

grand lake downpour blinds
all but those who know by heart
road to fishin' hole
(9-08)

dog days in lawton
'f you thought soldiers would be out
you were mistaken
(12-11)

okemah native
knows well your sultry welcome -
completely ignored
(12-11)

blazing lawton sun
keeps folks off streets and hiding
in army's air-con
(1-07)

ain't the first outlaw
these ouachitas ever hid
on a summer night
(8-05)

outside of tulsa
storm takes semi from eastbound
rest stop to westbound
(8-05)

panhandle ranchers
on windswept plain - another
bag of sand in truck
(8-05)

rest stops near tulsa
march tornado blows semi
westbound to eastbound
(1-07)

'don't drive through smoke' sign
asks what kinds of fires you'd see-
spring in green country
(1-07)

ouachita mountain
backroad leads down into fog
blossoms still hiding
(9-08)

may rains grip tulsa -
docent listens to tramp's tale
of storming auschwitz
(12-11)

-

oregon

2005-07-16T19:08:00.003-07:00

-

lush shady valley
june evening gently falls on
road to corvallis
(1-07)

to stop in ashland
for a shakespeare production -
or hitch on and camp
(4-10)

portland cops ticket
bicyclists with passengers
even labor day
(4-10)

wet shady beaches
seem like another planet
in desert near bend
(1-07)

bottle with note floats
into dunes campsite - driftwood
fire, history, dreams
(8-05)

sun takes solstice west
to asia, leaves rocks in tide
on oregon coast
(8-05)

cold winter forest
of a blue oregon funk -
find coast, take a breath
(8-05)

posed my bride on rock -
puts egg nog on portland bar -
a big wave came in
(4-10)

corvallis side streets -
van fills with smell of coffee,
march rains relentless
(4-10)

dad, grandpa logged hood -
take that nesting spotted owl,
crush it in my fist
(4-10)

eugene anarchists
fill city streets on may day
but can't pick a leader
(4-10)

thirty years fishing
tillamook, seen some wet mays -
logs crack in fireplace
(4-10)

chinook coming up
the umpqua - i wait all year
to get a big one
(4-10)

wife's a legal aide -
spend my spring days on the rogue
haulin' in chinook
(4-10)

-

pennsylvania

2005-07-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

-

morning sun lifts fog
from heart of state college - wall,
coffee, sticky bun
(7-05)

cross this picket line
work summer in mills, escape
east pittsburgh alive
(~08)

turnpike summer dreams
back of a station wagon
lights up in tunnel
(7-05)

falling water dream -
june weekends carried away
by river catfish
(4-10)

deer racks, p-a tags
antlers point all directions
except back to woods
(8-05)

walks right through frick park,
from squirrel hill to cathedral
ev'ry day, all winter
(9-08)

johnstown water mark -
even in january,
a chill in my spine
(4-10)

bitter erie wind,
you come up from the city,
knocks you on the ice
(12-11)

bethlehem cabbie
delivered a baby last night -
door frozen shut
(12-11)

pittsburgh's krishna house,
hot bowl of rice in cold hands,
saffron robes on ice
(9-08)

warm van, raging squall
south at erie, or westbound
our o'er the frigid plain?
(12-11)

northern blizzard wind
blows off lake into erie -
southbound ramp looks best
(2-10)

apring on schuykill -
bartram's flowers greet river
and its history
(4-10)

in turnpike tunnels,
wipers' pointless beat awaits
april rain's return
(9-08)

-

rhode island

2005-07-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

-

naragansett bar
patrons want sox game in spite
of its irrelevance
(10-08)

ninety five exit
pebbles kicked into high weeds -
signs for providence
(1-12)

big house, wife and kids,
riding mower, restless heart
outside providence
(9-05)

these harvests of corn
fed villages like this one
called quonochontaug
(10-08)

rizdee (r.i.s.d.) coffee cures
frostbite - artistic flourish
graces tart's icing
(1-07)

head'n for miami,
christmas in bahamas, but
stuck in providence
(1-12)

prudence and patience
islands guarding harbor floes
old fashioned sisters
(10-05)

a glass of champagne
to future in providence -
mistletoe's fragrance
(1-12)

woonsocket waitress
with no love of dandelions
in wreath or as tip
(10-08)

-

south dakota

2005-07-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

-

busted transmission
on hot deserted two-lane
just outside of faith
(10-05)

they're loud but love to
talk harleys - time they get here,
almost to sturgis
(4-10)

rank and sticky fourth,
amoco in kadoka -
sick on bathroom floor
(9-08)

clear, hot sun, sacred
black hills - just 'cause there's walmart
now, doesn't change that
(8-05)

"blew up this mountain
t'have something for license plates"...
warm wind, lincoln's gaze
(5-10)

steady wind from west
prairie grasses gone to seed
buffalo road sign
(8-05)

a town called igloo
was on this weed patch - but the
white man ran us out
(8-05)

search harding county
for coyotes, fly over'm, pop'm -
snow's our best ally
(1-12)

wall diner ashtray's
last stub smolders, bad coffee-
icy onramp looms
(1-07)

-

south carolina

2005-07-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

-

hilton head golfer,
two martinis into lunch,
relives eighth hole
(4-10)

grew up poor in flor'nce
got rich 'n'is air con - wouldn't
live anywhere else
(4-10)

teen from navy base,
sick of precision mowing
seeks myrtle's high tide
(4-10)

stranded in beaufort,
imprisoned by humid world,
felt like seceding
(4-10)

fought in the trenches,
retired here on myrtle beach -
tide soothes aching feet
(9-05)

myrtle beach hotel,
sand sticks to towel - sugar
dissolves in iced tea
(1-07)

gamecock linebacker
says this game's deadly vi'lence
worse than crack cocaine
(1-07)

rest stop near beaufort -
bronx pipefitter, local belle,
gentle april rain
(4-10)

tennessee

2005-07-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

-

nashville coffeehouse
music's cheap - play outside, and
hope big boys walk by
(2-10)

fresh round bales of hay -
we talk van gogh, monet, sartre
right into memphis
(2-10)

visage of buddha
gravestone in a blount weed patch
eighteen sixty four
(12-11)

pigeon forge tourists
van with air-con, dvd
old dolly movies
(1-07)

cold spring rain and fog
hide smokies from clingman's dome,
the peak of something
(1-07)

under highway bridge
sleeping bag against concrete
fall rain, nashville fade
(8-05)

clinch mountain hollow
dead leaves an extra blanket
wood smoke drifts from cabin
(7-05)

plenty of wild ginseng,
southern part of clinch mountain -
strong tea when it blooms
(2-10)

chattanooga yard
promise - i'll head out west, where
pollen don't choke you
(2-10)

from birds point levee
river's crest is relentless
bound for mud island
(5-11)

at forty eight feet
forked deer, wolf, loosahatchie
waters are backed up
(5-11)
-

texas

2005-07-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

-

kerrville campfire jam -
tune and tale from each corner,
soft glow of embers
(3-10)

brownsville flophouse shade
dusty border town respite
reading "on the road"
(10-08)

near amarillo
caddy's sun worship won't stop-
old truck's engine dies
(1-07)

roadside bluebonnets
open morning, austin-bound
possibilities
(9-08)

ten houston commute,
mosquito fries on windshield-
he never saw maine
(9-05)

landed in inchon
survived a bitter war - but
hate texas summers
(9-05)

raised in port arthur,
held her like a tight swimsuit -
made her want to scream
(9-05)

juarez kids watch trucks
westbound out of el paso
hot sand, deep river
(8-05)

flower girl sings blues
but dusty pal is native
san antonian
(7-05)

in the alamo
history peeks from behind
racks of sunglasses
(7-05)

back roads to airport
sun, dust, west texas summer
highway cuts through bliss
(7-08)

outskirts of dallas -
city nightlife's lure; in the west,
autumn tornados
(8-10)

ten, ribbon wrapping
the west texas high country -
gift that needs a tree
(8-05)

across from juarez
spring puts water in river -
most o' year it's dry
(3-10)

wildflowers appear -
san marcos, one stop of hike,
boston to peru
(3-10)

they put texas down,
but never saw this field of
blooming bluebonnets
(4-10)

-

utah

2005-07-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

-

best summer harvest,
irish coffee - from mountain,
sparkle of salt lake
(12-11)

from blistering heat
enterprise reservoir caves
offer dusty nap
(10-08)

bank clerk's perfect world
threatened by august rattler
outside orderville
(10-08)

well off beaten path
u turn in heber city
summer sunday shot
(10-08)

a sip of mad dog -
bottle waits in flowers of
brigham young's garden
(8-05)

using map to roll
one, seed falls out north salt lake
in hot sand - wasted
(8-05)

zion painted red,
autumn colors mixed and changed
on desert canvas
(10-08)

red rock cliffs, fall sky -
eight wives, forty six children,
short creek family
(2-10)

at sawtooth campsite
poke fire with orion,
million stars witness
(10-08)

mem'ries of topaz,
red cliffs - wartime pains undulled
even at new year
(12-10)

-

vermont

2005-07-06T19:12:00.000-07:00

-

old yards, train hist'ry,
weeds and granite, fresh coffee -
white river junction
(5-10)

kingdom wanderer
crossed border by accident,
spent june explaining
(1-12)

farmer slows down, miffed
by august big city traffic -
streets of rutland
(5-10)

climb up into greens,
flee raked leaves, small town, old flame
for nomad's campfire
(5-10)

stowe ski holiday
interrupted- car off road,
flipped over on skis
(1-07)

northeast kingdom roads
look alike, snow on signs, wound
up in canada...
(9-05)

fifty years milking
vermont cows - goes south one march
and has heart attack
(8-05)

mud season farmer
asked if he knows which way to
Barre, says just "yes"
(3-10)

-

virginia

2005-07-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

-

butterflies circle,
dixie's heroes survey lawns
buddhas of richmond
(12-11)

music's good in june
where crooked road comes down to floyd-
nothin' else to do
(10-08)

blue ridge through-hikers
bring big shoes, big appetites
down off cave mountain
(8-05)

dark james holds secrets
tree bark skims churlish waters
'skins game drones from shore
(10-08)

unexpectedly
warm - november memories,
arlington shadows
(11-10)

ninevah red light,
flurries cloud scholar's mem'ry -
turns green soon enough
(3-10

galax mechanic
writes out universal bill
mountain spring beckons
(10-08)

tale of stonewall's death,
a cold march rain chills her bones -
chanc'llorsville waitress
(12-11)

spring rains, time is stopped,
visibility obscured
manassas strip mall
(1-07)

bacon and waitress'
remark: drunk curses avon
a cold march sonnet
(3-11)

-

washington

2005-07-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

-

a few bucks, 'n all you
can eat - picking peaches in
the okanagan
(8-05)

juice from a fresh peach
stains half a washington map -
what was i thinking?
(12-11)

in walla walla,
barefoot kid's joke about name -
they've heard it before
(3-10)

spirit lake rainbow
trout - must have been snuck up here
since the volcano
(5-10)

okanagan lunch
peanut butter, fig bars, cheese,
seven ripe peaches
(3-10)

'twas the fall d.b.
got his money, jumped from plane,
vanished in cascades
(4-10)

outside moses lake,
praying for deliverance
trucker scrapes the ice
(3-10)

vashon ferry waifs
don't mind long rainy winters
moved here from vegas
(1-07)

back in tacoma,
bleak winter fog's moving in -
familiar smell
(3-10)

stale steamy stillness
walla walla laundromat
thaws a traveler
(10-08)

deer, snow from mountain
fish, whale from sea- Hoquiam
drunk knows what he lost
(1-07)

convention center
suits in front, cherry blossoms,
and beyond, asia
(1-07)

-

west virginia

2005-07-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

-

buckhannon miner
summer vacation spent at
dad's black lung clinic
(1-07)

so close to halfway -
fourth's morning stillness
at harper's ferry
(9-10)

called sinks of gandhi
by locals, long cool cave holds
childhood memory
(7-05)

harper's ferry bridge -
hikers pause, consider moment,
river knows the hist'ry
(12-11)

griddlecakes spit grease -
autumn mist clouds memory,
road to droop beckons
(9-10)

droop reenacter
writes letter to ancestor -
fell, but i'll get up
(10-10)

ghosts of droop mountain,
reencampment cannonball -
early frost's hard chill
(9-10)

"reb troops, three times more" -
droop colonel's bluster; behind,
his wife's weary smile
(10-10)

dad worked in the mines,
died early, left us here in
buckley, waiting for spring
(3-10)

union will bear fruit
but first a bitter christmas
-umw-
(1-07)

mountaintop blown out
blossoms ring miners' hollows
long road into welch
(1-07)

drank here as seniors -
this may, the wheeling bridge means
the east's behind me
(3-10)

-

wisconsin

2005-07-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

-

state street panhandler
locusts and dogma, glow of
well-lit capitol
(1-10)

home run lifts humid
night curtain; fan throws popcorn -
brewers win 4-3
(1-10)

truck stop parking lot
oil spill rainbow reflection
eau claire august dream
(10-01)

polka hall band's stalled
accordion player's still
in dane beer garden
(8-05)

baraboo diner
busboy stacks plates at halftime
proud to be cheesehead
(1-10)

roadside stand, deep sky -
homemade sign on balanced pile
of packer pumpkins
(9-05)

loaf of bread, some wine
sheltered from season's first snow
french isle underpass
(1-10)

new glarus dance starts
early - snow, watch remind folks
of the old country
(1-10)

milwaukee lakeshore,
ice shines on deep blue water -
behind it, traffic
(8-05)

bitter m'waukee wind -
driftwood, bottles strewn about,
ice hardened by grit
(10-01)

two-mile blizzard trek
fingers frozen to gas can
then, moose junction sign
(10-01)

whitefish bay champagne
romances dinner - outside,
wind comes in off lake
(10-01)

-

wyoming

2005-07-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

-

teton ranger's bunk-
rolled up sweaters as pillow,
deep woods out window
(10-08)

saratoga's springs
warm, soften trav'ler's bones, then
straight into the platte
(1-12)

at jackson post box
sunburned wrangler tips his hat
to jewelled vixen
(10-08)

saratoga springs
steam, sweat, summer of sadness
wash down platte river
(10-08)

so reliable,
ebb n'flow of tourists, geyser -
barefoot on cool earth
(1=12)

cody bank teller
no use for sunshine, summer,
foreign currency
(10-08)

beaver eats willow,
unimpressed by mountain peaks -
teton wilderness
(2-10)

hug riverbottoms,
cottonwood shade curves along
wyoming pallette
(9-05)

fire flickers and dies,
wolf decries frost - darkness reigns
over druid peak
(2-10)

in medicine bow,
old hiker with memories
halloweens long gone
(10-08)

camping in shoshone,
watched by wolf on ridge - beyond,
impending blizzard
(2-10)

east out of casper
looking for gambling payout,
ice sent them to grave
(1-12)

yellowstone snowshoe
hiker - frozen beard, keen eye
for canus lupus
(3-10)

saints day in bar nunn
mighty friendly to strangers,
with west wind howling
(10-08)

green river rock springs
large green sign dominates
hibernating plains
(10-08)

thermopolis' ice
power lines coated and glazed
wheels spinning beneath
(10-08)

nice cop, warm ride, says:
hitchhiking in wyoming's
its own punishment
(~05)

-

d.c.

2004-07-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

washington d.c.

skillful crowd handling
i saw the day of nixon's
inauguration
(11-10)

brought tractors down to
protest farm bills - dug us out
of a huge blizzard
(11-10)

introduction

2003-07-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

notes about this work:

it is dedicated to the idea that the web can help us carry an undertone, much as kigo provide readers an undercurrent feeling. while here, kigo are linked, so are geography words; this is based on the assumption that while, in early haiku, all poems were assumed to be set in japan, now, in the electronic era, one must be clear where all poems are set. so, in the sense that every work has a kigo, every work must also give away its location; this is an undercurrent, best represented by links that lead the reader to dead-end but predictable images, clear feelings of both season and location.

not that i'm an expert; i've done it this way only to try out the uses of links. in fact there are many possibilities.

also, i have deliberately (though not always successfully) tried to stick doggedly to a 5-7-5 format, although I realize it is quite out of favor with american haiku poets. this is entirely personal, and has little to do with what i mentioned above. to me it's a discipline to make poetry in a single given framework, and 5-7-5 is as good as any; i have no better place to start, and i can at least find others who have done the same. i'm not attached to it completely; it's just the format i'm using at the moment, and, though it is associated with traditional japanese haiku, I am not necessarily trying to make any other statement with it.