Haiku 365

December 31, 2008

2008-12-31T15:22:00.000-08:00

raise high your glasses;
toast ending and beginnings,
new plans and old friends.

Today is New Year's Eve, and it also marks the end to Haiku 365! It's been an incredible experience, and I would like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout the project, and all of you who have stopped by throughout the year to read the haiku I've written here. Happy New Year, everybody!

December 30, 2008

2008-12-30T20:45:00.000-08:00

sometimes I feel like
I am Rodney Dangerfield,
but without the tie.

December 29, 2008

2008-12-29T19:59:00.000-08:00

counting down to none,
anxious about what is next
but still excited.

December 28, 2008

2008-12-28T10:09:00.000-08:00

reverberations;
ripples move in the water
and touch each other

(note: to see this haiku incorporated in song, visit http://www.deborahlinden.com after Monday night)

December 27, 2008

2008-12-27T14:45:00.000-08:00

a coating of fog
descending down upon us
mystifying all.

December 26, 2008

2008-12-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

a final Friday
get ready to say goodbye
to a tradition

December 25, 2008

2008-12-25T20:25:00.000-08:00

forget the wrappings
of crass commercialism.
Celebrate what's real.

December 24, 2008

2008-12-24T17:27:00.000-08:00

always remember:
it IS a wonderful life
if you let it be

December 23, 2008

2008-12-23T20:21:00.000-08:00

I missed haiku day?
how could I do such a thing?
I'm so embarrassed!

December 22, 2008

2008-12-22T19:34:00.000-08:00

lost between volumes,
searching for the greatest truths,
we find ourselves here

December 21, 2008

2008-12-21T12:14:00.000-08:00

the winter solstice:
a season for renewal
and celebration.

December 20, 2008

2008-12-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

"do it your damn self":
furniture assembly
just builds frustration

December 19, 2008

2008-12-19T14:34:00.001-08:00

blinded by the light
oh wait, that was just the snow
falling so damn hard.

December 18, 2008

2008-12-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

Possibility
quickly becomes certainty
in the face of hope.

December 17, 2008

2008-12-17T20:09:00.000-08:00

lovers meet again
and retrace their old footsteps,
hoping for new paths.

December 16, 2008

2008-12-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

the knives of winter
blow their way through thin fabric.
Dress for the season!

December 15, 2008

2008-12-15T20:29:00.000-08:00

with a single shoe,
free speech flies into the air;
a world's thoughts are heard.

December 14, 2008

2008-12-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

scratching with graphite
leads me to one conclusion:
I cannot draw hands!

December 13, 2008

2008-12-13T16:32:00.000-08:00

"more than you can chew"
is better than starvation.
Take a bite, okay?

December 12, 2008 - an ode to Brandon Flowers

2008-12-12T17:57:00.000-08:00

false dichotomies
separate where we should join
dance, you humans, dance!

December 11, 2008

2008-12-11T20:13:00.000-08:00

Bipolar weather
sunny days, then freezing cold
just pick one, dammit!

December 10, 2008 - on the anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights

2008-12-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

May we one day reach
the lofty goals we put forth:
all are born equal.

December 9, 2008

2008-12-09T20:34:00.000-08:00

it's a tragedy:
certain ideologies
don't mix with plotlines

December 8, 2008

2008-12-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

not a sharp knife's blade,
nor the sword of a ninja:
nothing cuts like wind.

December 7, 2008

2008-12-07T19:07:00.000-08:00

a two-day respite
is not nearly long enough.
vacation needed.

December 6, 2008

2008-12-06T18:49:00.000-08:00

your scale must adjust
to meet its circumstances
for correct measures.

December 5, 2008

2008-12-05T19:14:00.000-08:00

the time's come again;
another cycle closes
and the next begins

December 4, 2008

2008-12-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

This is leadership?
a Parliament suspended
to save one's own skin?

December 3, 2008

2008-12-03T19:17:00.000-08:00

I'm sick of pop tarts,
give me back my radio!
let true music play.

December 2, 2008

2008-12-02T19:50:00.000-08:00

you should have realized
arrogance gets you so far
before it bites back.

December 1, 2008

2008-12-01T20:15:00.000-08:00

the last place you'd look
to find a cure for cancer:
just above the lip

(today's haiku is dedicated to those brave souls who partook in Movember for the past thirty days. Good on you, gents!)

November 30, 2008

2008-11-30T18:41:00.000-08:00

Should have remembered:
waiting for things to happen
doesn't make them come

November 29, 2008

2008-11-29T20:56:00.000-08:00

Fifty thousand words
is not insurmountable;
enough for a month.

November 28, 2008

2008-11-28T11:55:00.001-08:00

moutainous skyline
brings inspiration worth more
than the gems within

(another novel-inspired haiku, as I don't actually live anywhere near any mountains)

November 27, 2008

2008-11-27T19:39:00.000-08:00

Mistaken signals
cause awkward situations
late in the evening

(As a word-padding exercises for Nanowrimo, I've started including haiku epithets at the head of each of the chapters of my novel. This is one that I wrote tonight, for Chapter 10)

November 26, 2008

2008-11-26T20:43:00.000-08:00

last-minute moments:

going under the wire

with seconds to spare.

November 25, 2008

2008-11-25T19:15:00.000-08:00

little purple bar
showing what others have done,
taunting me always

November 24, 2008

2008-11-24T20:01:00.000-08:00

going through motions
hoping things will get better,
waiting for closure

November 23, 2008

2008-11-23T16:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, 3 AM
is when we can be our best
and most creative

November 22, 2008

2008-11-22T10:23:00.000-08:00

the only problem
with setting with constant guide posts?
they tend to confound.

November 21, 2008

2008-11-21T18:51:00.000-08:00

paradise disturbed
by the petty jealousies
that we bring to it

November 20, 2008 - First snowfall

2008-11-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

A cold, wet blanket
making everything seem pure,
for awhile, at least

November 19, 2008

2008-11-19T19:44:00.000-08:00

I can be at peace.
No snakes in suburbia,
that's what they tell me

November 18, 2008

2008-11-18T19:25:00.000-08:00

this is a haiku:
slavish devotion to words.
this is not haiku

November 17, 2008

2008-11-17T19:18:00.000-08:00

glasses fogging up
as warm air meets with cold face
in late afternoon

November 16, 2008

2008-11-16T19:29:00.000-08:00

Like salmon, upstream,
trapped within cramped surroundings.
poor subway riders.

November 15, 2008

2008-11-15T15:55:00.000-08:00

getting to half-way,
assembling all the pieces
and pushing forward.

November 14, 2008

2008-11-14T17:31:00.000-08:00

smooth lies issue from
the archons' slippery tongues;
heed them at your risk

November 13, 2008 - thoughts in a coffee shop

2008-11-13T19:59:00.000-08:00

It's hard to decide
what's more intoxicating,
the coffee, or words...

November 12, 2008

2008-11-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

just when you're thinking
"I've got it all figured out,"
Suddenly - ninja!

November 11, 2008

2008-11-11T19:50:00.000-08:00

just a dot of red;
poppies for rememberance,
never to forget

November 10, 2008

2008-11-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

it doesn't add up;
keep perfection in numbers,
life is too complex

November 9, 2008

2008-11-09T17:37:00.000-08:00

it's just that simple:
good music, good food, good friends,
nothing more needed

Novmeber 8, 2008

2008-11-08T15:54:00.001-08:00

wisdom is knowing
every situation starts
in medias res

November 7, 2008

2008-11-07T09:18:00.000-08:00

an eye on the prize,
and two hands at the keyboard;
success brings itself.

November 6, 2008

2008-11-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

a fresh beginning:
"the audacity of hope"
converting cynics

November 5, 2008

2008-11-05T20:37:00.000-08:00

It's time to admit

(and I think everybody knows)

you're not vous, but tu

(I find language fascinating, especially the idea in some languages of multiple forms of 'you' depending on how familar you are with the person. I imagine it would create no shortage of issues when the wrong form is used at the wrong time)

November 4, 2008

2008-11-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

Yearly ritual
bringing a start to winter,
helping to mark time.

November 3, 2008

2008-11-03T18:45:00.000-08:00

always in a rush
for things I knew were coming
where did the time go?

November 2, 2008

2008-11-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Yearly ritual

put back that which went forward

dance, not knowing why.

November 1, 2008

2008-11-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

drunken cross-dressing:
a Halloween tradition
stretching back for years.

October 31, 2008

2008-10-31T14:59:00.000-07:00

It's that time again,
the ghosts and goblins are out
looking for a treat!

October 30, 2008 - NaNoWriMo

2008-10-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

fifty thousand words;
just enough to get started
on the next story.

October 29, 2008 - Irony

2008-10-29T20:01:00.001-07:00

Confidence brings fear

that overconfidence looms.

Be ever watchful.

October 28, 2008

2008-10-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

precipitous drop
hugging tightly to the rails,
rollin' and coastin'

October 27, 2008

2008-10-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

at the end of it,
life is linear systems:
finding where two meet.

(This one was inspired by a mathematics tutoring session I was running this evening)

October 26, 2008

2008-10-26T14:45:00.000-07:00

Exploration of
sonic possibilities?
never a bad thing.

October 25, 2008

2008-10-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

a change in the wind
ripples out, changing people
leaving none the same.

October 24, 2008

2008-10-24T10:02:00.001-07:00

The candle's two ends
can both be used for burning,
but not together.

October 23, 2008

2008-10-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, but
embraced like an old lover,
fingers glide on steel

October 22, 2008

2008-10-22T23:19:00.000-07:00

the winter is here
snow hangs on the horizon
tighten up your scarf

October 21, 2008

2008-10-21T18:51:00.000-07:00

the cold northern wind
blowing across my bare neck
shivers down my spine.

October 20, 2008 - Lasher

2008-10-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

sex and death, entwined
mixing in New Orleans' swamps,
Freud would be proud.

October 19, 2008

2008-10-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

fallen autumnal leaves

cover the asphalt walkways

trodden underfoot.

October 18, 2008

2008-10-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

cool breeze wafting through
pressing itself against toes
sharing its cold gift.

October 17, 2008

2008-10-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

a slight, little mark
has enough power to change
the land around it.

October 16, 2008

2008-10-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

"Shame on us," I guess;
again, we foolishly chose
style over substance.

October 15, 2008

2008-10-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

disappointing tide
from fears of bad tomorrows,
blue covers the land.

October 14, 2008

2008-10-14T19:26:00.003-07:00

Endless reworking
does you now good in the end.
You have to let go.

October 13, 2008

2008-10-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

the tiniest seed
has become the tallest tree.
it still needs tending.

October 12, 2008 - Thanksgiving Day

2008-10-12T19:04:00.000-07:00

a feast of turkey
(with plenty of fixings, too)
shared with those closest

October 11, 2008

2008-10-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

resonating with
a six-stringed epiphany,
a soul on fire.

October 10, 2008

2008-10-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

Today I was listening to a radio program about the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It inspired this haiku.

Deep beneath the earth,
great mysteries are unlocked.
open carefully.

October 9, 2008

2008-10-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

searching long and hard,
finding the perfect balance
twixt passive, active.

October 8, 2008

2008-10-08T20:16:00.001-07:00

blink and you've missed it;
reality disappears
beneath sudden fog.

October 7, 2008

2008-10-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

when you are on sale
in the idea marketplace
don't sell yourself short

October 6, 2008

2008-10-06T19:08:00.001-07:00

organization
is key to a successful life;
foster it within.

October 5, 2008

2008-10-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

millions of pathways
spread out from a single point
Which ones do we walk?

October 4, 2008

2008-10-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

Guidebook, or mirror?
When we talk about the future,
what are we saying?

October 3, 2008

2008-10-03T15:58:00.001-07:00

Each passing second
contains an eternity
compressed within it.

October 2, 2008

2008-10-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

contrary signals
will cause only confusion.
clarity is sought.

October 1, 2008

2008-10-01T18:57:00.001-07:00

getting ready for
literary abandon,
pencils and minds sharp.

September 30, 2008

2008-09-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

another autumn:
the thermometer went down
and the leaves do too.

September 29, 2008

2008-09-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

the strongest engine
is still not perpetual.
Give yourself a rest.

September 28, 2008

2008-09-28T17:33:00.000-07:00

it doesn't make sense,
but sometimes you must embrace
"doo-be-doo-be-doo"

September 27, 2008

2008-09-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

gears of the machine
can't continue without oil.
"keep up the good work"

September 26, 2008

2008-09-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

attitude rephrased
"as above, and so below"
cosmic alignment.

September 25, 2008

2008-09-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

sometimes the plain truth
digests easier if it's
seasoned with humour.

September 24, 2008

2008-09-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Wall of confusion:
separated by language,
but speaking the same.

September 23, 2008

2008-09-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

let yourself revel
in fleeting accomplishment;
at least it's something.