A Haiku experiment continued ... #5 - #11

There is a challenge to simplicity.  A Haiku seems to be one of the "easiest" forms of poetry -- and to my untrained sensibility it is.  However, it is not so easy to summarize a train of thought or an action into seventeen syllables.  I find that I need to look for a simple moment in the day.  Trying to sum up 24 hours, or 8 hours, or even one hour, is unwieldy and clumsy.  The act of filling the bird feeder, or watching my cat play seems more manageable and lends itself more to the structure of the poem.  It also feels more appropriate to write such a brief poem about a brief moment in the day.  So here are this week's offerings (including a few that others have posted to my Facebook wall):

#5

Taking a sick day
Coughing, headache, no gumption:
Hubby's misery ...

Monday my husband stayed home with a nasty cold.  I suppose this day is pretty self-explanatory ...

#6

Single digit temps
Jack Frost nipping at my nose
Time to hibernate ...

Tuesday it was particularly cold.  I drove to town in the morning and saw on the bank sign that it was 9 degrees and promising only to get colder later in the week.  I am not a Winter person and have often stated that I should have been a bear, so I could sleep through until Spring ...

My friend Wendy posted the following haiku on my wall:

I wake, reluctant;
Too cold to get out of bed
But I need to pee.

Nice one!

#7

He's home sick again
All day: seventies T.V.
Can you dig it, man?

My husband stayed home again on Wednesday.  Between episodes of The Love Boat, Quincy MD, Rockford Files, Emergency, and CHiPs, I felt I was in a time warp.  Hubby was having some fun identifying all the vintage cars on the shows (well, except on The Love Boat, of course!).  I think if Jeopardy! ever has a "Cars of the 70s" category, he would totally clean house!

#8

Opening package,
my hand slips, leaving suet
beneath fingernails ...

I think I heard a chickadee titter when this happened ...

Posted to my wall from my little brother:

Caralee's haiku

Is swinging past the balance. 

Whatever that means.
My response:

My little brother
Thinks he is very clever
What a Dorkleton ...

#9

Unexpected card
Brings greetings from a long lost
Japanese sister ...

I got word from my dad that he received a holiday card from a former exchange student that we had lost track of for many years.  It is very exciting that she sent the card.  I am looking forward to reconnecting with her.

#10

Brady - Edelman
Edelman - Amendola:
Awesome touchdown play!

Play off game today between my team (Patriots) and a mighty foe (Ravens).  There was a sweet trick play that was a hoot to watch and that resulted in a touchdown.  The game was really stressful, though.  Even down to the last play with 3 seconds left on the clock, it was a nail-biter.  We prevailed, though.  Go Pats!

#11

Cat crouches in chair
He spins, flips, rolls and pounces ...
Still, that tail taunts him.

Until next week,
Peace ... 


  

The maiden voyage

So this is my foray into the blogging universe.
I have always felt that blogging was catering to a person's self-important tendencies. But I am coming to think that is a good way of keeping up with people in your life. I have a friend with whom I rarely get to spend time with anymore. She keeps a regular blog going, so I am able to keep up with what is going on in her life. Of course, it does not replace picking up the phone and calling her, but we both lead busy lives and it is difficult to carve out time.
An explanation on the name of my blog. It comes from a song by John Mellencamp, "Between a Laugh and a Tear." The line goes "I know there's a balance, I see it when I swing past." I often feel like that, like I am swinging between extremes. One moment life makes sense and I am on my game, in a zone. The next moment I am spinning plates, waiting for them to come crashing down. I know this is a common experience for a lot of people, so maybe you know what I'm saying.
And a word to anyone who may stumble upon this, I many times feel I am perhaps the most uninteresting person that I know, so don't expect high art here. Don't even expect proper grammer, though I will try my hardest.
Peace.
C