Haiku By Fred Masarani

28 September 2009

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:19:27 -0400

#fog

Sunday morning fog—-
the church bells
ring louder

#Bridge

Queensboro Bridge walkway—-
viewing New York and
not having to look up

#prunes

I buy Italian prunes—-
sweetness then
sourness

#crack

September perfect day—-
there is a crack
in her window’s glass

#bright

her ice cream cone drips—-
bright
late September

#dogs

a man is out
with three dogs—-
moonless night

#bar

no more cursing—-
the barmaid sets
the bar higher

#kid

I teach subtraction to a kid
using coins—-
he does not like it

#nothing

the UN meets—-
the art of saying
and doing nothing

#page

morning train—-
everyone is
on the same page

#sunset

clouds at sunset—-
my white omelet
is ready

#dark

overcast skies—-
I open a bar
of Belgium dark chocolate

#leaves

first day of Autumn—-
the trees leaves
look luscious

#day

first day of Autumn—-
we need not worry here
about hurricanes

21 September 2009

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:03:39 -0400

#last

last day of Summer—-
the lawn sunbather
loosens her top

#up

September nice day—-
a brick layer
stops to look up

#horse

Central Park conga band—-
a carriage horse
walks to the beat

#blue

blue sky—-
take a look at
life after death

#River

East River blue sky—-
I forget
to put on sunscreen

#haze

morning haze—-
a jogger
runs backward

#care

free health care for all—-
but will it cover
my fortune teller

#wind

morning stillness—-
the sound
of wind chimes

#cat

sardines for dinner—-
I share
with the cat

#dress

morning rush—-
her taffeta dress
touches me

#sunset

sunset—-
firemen stop
to look

#River

East River sunny Monday—-
ducks relax
on the soccer field

15 September 2009

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:41:06 -0400

#loses

US Open—-
Federer
loses

#plays

U of C plays
Ohio State—-
Ares takes notes

#down

the US Open—-
Serena Williams
melts down

#blue

blue sky—-
I dig out a beer mug
from the frig

#fog

evening fog—-
a cigar bar
keeps its door open

#teacher

September early morning—-
a teacher writes
on the board her name

#skips

rainy day—-
a female impersonator
skips the make up

#silence

September Eleven morning
in a coffee shop—-
the silence

#speech

Obama’s health care speech
to Congress—-
there’s still cotton in some ears

#lost

the US Open—-
Oudin lost
there is still next year

#beach

morning clouds
oyster fishermen unload—-
a rocky beach

#stand

summer street roses stand—-
a man asks
for daffodils

#snail

back to work
after Labor Day—-
I pass a snail

#more

at the US Open—-
Oudin does it
one more time

#horse

a carriage horse
has the day off—-
happy Labor Day

7 September 2007

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:48:26 -0400

#moon

for greener energy
I turn off the lights—-
Full moon

#cat

Labor Day weekend—-
the cat
stays out till late

#star

at the US open—-
a star is born
Melanie Oudin

#blue

blue sky—-
a ditch digger stops
to take off his shirt

#moon

she gets up
to breast feed her baby—-
a harvest moon

#hi

how to greet others
in the era of the swine flu—-
just say hi

#dog

a dog walk—-
she says
don’t be shy now

#dawn

September dawn—-
a lighthouse
goes to sleep

#side

Roosevelt Island—-
their backyards face
the Queens side

#rules

anti free market rules
Japan surrenders—-
September Second

#River

East River nice day
but no picnics—-
September First

#blue

blue sky—-
a little girl
asks me why

#River

East River foul smell—-
two men argue
about health care public option

#sunrise

sunrise—-
wind blows dirt in my face
last day of August

31 August 2009

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:39:25 -0400

#River

East River August—-
her artichoke salad
is yummy

#haze

morning haze—-
I pass a dog whose hair
covers its eyes

#crickets

Arlington Cemetery—-
Ted Kennedy is lowered
crickets sing

#fog

morning fog—-
a street artist
draws with charcoal

#break

out of beer
August night—-
I break the piggy bank

#haze

morning haze—-
I postpone
cleaning my windows

#garden

a beer garden—-
the only plants
sit at the bar

#lion

a lion fights
till the end—-
Ted Kennedy dies

#clock

my wall clock
stops clicking—-
I can’t sleep any more

#gym

gym locker room—-
two men talk
IRAs

#sale

a sale on dark chocolate—-
and I have only
ten dollars

#blue

blue sky—-
August dust
on the radiator

25 August 2009

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:42:41 -0400

#sunset

August sun sets—-
but sunflowers are
still here

#Park

Astoria Park—-
two men discuss
their love of Rivers

#sale

on the Brooklyn Bridge—-
they offer for sale
only bottled water

#cat

morning stillness—-
the cat plays
with a fly

#sunset

sunset—-
a black and yellow butterfly
at my window

#sparrow

August boredom—-
a sparrow stands on my balcony
and sings

#spider

Summer tidying—-
a spider web catches
my emptiness

#heat

August heat—-
an ice cream truck
ran out of gas

#sunset

sunset—-
a homeless man
sets the New York Times on fire

#barber—-

a new barber—-
he asks if I want
less gray hair

#force

on a bar stool—-
the force of gravity
is stronger

#blue

blue sky—-
the hum of the ac
August heat wave

#cool

August—-
a hookah cafe bubbles
with cool

#fly

August—-
a fly walks
up the thermometer

17 August 2009

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:44:00 -0400

#cool

August—-
how to stay cool
inside a yellow cab

#Park

Central Park heat wave—-
an ambulance stands
where girls in bikinis lie

#night

Saturday night jealousy—-
she tells me
it’s all in your mind

#forty

the flower children
are now grandparents—-
Woodstock at forty

#mugged

mugged too often in Harlem—-
he buys a gun
and shoots them

#blue

blue sky—-
the beach is full
of umbrellas

#sunset

clouds at sunset—-
a dragon ran out
of fire

#cool

August cool—-
she wants to go
mushroom hunting

#read

August boredom—-
I read
Alice In Wonder Land

#shower

the Perseid meteor shower—-
Perseus sword beheads
the Medusa

#sunset

August sunset—-
I watch it from the inside
of a green house

#corn

August sun—-
sweet corn ripens
in the ground

#picture

beach—-a little girl
ask me to take her picture
with her camera

#pigeons

Summer watermelon—-
I spit the seeds
to the pigeons

10 August 2009

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:21:30 -0400

#fight

after a fight—-
she watches
a silent movie

#fog

morning fog—-
had enough of yesterday’s
high definition

#night

Saturday night—-
so many women
but not enough Viagra

#blue

blue sky—-
a sale on
toilette paper

#cat

our backyard fish fry—-
a couple bring
their cat

#River

East River Summer breeze—-
girls
chat

#sunset

an octopus spills
its ink—-
clouds at sunset

#why

Hiroshima Day—-
the reason why
we must keep talking

#sunset

Summer cherries—-
I kiss her
as the sun sets

#beach

August beach—-
his kite gets entangled
with hers

#blue

blue sky—-
it’s too hot
to wear any cloths

#River

East River rapids—-
a bass sax player moans
August heat

#boring

boring Summer afternoon—-
I arm wrestle the barmaid
she wins

#rooster

August sunrise—-
a rooster is late
making the call

3 August 2009

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:09:41 -0400

#fly

August rain stops—-
a fly leaves
as I open the window

#kid

Upper East side—-
a kid wears
an AIG t shirt

#River

East River bright day—-
soccer players change
mooning the sun

#blue

blue sky—-
the smell of
suntan lotion

#sunset

Summer sunset—-
she shows me eggplants
growing in her garden

#beer

White House beer summit—-
the White Sox beat
the Yankees

#swing

Summer cool breeze—-
an empty swing
swings

#fly

as I pace
the station platform—-
a fly follows me

#River

East River sudden down pour
sunbathers take
a shower

#fog

morning fog
graffiti artists are
busy working

#horse

a carriage horse
refuses to move—-
July ends

#blue

blue sky—-
and empty
pockets

#hot

hot July night—-
my neighbor opens
her curtains

#blue

blue sky—-
I watch
the surf

27 July 2009

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:20:26 -0400

#complaints

July sudden downpour—-
there are no
complaints

#sunrise

Summer sunrise—-
salsa dancers are still
strutting

#Yellow

Yellow Yellow *—-
she should teach
at Harvard

* http://tinyurl.com/mzndeb

#stupid

stupid *—-marked by or resulting
from unreasoned
thinking or acting

* http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stupid

#sparrow

playing tennis—-
I confuse a sparrow
with the ball

#tears

noon disparate clouds—-
she has the tears in her jeans
in the right places

#shadow

Manhattan lunch hour—-
my shadow quits
on me

#wind

a wind farm—-
Don Quixote would
have had a field day

#eclipse

eclipse of the sun—-
monks in orange
pray

#blue

blue sky—-
I order my eggs
sunny side up

#race

evening fog—-
a race car driver
takes the subway

#fog

morning fog—-
a beggar wears
an orange coat

#night

starless night—-
a fisherman talks
to himself

#light

July Twenty—-
Neil Armstrong walks on the moon
in the Earth light

20 July 2009

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:22:06 -0400

#River

East River July—-
so many picnics
I get hungry

#blue

Sunday blue sky—-
a kid comes out
of confession

#Park

Central Park July—-
a juggler
sweats

#way

and that’s the way it is—-
Walter Cronkite
dies

#fog

dense fog—-
a nudist beach
empties up

#beach

Summer ennui—-
there are no girls to watch
on the beach

#sonata

the moonlight sonata
on a moonless night—-
and empty arms

#smarts

Judge Sotomayor’s smarts—-
she grew up watching
Perry Mason

#sunset

clouds at sunset—-
a Yoga class
does the head stand

#wind

Summer rush of wind
through the leaves—-
she stops whispering

#cake

Bastille Day—-
in a cafe they eat cake
as homeless men pass

#blue

blue sky—-
she tells me
a white lie

#sunset

Summer sunset—-
coal miners
surface

#Park

Madison Square Park Summer—-
boys watch girls
girls watch every thing

12 July 2009

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:01:32 -0400

#River

East River blue sky—-
the wake
of a speed boat

#roots

roots—-
Obama travels
to Africa

#night

Saturday night—-
the chaperon
goes for a walk

#blue

blue sky—-
a monk does
nothing

#River

East River breeze—-

a sail boat overtakes
an oil tanker

#beer

a beer garden—-
there is a bathroom
every where you look

#porcupines

I go so deep into
a pine wood—-
I start thinking of porcupines

#cool

cool July day—-
the ice cream man
goes for a coffee break

#flowers

Tour De France—-
all these men do this
for a kiss and flowers by day’s end

#blue

blue sky—-
a column of smoke
moves sideway

#dragonfly

lonely in the park—-
a dragonfly
caresses my face

#class

morning stillness—-
I watch
a Tai Chi class

#horse

Central Park green house gases—-
a carriage horse shits
as he passes me

#blue

blue sky—-
where did yesterday’s
seagulls go

5 July 2009

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:53:45 -0400

#fireworks

July Fourth fireworks—-
he tells me they got
bigger ones in China

#sunset

Fourth of July sunset—-
streaks of red and orange
the fireworks follow

#trust

beautiful weather
on July Fourth—-
in God we trust

#Fourth

July Fourth—-
Iranian protesters say
they were tortured

#blue

blue sky—-
I buy dandruff
shampoo

#resigned

Sarah Palin resigned—-
to do
what

#blue

blue sky—-
a fisherman’s bucket
is still empty

#lighthouse

late night on the beach—-
the only light on
is that of the lighthouse

#ocean

a beach downpour—-
they come out of the ocean
into a shower

#beach

on the beach—-
a man tells me
go fly a kite

#haze

Summer haze—-
the bikinis are skimpier
than usual

#night

Summer moonless night—-
in the light of fireflies
we kiss

#clouds

Summer day clouds—-
so what
if they will rain

#water

hot day—-
a beggar asks for money
to buy a bottle of water

#blue

blue sky—-
but for a crowd
of Summer kites

28 June 2009

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:39:26 -0400

#River

East River choppy waves—-
I wait for her
to tie her hair

#fair

Summer street fair—-
a sign says
beware of kids

#sunset

Summer sunset—-
clouds as blue as the mountains
of an iced Coors can

#blue

blue sky—-
I step
on dog shit

#stop

June evening thunder storm—-
my neighbors stop
shouting

#dead

Sinatra sings on my ipod—-
a man yells
Michael Jackson is dead

#now

Iran’s green revolution—-
where would it be now
without women

#sunset

clouds at sunset—-
I see a mountain range
with fire beneath it

#door

steamy June—-
a Chinese take-out
keeps its door open

#River

East River Summer—-
workers give a tree
a trim

#tan

late June crowded subway—-
but no one has
a sun tan

#shot

dictators don’t
discriminate—-
a woman is shot in Iran

#clouds

June afternoon—-
the same dark clouds
I pour more Cabernet

#cold

Summer morning—-
it’s too cold
to wear shorts

14 June 2009

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:20:04 -0400

#print

the New York Times is
now on Twitter—-
all the short words fit to print

#cat

morning stillness—-
the cat refuses to come
when I whistle

#night

June Saturday night—-
a priest stops
to buy flowers

#loaf

partially blue sky—-
a half loaf is less filling
than a whole

#sunset

after days of fog
the sky clears at sunset—-
she buys the champaign

#neck

on a street bench
a couple neck in the fog—-
censored

#write

June evening—-
the fog has left nothing
uncovered to write about

#fog

morning fog—-
she wears sunglasses
in the subway

#open

New York—-
opposite a church a mosque
both have their doors open

#fog

morning fog—-
a garbage truck
makes no noise

#water

overcast skies at sunset—-
I water
the lilacs

#storm

Summer night thunder
and lightening storm—-
but no one here to hug

#River

June East River—-
a discarded condom
on new grass

#wears

June overcast skies—-
she wears
a see through blouse

7 June 2009

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 21:29:11 -0400

#lunch

Sunday street park—-
wearing a burka she eats lunch
with her man

#horse

the name of the horse
who won the Belmont—-
Summer Bird

#Park

Central Park aft days of rain—-
healthy grass
pale crowd

#haze

morning haze—-
a circus acrobat
disappears

#day

June rainy day—-
the park ball field
is full of mud

#fog

morning fog—-
too much steamed milk
in my espresso

#speaks

Obama speaks to Muslims—-
a native American
listens

#water

a June downpour takes a break—-
I go out to buy
more water

#fog

dense fog—-
a blind man crosses
the street alone

#seen

almost Summer—-
I come across daffodils
more than Wordsworth ever seen

#open

the recession—-
more nude entertainment bars
open

#horse

GM is bankrupt—-
I pat a carriage horse
in Central Park

#River

June East River rapids—-
schoolgirls learn
to play rugby

#blue

blue sky—-
my GPS
stops working

31 May 2009

Sun, 31 May 2009 17:53:07 -0400

#traffic

New York bans cars
in Times Square—-
the streetwalkers are unhappy

#River

Hudson River cool breeze—-
so many men
go topless

#moon

moon above the skyline—-
and all I got
is a half pita bread loaf

#blue

blue sky—-
a fish monger opens clams
a May lone cloud

#pizza

pizza for dinner—-
it’s been long time
since I’ve seen the moon

#fog

morning fog—-
the cat ignores
the neighbors’ husky

#River

East River—-sparrows drink
from a street puddle
May mist

#fog

morning fog—-
I visit my friend
the fortuneteller

#bride

the sun behind a thin cloud—-
the groom unveils his bride
late May

#rat

morning haze—-
a rat stares back
at me

#garden

late night—-
she shows me her garden
I taste her tomatoes

#blue

blue sky—-
as if last night fireworks
never happened

#River

East River—-
the sun shines
Memorial Day

#battle

kids fight a gun battle
in the swimming pool—-
Memorial Day

24 May 2009

Sun, 24 May 2009 21:22:11 -0400

#fly

late May—-
a fly lands on
a poem by Isa

#fog

Saturday morning fog—-
a boy wears his uniform
to go to school

#bird

whistles as she passes—-
a bird
flies away

#blue

blue sky—-
but not enough
sunspots

#River

East River rapids—-
I run my fingers
through her white hair

#nothing

ozone level too high—-
a woman wears nothing
under her skirt

#sunset

sunset—-
a women softball game
ends in lots of hugs

#cool

bared bodies watching weather
starts—-
I keep my cool

#sunset

sunset—-
the sound of people singing
as I pass a church

#stands

late May—-
a butterfly stands outside
my closed window

#River

East River stills waters—-
I toss a rock in them
clear skies

#blue

blue sky—-
a monk
looks up

#pigeon

a street park—-
I watch a pigeon
try to earn daily bread

#sunset

sunset—-
May clouds cracked enough
to see purple and red

17 May 2009

Sun, 17 May 2009 20:32:44 -0400

#swaps

first time in a casino——
he asks if they have
credit default swaps

#bride

overcast May—-
the bride wears
a yellow gown

#River

East River Saturday
clouds clear—-
she smiles

#cat

morning blanket fog—-
the cat wants
to go out

#River

East River green waters—-
a friend gives me a sip
of his absinthe

#haze

morning haze—-
I receive an ad
for a cemetery

#dense

afternoon dense fog—-
the barmaid gives me
another for the road

#fog

morning fog—-
more talk about more
pictures of detainees’ torture

#River

East River nice day—-
a gust of wind blows
trash in my face

#blue

blue sky—-
she walks around the house
topless

#sunset

sunset—-
I step on
dog shit

#fastest

morning commute—-
the bicycle lane
is the fastest

#eat

a grocery store—-
finding out what two priests
like to eat

#dogs

asphalt park—-
the squirrels are not afraid
of dogs

10 May 2009

Sun, 10 May 2009 20:59:39 -0400

#flowers

on side streets
kids carry flowers—-
Mother’s Day

#blue

blue sky—-
a sale on kitchen ware
for Mother’s Day

#may

finally the sun came out—-
how May can be
may be

#fog

morning fog—-
my voyeur neighbor
loses his hard-on

#River

East River warm Spring day—-
an old dog pisses
on new grass

#friend

blue sky—-
a rare friend
comes home

#sunset

after a stormy day—-
sunset
she’s done putting on makeup

#women

the sound of women
whispering—-
moonless night

#River

East River low clouds—-
the Chrysler Building needle
pricks

#orange

still no sunshine—-
I eat
an orange

#clothes

the emperor has no clothes—-
the swine flu is just
another flu

#parrot

gloomy Spring day—-
a parrot keeps saying
smile honey

#petals

cold rainy day—-
Cherry blossom petals
carpet the sidewalk

#mist

morning mist—-
she takes off her eyeglasses
to see me better