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poet, technologist, cynic, father of five, child of chaos, punker, prankster, patriot, punster, leftist, latino, japanophile, audiophile, beer drinker, quiche eater, dog walker, soft talker, deep thinker, shallow sleeper, introvert, covert operative in a parallel universe.

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    haikupoet.com
    the haiku blog of paul david mena

    Tuesday, October 31, 2006

    Halloween —
    Superman
    hails a cab

     

    Monday, October 30, 2006


    passing the pumpkin patch
    my daughter rubs
    her pregnant belly

    photo by mmm


     

    Sunday, October 29, 2006



    basking in the blue light
    a loyal fan taps her foot


    photo by mmm


     

    Friday, October 27, 2006

    between             skyscrapers
                    sunset

     

    Wednesday, October 25, 2006

    twilight —
    I direct a stranger
    to the wrong train

     

    Tuesday, October 24, 2006

    cleaning out the attic
    an old photograph
    of a younger me

     

    Monday, October 23, 2006

    Monday morning —
    looking for a break
    in the overcast

     

    Saturday, October 21, 2006

    October —
    removing the bird’s nest
    from the air conditioner

     

    Friday, October 20, 2006

    writer’s block — the ultimate inspiration...

    my “writer’s block” haiku was actually part of an article I wrote for the e-journal GotPoetry.com. I am reprinting the article in its entirety with my own permission.

    Have you ever set aside a precious block of leisure time for writing, only to find that the Word Well has run dry? Speaking for myself, this phenomenon is at least as common as its opposite: experiencing a “haiku moment” without a means of capturing it in words. The latter often happens when I’m on the train: I see something that jars my imagination but circumstances make it impossible to write. The former usually occurs when I suddenly find myself with a few unclaimed minutes. I tell myself to write, but I draw a blank. I’m sure I’ve experienced something worth sharing, but nothing comes to mind.

    In the past I’ve unplugged this creative logjam by writing about it. As a matter of a fact, my first published haiku was inspired by... a lack of inspiration:

    staring
    at a blank sheet of paper —
    a night without words

    What worked for me 12 or 13 years ago still works today. I try to write during my commute to and from Boston, but sometimes I’m totally empty. So the other day I started with “writer’s block“ as a first line and then gave myself the exercise to jot down the first interesting thing I saw:

    writer’s block —
    a man fishing bottles
    from the trash

    Looking through my archives reveals that I do this fairly often.

    writer’s block —
    the dog sniffs
    every tree

    writer’s block —
    a kite
    caught in a tree

    writer’s block —
    feeling every swing
    of the axe

    writer’s block —
    rearranging
    the poetry magnets

    ...and before I know it, I’m writing!

     

    Thursday, October 19, 2006

    writer’s block —
    a man fishing bottles
    from the trash

     

    Tuesday, October 17, 2006

    Here’s a haiku poet’s dilemma: I wrote this haiku while waiting for the Green Line to arrive at Copley Square this afternoon.

    rush hour —
    the billboard model
    smiles at me

    Once the train had arrived, I inserted a single word, but now I wonder if it represents too much editorialism on my part.

    rush hour —
    only the billboard model
    smiles at me

    At the moment I like both variations, but despite the minimal difference they represent very different haiku, one (IMHO) more heavy-handed than the other.

    Thoughts?

     

    Sunday, October 15, 2006

    can you spend the night?
    a log in the fireplace
    pops

     

    Thursday, October 12, 2006

    October rain —
    the bag lady’s
    clear plastic poncho

     

    Wednesday, October 11, 2006

    October wind —
    chasing
    the last train

     

    Tuesday, October 10, 2006

    crowded train —
    a dozen roses
    in my face

     

    Monday, October 09, 2006

    Columbus Day —
    a styrofoam cup
    floating in a puddle

     

    Sunday, October 08, 2006


     


     


    Canyon Road —
    an antique chair
    among weeds

     


     


     


     


     


    photo by mmm — Santa Fe

     

    Saturday, October 07, 2006


    photo by mmm

     

    Thursday, October 05, 2006

    for Francine Porad

    windless night —
    so many leaves
    at the foot of the tree

     

    Wednesday, October 04, 2006

    late for the train
    the streetlights
    fade

     

    Tuesday, October 03, 2006

    the artist’s backyard —
    dried paint
    on a broken saw horse

    Santa Fe, NM

     

    Monday, October 02, 2006

    first day on the job —
    a blackbird
    with a chesnut in its beak

    first day on the job —
    a mouse scrambles
    between shadows

    first day on the job —
    a sunflower sprouts
    from a rusty caboose