Haiku for my brothers

Four brothers at their last reunion

No way we could know
at this playful reunion,
it would be our last.

Haiku about poetry and life

Vintage photo of the municipal swimming pool in Marshall, Mo.
Municipal Pool, Marshall, MO (photo courtesy of Elizabeth DuBois Hokama)

Haiku about poetry and life

We’re playing a game,
calling out “Marco!” “Marco!”
just to hear “Polo!”

Hometown Haiku

Depression couple

~ Haiku for My Parents ~

Depression couple,
Never quite got the memo
That it was over.

Hometown Haiku

All ready to sell

Hometown Haiku

All ready to sell,
the childhood house stands empty,
but for memories.

Hometown sonnet

Hometown
Life used to bustle round our stately square …

Hometown Sonnet

The old hometown is aging, as am I.
The once wide streets grow narrow with the years.
As night descends, you all but hear a sigh,
For what once was has gone, and twilight nears.
 
Now, friends and kinsmen number fewer too,
And memories fade like the painted sign
Proclaiming that the city “welcomes you!”
Strange how one’s soul and place so intertwine.
 
Life used to bustle round our stately square
’Til commerce shifted to the edge of town.
The grand facades are now much worse for wear.
Some landmarks have been torn completely down.
The business of my life took me elsewhere.
Cracks grew in walkways of both man and town.

 

 

Hometown Haiku (continued)

Saline County Courthouse, Marshall, Missouri
Stately old courthouse,
Like a beacon to pilgrims,
Welcoming them home.

Hometown Haiku (continued)

Stacks of old letters
Stacks of old letters
Broken hearts and promises.
How clueless I was.