a hoop
above the driveway
shooting stars


Presence 58

last call
a drunk staggers into
my headlights


Scryptic June 2017

another trip round
the monopoly board
spring rain


hedgerow 115

fading light
her child's name
fills the street


Presence 57

brushing snow
off the windshield
I yearn
to see through
to winter's end


Presence 58 

hedgerow ...
a ball bursts into
sparrows


Under the Basho 2017

only the tips
of my toes
mountain stream


hedgerow 97 

Slim Being, Health Guru: A Lifetime of Lethargy

Are there any fitness nuts in your office? Bodybuilders?  Triathletes perhaps?  If so, then you know “that guy” to whom I’m referring. He walks, rather struts, from cubicle to cubicle, at ease in his tapered shirt and slim-fitting khakis.  His vocabulary is a tapestry of phrases such as “amino acid recovery”, “glycemic overload”, and “high-intensity, high-impact cardiovascular threshold expansion intervals.”  And he is always certain to pay special attention to the young, corporate cuties:  flashing his bleached white smile to their respondent giggles and coos.

anaerobic capacity
we stumble over
his words

As overbearing as “that guy” is, you can take some comfort in the knowledge that his day of reckoning is coming.  For part and parcel with his comments regarding “stamina enhancement through periodization” are the subtle, but increasing, complaints about stiff joints and tight muscles.  Beginning as humble-brags, “a little sore from that 25 km run yesterday”, his tender tweaks grow into painful injuries that, ultimately, result in surgeries.  There is an important truth that the high performance athlete never seems to understand:  any one set of ankles, any one set of knees, and any one lower back can only withstand so much movement in the course of one lifetime.  “That guy” uses all of his movement in one fitful, early burst, only to find himself restrained to his couch for a long, and agonizing, lifetime of lethargy thereafter.

ice pack
he cools
his ambition

Here at www.BeingAsSlimAsImBeing.org, we recognize the value of balance, both day-to-day and over the course of our lives.  We encourage you to learn from, and avoid, the mistakes of “that guy”.   Don’t waste your time and effort engaged in excessive exercises that lead to an early, and painful, retirement on the couch.  Circumvent the problem by getting on the couch NOW!  The couch is your final destination.  Best to sit or, for the sedentarily ambitious, lie back to enjoy the benefits of a pain-free dormancy before it is too late.  To help you in transition, we suggest the following link:  www.tvguide.com.

world of wonder
the life I lead
through Discovery



Contemporary Haibun Online, October 2016

not looking
ahead too far
autumn fog


Failed Haiku 2.5

window pane
a moth bumps into
starlight


Akitsu Quarterly Spring 2017 

evening train
I squeeze into
my headphones


Otata April 2017

last rites ...
footprints fill
with snow


Acorn 38

setting sun
I sit on the bench
with five fouls


hedgerow 114

late innings ...
the mound
of sunflower seeds


Modern Haiku 48.2

dream of flight
I spread the wings
of my hammock


Bamboo Hut Fall 2016

falling leaves
a boy plays catch
with the wind


Failed Haiku 2.5

with a flip
of the switch
all the darkness


hedgerow 107 

morning fog
I shake a hand
that claims we've met


Otata April 2017

recess bell
the playground fills
with wind


Wild Plum spring 2017

window seat
I reflect on where
I'd rather be


Prune Juice March 2017