in the wilderness is a table set by Your hand
where we may taste and see the glory of the Lord
we are but a tired and weary bunch, a lost band
seeking to find a place where we can room and board
from a distance we could see Your banner raised high
it was Your love for us that we could not deny

You shared with me a place to put my burdens down
You took me by the hand and pulled me from the brink
You gave to me a loaf of bread to pass around
You gave to me a cup from which I was to drink
from a distance I could see Your banner raised high
it was Your only begotten Son we crucified

You bid me come, for together we must reason
You share with me Your hopes, dreams and desires
then ask me to work til the end of the season
with hungerings and thirstings for Your holy fire
in the distance You show me Your banner raised high
You bid me come and follow, and learn how to die

in the glory of Your life I learn how to give
as I strive to enter into Your perfect rest
in the glory of Your death I learn how to live
as I strive to be ready for the final test
in the distance angelic voices are raised high
in praise as the gathering of the saints draws nigh

you're so full of good cheer
like ice cream floating in root beer
who could resist your bright smile
and not walk with you one more mile
most guys act so cavalier
tryin' to talk with you for awhile

they fall all over the place
each come-on falls on its face
they can't resist your bright smile
so they sit and stare for awhile
the girls think its a disgrace
some of them are rather hostile

so you work out at the gym
but tell us, sweety, can you swim
some people just do not like you
so bright and cheerful through and through
the pool is full to the brim
and revenge is long overdue

here the raven's caw
and see all the things he saw
the wonder and the awe
from circling around the sky
waiting for something to die

branches outstretched
a grounded tree
dreams of flight

--

While visiting a used bookstore in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I purchased a book on the subject of haiku. As a result, I have tried to be more selective in choosing words to convey the emotion of the moment when writing the Japanese forms. I like the 5-7-5 syllable form that is associated with the American school of thought regarding how to write them, but it gets more complicated when one breaks things down into how traditional haiku were written based on the long and short sounds of the language in which the form has its origin. We think in terms of syllable count, but the Japanese forms are more intricate than this, based on other sources I have come across in the last few weeks. I still haven't wrapped my head around what I have learned, and do not understand it enough yet to feel comfortable giving it a try.

I still focus my haiku on 5-7-5 and my tanka on 5-7-5-7-7 for the most part, but occasionally I do come up with something different that gets me outside of the form. I like the idea of knowing the form and being formless, as it releases the kung fu of poetry into what I write. There is a time for forms of poetry, but there is also a time for improvisation.

--

empty paper cup
crumpled and then discarded
gurgling water

--

new year's first full moon
hide-and-seek among the clouds
soon enough tears fall

--

sun, wind, rain, snow, mist
what comes next does not matter
it's been seen before
and it will be seen again
welcome each like an old friend

set up a game of chess
play it in the darkness
winning will take finesse
you might even progress
your enemy repress
each move you second-guess
but you're in the darkness
facing dark depression
writing your confession
dealing with repression
no peaceful succession
no end to oppression
end run to recession
friendly fire, suppression

Arcturus
hot ruby
in the sky

star unleashed
gives chase
to deep space

one day lost
to our eyes
and our skies

snow silences the world
makes it calm down for a while
shines like mother-of-pearl
makes us want to reconcile
ourselves
as we delve
into winterborn mystery
go ahead and start the fire
shake off the muck and the mire
as winds blow cold and blistery

don't put out the light
let the candle burn
come, embrace the night
you are in my sight
for you my heart yearns
this truth I discern
and secret I share
I'm lost in your stare

you sold out on the auction block
too much back talk, you said
you stupid talking head
your running late for school of rock
and another hard knock
is gonna pick the lock
and try to steal you blind
hope you don't mind

try wrapping your brain around this
it's not just talk, blockhead
I know what is being said
life is more than just hit and miss
and who you gonna kiss
and who you gonna diss
don't try to steal them blind
try to be kind

for you no one is thinking twice
they know too much you know
you got no place to go
if you keep ignoring advice
you have to pay the price
they'll cut you down to size
they'll try to steal your sight
you know they're right

in lingering darkness
I danced
as the midnight blues played
I glanced
outside, looking for you
entranced
I swayed to the music

I am missing you, love
and sorrow
threatens to flood my soul
tomorrow
it won't come soon enough
the morrow
one more broken promise

the sun will give its light
and the moon
will again rise at eve
but too soon
I will surrender and
let the tune
play one more time in dreams