From fires of young years
live embers lie smoldering
in the ash of age.
—Cave Outlaw (1900–1996), Autumn Walk, 1974
haiku
yes, I do realize that many of these aren’t true haiku — some are senryu and some are just westernized generic syllable poems, but a girl’s gotta label things somehow
Small things
Small daily events
wrap tendrils about the heart
and keep it floating.
—Cave Outlaw (1900–1996), Autumn Walk, 1974
Dark thoughts
how the nighttime looks
during a power outage
is how night should look
—Terri Guillemets
Monsoon love
for the harsh heat wave
wet apologetic gift
from clouds to tree roots
—Terri Guillemets
Storm story
princess lightning reigned
it was a dark and stormy
knight to fall in love
—Terri Guillemets
Perimenopause
freed pubescent girl
finally crawls out of time
into middle age
—Terri Guillemets
It’s a dry heat streak
full moon monsoon clouds
glow pale light through windy trees
parched leaves shadow dance
—Terri Guillemets
City night
oh my gosh is that a star
in bright city sky?
nope! police helicopter
—Terri Guillemets
Finally a bath!
watching birds splash in
morning-after rain puddles
cleanses my spirit
—Terri Guillemets
Opening night
monsoon winds tell tales
lightning dances thunder sings
rain is main event
—Terri Guillemets
Thunderstorm
boom rustle tip tap
tippity clink rumble crack
whoosh whish shhh fade black
—Terri Guillemets
Writing up a storm
phoenix monsoon storm
haboob isn’t dirty word
it is dusty though
—Terri Guillemets
Inflame
the world we abuse
roasting us like marshmallows
in a fire we lit
—Terri Guillemets
Accelerant
our apocalypse
once in ultra slow motion
now on fast forward
—Terri Guillemets
$ick
in this day and age
dealing with health insurance
worst disease of all
—Terri Guillemets
“All complaints about life today will be ignored unless they are submitted in the format of elegant haiku poetry.”
Wizen
but on the bright side
middle age aridity
concentrates essence
—Terri Guillemets
Days end
my life is a mess
but this moment is perfect
my life is perfect
—Terri Guillemets
Doppelgänger
moonlit winter trees
bare branches paint gray shadows
ghostly risen roots
—Terri Guillemets
Moonlit plum tree
the moon and plum tree
make flow’ry springtime shadows—
lovers of the night
—Terri Guillemets
Bedwriting
it’s smart as can be
things that make sense in our dreams
when we wake — insane
—Terri Guillemets
Shrewd
cactus is not cruel
it is just so damn thirsty
you’d be prickly too
—Terri Guillemets