A Room of My Own: Two Mind Tanka for Robin Williams, "My Captain"

We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?

--  Robin Williams' character John Keating, Dead Poets Society (1989)

awake alone

with Good Morning, Vietnam

echoing in my mind

the ghost I keep

under the pillow

shoe prints
on a classroom desk
echoing
in my mind
oh captain, my captain

Note: Below is my haiku written for Robin Williams and published early this morning on PoemHunter:

misty morning
Reality, what a concept!
scrawled on the window

Reality: What a concept!
Reality is just a crutch for people who can't handle drugs.
-- Robin Williams