A Room of My Own: "No, More Wars" Senryu

Trump Empire, Inc, LXXX

the man's meaty smile

behind his Resolute Desk

no, more wars: I ran

FYI: This could be read as a prequel to my senbun below:

Peace Is War

The butcher pushes more red meat through steel teeth. The wall-mounted TV blares “Operation Epic Fury” between discount ads. 

war after war ...

a white-haired man's gaunt face

in the window glare

The New Verse News, March 1 2026

And my tanka below could be read as the sequel to the haibun above:

a MAGA pin

on this old man's breast pocket ...

his patience 

stretched to the limit

by a breadline blocks ahead

NeverEnding Story, July 13 2023

FYI: University of California, Riverside/UCR study, April 17, 2023: [Cumulative] Poverty is the 4th greatest cause of U.S. deaths: Only heart disease, cancer, and smoking were associated with a greater number of deaths, 

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXXXI

written in response to Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement about Isreal's war plans

Op. Epstein Fury:

Israel yanking the leash

of the Trump bulldog

FYI: The official name is "Operation Epic Fury." L1 works both a deliberate satirical jab at the administration's past associations and a mockery of Trump's "political distraction strategy."

Al Jazeera: February 26, 2026: Epstein and the politics of distraction

Scandal individualises corruption, creating a spectacle that redirects anger away from structural power.

March 4, 2026: Analyst says interest in Epstein files plummeted after war on Iran launched

And Democracy Now, March 3 2026: Secretary of State Marco Rubio Says Israel’s War Plans Compelled U.S. to Join Assault on Iran

Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “The president made the very wise decision. We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces. And we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.”

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXXXII

No, More Wars

     dripping

     oil

reprinted in smols, March 7 2026

FYI: This is a prequel to my smols below:

White House entrance

         No Parking 

Smols, January 21, 2026

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXXXIII

           Netanyahu

fireballs     on       Iran

                  

              Trump

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXXXIV

   White House

oiled with blood

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXXXV

War Is Peace Is War

a visual 3-smol sequence

             No, More Wars

                 dripping

                 oil

          Netanyahu

fireballs    on     Iran

             Trump

           White House

        oiled with blood

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCLXXXVII: "sniper's gun"

headlines on Iran --

sun glints on the sniper’s gun

aimed at a Gazan

Added:

rain to sleet to snow

at last sunlight through clouds

war in early March

Added:

this morning sky

tinged with layers of gray ...

that's the question

to get up to work or not

as ticker headlines flash red

A Room of My Own: Muslim Mayor Tanka

(Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCLXVII: "lives born then ash-bound"

Haunting thoughts of a Gazan baby swirl within ... yet rainbow flowers bloom above New York’s neon haze.

firework-lit sky

on the screen and in my mind

lives born, then ash-bound)

History Often Rhymes, III: "first Muslim mayor of New York City"

for Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor of New York City 

and "ALL" New Yorkers

with his hand

firmly on the Quran

Mamdani vows ...

echo and echo through hearts

while the city breathes as one

FYI: "Zohran Mamdani is considered the second Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, following his inauguration as the 112th Mayor of New York City on January 1, 2026. While New York City is not a national capital, it is often grouped with cities like London as a "global capital" or "major Western capital" in political discourse. By this definition, Mamdani follows Sadiq Khan, who became the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital when he was elected Mayor of London in 2016." 

And some relevant passages from  his inaugural address:

I have been told that this is the occasion to reset expectations, that I should use this opportunity to encourage the people of New York to ask for little and expect even less. I will do no such thing. The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations.

Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed. But never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try...

I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist. I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical. As the great senator from Vermont once said, “What’s radical is a system which gives so much to so few and denies so many people the basic necessities of life.”

Added: 

thunderclaps echo ...
Kharkiv’s skies smoky red
on New Year

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCLXIV: "haunting thoughts"

haunting thoughts

of a Gazan baby 

swirl within ...

yet rainbow flowers bloom 

above New York’s neon haze

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXVII:

written in response to CBS News, Jan. 3 2026: U.S. strikes Venezuela and captures Maduro; Trump says "we're going to run the country" for now

Maduro

bound, blindfolded and kidnapped ... 

Trump's meaty smile

and his middle finger raised

to clicking of cameras

FYI: Democracy Now, Jan. 3 Special Report: U.S. Abducts Maduro, Trump Says "We Are Going to Run" Venezuela

Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack as a clear violation of article two of the charter of the United Nations.

The Nation Magazine, Jan.3: Members of Congress Decry Trump’s Act of War on Venezuela as “Illegal”

Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a statement arguing, “President Trump’s unauthorized military attack on Venezuela to arrest Maduro—however terrible he is—is a return to a day when the United States asserted a right to dominate the internal affairs of all nations in the Western Hemisphere. The history is replete with failures, and doubling down on it makes it difficult to the claim with a straight face to other countries should respect the United States’ sovereignty when we do not do the same.”

And

"We're not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to have. We had boots on the ground last night at a very high level, actually."

"Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again."

Convicted Felon Trump, Jan.3 

Watch GodFather's best/kissing-the-ring scene about the paradise of power and "justice," USA.

Haaretz, Analysis, Jan. 5: A Groundbreaking Coup in Latin America? Maduro's Capture Continues a U.S. Tradition Dating Back to the 19th Century

Amid persistent inflation, he's trying another, oft-repeated policy – imperialistic behavior in Latin America: Between 1898 and 1994, the continent saw 41 instances of U.S.-engineered regime change.

Trump is a unique president in many respects, but in this case, he didn't deviate from the decisions of John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and others who overthrew regimes they disliked. The U.S. perception of Latin America as its backyard has been one of the most prominent characteristics of its foreign policy for generations.

However, Trump is facing domestic challenges like persistent inflation and the Epstein files that continue to make headlines. Under these conditions, foreign policy is a simple, magical solution, certainly if it's in the form of an impressive military operation that expresses U.S. power.

And this tanka could be read as a sequel to my tanka below:

History Often Rhymes, I: "the Donroe Doctrine"

the Don posed 

behind the Resolute Desk

with fingers cocked

for the cameras' rapid fire ...

a map crossed with red X’s

NeverEnding Story, December 13 2025

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXVIII:

in misty night

Corleone and Trump blurring ...

a dream, yet truer

FYI: The Guardian, March 14 2025: Donald Trump, the mob boss with a messiah complex

And Convicted Felon Trump, response to the Jan.3 Venezuela invasion

Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again.

And watch the GodFather best/kissing-the-ring scene about the paradise of power and "justice," USA.

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXIX:

Otherworldly Feel

to spineless Mark Carney, Canada's prime minister

snowstorm gathering...

does it matter now how 

Maduro was taken?

Niagara Falls' cliff

covered in icocles ...

51st state claim

elbows up

elbows down, elbows up?

tangled maple limbs

FYI: The War of 1812 heavily impacted the Niagara Falls area, becoming a critical theater for American invasions of Upper Canada, culminating in the brutal Battle of Lundy's Lane. The narrow neck of land between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario made the Niagara region a crucial invasion route for the Americans.

Added:

At the Edge

the year

dying in the night

alone, I

lean out the window

into the dark

this pull

of the moonlit darkness

as if distant

as if near ...

still, I wait

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCLXV: "buzzing sound of drones"

the buzzing 

of drones in deepening dark

a ponytailed girl

freezes, gazing heavenward

as puddles ripple crimson

A Room of My Own: Mayor's Words Tanka

it's difficult

to fight this or solve that

the mayor's words adrift --

shouts, over and over

it's easy to resign

FYI: This is a sequel/counter-response to my mayor tanka below:

reading between the lives and writing between the lines, XXVII

God, my country

just hard work, no handouts ...

in the spotlight

the mayor punctuates his words

with a gavel-on-the-desk gesture

NeverEnding Story, September 19, 2022

FYI: For more, see my "To the Lighthouse" post, Character/Persona Tanka

Added: reading between the lives and writing between the lines, XCII

in held silence

the newbie bares, "I used to 

love getting high...

until a certain point" 

a roomful of heads bowed low

Added:

first winter day

no words, only clouds

of breath

Added:

an empty nest

feathered with frost ...

Foreclosure tilts

Added:

Even in my dream your heart is away from mine as the earth's axis is tilted at its furthest point from the sun.

awake alone 

the sound of roof icicles

dripping dawnlight

Reading More and Writing Better: Disembodied Mouth Tanka by Chen-ou Liu

History Often Rhymes, II: "disembodied Mouth"

written in response to the Convicted Felon's "state-of-the-nation address"

in flickering light

the disembodied Mouth drifts

rumbling

Make America Great Again...

the play runs minutes, then years

FYI: The disembodied Mouth in the tanka is a socio-satirical echo of Samuel Beckett’s Not I: a fragmented, rapid-fire monologue spoken by a brightly lit mouth suspended in darkness, recounting traumatic life events while frantically avoiding the first-person pronoun, “I.”

And Al Jazeera, December 18, 2025: Five key takeaways from Trump’s state-of-the-nation address

I   He blamed immigrants for the US’s problems

go back

where you came from ...

a yellow leaf

tossing and turning

with each gust of wind

II  He promised an ‘economic boom’ in 2026

a MAGA pin

on this old man's breast pocket ...

his patience 

stretched to the limit

by a breadline blocks ahead

III He claims he brought peace to the Middle East

War Is Peace

pyramid

after pyramid of rubble ...

again "ceasefire" strikes

fireball by fireball ...

the length

of a Gazan night

smoky twilight

a cry sinks into the sound

of a gunshot

skeletal houses

these layers of silence

upon silence

IV He announced a ‘warrior dividend’ for US troops

V  He did not mention Venezuela tensions

the Don posed 

behind the Resolute Desk

with fingers cocked

for the cameras' rapid fire ...

a map crossed with red X’s

Reading More and Writing Better: Don Tanka by Chen-ou Liu

History Often Rhymes, I: "the Donroe Doctrine"

the Don posed 

behind the Resolute Desk

with fingers cocked

for the cameras' rapid fire ...

a map crossed with red X’s

FYI: History Often Rhymes is my new/end-of-year writing project. Its title refers to the following remark:

History doesn't repeat itself but it often rhymes.

-- (often attributed to) Mark Twain, a quintessential American satirist who exposed the absurdities and injustices of American life, including racism, religious hypocrisy, and class divides.

This tanka plays on the “Donroe Doctrine,” a socio-satirical echo of the Monroe Doctrine (1823), which warned European powers against involvement in the Western Hemisphere while affirming U.S. influence there. The term “the Don” evokes both the leader of a crime syndicate and a shortened form of “Donald,” adding a double edge to the tanka’s commentary (For more, The Guardian, March 14 2025: Donald Trump, the mob boss with a messiah complex)

And The New York Times, November 17 2025: The ‘Donroe Doctrine’: Trump’s Bid to Control the Western Hemisphere

President Trump has tightened the U.S. grip on the Americas by rewarding allies and punishing rivals. That has upended the region’s politics.

President Trump opened the year with pledges to seize the Panama Canal, take control of Greenland and rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

He is ending it by bombing boats from South America, stationing the world’s largest aircraft carrier in the Caribbean and exploring military options against Venezuela’s autocratic leader.

In a sharp shift of decades of U.S. foreign policy, the Western Hemisphere has become the United States’ central theater abroad. In addition to military threats and action, the White House this year has carried out punishing tariffs, severe sanctions, pressure campaigns and economic bailouts across the Americas...

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXVI

written in response to The Guardian, Dec. 12 2025: House Democrats release Epstein photos with Trump, Bannon, Clinton and others

the Don struts

with a peanut mind

and a smirk:

I’m huuuuge!

Trump condom $45

FYI: Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story by Julie K. Brown is widely recommended for its deep, dogged investigative reporting that exposed the original lenient plea deal and a broken justice system.

A Room of My Own: First Trillionaire Haiku

This Brave New World, CXXVI

first trillionaire ...

my son counts on his fingers

the zeros 

FYI: Times of India, Nov. 7 2025: Path to world’s first trillionaire: Tesla clears $1,000,000,000,000 pay package for Elon Musk

And The Guardian, Nov. 7, 2025: ‘Musk is Tesla and Tesla is Musk’ – why investors are happy to pay him $1trillion

Making Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire appears to fit a US investment culture of backing high-flying innovators

Added:

the front porch

bathed in autumn sunset glow

between us, not a word

FYI: This is a sequel to my haiku below:

hillside maples

the sunset glow redder

... and redder

NeverEnding Story, October 27 2025

Added:

a raven's cry 

stretched across the sky

cloud avalanche

Added:

edge of the dog park

a teen and her beagle

in a cardboard tent

Added:

another cup

of black coffee ...

first snowfall

A Room of My Own: Golden Dove Statue Tanka

Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCXXXVI: "a golden dove statue"

inspired by George Orwell's ghost

the man who bombed kids

gives a golden dove statue

to the man

who sent him planeloads of bombs:

war is peace, peace is war ...

FYI: The Jerusalem Post, Oct. 13 2025: PM Netanyahu presented US President Trump with a gift today, gifting him a golden dove.

And Haaretz, Editorial, Oct. 15 2025: Netanyahu Fears Peace More Than He Fears War. 

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCXXXVII: "now, ceasefire"

Now, "Ceasefire"

a boy stares

into the TV camera ...

his bones

protruding as if chiseled

by the cruel hand of famine

with glazed pupils

a white-haired woman

gazes up

searching for a sky-high shelf

of hummus-stuffed bread

FYI: Democracy Now, Oct. 15 2025: Pressure Grows on Israel to Allow More Aid into Gaza

Pressure is growing on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza as the ceasefire continues to hold. On Tuesday, Israel told the United Nations it would allow only half of the 600 daily aid trucks called for under the deal. 

And The New Yorker, Oct. 18, 2025: What Comes After Starvation in Gaza?

This month, a United Nations study published in The Lancet reported that more than fifty-four thousand children are malnourished in Gaza.

For the severely malnourished, simply starting to eat normal meals again can cause sickness—even death.

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCXXXVIII: "first bombless day"

First Bombless Day

hometown

once a place of human warmth

and safety

now a pile of stones and dust

where memories crumble

family

once a source of love and help

now whispered names

on trembling lips

with a question, "still alive?"

ruins and ruins ...

under Gaza's smeared sun

childhood memories

scatter like splintered shards

that can’t be fit together

ceasefire deal

once a sunbird singing nonstop

now a mute swan

battling the chilly winds

of hunger and despair

The New Verse News, October 16 2025

Author’s note: The Palestine sunbird pictured above (Cinnyris osea) is a small passerine bird of the sunbird family, Nectariniidae, and in 2015, the Palestinian Authority adopted the species as a national bird. Native to Eurasia but migrating south for the winter, the mute swan (Cygnus olor) is a rare winter visitor to Palestine.

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCXXXIX: "first bombless night"

canopy of stars

on first bombless night

shards of thoughts

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCXL: "death and life"

Death and Life

I stand closer to you

than I have been in two years 

but there's no hug

no healing..., a mother eulogizes

as the sky roils with dark clouds

the first rays 

of autumn sunset glow

the color 

returning to the face

of a released hostage

Biting NOT Barking: Albatross Haiku by Ganesh R.

English Original

a year's wait

of an untold scandal ... 

albatross

Ganesh R.

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一年的等待

一樁不為人知的醜聞 ...

信天翁

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一年的等待

一桩不为人知的丑闻…

信天翁

Bio Sketch

Ganesh R. loves to travel and explore the world. He is constantly on the lookout for stories that are worth sharing with the world.

Poetic Musings: Protest March Haiku by Adjei Agyei-Baah

protest march

potbelly men

hold the line

Akitsu, Fall 2021

Adjei Agyei-Baah

Commentary: L1 sets the theme and tone while unexpected yet visually and emotionally "powerful" L3 makes this "protest" haiku fresh and effective, sparking the reader's emotions and reflection on what kind of reason is this group of potbelly men, who are, generally speaking, less active or energetic, protesting for? Which "sociopolitical" goal are they trying to achieve by "holding the line" firmly. 👏

What's left unsaid is at least as potent as what's stated.

And it might be interesting to do a thematic comparison reading of the following "magical-realist-esque" haiku:

a police phalanx

moves backward

a black woman

Applause Please, 2020

Jack Galmitz

Butterfly Dream: Protest March Haiku by Adjei Agyei-Baah

English Original

protest march

potbelly men

hold the line

Akitsu, Fall 2021

Adjei Agyei-Baah

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

抗議遊行

大肚腩男人們

堅守陣地

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

抗议游行

大肚腩男人们

坚守阵地

Bio Sketch

Adjei Agyei-Baah (June 29, 1977 -- December 18, 2023) was the co-founder of the Africa Haiku Network and The Mamba and author of afriku: haiku and Senryui from Ghana, 2016, Finding the Other Door, 2021 and Scaring Crow, 2022. 

A Room of My Own: The Cover

On the Brink of Trumperica, XII

inspired by/written in response to Time Magazine, Feb. 7: Inside Elon Musk's War on Washington

The Cover

behind the Resolute desk

flanked by a spray of flags

the Richest Man

moans, I love Trump as much

as a straight man could

the people of Trump

                  by the people of Musk

                  for the people of the SuperRich ...

sun-bleached stars and stripes

atop the Capitol fencing

FYI: Daily Beast, Feb. 7: Trump Reveals Melania’s Reaction to Musk’s ‘Straight Man’ Love Confession

Donald Trump suggested the First Lady was willing to share him after Elon Musk declared his “straight man” love for the president on Friday.

While apparently taking a break from his bid to remake the federal government, the tech billionaire confessed on X, “I love @realDonaldTrump as much as a straight man can love another man.”

Added: On the Brink of Trumperica, XIII

woke mind virus ...

this double-masked man mumbles

in the psych ward

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CLXIII: "suffocating peace"

my friend laments

this suffocating peace 

saddled with anxiety ...

in Gaza, Time feels endless

yet none of it belongs to you

Added: reading between the lives and writing between the lines, XCI

the pastor intones

about all these virtues

of "love is patient"...

another faint bruise

under his wife's right eye

Added: On the Brink of Trumperica, XIV

written in response to Jezebel, Feb. 12: It’s Pretty Clear Who’s Running the Show Here

On Tuesday night, Elon Musk, donning a black midi-dress over One Direction-era skinny jeans, held a press conference with Donald Trump to assure the public not to worry because he’s investigated himself and has done nothing wrong.

his four-year-old

riding on his shoulders

the Richest Man

stands over the Convicted Felon

behind the Resolute desk

Biting NOT Barking: Election Day Haiku by Bill Kenney

English Original

election day

kids in the schoolyard

playing tag

tinywords, 16:2, November 8 2016

Bill Kenney

 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

選舉日

孩子們在校園裡

玩貼標籤遊戲

Translation result紙箱

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

选举日

孩子们在校园里

玩贴标签游戏

 

Bio Sketch 

 

Born and raised in the Boston area, and living for over 50 years in New York City, Bill Kenney was a professor for many years in the English Department at Manhattan College. He started writing haiku in 2004, a month before his 72nd birthday, and became an active participant in the New York City Spring Street Haiku group. His haiku were published in numerous journals and anthologies. And his collection of haiku, keep walking, won the 2021 Touchstone Distinguished Book Awards.

A Room of My Own: Wave after Wave Senryu

No More Fairy Tales, XV

wave after wave of heat

please press ?

for more Q&As

FYI: This haiku is a sequel to the following one:

No More Fairy Tales, VI

for Greta Thunberg

tongues of forest fires 

there's no Plan[et] B, the rest

blah, blah, blah ...

NeverEnding Story, November 21 2022

New Yorker, July 11: Is It Hot Enough Yet for Politicians to Take Real Action? The latest record temperatures are driving, again precisely as scientists have predicted, a cascading series of disasters around the world.

And UN News, July 27: Hottest July ever signals ‘era of global boiling has arrived’ says UN chief

Added: Game Show 2024, XXVI

another rent hike ...

sleepless, I count the number

of Trump charges

FYI: BBC News, July 31: "Why Trump's poll lead went up after criminal indictments:" Most Republican voters see charges as politically motivated

"We're really dealing with the tale of two Americas and two distinct bubbles," says Mr Clifford Young, president of US public affairs with Ipsos. "There's one bubble that sees Trump's behaviour as lawless. And there's another bubble that sees him as their champion - and that he's being attacked because of that."

Added:

another hours-long

talk of ending the cycle 

of breaking up

and geting back together ...

behind her this blue supermoon

FYI: Torontonians will get a better look at the second full supermoon on August 30.

A Room of My Own: Canadian Thanksgiving Haiku

for American expats in Canada

Thanksgiving dinner

Trump hats and Biden fly swatters

left on the  doormat

Notes:

1 Times Now, October 10, updated: 'Truth over Flies': Joe Biden's campaign sells out 35,000 fly swatters hours after Vice-Presidential debate. For further information, see CNN Business, October 8: The Biden campaign started selling fly swatters right after the debate. They've already sold out.

2 FYI: CBC News, October 5: The push to get (650,000 -- 1,000,000) Americans in Canada to vote in 2020 election.

Butterfly Dream: Voters' Guide Haiku by Fay Aoyagi

English Original

migrating birds --
the weight
of my first voters' guide

Chrysanthemum Love, 2003

Fay Aoyagi


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一群候鳥 --
我的第一本選民指南
之重

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一群候鸟 --
我的第一本选民指南
之重
 

 

Bio Sketch

Fay Aoyagi （青柳飛）was born in Tokyo and immigrated to the U.S. in 1982. She is currently a member of Haiku Society of America and Haiku Poets of Northern California. She serves as an associate editor of The Heron's Nest.  She also writes in Japanese and belongs to two Japanese haiku groups; Ten'I (天為) and "Aki"（秋), and  she is a member of Haijin Kyokai (俳人協会).

A Room of My Own: Wine-Dark Night Haiku

in the wake of the first presidential "debate," I

wine-dark night

will you shut up, man?

lingering on my lips

Notes:

1  'Will You Shut Up, Man': Interruptions Abound in First Trump-Biden Debate, NBC News, Boston, September 29.

2 My poem below could be read as a sequel to the haiku above:

debate replay -- 

street kids sling mudballs

at each other

Seashores, 1, October 2018

One Man's Maple Moon: Space Station Tanka by Janet Lynn Davis

English Original

his words
from the Space Station:
looking down,
a world without
political boundaries

Red Lights, 14:2, June 2018

Janet Lynn Davis


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

來自太空站
他的至理名言：
從太空向下看，
這個人間
是沒有政治疆界
   
Chinese Translation (Simplified)

来自太空站
他的至理名言：
从太空向下看，
这个人间
是没有政治疆界 


Bio Sketch

Janet Lynn Davis began her tanka journey in late 2005. Since then, her work has appeared in numerous familiar journals and anthologies, and she also has served the tanka community in various capacities. Janet currently lives in a rustic area of southeast Texas, away from the hustle-bustle of the big city.

Butterfly Dream: Stars and Stripes Haiku by Fay Aoyagi

English Original

morning chill --
the Stars and Stripes
on his breast pocket 

Chrysanthemum Love, 2003

Fay Aoyagi

 
Chinese Translation (Traditional)

寒冷早晨 --
他胸前口袋
的星條旗

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

寒冷早晨 --
他胸前口袋
的星条旗


Bio Sketch

Fay Aoyagi （青柳飛）was born in Tokyo and immigrated to the U.S. in 1982. She is currently a member of Haiku Society of America and Haiku Poets of Northern California. She serves as an associate editor of The Heron's Nest.  She also writes in Japanese and belongs to two Japanese haiku groups; Ten'I (天為) and "Aki"（秋), and  she is a member of Haijin Kyokai (俳人協会).

A Room of My Own: Divided States of America

Fifty-First Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary 

Reopen New York

one Trump fan hugs another

tight ... and tighter

business as usual

giant Stars-and-Stripes flapping

over a salon

FYI: The epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. is in New York, and is particularly concentrated in the New York City region. And these is a continuing series of violations of Covid19 restrictions across the US.


Added: Fifty-Second Entry

Repetition
for Søren Kierkegaard who called his melancholy “the most faithful mistress I have known."

death toll rising...
in illness and in fear
alone
with my drunken shadow
apart together

quarantined for weeks
with my drunken shadow
in the attic
I tanka-barricade the door
to my mistress's chamber

in dim light
my quarantined mind races
back and forth
between the old and new normal:
this world of masked faces

A Room of My Own: White House Tanka

In a black turban and white beard, the Supreme Leader said, last night we slapped the US in the face...

stormy skies ...
my morning coffee
darkened
with constant thoughts
of the White House

Notes:

1 The opening prose is the joshi (the prefatory note), which functions as a poetic device. For more information about how to effectively use the joshi, see To the Lighthouse: Joshi (Prefatory Note) as a Poetic Device 

2 My tanka below could form a sequence with the tanka above as the opening poem:

a gang of crows
cresting the White House roof
on TV
this winter of discontent
darker and heavier

NeverEnding Story, December 11, 2019

a murder of crows
darkens
the morning sky ...
not a word
about the war

NeverEnding Story, May 18, 2017