From Fig Newtons: Senryu to Go

at his favourite deli

the bald man finds a hair

in his soup                                       +

after the verdict

the arsonist

lights up

mexican cantina—

the waiter says

bon appetite

bags

under his eyes—

traveling salesman

bending for a dime

two businessmen

bump heads

traveling circus—

the contortionist

orders a pretzel

behind bars

     bartenders

          drunk with laughter

first day of summer

a postman delivers mail

in a safari hat

beside the pizza man

     the bus boy

          spins a washcloth

hazy summer afternoon—

the smog-check mechanic

puffs a cigar

her swollen head . . .

the astrologer

seeing stars

billboard lady

in a bikini—

three-car pileup

first confession

his parking meter

expired

one shopping day before Christmas . . .

     a squirrel runs

          from tree to tree

grocery shopping—

pushing my cart faster

through feminine protection

express checkout

     the fat woman counts

          the thin man’s items

visiting mother—

again she finds

my first grey hair

the understudy

steps out from rehearsal

to view the eclipse

my face dripping . . .

the floppy-foot clown’s

plastic flower

golden gate park

teen with a boom box—

mime covers his ears

making a wish

on a falling star

no—a satellite

afternoon mail—

the stamp from Australia

upside-down

kindergarten Christmas pageant—

     a wise man

          loses his beard

spring afternoon—

the twelve-year-old slam-dunks

from a ladder

after divorce

the plant she left

grows on me

nursing-home bingo—

the husband and wife

with matching mustaches

skinny-dipping,

     the newlywed’s

          two dogs

moonless night—

her guard dog barks

at the new husband

first haiku

on my new computer—

qwertyuiop

jaywalkingthedog

under the umbrella

       stormy face