2023 AWAKENING xxxix

  1. breast milk
    these circles of
    snowdrops
  2. summer snow—
    i pay attention to
    dribbling breast milk
  3. twisting
    a sweat-stained chemise—
    summer rain
  4. breast milk
    falls but fails to linger…
    summer snow
  5. breast-feeding snow is still a’falling
  6. summer avalanche—
    breast milk
    weighs heavily
  7. summer snow—
    bare breast covered
    with breast milk
  8. breast milk…
    departing winter’s
    very tracks
  9. breast milk…
    snow dribbles
    about the breast
  10. breast milk…
    white-waves marked in
    gravity
  11. breast milk…
    white threads
    twined from droplets

2023 AWAKENING xxviii

  1. feeding breast
    pale cherry blossoms
    in bloom today
  2. the morning moon’s pale light feeding breast
  3. yellow chrysanthemum
    now, how many layers
    do i seem to have piled on atop the other?
    sunshine
  4. sunshine
    however many petals has
    the yellow chrysanthemum
  5. sunshine
    in countless kinds
    yellow chrysanthemums
    bloom
  6. summer suns
    O, sweet canary
    in how many months
    have you come to meet me?
  7. goldfinches–
    sunshine
    does never seem to end
  8. summer goldfinches
    are pale, yet
    in a moment, i sweat
  9. goldfinches —
    the ever-continuing
    summer damp heat
  10. daybreak sunrise
    is gone from view–
    soaring finch
  11. daybreak sunrise
    how charming are
    soaring finches

2023 AWAKENING xxvii

  1. sadness—
    seeds inside this body
    withering
  2. mum’s belly is now in full flower
  3. mum’s belly
    where amongst the clouds
    does the baby find lodging?
  4. exposed breasts buds swell while i gaze from afar
  5. silver dewdrops
    when might they dry?
    this river of my tears
  6. bellies swell
    and become phases
    of the moon
  7. hungry baby
    sucking the moonlight…
    breastfeeding
  8. wandering from my breast
    not in a trickle, but
    in a milky torrent
    breast-milk
  9. expectant belly
    oh, that the moon tonight
    droops down and down
  10. swollen breast dreaming on my pillow
  11. swollen breasts
    pillowed by white clouds
    am i

2023 AWAKENING xxvi

  1. mum’s swollen belly
    touched with color, most confusing
    the heaven-shining moon
  2. mum’s belly
    why does the moon
    seem so near?
  3. expectant bellies…
    heaven’s moon
    halt in their course
  4. mum’s belly my gaze is on the moon
  5. swollen belly
    long have i gaze upon it!
    full moon
  6. mum’s belly…
    even when the day does dim
    the moonlight shines
  7. swollen breasts–
    do i see, today, at the last
    twin moons
  8. full moon–
    what am i do about
    this drooping belly?
  9. summer sun announcing the birth of a baby
  10. summer sun
    i briefly glimpse
    mum’s swelling belly
  11. summer sun–
    it will not remain
    i know to well
    mum’s due date
  12. full moon
    may fall, or not,
    lifting my heavy
    belly
  13. full moon
    round and round
    mum’s belly

2023 AWAKENING xxv

  1. plastic rain…
    a bundle of pregnancy tests
    falling straight down
  2. hard rain
    her pregnancy test
    reads positive
  3. trying to read
    the pregnancy test
    tears are fogged and
    blinded
  4. plastic snowflakes
    i do count them out…
    pregnancy tests
  5. hard snow pregnancy tests keep on falling
  6. hard rain
    i did weep and weep again
    at the doctor’s office
  7. pregnancy tests a sprinkling of snowflakes
  8. pregnancy test
    has such a glow, that
    the blossoms fail to shine
  9. pregnancy tests
    the fallen, scattered snow—
    how do i sweep it away?
  10. pregnancy tests…
    white snow
    has fallen, drifted high around
    my feet

2023 AWAKENING xxiv

  1. pink flood
    all pregnancy tests
    prove positive
  2. spring flood
    purchasing many
    pregnancy tests
  3. spring flood
    too many pregnancy tests
    in the bag
  4. spring drizzle
    i go out to buy
    pregnancy tests
  5. pink mist
    in plain sight for all to see…
    pregnancy test
  6. pink rain–
    not at all bothered
    by expecting confirmation
  7. pink flood
    the many views of
    pregnancy tests
  8. spring flood
    too many brands
    of pregnancy tests
  9. pink snow
    pregnancy tests
    laid perfectly straight
  10. pink avalanche
    anxious lovers
    crossing their fingers

251. pregnancy tests —
the straight gaze
of thick moonlight

2023 AWAKENING xxiii

  1. sleeping babe
    a number of views
    hazy moon
  2. full moon
    against mum’s breast
    sleeping baby
  3. waking baby
    with an open mouth…
    full moon
  4. hazy moon
    baby’s mouth
    opens
  5. clumps of snow —
    whatever becomes
    of baby’s blanket
  6. morning avalanche —
    breastmilk settles
    in baby’s mouth
  7. mouth of milk
    who’s that coming
    to view a full moon?
  8. hazy moon
    seasoned father
    blows smoke
    out from his lips
  9. a clear view
    of a full moon…
    baby bottle
  10. hazy moon–
    the view blocked
    by the boiling pot
  11. pink avalanche–
    anxious teens stumble onto
    positive pregnancy tests

2023 AWAKENING xxii

  1. snow-heavy blossoms her feeding breasts
  2. hazy moon
    below her eyes
    swollen breasts
  1. cherry blossoms—
    seasoned husband
    sneaks into his wife’s blouse
  2. peeking into
    wife’s sleeping shirt…
    cherry blossoms
  3. peeking out
    from wife’s soiled shirt…
    cherry blossoms
  4. peeking in, peeking out
    through soiled blouse…
    cherry blossoms
  5. anxious husband peeks
    over wife’s shoulder…
    cherry blossoms
  6. a wiggling worm
    peeks out…
    excited husband
  7. creeping vine
    peeks out from husband’s pants
    looking for sex
  8. under covers of darkness
    seasoned husband slithers
    from his hole
  9. distant cherry blossoms—
    the spring colors
    of her breasts

2023 AWAKENING xxi

*of course no Haiku can be complete without a few fart jokes 😉

  1. spring breeze
    through the night
    gentle breathing
  2. full moon
    the distance
    of a baby’s fist
  3. scattered clouds
    on the floor
    soiled nappies
  4. scarlet light
    restless mother scratches
    her breast
  5. summer avalanche
    from the changing table
    nappies fall
  6. a farting contest
    between twins…
    heated wind
  7. heated wind–
    no incense
    just farts
  8. breath of wind —
    mother and child’s
    fart contest
  9. hints of wind
    blown away
    by baby’s farts
  10. lashing winds —
    from the crib
    baby’s farts
  11. autumn wind
    the whine
    of baby’s farts

2023 AWAKENING xviii

  1. marble statue–
    sleepy mums
    similar shapes to each other
  2. hazy moon
    mum’s breast sinks
    deeper into the dark
  3. occasional whispers
    of mum’s youth…
    bitter wind
  4. bundling frizzy hair
    with ease…
    summer sunset
  5. summer sunset —
    mum’s frizzy hair
    in a bundle
  6. noonday heat–
    how mum’s curls linger
    into place
  7. sucking on a
    bottle of milk…
    melting snow
  8. spots of milk
    stuck to the bottle…
    snowdrops
  9. milk
    dripping, dripping…
    snowdrops
  10. melting snow —
    baby formula
    dripping, dripping
  11. squeezed formula
    between the fingers —
    falling snow