Haiku Chain - Cats

A conversation with April Gilliland, concerning our cats!  

Earliest (first) haiku at the bottom

July 19 -- Hap
cat as ring bearer
will your sister allow it?
spread heirloom roses



May 13 -- April
Purring lulls me to
sleep, but the morning meow
jars me awake fast




May 13 -- Hap
cat alarm clock spent
all night outdoors --- but my own
internal clock worked




May 10 -- April
A cat day-timer
would lead to happiness- eat,
sleep, cuddle, and dream.




May 10 -- Hap
the gentle rumble
of her purr, weight on my chest
black cat alarm clock



May 9 -- April
More demanding of
my time than the toughest boss,
my cat rules my day



May 9 -- Hap
hair on my neck stands ~
involuntary shiver ~
as black cat's eyes stare



May 7 -- April
Buttons aren't as cute
as your pinkish little nose,
adorable prince.



May 7 -- Hap
my feline muse mews
she paces the piano
a ragtime kitten



May 5 -- April
Velveted paw strikes
my hand when undoing shoes.
He stalks shoelaces.



May 5 -- Hap
spent; too pooped to pop
as the saying goes --- she dreams
of stalking sparrows



May 4 -- April
Once exuberant,
now snoring on back of couch.
My cat ebbs and flows.



May 3 -- Hap
cat streaks thru the house
up walls, over furniture
less catnip next time!



Mar 22 -- April
Why watch a movie,
when I could stare at a wall,
or groom my striped tail?




Mar 22 -- Hap
Ahh, 'Aristocats'
streaming on Netflix.com
fun for one and all




Mar 21 -- April
If I could just find
paperclips so engaging . . .
Cancel my Netflix.




Mar 21 -- Hap
like me, she's older ~
but still enjoys a romp ... just ~
a little slower




Mar 19 -- April
A feather on string
becomes a bright flying bird.
A brilliant cat toy.




Mar 18 -- Hap
lioness at heart ~
mistress of her domain ... roams ~
our home's savannah



Mar 17 -- April
I am suspicious
when cat trips me yet again.
Is there a hit out?



Mar 16 -- Hap
I'm often sure the ~
cat is plotting my demise ~
when her meal is late!



Mar 15 -- April
Husband gasps in pain,
as cat leaps onto his lap.
Twisted cat humour.



Mar 15 -- Hap
cat circles three times ~
then kneads my lap ... careful there! ~
she purrs, I relax



Mar 13 -- April
Am I just a chair
for your afternoon cat nap?
Silence! You’re a bed.



Mar 12 -- Hap
the cat and I, a
lively chat ... her acks and mews
my grunts and rumbles



Mar 11 -- April
The cat won’t forget
about the missed treats or pets.
Interrupted sleep.



Mar 11 -- Hap
legs at the gallop
she dreams of the chase
the fearless feline



Mar 10 -- April
Finally the sun
has returned to warm his spot.
Reserved window seat.



Mar 9 -- Hap
she curls on my lap
her prized pillow ... a dream of
white billowy clouds



Mar 8 -- April
This heating pad is
not being used; it’s mine now.
Sharing is caring.



Mar 8 -- Hap
whine builds upon whine
pacing, she waits for cat chow
'hurry', she whimpers



Mar 7 == April
Before the sun’s up,
a soft bunt and "brrrrt" rouse me.
It’s time for cuddles.



Mar 7 -- Hap
cat purrs vibrate
thru her weight on my chest
personal alarm



Mar 6 -- April
Passed out on the couch,
like a small sleeping leopard,
Lamont distracts me.



Mar 6 -- Hap
her weight on my chest ~
so near I feel her breathing ~
'feed me', her purrs say



Mar 5 -- April
An extra pillow
by my head that snores and purrs.
The joys of cat love.



Mar 5 -- Hap
Luci and I know
each other; such a kitten
I stroke her, she purrs.



Mar 4 -- April
On dark rainy days,
my cure to the blues is cat
cuddles and chocolate.



Mar 4 -- Hap
catnip mania
Lucifer berserker
like a March lion



Mar 3 -- April
It’s only my foot,
but cat delivers death bite.
Dangers of catnip.



Mar 3 -- Hap
nervous tail twitches
yellow eyes fixed on her prey
cat gathers, and springs



Mar 2 -- April
The steady drizzle
saturates the garden bed.
Wet cat mews at door

haiku - Page 3

Explore

my fingers explore

your hills and caves --- and feel

the quaking begin 

 

 

 

 

Blossoming

in April wind gusts

a blossoming butterfly

flowers on plum branch

 

 



Daisy Petals

loves me, loves me not

daisy petals flood the floor

drought amid bounty 

War Dead
war dead ~
silently await ~
the bugle's call





Life And Death
crows march to and fro
eyeing the dying rabbit
fear and hunger vie







Buddha's Smile
the serenity
of the Buddha's smile --- reborn
a hyacinth blooms

Mountain Lake
Teton mountain lake
windless water flat as glass
mirrored earth and sky

Passing Reflections
passing reflections ~
in the mind's panorama ~
a long winter night




Words
bend of the river ~
building silt changes the flow ~
words pile upon words




Foray
mountains and valleys
foray into new exploits
your feminine form





Thoughtless
gentle patter of ~
rain of roof tiles --- the thunder ~
of our thoughtless words




Her Happiness
her happiness
my sole desire --- tears bathe
a fertile garden



Broken Hearts
broken hearts in pain
the banked fires of passion add
to our bonds of pearl


The Ant

an ant

struggles up a

mountainous pebble

 





Spring Cleaning

spring cleaning distress

as an ant struggles up a

mountainous pebble

 



 

 

Spring Baseball

sitting in the sun

thrill at the crack of the bat

spring in Florida

 



Lonely Mockingbird



lonely mockingbird

sits on my porch railing

singing his desire

 



Persephone

Persephone wakes ~

from her winter nap ~

leaves and blossoms sprout 





 

 

Caffeine

caffeine beckons

hot, black glory

my mood lightens

 

Fireflies

laughing children
filling mason jars
with fireflies  

my reflection leapt ~
from the still, clear water ~
liquid mirror




Lady Bug

Lady Bug is a
deadly mistress ... rose aphids
make a tasty snack



 

 

 

 

 

 

Scissortail
sharing the porch
with two flycatchers 
watching the rain

 

 

 

Chrysanthemums
chrysanthemums ~
offered to the Buddha ~
plea for early spring

      

 

haiku chain

...a conversation in hokku, or chain of haiku, between April Gilliland (@ajegilliland) and Hap Rochelle (@haproche)


Hap begins with...

Jan 23
April is such a
lovely reminder of Spring
in frigid winter

Jan 24 ... A
Your name implies luck,
I feel lucky to know you.
Loved your poem, Hap.

Jan 24 ... H
the luck of the French
lacks the panache of the Celts
I slip on the ice

Jan 25 ... A
From my name you’d think
April birth, but that’s not true.
Eccentric parents.

Jan 25 ... H
parents, the only ~
friends we do not choose ... give ~
thanks for their passion

Jan 25 ... A
My sister’s bonded
to me by shared genes, parents.
And yet we are friends.





Jan 26 ... H
My sweetheart sister ~
as close to me as a twin ~
a muskmelon halved

 



Jan 26 ... A
Younger sisters are
a duty, joy, and precious.
I love Julia.


Jan 27 ... H
siblings I think, are ~
sent to test our love ... patience ~
of walking in snow


Jan 28 ... A
When we were children
petty squabbles seemed so big.
Time bridged our age gap.


Jan 28 ... H
winter becomes spring ~
time allows for beginnings ~
new family ties

Jan 29 ... A
Sister’s impending
wedding makes me feel so old.
Childhood slips away

Jan 29 ... H
December sneaks in ~
while we fritter May ... turn round ~
and youth is finished

Jan 30 -- A
Distant memories
of our summer vacations.
Faded old photos.










Jan 31 ... H
box upon box of _
bright and faded memories ~
sandals or mittens


Feb 1 -- A
Memory fades but
I still smile wearing those shoes.
Black suede peep-toe heels.


Feb 2 -- H
the heels of my shoes ~
worn from hard effort ... struggle ~
against the north wind


Feb 3 -- A
The wind whispers of
regret and long lost chances.
Always seize the day.


Feb 4 -- H
regrets are assured ~
love life despite faint errors ~
view a hazy moon


Feb 4 -- A
When I stare at my
reflection, where did time go?
River keeps running.


Feb 5 -- H
bent form, agile mind
looking back ... as plum blossoms
follow autumn leaves


Feb 5 -- A
Blossoms fluttering
down to the slow moving creek.
Our youth drifts away.


Mar 4 -- H
spring becomes summer
the passions of youth remain
intemperate dreams


Mar 4 -- A
Flowers don’t paint their
faces like youth in their prime.
Youth’s wasted on youth


Mar 6 -- H
Like blind men
we stumble our way through youth
wrong turnings add up


Mar 6 -- A
Whispering in my
ear, time tells all, but I’m deaf.
Siren’s song of youth.


Mar 7 -- H
imprison your youth
age is full of aches and pains
stiffness of winter


Mar 7 -- A
Injecting vials
of botulism won’t halt time.
Can’t outsmart the Fates.


Mar 8 -- H
low self-esteem leads
fools to poison 'remedies'
freeze wrinkles away


Mar 8 -- A
Petal soft cheeks will
crease with age, but that’s okay.
Age creates beauty.


Mar 9 -- H
from babies we grow
silken skin becomes softer
as old age creeps in


Mar 10 -- A
While my mother dreads
birthdays, I anticipate,
cake with fine ice cream.


Mar 11 -- H
cold ice cream, warm cake
essence of birthday joy, on
a sunny spring day


Mar 11 -- A
Wrinkles, aches and
pains, slowing metabolism.
Wouldn’t change a thing.


Mar 12 -- H
Don't get me started.
Never watched the diet till now.
old age is such a pain!


Mar 13 -- A
When we’re young we
wish for age and vice versa.
Grass always greener.


Mar 15 -- H
Like melting snow, this ~
life is all we have, but then ~
I've been wrong before!


Mar 15 -- A
The small snowball fast
becomes a boulder downhill.
Time accelerates.


Mar 16 -- H
age sneaks in ... I think
much more often of one last
summer in the sun


Mar 17 -- A
In my mind I switch
from child to teen to aged.
But my body’s stuck.


Apr 19 -- H
my paramount fear
is the blight of dementia
a cold winter wind


Mar 19 -- A
Or fully aware
yet physically all helpless.
Aging has its barbs.



Holidays

 St Patricks Day

 

 

 

Green

the Emerald Isle

celebrates its patron saint

with a coat of green

 

 

Christmas

Trimming the Tree
crackle and snap
a roaring fire
loud pop
of a dropped ball
trimming the tree





Trimming the Tree
trimming the tree
laughter of children
building a snowman

holiday greetings ~
from Santa's lovely elf ... with ~
egg nog and cookies


 

 

Sleigh Bells

(haiku)

sleigh bells on filly ~

pulls a surrey in the snow ~

Christmas enchantment

Celebrate

(haiku)

family gathers ~

each year, around the yule log ~

celebrate a birth

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving

 

 

 

Thanksgiving dinner

quiet groaning from the sofa

gluttony punished!

Halloween

 

 

Jest

 

             the tricksters want treats ~

               will accept nothing less ... and ~

     apples are a jest

 

 

 

Pagan Holiday

pagan ceremony ~

aft the hunter's moon ... heals the ~

split twixt life and death

The Graveyard

the graveyard was still
save the soft sound
as they dug themselves
from the soft ground
and joined the wee children
in a trick or treat round!





 

Wiccan

(haiku)

 

 Late October eve ~

eager broomstick hangs on hook ~

wiccan gets prepared

 

Trick or Treat

October twilight ~
little monsters on the prowl ~
tricksters want a treat

 

 

 

The Cellar Stairs

 

down cold creaky stair ~

light switch in the cellar dark ~

do I dare the step?



Holly Nicole

 

 

 

 

Rapacious
coolly virginal
exquisitely inviting
make me rapacious

Dimples
Even her dimpled cheeks

arouse me

 

Need
I need you
you allow me
to need you

Dashing Smile
his dashing smile
hid a hopeful heart
yearning for a touch
of the silk that is
her lovely skin

Form
mountains and valleys
journey into charted fields
your feminine form

 

 

 

Heart
her lovely heart
crushed by evil older men
frigid winter winds

 

 

Lips
my fingers trace
your silky skin
you writhe
beneath my touch.

my lips perform
a breast exam
my hair
your fingers clutch

Words
 I play your words on my
lips and tongue,
roll them around
nibble and nip.
Swallow
and plead for more.

Moths
Like moths to a flame
We are drawn to each other
Caught in the light

Lovely
a lovely orchid
blooms, gives joy, then fades away
spring, summer and fall

Saved Stuff
pondering saved stuff
photos from my youth
dusty first aid box
springs of plum blossoms
my first time with you



\\

Holly Nicole

her offer of love

rescued my heart ... my soul

followed eagerly





Touching
touching her was a
magnificent obsession
banked fire of desire

 

if you give me you
and I give you me
we will ever be
 now to eternity

Some people come into our lives ...
and we are never, ever, the same.

The Man In The Moon
The man in the moon
admires you, and envies me
feigns indifference

 

 

My day begins with
thoughts of her
when she's near
I feel a stir
I'd like to stroke
and make her purr



Chubby Cheeks
The cutest little chubby cheeks I've ever seen!

 

 

 

 

 



The Idea of Love
In love with the idea of love.
but is she in love with me?
saying the words I long to hear
yes, she seems to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 






Gentle Touch

you gently touch

my heart and soul

your delicate rushes

revive my senses

flash through my being

the unique magic that is you




Flower Girl

 

 

 

'RahRah'
The most beautiful woman
I've ever known

 

 

 

 



Loving
Loving you makes
my life worthwhile

 


 

 

 





 





Breath

I felt your breath on my cheek

Smiling, I turned to see

your lovely face,
realized it was
only a breeze

and you are

far away





Tearful Princess
fighting back the tears ~

she struggled for a shy smile ~

Halloween princess







Kiss

your figure a kiss

my lustful lips crave relief
greedy nakedness
posing, your cerebral brush
colors my carnality



Purr
she lays on my chest ~
so near I feel her exhales ~
'love me now', she purrs




Desire
She lays on her side ~
Eyes on mine, fingers touch skin ~
Afire with desire





Bold
at autumn's embrace
trees shed their colorful clothes
bold, hungry yearning



Milky Way
The Milky Way
may fling itself
apart
and
I will still
love you




Holly
your name is a kiss
my lustful lips crave release
greedy nakedness



Fever
conquered by passion
he lingered, hoped for her touch
yearned for new fever



 

 

Your Touch
think of your touch
even so innocently
and heat fires my loins
side by side, fingers enlaced
my eyes boast to all who see








The mystery that is you




















 

 


 







 

 

 

 

 

 

Limericks

Big Ben
I saw it was London calling
Big Ben was really falling
I thought it a joke
but then a bloke
on tv showed it failing

Snidely, Nell and Dudley
Snidley Whiplash has evil designs
he plots and his vile sneer shines
while tied to the track
or stretched on the rack
Nell pines, Dudley Dooright dines






A Tainted Approach

a tainted approach to conquest

led settlers to a hateful bloodfest

natives decried

then they died

the victors feted with zest

Something's...
something's under the bed
I fear it might be dead
it could revive
worse if it's alive
it fills my head with dread

 

Spring
spring is only days away
but the skies are cold and gray
he struggles with snow
yearns for green to mow
and parties at which to play

 



Pounds
My heart makes no sounds
My love knows no bounds
A day full of glee
I'm free to be me
As soon as I lose a few pounds!






Tallahassee
there was a lad from T'hassee
who fell in love with a lassie
they went on a trek
and had a bad wreck
now he must buy a new chassis







Another Hap
Hap was once thirty three
he had a cat named Lucy
she climbed in his lap
and took a long nap
Hap began to clap with glee




A Man Named Hap
there once was a man named Hap
who woke his girl from a nap
that's ok she said
I'll stay here in bed
Sam will step into the gap





Bellibone
he felt alright when prone
bending over forced a groan
he stood straight
even when he ate
or he felt a pain in his bellibone

 

 

Half Remembered Dream

sometimes I think you're a poem

especially when I'm feeling glum

a half remembered dream

with a well conjured theme

that I forget when I'm into the rum

 

 

Comedian

There once was a guy who was funny
he tried stand up for the army
His impromptu rant
Left onookers to chant
Get the guy off, he's barmy





Falling Leaves

There was a young man of the town
who liked when falling leaves turned brown
he loved to rake piles
they left him with smiles
till he found the body of the clown.


Pearl

there was a young lass named pearl
who told me that she was my girl
now I wander alone
in search of her clone
for Pearl was a girl all awhirl



he grew from a boy to a man
had surgery, now he's called fran
bought all new clothes
and colorful bows
the plan, to have sex in her van.



Example; what I'm striving for...

There was an Old Man of Nantucket                         
Who kept all his cash in a bucket.            
His daughter, called Nan,
Ran away with a man,
And as for the bucket, Nantucket.

Vietnam

Fictionalized short stories I wrote about my time in Vietnam.

 

The Sergeant           Ambush

 

 

Poetry

 

 

 

 

whistle of a shell

everyone dives for a hole

always on alert

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

daily monsoon rain

cricket in its tiny cage

sings to girl's delight

 

 

 

 

 

Trapped inside

by monsoon rain
'không có trường học hôm nay',

('no school today')

she smiled
listening

to her cricket

in its little
wooden cage

sing its song
for her

 

 

 

Haiku





seven days furlough
mad dash round hilly Hong Kong
calm Buddhist temple

beside the dike path

stench of distended bodies

sunlit rice paddies

 

 

 

 

 

struggling to survive

Vietnam, tet offensive

Beatles sing 'Hey Jude'

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've served my time

in hell

travel orders in my hand

home in thirty days

 

Now my fear

is heightened

all I can do

is

 

wait  

 

 

 

The monsoon
seems forever,
showers, sun,
and downpours,
for weeks on end.
Lush land of rice
and ageless
forests blend.



 

 

____________________________

 

Post Vietnam

 

 Haiku




 

over and over ~

surviving the same firefight ~

'neath an Asian moon

unlearning combat ~
an impossibility ~
dreams may terrify

combat took my friend ~

we chat on our daily stroll ~

crimson leaves fade

 

 

 

 

soldiers lie down

sleep the eternal dream

only grass remains

 

 

 

Black stone scars green grass ~
Polished granite a mirror ~
The living, the dead.

--------------------------------
a boy's name, chiseled ~
into polished black granite
old man's reflection




chiseled names
on black granite barrier
tears water the lawn





War

that soulless war
an indelible scar 







 

I think the Tanka below is the best I've written so far. I tried to convey the idea that staring at his young face in the granite, while he stared back, swept away the years from my wrinkled face. I hope I succeeded.

 

 

 


VVA Memorial

touch the name

memories flow through me

no barrier between

arm in arm, old and young

no distance or time intrudes