Crisp autumn evening
Referee blows whistle
Band begins to march

Crisp sheets
Bacon frying
Great grandma's hug

laughter fills the bedroom
little bodies jumping
on the bed

a face in the crowd
he finally calls
love at last

cat chasing mouse
mom in a state
of hysteria

children laughing
mom squealing
cat chasing mouse

Packed hall
Sea of orange
The chief dances

the hall packed
with a sea of orange
the chief dances

Tears roll down my cheek
boy’s first day
of kindergarten

trying to be strong
for her first day of kindergarten
then crying like a baby

big yellow school bus
first day of kindergarten
why is mommy crying?

bloated opossum
August blacktop
Golden Arches billboard

walking by a bloated opossum
on the August blacktop
ends my hunger

My original intent of this haiku was to show the irony in some of the things we see driving down the road. For instance, while driving down the road many people eat because it gives them something to do. There are
countless billboards and exit signs advertising fast food joints. Well you will also see a lot of roadkill. A bloated opossum, baking in the summer heat on a blacktop, you can see the maggots on it and even smell it. It counterbalances the advertisements and kills your hunger. No matter how delicious
McDonald's makes that Big Mac look on the billboard, no one would be hungry. The placement would be
opossum between me and the billboard. I have changed the haiku to walking because that is a slower pass by the opossum getting the full effect of it's nastiness. My edit turns my haiku away from its original
message, but still has some of the same ideas. I can't seem to get all of this in one simple haiku, but I
will keep trying.

driving on the August blacktop
between the billboard and I
a bloated opossum

21 sylables, is that too long? I'm losing the Red and Golden effect of a McD's billboard in this version.
Instead of billoard, "McD's ad"? I think I like "McD's ad" better.

driving on the August blacktop
between the McD's ad and I
a bloated opossum

Now my concern is that, in English, gramitcally correct sentences would ensure that I am doing the driving
and not the opossum. Do writers of haiku need to worry about absurd things such as this? It is up to the
reader to make the story, so the reader should be able to picture themselves driving and not the
opossum...correct?

Cinder track
Cheers from the crowd
My son wins the race

cinder track
that's my son
First Place

my son races
on the cinder track
the crowd cheers

Rows of machines
Dropped in the last coin
Jackpot

riverboat casino
with my last coin
Jackpot

Rows of machines
last coin leaves my hand
Jackpot!

One coin
Slot machines
Jackpot

Fast asleep
The floor creeks
Eyes open

The flaws I see with this one are that it is not a momment in time. It's a series of events. I was
asleep. I heard a creek in the floor. Now I'm wide awake. So let's fix it to being wide awake right now.

my eyes wide open
after the floor creeks
during my deep sleep

sound asleep
a sound breaks the silence
wide awake

summer vacation
street lights come on
mother is calling

summer evening
outside playing until
the streetlights glow

Barren tree limbs swaying
Soft morning rain
Dimples in the creek

I see my breath
bursts of smoke
running in the cold, gray morning

Blood on the sidewalk
a skinned knee
the gold medal

An orange and red glow
Toes are toasty
We eat marshmallows

3-2-1
lights and horns
a kiss

two young friends stare
up at the stars
pondering life

clear summer night
two young friends' future
as they stare at the stars

lazy day
snuggled together
as the rain falls

lying in bed
snuggled together
as the cold rain falls

Dragon breath
Wild hair
A Childs embrace

wild hair
and dragon breath
my daughter’s morning hug

grandpa’s house
lungs filled with cancer
the doves take flight

grandpa’s funeral
so many tears
yet the cancer is gone

in a child’s hands
sunflowers dancing
at her mother’s funeral

mother’s funeral
sunflowers dancing
in a young child’s hands