Haikus

(An Assortment of haikus written between 1964 and 1966)

Grady McMurtry

Smoky the Bear contemplating

Sounds of tourists departing:

A pile of tin cans in a high wind.

(Japan Air Lines 1964 National Radio Haiku Contest Selection)

—

Runnel toothed pelvic tree root

Carved by the strontium enriched rain drop

Happiness is a Mickeymouse Civilization!

(10-24-64)

—

New car showroom blare lights

Shiny little pieces of God shimmer, glimmer

Tinsel I love to touch

(10-24-64)

—

Department store Santa canned laughter

Ho! Ho! Ho! echoes the parking lot!

America’s great big mechanical heart.

(10-25-64)

—

Mutant, the wild sport species

Glowing by night in the suburb

Strontium 90, I love you!

(10-26-64)

—

Dinosaur state of Hobbes’ choice

Shining in your armor plate waste land

Rust and Fall rains cometh

(12-22-64)

—

Android tech in space drift

Dead in the milling asteroids

What now, Deux Ex Programmer?

(12-22-64)

—

Painless Cartesian automata

Replacing your spare parts from the freezer

A wonderful world is Cyborgia!

(12-22-64)

—

Procrusted Red “Wall”

Bloodied chopping block logic

Back to the tree-tops!

(1-1-65)

—

Anubic New Moon

Guiding our steps in Night World

Who is holding your hand?

(1-11-65)

—

“Springtime” on Phobos:

On bright-side of far Home World

Are the healing woods.

(1-16-65)

—

Alienation

Cold! the desiccated heart

Back to the pack, Jack

(2-11-65)

—

Up! Out! Astronaut!

Down, Fall firefly, on failed wings

Burning, offering

(2-16-65)

—

Drop! Imperial

Space Marine! Your valor mocks

The carrion flesh

(2-17-65)

—

Virgins of the Queen

Holy Order of Dead Men

Blaze! Magian Star!

(2-17-65)

—

Maid of the Star Drifts

Magian hieroglyphs

In your “Cave of Space!”

(2-18-65)

—

Leap, Holy Dead Man!

In the clasp of Our Maiden

Shines the Star-Son “child!”

(2-22-65)

—

Drop! Imperial

Space Marine. Your Gothic soul

Your Heart’s dread desire

(2-22-65)

—

Explode! drained “White Lamb.”

See! Glowing in Her Fire-Grail

Your transforming Blood!

(2-23-65)

—

Love is one person

Male-Female symbiosis

In the goblin night

(May 10, 1965)

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Sporting, cavorting

Nobles of the Mystic Shrine

Sad-eyed, the clown types

(7-15-65)

—

Cold and silence. Share

My star-light continuum

With the rocks and trees.

(Atu 12, The Hanged Man) (7-21-65)

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Barbaric nonthink

Intellectual wasteland

Catbox the Tiger

(10-13-65)

—

Faith of our fathers:

Vigilante beheading

As spectator sport

(10-13-65)

—

Rivers of dry leaves

Rushed by cold wind

Rustle for summer rain

(11-18-65)

—

Cruelty becomes

Your implacable justice

Immortal youth-gods

(April 7, 1966)

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