Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Harvesting Haibuns #8


Hope

                      Running for and from hope simultaneously, it’s the journey that holds and gifts the
                      greatest impact. No matter whether we receive a shiny new toy or a lump of coal,
                      Santa remains the same.

Cold evening walks
Searching for peace of mind and spirit
Finding Discipline


Peace

                      Thunder angrily surfs along the wicked waves of wind, an amateur who never fails
                      to wipe out against the power lines. Freshly-brewed Barry’s tea steams steadily at 
                      the lack of attention it’s receiving—understandable, is it not? Our eyelids nod as
                      if in agreement and soon there’s nothing more to do but dream of the incredible.

Divine serenity
Something unharnessed and swift
Elusive and sweet
B.A.M.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Conversations #11: Perspectives, Part 3


“How’s it goin’?”
“Eh, seen better days.”
“Hah, I feel ya.”
“Where you headed?”
“Virginia, Suffolk. You?”
“Ah. I’m headed all the way down to Florida.”
“Damn, really? Man, you’re lucky. Haha.”
“Not any luckier than the next man; I have a court date there tomorrow.”
“Ohhh…Anything serious?”
“Robbed a bank.”
“WHAAAAA—“
“Shhh! Keep it down kid.”
“Woahh…uhh…why?”
“Why’d I rob it?”
“Yeah.”
“Needed the money.”
“But, I mean…you don’t have a job or nothing?”
“I was a janitor at my kid’s elementary school.”
“Maaan. And you got caught?”
“Nah, turned myself in.”
Really? After you got away with it and everything??”
“Yep. Put my little girl on a plane to Ecuador with about a million dollars waiting for her with her grandma.”
“Why Ecuador?”
“Well, I’m Ecuadorian…almost all my family is down there to look after her, and that million will carry her ‘till she’s old enough to go to college.”
“Wow…that’s some plan, man. But, hold up; why didn’t you go with her?”
“I knew I wouldn’t make it through the airport. So I laid low and took care of a few loose ends.”
“…By loose ends…”
“What was your name, again?”
“Oh, uh, Damien.”
“Chuck. Nice to meet you, kid.”
“Yeah, you too man. So…why’d you tell me all this?”
“Well, I might not be talkin’ to anyone for a long time; figured I might as well get it all out while I still have the chance…and you don’t look like a snitch.”
“What? Me? Nah, man, nah, I’m cool.”
“Good.”
“Uhh…So you’ll get less time for turning yourself in?”
“Exactly. I didn’t have anything to lose anyway.”
“What you mean?”
“I was about to get laid off by the school. The bank was threatening to foreclose our little bungalow. No money, no house, no car, no food…pretty soon, jail starts looking real good, you know?”
“Damn…so that’s why you sent her away.”
“Yeah. She’ll be alright without me for a few years.”
“Ahh, right, so how lo—“
“Isn’t this your stop?”
“Oh…yeah, my bad. Take it easy pal, and good luck.”
“Look out for yourself, kid.”
B.A.M.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Harvesting Haibuns #7


Emerald Sea

                         Speeding down the country road, we sit in silence and stare on in shock as
                         the Emerald Sea cascades around us. It remains calm, and yet it gently
                         threatens to envelop us at the slightest mishap.

Following Moses
Blind from any danger
The warmth of peace


Precious

                        Opening the door hesitantly, I peer inside, and I am indeed alone. I sigh
                        deeply between pants; finally, peace at last. Sauntering over to my rightful
                        seat, I relish the space and begin to think optimistically of the day ahead.
                        Before I’m halfway finished, however, I feel an ominous frost start to seep
                        into my bones. A chill creeps its way up my spine, and I know my troubles
                        have caught up with me.

As we sit in class
Endless thoughts plague my conscience
And then, we are free
B.A.M.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Conversations #10: Perspectives, Part 2


“You know what I hate the most Damien?”
“Nah, what?”
“Girls.”
“Girls?”
“Yep.”
“…”
“What?”
“Ray, I see you trying to get with a girl every single day. What the heck are you talkin’ about man??”
“I mean, yeah, I’ll be hitting on girls all day every day! Hahah. I just meant, I can’t deal with that dating and relationship crap.”
“Ahhhh. Yeah bro, I feel you on that one. The dating game is bs.”
“See? Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. I’ll never deal with that crap.”
“Never? Don’t you wanna get married and have a family and everything?”
“Eh, I’ll adopt. Hah!”
“Forreal though??”
“Eh, I dunno man. I just really don’t wanna go—“
“AWWW, COME ON!! THAT WAS HOLDING REF!! #&@%&!!!”
“—worth it.”
“What?? Couldn’t hear you; the fool with the face paint was goin’ crazy.”
“Ohh. I just said I don’t really wanna go through all that again, it’s just not worth it.”
“Ohh. Ray, don’t tell me you’re gonna let one female get to you like that. Come on homie.”
“I don’t know man. We’ll see what happens.”
“Alright look down there for a second. See all those cheerleaders down there, with their short skirts and 40 pounds of makeup?”
“Yeah?”
“How many of ‘em do you think want to be with a good dude?”
“Probably all of them.”
“Exactly. Now, out all those—there’re like 30 down there— how many do you think are gonna last past graduation?”
“How many relationships?”
“Yeah.”
“Uhhh…I dunno, probably like two or three? Haha.”
“Hah, exactlyyy my dude! That’s what I’m sayin’. And why do you think that is?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they’re just stupid.”
“Well, yeah, some of ‘em. But really though, these girls just be expecting too much. And not just cheerleaders, but all girls our age. “
 “Man, tell me about it.”
“Like, dang, we’re only human! You know what I mean?”
“Yeah man exa—“
“A SACK?? WHAT THE HELL!!! COME ON RUTHESSNOFER!! GET YOUR S*** TOGETHER!!!”
“—dudes are better.”
“What?!?”
“What?? I just said ‘exactly. I used to think girls were more chill, but dudes are better.”
“OH. Man, we gotta move.”
“Nahh, come on dude, I’m too lazy.”
“Hah, you bum. Aiight then. So you really wouldn’t wanna do the whole family thing?”
“Nah, I mean, I wanna have kids though, but not really a wife.”
“Man, that’s crazy my dude.”
“Yeah, well…Okay, so I think about it like this. I’d rather have a best friend to chill with my whole life—just chilling, smoking, goin’ out, maybe find a place to rent in NYC together (pause)—and all that— just living our lives, basically—than be held down by a girl that’s always asking me where I am, what I’m doin’, who I’m with, blah blah blah.”
“Ahh, aiight. I can kinda see where you’re coming from.”
“Yeah man. Like, who really wants that? I just wanna chill man. Get a good job as a Physical Therapist or maybe teaching physical therapy or something, get a nice middle-sized house, couple cars, couple dogs—“
“Hahaha! You and your pets mann. You gonna have like a whole zoo, huh?”
“Haha, nahh. Just a couple dogs, a snake probably…maybe a something weird, like a ferret!”
“A ferret? What even is that?
“I’ll show you when we get back to the suite.”
“Aiight then.”
“But yeah, man. I Just wanna live a normal, middle-class kinda life. Oh, and eventually open that—“
“TOOUUCHHHHDOWWWNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!”
“SHUT UP YOU FAT PIECE OF—“
“WOAH, woah, Damien, chill man, chill. It’s all good.”
“Nah man! This guy—!”
“YOU WANNA GO BRAH?? HUH?? DO YA???”
“Yo, CHILL OUT man! Dame, let’s be out.”
“I’ll whup his ass. You don’t think I can?”
“I know you can, but you already got suspended once.”
“I don’t care, man. It’s dudes like these that—”
“YEAH, YOU BETTER RUN AWAY.”
“—get on their knees more.”
“Yeah, he’s definitely gay, dude. At least we got outta there—yo, let’s sit down there.”
“What? Gay?? Why you think he was gay?”
“’Cause he was making out with some dude whenever he wasn’t shouting. You didn’t see ‘em?”
“Ohhhh.”
B.A.M.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Harvesting Haibuns #6


Almost Home

                          There are few things sweeter than the feeling of not only knowing, but 
                          being able to reach out and feel the warmth of salvation after untold ages
                          in the desert. Feelings like this can change a man.

No justice given
But warmth and happiness abound
Finally, almost


Reminisce

                         All it takes is a smell, a taste, a touch, a sound, or an environment to send
                         us all back to the times which were cruel, the times which were happy, or 
                         the times that wore a well-made mask.

Awareness aids
In unveiling reality
And unraveling the past
 B.A.M.