haikus

Tom here again. This week's class involved more going out into the street and finding interesting scenes for about 20 minutes and coming back to discuss. He gave us a structured form to fit, and so here's some of the things I saw

She colors her hair

and gabs with the beautician

her man stands nearby

pacing near the door he looks

far too long in his wallet

A broken old man

hermit crabbed over yogurt

his spoon barely lifts

his mouth drops open slowly

lets it meander inside

then his eyes widen

his pace quickens near the end

he scrapes down the walls

intent on getting his fill

when satisfied he looks up

and lets out a silent sigh

(from a poster on the classroom wall)

cauliflower clouds

oppressive humidity

a featureless plain

Marge had the scrambled eggs

Ann had the mushrooms

Marge: "I don't think there's an end in sight"

Anne wondered if the wine bottles on the shelf,

arranged 3 deep, were in a particular order

alphabetical, by vintage, maybe even biographical.

"Nobody was prepared for it to go on for this long"

Anne sees a girl without sideburns

at the edge of her stool chewing too quickly

"You'd think nobody was in control" she clucked

A barista with coke bottle glasses wipes a spoon

with the edge of her neon pink surgeon's smock

"I think it's clear who should be responsible"

Anne notices an impatient blonde male behind the counter

biting his lower lip, he keeps his finger on the button

waiting for his shot to pull

The chrome coffeemaker rumbles on

his brow is the inverse of furrowed

A leather bracelet on one arm, she wonders why

his watch on the other is stopped, 3 hours late.