another paycheck

in haiku •  2 days ago


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    Wrinkles

    Some people fight them. Some people embrace them—proof of a life well-lived.

    Is this a poem about an old person reflecting on the changes that have taken place in his/her face over the course of a long lifetime, or is it a poem about a young person who is comfortable with the knowledge of what each smile is slowly creating?


    (1)

    smiling
    my face becomes
    a thousand-piece puzzle


    Empty Pockets

    These days, gas prices haven’t been particularly outrageous. It’s not like we’re experiencing a sudden spike in prices or anything, but having bought a bigger car two years ago, and with youthful memories of buying gas for less than a dollar a gallon, it’s a shock every time I have to fill the tank.


    (2)

    gas station
    another paycheck
    comes and goes


    Curiosities

    I’ve worked at a number of Japanese schools over the years. Many of them, I’ve noticed, have rundown animal pens of one kind or another. Until recently, I never paid much attention to any of them. They were simply objects that I passed by when entering and leaving each school.

    A few weeks ago, though, while watching children running around an empty rabbit hutch in a school courtyard, I realized that these were leftover relics, buildings that hint at a different time, one with different values and educational ideologies.


    (3)

    the empty rabbit hutch
    in the school courtyard
    a bygone time


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    Ear Hair

    After observing my body and grooming accordingly, I get in my car and leave for work. During the drive, for some reason, I think back on a high school classmate. I don’t know why, but my thoughts tend to go there about once a year.

    What happened to him on that day? I’ll always wonder.


    (4)

    longer now
    than your life
    my ear hair


    Gloomy Forecast

    Grey. Rain. Sleet. Rain. Grey. Monday through Friday. All week. Rain. But then …


    (5)

    sandwiched
    between two showers
    a touch of sunshine


    Nearing the End

    Are you someone who pays attention to expiration dates? Do you take things from the back of the shelf?

    I never used to be, but I’ve become one through the constant scolding of my wife.

    And now, having raised two children, I know that they apply to children as well, only they aren’t written as clearly.


    (6)

    expiration dates
    pulling bedtime stories
    from the back of the shelf


    Budgeting

    Kids get bigger. The price of everything goes up. The kids need more. They use more. Even we, aging, begin to cost more.

    At the end of the week. At the end of the month. At the end of the year.

    All those fun things we used to do.

    These days, we do less and less.


    (7)

    inflation
    our pastimes slowly
    disappear


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    As always, thank you for reading.

    All poems and images are original. If you have any comments, feedback, or suggestions, please feel free to share them.

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