Haiku & Selected Poems Volume II Read online




  Copyright

  Haiku & Selected Poems Volume 2

  Copyright Richard Kay 2015

  Revised 24/2/17

  Richard Kay asserts his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998 to be identified as the author of this work.

  Cover photograph by Eva Halsdorfer

  Cover Design by Robert Baines

  www.designbybertrude.co.uk

  Dedication

  To Robert a good friend, a talented artist and an eagle eyed proof reader.

  Contents

  Haiku

  Selected Poems

  Haiku

  swaying in the spring breeze

  bluebells in dappled sunlight

  come alive

  *****

  twilight falls

  the dawn chorus reprise

  hailing another day

  *****

  mellow moonlight

  lighting the way

  warmth bleached away

  *****

  a sea of concrete and asphalt

  a crack, struggling forth

  a pink bloom

  *****

  slug graffiti on the walls

  glittering in the morning light

  so much to say

  *****

  a hole

  through the clouds a glimpse

  of beyond

  *****

  the face of the hill

  criss-crossed

  by time worn tracks

  *****

  iron in the earth

  iron in the grass

  orange sheep

  *****

  trees sculptured

  by the seas salty gales

  bonsai

  *****

  sheep dotted across the hill

  spaced out just so

  spelling out a message

  *****

  toads arched back

  mottled legs ready to leap

  a leaf after all

  *****

  sudden flurry of wings

  a cacophonous chorus the gone

  winters messengers

  *****

  the cracked path

  deep black ice pooled

  depths reflected

  *****

  streetlight

  shinning behind the tree

  circular branches

  *****

  petals of red fire

  pollen shimmering orange

  eyes burning

  *****

  yellow pollen

  tickling through the air

  nose streaming

  *****

  walking to work

  rain pouring down water dripping

  from my nose

  *****

  walking home

  sun glowing on my face

  sweat trickling

  *****

  a glowing face

  bobs along, lithe fingers texting

  the lamppost

  Selected Poems

  Mirror

  I look in the mirror

  There is a face

  Staring blankly back at me

  I do not recognise

  It is not me

  Who can it be?

  Who can it be?

  Staring blankly

  Back at me

  A giddy feeling of detachment

  A rush of elation

  Fascination, not fear

  There is no one to feel fear

  Then it passes

  There I am again

  Starring quizzically, back

  At me

  Young love

  We met over bucket and spade,

  castles with turrets we made.

  We were so young,

  yet still we clung.

  Standing side by side,

  hoping ever to abide.

  Skimming stones on the sea,

  I love another said she.

  Emotions ebbed like the tide,

  then from you I fled to hide.

  ‘another’, such a hurtful word.

  It seemed all so absurd.

  Blanched and alone,

  bleached like bone.

  The deep hurt inside,

  I could never hide.

  Beautiful Freckles

  An oval face

  Milk white skin

  Freckles falling

  From head to chin

  Eyes open wide

  Full mouth parted

  Brown tresses dangling

  Eager to get started

  Dark eyes glinting

  Skin turning pink

  Back slowly arching

  Then beginning to sink

  Little button nose

  Nostrils begin to flare

  Breathing harder

  Writhing without a care

  Huineng

  Atop a hill he stood

  In the dark of night

  The moon shining bright

  Hand held aloft

  Finger pointing to the silver globe

  There lies the way

  The finger pointing to the moon, is not the moon

  To look at the moon one must look beyond the finger

  Words may point the way

  But then abandon all labels

  Experience for yourself

  Screens

  Going to work on the bus, staring at a little screen.

  At work all day, staring at a screen.

  On the bus again, staring at a screen.

  At home, time to relax staring at a screen.

  The weekend, staring at the silver screen.

  So long staring at screens.

  Now on the bus and the street,

  people seem mere shadow images

  to be stared at too, we go on staring.

  In cars staring through wind-screens,

  shadowy figures stare back.

  Shadowy forms that can be yelled and gestured at,

  after all they are mere shadows.

  Now when walking down the street

  we can wear Google goggles

  staring at screens through screens

  yelling and gesturing at other pedestrians.

  Screens, through screens, through screens

  all the world a shadow on the cave wall

  Chasing the dream

  In three years you could own this car

  There’s just a small percentage on our APR

  We can see your chomping at the bit

  Surely your account can take the hit

  Just a small deposit and it’s yours

  True, our logo is a set of claws

  But just look, the car has features galore

  Motoring in this will never be a bore

  After three years we will ask

  Another lump sum, no small task

  And now the car is worth much less

  Than you have been paying us, bless

  But then you could exchange your car

  You will be admired near and far

  Why not go around with us once more

  We have credit packages galore

  Plants

  Without thee

  we wouldn’t

  bee.

  Nursery

  One day a girl called Eleanor went to play,

  at her new nursery for half a day;

  Dad and Eleanor arrived on time,

  so he read her a nursery rhyme.

  After reading the book Dad had to run,

  being late for work was not much fun;

  Eleanor wanted Dad to read some more,

  but he couldn’t stay for evermore.

  Eleanor was a little sad at first,


  tears flowed down and she almost burst;

  teacher said ‘I can read to you’,

  ‘about bears who love porridge too’.

  ‘In this story is a little girl,

  with many a lovely golden curl;

  she loves to sleep on a nice soft bed,

  but to think of bears filled her with dread’.

  After the story Eleanor painted a cat,

  and upon the cats head a bright blue hat;

  then it was time for outside play,

  at this the class shouted hurray.

  Later that morning back inside,

  from the pouring rain they did hide;

  now she played with diggers and sand,

  with her good friend Henry lending a hand.

  Then it was time for the class to sit,

  on the carpet for just a little bit;

  listening to the tale of the ginger bread man,

  who really didn’t have such a great plan.

  At times it was hard sitting so near,

  to her friends all trying to hear;

  the story was exciting and dear,

  they gasped as the fox began to leer.

  Before she knew it there at the door,

  stood Daddy, ready once more;

  surely it wasn’t time to go home,

  then Eleanor saw the ice cream cone.

  Licking ice cream Eleanor talked of her day,

  and the wonderful time she had at play;

  having fun with her teacher and friend,

  she hoped nursery would never end.

  ###

  Dear Reader,

  If you enjoyed this book of poems, I would really appreciate it if you returned to the website where you downloaded it to add a review. As an independent author your positive reviews mean a lot to me.

  Thank you

  Richard Kay

  About the author

  The author admits that he did not really enjoy poetry all that much when he was at school except for E E Cummings who he thought was great. He had a mental image of poets flouncing around in big frilly shirts and swooning over the beauty of buttercups and the like. This really did not draw him to this area of literature.

  However, having recently read R.H. Blyth’s books on Haiku he felt the unexpected urge to give Haiku a go. The author enjoys the brevity of Haiku which can nonetheless portray vivid images, emotions and thoughts. Haiku explores the essential in the trivial and sees significance in the seemingly insignificant. Furthermore after listening to John Lithgow’s audio book on poetry the author even felt moved to give other forms of poetry a try. The author is currently searching online for flouncy shirts and quite likes snowdrops.

  Should you wish to contact the author his email address is [email protected]

  For more information about future projects and other publications please visit:

  www.richardhaiku.wordpress.com

  https://twitter.com/RichardHaiku

  About this book

  This book contains Haiku and selected poems, some are based on direct observation of the natural world, others are more philosophic in nature and some are of a lighter nature. The author has been published in the Spring 2014 and Winter 2015 editions of the World Haiku Review.