Shiki, Shiki, Shiki Can't You See?

"Sometimes your words just hypnotize me . . ."
Can any poet ask for higher praise?
This is a series of Haiku/Senryu that riffs off of lines from famous hip-hop songs. It might be the most fun I've had writing in a long time. As I come up with more I'll be adding them, so check back. Judging from the reaction on my Facebook page "Don't call it a comeback" is one of the best haiku I've ever written. Special shout out to Coyote, @Coyotesings on Twitter whose brilliant haiku;

hands in the air • like they just don't care.. • delphiniums

was the inspiration for my series. Since this is the internet there are links to the original songs for those of you who might not recognize the lines. Shiki of course is the great haiku master who modernized and elevated haiku to a literary art form and gave it the recognition it deserved.

Bass

How low can you go-

Evening thunder 

Don't push me

cuz I'm close to the edge-

Silent lightning

PSK

we're making that green-

Lawn sprinkler whirls

La Di Da Di

we like to party-

Squirrels zigzag

Allow me

To reintroduce myself-

The Summer breeze

F*ck tha Police

coming straight from the underground-

Tulips with attitude

Don't call it a comeback

We been here for years-

Hum of cicadas

Set it off
on the right Y'all -
Snowplows at dawn

A hip a hop

a hip to the hippety-

Bullfrogs break at dawn

The roof the roof

the roof is on fire- 

Summer sunset

Hot butter

on Say What popcorn-

Fresh lip gloss

Set it off

set set set set it off-

Autumn leaves ablaze

And until next we meet, may all your potatoes be sweet (and dusted with cinnamon.)

Happy Birthday

May Nineteenth-

The wind bends two sunflowers

into an X

And until next we meet, may all your potatoes be sweet (and dusted with cinnamon).

2013 May Haiku/Senryu

Chess tournament-
my son moves
from my shadow

Morning fog-

The furious roar 

of the ocean

Memorial Day-

She googles a knot

for her hanging chair

Following the path

I stumble on a Ku

Obscure Landmark-

Jazz pianist modulates

to a higher key

Divine Comedy-

Dante walks a mile

for a camel

Two bathers

on the beach puffing-

Cumulus clouds

No toilet paper-

Behind the wrong eye

an itch

Caught between

the couch and the wall-

Her laughter

Back porch

just after the last puff-

First cicada

Taking a cue

from the mottled ball-

His bald spot

Cherry blossoms

glistening with dew-

Her new lipstick

February dawn-

Shoveling a path to

the grill

Asleep in the car-

a seagull on the hood

cocks his head

Atop a pole

hot wiring the cable box-

A squirrel blinks

My father

dominates the room

from his urn

Memorial Day-

A neighbor salutes

with tongs

Above the grill

so many crows on the line

counting briquettes 

Back turned

bowed head searching-

Miles smiles

This dealer's mustache • caterpillar on a branch

Standing

in a long line for work-

Black ants

Soaring over

the beach volleyball net-

Seagulls

Summer sunset-

The shadows of her dreadlocks

grow longer

Summer glare-

The sarcasm

in her tone

On the river-

A boat sunk by

Quad Kings

First and U Streets-

Between these fat raindrops

gunshots

After our fight-

Finding the peanut butter

in the fridge again

Camp bonfire-

The fluttering wings

of a giant moth

August heat-

My son brushes the bare

bottom of the grill

August heat-

The drunk drinks

an empty bottle

Labor Day-

Sweat beads the neck

Daddy's beer

Slapping her

bare bottom-

Old pond

Bright welts racing

down the back of my legs-

Hot Wheel tracks

Purring in the bed-

A cat that is not

my cat

His words 

wrapped around six croakers-

Muhammad Speaks

After church

on the old tube radio-

Immaculate Reception

Red eyes-

Clemente's plane

unfound

New Year's Day-

Right Field in Three Rivers

unoccupied

Empty Boardwalk-

The silent journey 

towards yourself

Evening thunder-

Daddy's drunken voice through

the bedroom door

Speeding cars-

The stillness of a tern

in the road

Traffic

congests

arteries

Brown

banana

boy

Go-Go
Godfather
gone

Four AM-
Even the crack zombies
tire

Crack of dawn-
Thin woman scours the spaces
in the sidewalk

Her new tattoos-
Arched eyebrows

Thunderheads
parting
lips

Afternoon sun
shiny and unblinking
Nephew's glass eye

Pointing towards 

the abandoned house- 

Used needles

Scabs 

on a junkies' forearm- 

New neighborhood maps

Soggy Marine 

holds umbrella over Prez- 

Afternoon shower

Old Kentucky Home-

Even the Marriage Records

are segregated

August heat-

The kink in the rope 

between her teeth

Summer heat-

A parted head under

a hot comb's glow

Saturday sunlight-

Orange flames devour 

mother's hair

Wisp of smoke- 

Newports and hot combs glow 

between teeth

Crescent moon-

Midnight light treat
Orange slices

Afternoon sun-
Daddy's smile through double
Plexiglass

"You Are My Starship"-
The shape of William's
casket

These metal bars-
The creases in Daddy's 

orange jumpsuit

Her fingertips
on the back of my neck-
What lies unsaid

And until next we meet, may all your potatoes be sweet (and dusted with cinnamon.)