from Drunken Robins
(David Oates)
he teaches Logic and Ethics
never picked for jury
rushing by the scenic overlook—again
mountain drive --
winding and dipping,
climbing and braking, and then
Oh, God, a sign
"Hill"
bare kudzu vines swallow the tree
from under them, pale spring leaves
vacant lot --
in the grass,
small pecans
the sight of home’s hills
after a week at the beach
first swallow of wine
rusty old car
decorated today—
“JUST MARRIED”
gray dawn,
motion-detecting porch light
flicks on
as a catbird hops
From the collection Drunken Robins (Brick Road Press, 2011), by David Oates. Oates writes: This is a collection of favorites from over twenty years’ accumulation of haiku and senryu, mostly written while living in rural Appalachia for 6 years and then Athens, Georgia for 16. I have tried to follow the precept of catching the crucial details of a moment that struck me, giving those to you without my specific reaction. In following the advice of Basho, I have not tried to write as if I were in medieval Japan, but rather have drawn inspiration from the nature and human nature I see around me.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment