Herring Poems

If you desire to see Dad tickled,
give him all these dishes, pickled:
eggs, for which he often begs;
onions, he loves more than Funyuns;
red beets, herring, and cucumbers--
give him servings in huge numbers;
peppers, okra, celery
make him happy as can be;
carrots, watermelon rind--
for...Read More

Pickled ham and pickled beef
Cause weak stomachs too much grief


Did you know they pickle cherries
Grandma ate some; said three Hail Marys


In glass jars, store pickled tomatoes
Do not try this with wet potatoes


Russians all swear by pickled herring
Grate in radish and...Read More

Yamaguchi Seishi haiku modern English translations

Grasses wilt:
the braking locomotive
grinds to a halt.
—Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch

Ceaseless chaos—
ice floes clash
in the Soya straits.
—Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch

Having crossed the sea,
winter winds can never return.
—Yamaguchi Seishi,...Read More

Yamaguchi Seishi haiku translations

Grasses wilt:
the braking locomotive
grinds to a halt.
? Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch

Ceaseless chaos?
ice floes clash
in the Soya straits.
? Yamaguchi Seishi, loose translation by Michael R. Burch

Once they’ve crossed the sea,
winter winds can never return.
?...Read More

Daffodils in bloom
We all did assume
But if they did die
We all know why
The sun is murder
Pushed ever further
By the uncaring
And religion is a red herring
For profit is their king
And his praises they sing
A path to green paved with bones
And a...Read More

Pickled herring in a pie?
Scrumptiously delicious. Do or die?
The idea makes me ask grandma why….
Do you use wheat or rye?

Marmalade makes it a great buy.
The combination is easy to try.
Mustard too and will we need to fry
Pickled herring in a...Read More

Fall’s felicitous red herring —
the mystery of leaves morphing.
The autumnal applause fairing.
Verdant heat and daylight dwarfing.

The horologic ticker chimes,
as lines are drawn on pumpkins patched.
Gramps, it’s apple picking time. 
The scarecrow’s wise with balding thatch.

Forensic crisp of maple leaves —
children...Read More

IF YOU PULL A LONG FACE: 42

If you pull a long-bored acrimonious face
Looking hardly at anyone passing your way
Your sunken cheeks spiting your own face
But those bitter bitten lips will give you away

If you keep pulling that long forsaken-look face
Wondering...Read More

Nori's Story Fills Will's Bill
Sidney Says, "Touch Your Kidney"
Will Says, "Mine Almost Did Me"
Nori ,"I'll Share!  I've One Spare, Rid Me"

Such Daring! Behold Bold Caring,
Hearing This Story, You Can't Help "Staring",
A Whale of a Tale, Not Merely a Herring!

We...Read More

You have the hysterical look of mutes
that roar through narrow straws.
I see in your yellow eyes – a Jules Verne winking moon.
Soon that ribbed pink cave will release
another flock of demented coots
hacked from the craw of an ancient macaw.

Soon the...Read More

Homeward Bound


Land of mango and avocado 
Sweet , mild and refreshing 
Cassava bread with tea, coffee and hot cocoa 

Fresh meaty young coconut 
It’s water crisp and refreshing
 
Glazed peanut, cashew and coconut for a quick snack or dessert 
Spaghetti...Read More

One night an octopus said,
Those whelks should be in bed.
Said the herring to the plaice,
Would you please say grace.
"I say" said a passing whale,
"Is that kipper for sale."
There is somethingvery odd,
Repied a bewildered cod.
"Excuse me" asked the shark,
"Did you hear...Read More

The North Sea, brown, and flecked with white
That threw itself in angry spite
Against those solid stony walls
That kept the harbour safe from squalls....
Those gentle waves of blue and green
That rippled by me, so serene....
The memories flood back to me;
When I...Read More

There is a harbor, dark and still, 
That formed ten thousand years ago. 
It lies upon the western sill 
Of Grand Manan, in indigo. 

Seagulls soar above the cliffs. 
Puffins nest on jagged rock. 
From herring weirs, in island skiffs,...Read More

upon
the 
airship wingspan
where
the yellow beak 
herring gulls
drift 
in nautical miles
and
touch the fingertips of
ocean waves
without
fear or doubt
but
rejoice in it
with
constant jubilee
where
they dwell
in 
peace harmony
and 
kinship
above water
above land
oh
heavenly father
praise God...Read More

"50 Words for Poe: Strangelove"


Strangelove was waiting  
in Holdnerness
He was anticipating 
with a certain glee 
The “Arrival” of 
Ms Bon Vivant, her sharpness
and sharing conversation 
over Kumquat Jam, Scones and 
clotted cream at High Tea, 
near the High Flyers’...Read More

Life's a carnival ride, a bag of barkers and crabs
pinching the mind with pink toys and shiny swag
stuffing your mind with sweet soft fuzzy things
wraps you in heavy chains and a cold nose ring,
leads you to a fiery, Ferris wheel...Read More

The gods awoke early that day,
For the sun had swallowed the moon
And left a ragged, gaping wound in the sky.
It bled darkness like cold oil,

Threatening to stain all that they had labored to create,
Not the least of which, humankind,
Had yet...Read More

Long ago
a year or so
I received accolades a plenty
I won this, and I won that
I was on top of it all
I was almost the whole shebang
I was important
I was all about me
I pandered and pounded
I wanted attention and I won
I...Read More

A smile is cast 
   like fishing net
      across a crowded room.

Intended eyes
   have caught the cast,
      the gesture returned soon,

but other eyes
   throughout...Read More

SAD SEA TALE

There was once an old man of the ocean
For a mermaid he had a devotion
But instead of two pins
She’d a tail and some fins
Which precluded their harmonic motion

But in spite of her disparate corpus
They maintained their romance polymorphous
‘Til...Read More

herring gulls flocking
foraging at the beaches 
 disappearing lunch

7/27/18
  
Contest - Son of Senryu
Sponsor - Brahn Bailey...Read More

Zeroed out fire
Airformed herring ash
747 crash...Read More

I could not paint a better picture,
Than the one in front of me,
Of twists and turns of the canal,
Bordered by endless trees.

A warm day with a slight breeze,
Giving the grass moving shadows of leaves,
Multiple species of birds stop by,
Some on...Read More

Haibun 2017 - Me Feeding The Ducks Winter 2010/11
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feeding the hungry, ducks, geese, swans, moorhen, coot, and gulls. The image depicts me in the winter of 2010. I hasten to add that to this day I’m still feeding them, and...Read More