The Cracked Door – Daily Haikus
Reflections on life, the world, and society. Come explore with me.
My home is not where
I will sleep tonight
Nor where I will sleep tomorrow.My home is not where
Everything seems right,
And I finally feel at peace.My home is not where
Those I love live
Nor where those I live with loveMy home is not where
I can sit easy and
Stay putMy home is where
My heart is
As it flutters across
The moving landscape of the world
Context (if you’re interested):
I was thinking about to what extent I feel at home while traveling the world.
Argumentative
Antagonistic
Adversarial
Aggressive
AltercationBad-tempered
Bold
Bombastic
Bad-mouthed
BelligerentCantankerous
Combative
Conflicting
Conflating
ConnivingControversial
Contentious
Cheeky
Cross
Debating
Dramatic
DrawnDaring
Dangerous
Debating
DisparagingDisbelieving
Disregarding
Dismissive
Disrespectful
Disputing
Disdainful
DeceivingEscalated
Elevated
Fractious
Flippant
FlightyDisruptive
Disturbed
Encroaching
IntrudingFierce
Fiery
Gladiatorial
HawkishFriction
Defensive
Factional
Intensifying
Dissenting
Heightened
Finishing
FinalFlinching
Foregoing
Fleeing
Defensive
Guarded
Hemming
Fenced
HedgingFenced-In
Fastened
Fortified
Firm
FoolproofHome
Free
Healing
Frank
Gentle
Healthy
Happy
Context (if you’re interested):
I’m trying something new with today’s poem: telling a story/stories through list of words.
I know you didn’t have forever,
But I thought you had longer than this.
I wish we could have talked
Even hugged
Without that other looming face
Standing in between us
Context (if you’re interested):
Someone I know just died. That is what I am working through here.
I woke up, matchbox
In hand, seeing the city
Burn, no memory
Of what happened, but knowing
I enjoy watching it burn
Context (if you’re interested):
Based on a poem called “Charred Hems” in a book of poems at my homestay in Manila that I misplaced the name of. Ironically, I’m sending this on my way back to a big city.
The used up lovers
Are the most tender of all,
For they have already
Broken one heart before
Context (if you’re interested):
I was thinking about this reading a book of love poetry, but I cannot remember the name of the book anymore. It got me thinking about how those who have others’ hearts (at least those who did so with remorse) tend to be the most gentle the next time around.
One more year has passed
On this task without
The appearance of an end
To travel the whole world.The more I travel,
The bigger the world seems.Will this be worth my remaining youth
To see it all, to go go go?
What will I think when I look back
At this time as an old person?
Maybe I’m already an old person now.
Context (if you’re interested):
Today’s my birthday. This was my reflection on the last year.
Is life cruel?
It brought me you,
But it prevented me
From ever actually
Enjoying that.
Context (if you’re interested):
This poem based on an unnamed poem in “You Are Here” by Dawn Lanuza.
Neither still streams nor
Roaming rivers can divide
The love that binds us
Context (if you’re interested):
Based on the poem that Tsogt Khung-Taiji carved into the rock at Delgerkhan in Mongol
Big boulevards, narrow streets
Grid layout, squirrelly alleyways
Big imposing rusty iron door, warm interior
Flat sprawl, many stairs
Snow in September, but it doesn’t stick
Context (if you’re interested):
Can you guess what city this is about? (Not the city where the image comes from; that’s just a stock image.)
Fine food costs hundreds of yuan
Fine delicacies on a plate of jade,
But I set my chopsticks down, unable to eat
My mind lost in a maze
I want to speak with the others,
To hear their stories and share adventures,
Not to sit here alone eating fine food
Context (if you’re interested):
Loosely based on “Hard is the Journey” by Li Bai, but I am not satisfied with it. I decided to write my own story in a poem that follows the story beats he set out. This is my first attempt to do that.