Snow in my shoe
Abandoned
Sparrow’s nest
—circling cats

~~

I am nobody:
A red sinking autumn sun
Took my name away
—give it back, asshole!

~~
In the falling snow
A laughing boy holds out his palms
Until they are white
—the doctors try to reattach the fingers

~~

The crow took the sky,
brushing the clouds with its wings,
then folded them back,
—mangled in a jet engine.

~~

Empty baseball field
a robin hops along the bench
picking at peanut shells
—the bleachers have seen better days

~~

Office coffee break
we pretend not to notice
the new receptionist
—but welcoming cleavage defies

~~

First date at forty—
she straightens the salt shaker
between us twice
—hiding the damp between her legs

~~

Morning train delay
no one meets each other’s eyes
phone screens fill the car
—modern life really is rubbish

~~

Family reunion
we all share the same bad jokes
and different regrets
—but never speak of Uncle Jim

~~

Wedding reception—
the band plays “Unchained Melody”
for the third time
—give it a rest, guys

I decided to ruin some perfectly good haiku/senryu. All credit to the authors and their italicised original writing – whoever they are.

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Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

Flexibility Of The Will

Are you the robot that can adapt
When conditions change, and new facts arise?
An iron will may see you trapped
Flexibility is where your resilience lies