unheard

unheard melodies

in the summer wind

shadows dancing

Third place, Caribbean Kigo Kukai. A bit poetical for my taste, but I guess I was in the mood.

almost

almost all 

I'll ever know

sunrise

plants

power plant . . .

a world without birds

or plants

This began as a reflection on a news story about the harm being done to birds by solar power plants. Recognizing that solar power is a less bad option than available alternatives, I widened the view to include power plants in general.

But have we reached a point in our despoiling of the planet where the less bad option is the best we can hope for?

oscar

oscar also-ran

at a weekday matinee

I am the audience

ps

ps: Since posting "56" I have learned that the correct number might be 67. Seems the House has lost count, too.        

what he says

what he says about

a nuclear winter . . .

snow softly falling

I've just posted a slightly different version of this at Daniele's blog. The haiku to which I was responding was written to the prompt "nuclear."

56

In my most recent post I noted that I have lost count of how many times the US House of Representatives has voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. I can now report that, as of this posting, the number is 56.

John McCain, US Senator from Arizona and Republican presidential candidate in 2008, recently asked, "Isn't that the definition of insanity, voting for the same bill over and over again?"*

To be sure, he wasn't talking about voting to repeal Obamacare in the House, but of voting to defund the Department of Homeland Security in the Senate. But the principle seems applicable in both cases, and, after all, the Senate has only voted on defunding three times. So far.

*According to an article in Salon, this is the most overused cliche of all time. And, in the interests of accuracy, it's doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Let's get our cliches straight.

2/4/15

House votes

to repeal Obamacare

snow on snow

Am I the only one who has lost count of how often the House of Representatives (or, more precisely, its Republican members) has done this? Ah, well, every "major political party" should have a hobby.

gray

winter gray

a jet engine whines across

my nerves

grisaille invernale

le couinement d'un moteur

me tape sur les nerfs

I posted my haiku as a comment at Daniele's blog, and she responded with this elegant translation.

willow

first pussy willow

I open my notebook

of unfinished poems

The pussy willow was sighted in Scotland by our friend Juliet, the crafty green poet. This ku was posted as a comment at her blog.