Liora Engel Smith
Coffee Break Haiku
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ContentsForeword 3
Nature and seasons 6
Work and School 11
Food 18
Odds and ends 24
Photo Credits 29
ForewordHaiku is perhaps the most
accessible form of poetry. There are no rhymes, meters or alliterations. Haikus only have two rules: they must have seventeen syllables in three lines (following a 5,7,5 pattern).
Haiku has its roots in Japan, where poets composed them as a form of meditation. Traditionally, poets wrote about the natural world, though modern poets have branched out to include just about every facet of life.
This book begins with traditional haikus about nature and seasons, but move onto other aspects of life,
4 Coffee Break Haiku 5
including work, school, and food. It is a compilation of fifteen of the best haikus I’ve written.
-Liora Engel-Smith
6 Coffee Break Haiku Nature and seasons 7
Nature walkSand, wind, and waterCaress jagged obsidianInto smooth pebbles
Nature and seasons
8 Coffee Break Haiku Nature and seasons 9
Winter Wonderland
Trash heaps and dog poopHide under charcoal gray snowWinter in the city
10 Coffee Break Haiku Work and School 11
Desert Parched Moon cactus Kowtows to the sun—nearby, A watering can
Work and School
12 Coffee Break Haiku Work and School 13
StressCross one, add two...three…Fifty...infinite to-dosCalculus of stress
TechnologyPrinter is on strike.Won’t work. Need a new one. NOW.The piggy bank quivers.
14 Coffee Break Haiku Work and School 15
LaterWashing dishes toAvoid homework— lazinessMakes the world cleaner
ChangesLate August routine:Back-to-school sales andHalloween candy
16 Coffee Break Haiku Work and School 17
NoiseSubway at rush hour:A toddler wails; her mom coosWhat did I just read?
18 Coffee Break Haiku Food 19
Food Temptation“Come,” they call me.I won’t...I shouldn’t...I want...OK.Crunch. Death by cookies.
20 Coffee Break Haiku Food 21
In the kitchenViolet magmaEbbs and flows--no moon to-nightMy jam defies nature.
Food shopping “Find Everything OK?”Asks the Whole Foods cashierI’ll miss you, paycheck.
22 Coffee Break Haiku Food 23
Packaged JoyProcessed sunshineO crimson ray of goodnessI heart you, Ketchup.
CannibalsPigeons brawl overA half-eaten chicken wing—You are what you eat
24 Coffee Break Haiku Odds and ends 25
Odds and ends
Darkness IHow selfish of me To solve the world’s problemsAnd ignore my own.
26 Coffee Break Haiku Odds and ends 27
Darkness IIA broken mirror:The illusion of knowledgeHalf-truths are toxic
28 Coffee Break Haiku Odds and ends 29
MarriageThe meaning of love:Hubby leaves toilet seat upBut lives another day
Photo CreditsTree photo: https://www.pinterest.com/
explore/circle-tattoos/
Philadelphia skyline: fineartamerica.com/art/all/philadelphia+skyline/all
Cactus: https://www.etsy.com/market/cactus_illustration
Subway: www.tumblr.com/tagged/Black-and-White-Graffiti
Cookie monster: www.deviantart.com/morelikethis/251318461
Girl sketch: https://www.pinterest.com/birdofparadise2/mirror-image/