Clare McCullough

Haikus from 4/3/22

The Rabbit eats grass

Grass eats the rabbit

Everyone shows up for dinner

.

.

In the morning I

bathe in cold water

and become the land

.

.

Spring grass, autumn tree

pale green are new shoots of leaves

then brighten to red

.

.

Flower floating down

resting like a pink butterfly

on my twitching nose

.

.

All I see is red

leaves, apple, heart, shoes, flowers

my ego bursts out

.

.

Take my grandma off

her meds because stupidity

will heal swollen legs

.

.

I stop believing

God when he tells me that spring

won’t last forever

.

.

There are better ways

to complete tasks than

orderly one by one

.

.

Take my hands hostage!

you do not need any rope for-

I will follow you

.

.

Leaves whisper among

the sound of the rushing wind

In shade, a deer stands

.

.

Connected by words

perhaps more than a language

loving is a verb

.

.

Washing your hands is-

music, chords of muscle, water

soap, notes, keys, and hope

Haikus from 2014

Slow my woman blooms

unfamiliar Crescendo 

Only dreams of curled toes

Cigarette burns.   On

Arms to distract from pain

Of the mental sort

I treat holidays

Like work days and workdays like

Holidays too short

Feet and hands too cold

Stiff and bloated they hang   Like

Full orange moon In Sky

Sixteen years have past

I am on my seventeenth

Anything new dude?

Discovering

Newfound Sexuality

Is discouraging

heavy feet, walk on water

slipping to bottom

everything green and blue

Repeating Thoughts

I repeat thoughts a lot

Like

I love you

I miss you

I just wanna kiss you

What should I have for

Dinner today.

Should I Use the Paring Knife

With the Brown Handle

And Nicked

Blade

In the Drawer.

I admit I am a creature of habit

The lights aren’t always lit

In this home of a body and-

Houses sometimes get broken into

So It follows that you mustn’t wallow

You must walk around hollow

Some days

And Smile cause maybe

You’ll mean it 

tomorrow

Snap of the Whip

Whimpering fire

Snap of the Whip

Stones grinding then

Clack Clack Clack

Flame spills over the wood

Crack Crack Crack

The wind blows less gentle

Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh

Every time the earth sits

Creak Creak Creak

On the edge of its ellipse

(…) (…) (…)

My home in a city by a lake

Crash Crash Crash

Cream-colored brick

Thump Thump Thump

Fire flashes then

Blink Blink Blink

With a light so bright that

Crack Crack Crack

It ignites and a stray spark

Clack Clack Clack

Drifts to me and I am the sun itself

Snap of the Whip

Delta

Waning and waxing

My heart is like the

Crescent Moon;

Soft buttery craters/

– Obscured by candlelight/

Flicker fire lit the wicker chair

Oh woe to those reeds

Those that bend those that

– Break and swell/

Waves commanded by/

That cruel changing moon.

I, Ladybug (or the power of small things)

The aphid tasted good.

Rough grass irritated

my wiggling six legs.

Talented black spots 

decorated my ambitious

red wings.

Yet unobserved 

by the sharpest hawk’s eye 

with a clear blue sky.

I, Ladybug

matched the color

of the bright burnt sun. 

I, Ladybug

soared over mountains

and burrowed under fallen leaves

by the rushing stream

finding my way between

the cracks of a tree

near invisibility leading

to immutability

I, Ladybug, marched beneath the 

door frame and

right onto your page.

I pass those pennies by!

When I was young

I thought I was little.

Spending my time

running to pennies 

on the street 

filling up my pockets

hoping 

to increase my value 

The shiny bits of copper worth 

more than my soul worth

more than my body

 my heart and my mind 

more than my time

But, no way I could 

grow in stature and size

With my pockets 

weighing me down

Now,

I pass those pennies by!

When I will be old

I think I will be

as tall as the tallest mountains

And like the mountains,

Gold will glow in my veins

Remembering facts that even the smartest

Man will forget

Hair will sprout over me like grasses

And like the mountains,

My skin will be

reinvented by the wind, the rivers, 

the ice, and the living things.

Join our Mailing list!

Get all latest news, exclusive deals and event updates.