dagosan's haiku diary

still standing - Christmas 2011

2011-12-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

.
.
leaning into the wind
holiday smiles
bright as ever

- photo taken Dec. 1, 2011, Schenectady NY Stockade Historic District, Lawrence Circle -

VII: 005

2011-09-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

.
.
morning fog
the old dog finds
our way home

- photo: foggy morning along the Mohawk River, Riverside Park, Schenectady, NY (29Sep2011) -

VII: 004

2011-06-21T03:58:00.000-07:00

summer solstice!
my haiku muse
calls in sick

- originally posted June 21, 2006, and truer than ever -

-- photo: Riverside Park along the Mohawk River, Schenectady NY, by d.a. giacalone

VII: 003

2011-03-08T06:39:00.000-08:00

birdseed
on melting snow
a black cat waits for breakfast

- Good Cause: send a breakfast picture to http://shareyourbreakfast.com/ and Kellogg's will give a breakfast to a kid who needs it.

VII: 002

2011-02-14T03:52:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day

after the thaw
thin ice

- nonetheless, a romantic pair of flamingos visit the Schenectady Stockade -

frost on
the flamingo’s beak -
Valentine breakfast alone

reprise:

VII: 001 year of the rabbit

2011-02-03T14:23:00.000-08:00

New Year snow
the hill much steeper
climbing back up
.

VI: 019

2010-12-26T06:05:00.000-08:00

blust'ry Boxing Day
an inflatable Santa
bends with the wind

VI: 018

2010-12-03T05:50:00.000-08:00

morning shadows -
the gunslingers wait
for high noon

Arthur Giacalone: photo
David Giacalone: haiku
- first published in b&w at HaigaOnline 7-2 (Autumn-Winter 2006)

VI: 017

2010-09-22T04:26:00.000-07:00

long vigil –
a yellow daylily
starts to open

. . . in mem. Peggy Lyles (1939-2010). See the Haiku Foundation tribute Peggy Willis Lyles at their weblog Troutswirl (September 6, 2010)

. . . see our memorial tribute “let us celebrate Peggy Lyles” (Oct. 9, 2010)

VI: 16

2010-08-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

August breeze
chimes and crickets
lull her to sleep

. . . for Loraine . .

VI: 15

2010-08-12T05:22:00.000-07:00

lull in the parade
small hands reach
for the same balloon

- orig. version of poem pub. 45th WHA Haiga Contest (May 2007) (May 2007); photo by Arthur Giacalone
- above poem and haiga are the revised, non-tell-em versions (thanks to Aurora Antonovic), originally at MagnaPoets Japanese Form (June 1, 2007) in a b&w version

VI: 014

2010-07-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July
the parade starts
at the shopping mall

- photo by David Giacalone (July 2, 2010) along the Mohawk River, Schenectady NY -

- find fireworks (and watermelon) haiku and senryu by the f/k/a family of poets here; and photos of the annual Jumpin' Jack's fireworks display in Scotia, NY, taken from my backyard along the Mohawk River, there, for 2009, and there for 2010, at my photoblog -

VI: 013 BabyBarista makes his move (again)

2010-07-02T03:54:00.000-07:00

casual Friday
the baby barrister
unbuttons his vest

Very best wishes to my blawg buddy Tim Kevan, who moves his BabyBarista weblog to The Guardian's blossoming Law Section today. Read about the move here; recall the history of BabyBarista at f/k/a. The Guardian is one smart newspaper/website.

I wish I had some new haiku and senryu to celebrate, but will have to make-do with a few oldies this morning.

midway through the argument
opposing counsel
crosses her legs

the taste
of coffee -
the aftertaste

mid-argument
the senior partner
has a senior minute

snack room —
the litigator takes
a third of the donuts

fresh coffee brewing
gotta go
gotta go

VI: 012

2010-06-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

summer solstice
our window chime
perfectly still

VI: 011

2010-05-06T04:15:00.000-07:00

. . reprise reiteration

lilacs
next to trashcans --
the scent of each

.. dagosan's haiku diary (May 2006 and 2007)

first the scent -
lilac bushes
'round the corner

- Simply Haiku, Autumn 2007, vol 5 no 3 -

Mother's Day --
admiring lilacs
just past their peak

– The Heron’s Nest (VIII: 4, December 2006) -

VI: 010

2010-03-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

we reiterate (again):

Spring arrives –
peeps melting
on the dashboard

- poem orig. pub. at Simply Haiku (Vol. 3, No. 4, Winter 2005); haiga at MagnaPoets Japanese Form; photo by Mama G. (1953) -

VI: 009

2010-03-17T04:31:00.000-07:00

- reprise from 2006 -

St. Paddy's parade --
at the curb
green and yellow snow

VI: 008

2010-03-11T19:03:00.001-08:00

March wind
a too-warm jacket
suddenly too thin

- photo taken at the Mohawk River and Cucumber Alley in Schenectady, NY March 11, 2010-

VI: 007

2010-02-20T08:40:00.001-08:00

first plunge -
after the screams
smiles

- photo taken at Collins Park, Scotia NY (Feb. 16, 2010) -
- see a related haiga at simply senryu -

VI: 006

2010-02-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

frost on
the flamingo’s beak -
Valentine breakfast alone

- read about the traditional Schenectady Stockade Valentine flamingos at f/k/a -

VI: 005

2010-02-01T06:55:00.000-08:00

under a perigee moon
she and
her old boyfriend

VI: 004

2010-01-26T16:30:00.000-08:00

January rain
river water
surrounds the snowmen

- photo taken by d.a.giacalone at Cucumber Alley, along the Mohawk River in Schenectady, NY (January 26, 2010); more flood photos here at "suns along the Mohawk" -

VI: 003

2010-01-15T05:28:00.000-08:00

January chill
hands in our pockets
on a sunset stroll

- photo by dagosan, Riverside Park, Schenectady NY (Jan. 9, 2010) -
- we're on thin ice today at simply senryu -

VI: 002

2010-01-06T05:44:00.000-08:00

frosty bedroom window
bare limbs shiver
inside and out

VI: 001

2010-01-01T04:18:00.001-08:00

wintry mix
the year begins
with echoes

V: 056

2009-12-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

sleet and snow
the old man takes baby steps
into the New Year

V: 055

2009-12-29T14:38:00.000-08:00

gray sky
all the way home
from grandma's house

- photo taken by dagosan, Dec. 25, 2009, Duanesburg, NY -

V:054

2009-12-21T08:09:00.000-08:00

solstice sunrise
pink clouds over
black ice

- photo taken by dagosan Dec. 21, 2009 at Riverside Park, Schenectady NY-
- click here for more solstice sun photos from the Schenectady Stockade -

V: 053

2009-12-20T06:21:00.000-08:00

last day of autumn
the shutter button freezes
mid-sunset

- photo taken at the rear of 1 Cucumber Alley, Schenectady NY, Stockade District (Dec. 20, 2009), by dagosan -

V: 052

2009-12-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

alongside
the smirking snowman
a hatless scarecrow

- read about the snowman pictured above and the special relationship of Schenectady, NY, with snowman at suns along the Mohawk -

V: 051 - 60th birthday

2009-12-09T09:16:00.001-08:00

- Happy 60th Birthday to my wombmate, brother & friend, Arthur Giacalone -

V: 050

2009-11-24T05:58:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving rush –
not as late
as that flock of geese

wintry mix -
a seatbelt protects each
Thanksgiving pie

- for a cornucopia of Thanksgiving senryu from dagosan, see MagnaPoetsJF -

V: 049

2009-11-11T05:46:00.000-08:00

a handful of pawns
protects the king -
Veterans Day

V: 048

2009-10-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

half-moon Halloween -
a young face painted
with yin and yang

V: 047 October extremes

2009-10-15T05:42:00.000-07:00

a foot of snow
a month too soon
candles for nightlights

. . . photo haiga by Arthur Giacalone (photo) & David Giacalone (poem);
Simply Haiku Journal, Vol. 5 no. 1 (Spring 2007)

Columbus Day drive -
red and yellow crayons
turn into stubs

Indian Summer –
a squirrel tips over
the rock salt bag

– The Heron’s Nest VIII:I, March 2006

V: 046

2009-10-03T06:33:00.000-07:00

wilted mums
and cricket songs --
clouds hide the Harvest Moon

V: 045

2009-09-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

first day of fall
pumpkin pie
from scratch

. . . from f/k/a (September 21, 2005); click for Autumn Equinox Haiku by f/k/a's Honored Guest Poets . . .

V:044 crickets on my mind

2009-09-18T05:39:00.001-07:00

- an annual tradition: fretting over indoor crickets -

autumn equinox –
awakening
to summer’s last cricket

. . . Nisqually Delta Review (summer/fall issue 2006; Editor’s Choice)

breakfast alone
except for that cricket
behind the fridge

.. The Heron’s Nest (Vol. X, No. 4, December 2008)

from the shower
a sad love song -
bathtub cricket

clearing out
spider webs –
again, I spare the cricket

something I said?
the cricket’s
gone, too

bathtub cricket,
where do you go
while I shower?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . previously seen at f/k/a (2005 - 2008)

p.s. "Frasier" used a gecko to take care of his
cricket problem. Roberta Beary consulted the
Washington Post's John Kelly and suggests duct tape.
Click to visualize the cricket lifecycle, and for a
printer-friendly cricket to color. To learn about
the cricket song and its mythology, head to an
informative piece at Wikipedia.

V: 043

2009-09-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

first cold night
another noisy cricket
behind the fridge

V: 042

2009-09-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

unofficial
end of summer --
the widow wears white anyway

photo: Arthur Giacalone

V: 041

2009-08-28T04:48:00.000-07:00

birthday nap
under the hammock
bocce balls kissing

- happy 71 st birthday (Aug. 30) to poet, friend Yu Chang

V: 040

2009-08-23T04:59:00.000-07:00

catnap onshore –
a wake sinks
the dream flotilla

….. orig. pub. in HaigaOnline Spring/Summer 2007 Vol. 8-1; photo by Arthur Giacalone

V: 039 calamine sunset

2009-08-14T12:55:00.001-07:00

you and me
and a million mosquitoes
calamine sunset

.......poem: A Travel-Worn Satchel: The Haiku Society of America Members' Anthology 2009 (Eds. Joseph Kirschner, Lidia Rozmus, and Charles Trumbull; Deep North Press, July 2009); haiga orig. pub. 60th WHA Haiga Contest (Oct. 2008)

V: 038

2009-08-11T05:24:00.000-07:00

supine under blue skies —
behind closed eyelids
a blood-red ocean

- orig. posted at f/k/a, Sept. 1, 2005 -
. . see today's Simply Senryu post for an eyelid haiga..

V: 037

2009-07-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

. .

alone at sunset
i pick a pair
of faded daylilies

….. orig pub. Legal Studies Forum (Vol. XXXII, No. 1. 2008); and here at dagosan's, on July 22, 2007; you'll find more photos of sunset daylilies at my suns along the mohawk (July 13, 2009) ..

V: 036

2009-07-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

no kiss goodnight --
driving home under
a half-empty moon

- This is our annual reminder that July 6 is International Kissing Day and July 7 is Chocolate Day. Find out much more and check out related haiku and senryu at the f/k/a post "let's celebrate kissing and chocolate" (July 5, 2008). Despite what the nuns told us in grammar school, kisses and chocolate are heavenly. "simply senryu" is celebrating, too, today.

her chocolate breath
mingles with mine -
easter sunset

.. . . . . orig. pub. Simply Haiku (Winter 2005)

V: 035

2009-07-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

. . . during my haiku drought, you'll have to settle for one of my favorite oldies:

fireworks finale!
her eyes return
to the fireflies

.. by David Giacalone - Simply Haiku, Autumn 2007, vol 5 no 3 -

- find fireworks (and watermelon) haiku and senryu by the f/k/a family of poets here; and photos of the annual Jumpin' Jack's fireworks display in Scotia, NY, taken from my backyard along the Mohawk River, there, at my photoblog -

V: 034

2009-06-21T06:40:00.000-07:00

- photo by Arthur Giacalone -

summer solstice
the insomniac
waits for dawn

….. orig. pub. Legal Studies Forum (Vol. XXXII, No. 1. 2008)

late-comers:

fireflies join

the solstice party

. . . . . . dagosan at f/k/a, June 20, 2004

almost sunset
the weekend dad
drags a sled up the hill

. . . orig. pub. Frogpond XXIX: 2 (2006)

- find summer solstice poems here and here at f/k/a; and also go here and here for Father's Day haiku and senryu -

V: 033 - Happy Birthday to Issa

2009-06-15T15:34:00.000-07:00

a mid-June nap
interrupted . . .
hailstones

. . . . . . . . . . dagosan

- Happy Birthday to Kobayashi Issa! (born "on the fifth day of Fifth Month, 1763: June 15 on the Western calendar"); see today's Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor -

keeping the beat
of the prayer to Buddha...
hailstones

. . .

stuck in the wrinkles
of my knees...
hailstones

. . . by Kobayashi Issa, translated by Haiku Guy David G. Lanoue

V: 032 - looking for a shady spot

2009-06-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

- oil painting by Kara Matthews LaFrance, Vive LaFrance Design -

old dog and master
jostling
for the tiny spot of shade

. . . . . . orig. pub. Legal Studies Forum (2005; pages 275 - 276)

- oil paintings available from Kara Matthews LaFrance (my niece), Vive LaFrance Design -

summer solstice:
no shade on either
side of the street

…. orig. pub. Simply Haiku (vol. 6 no. 3, Fall 2008)

V: 031 roberta's rivermoon

2009-06-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

…. poem by Roberta Beary -orig. pub. in M. H. Siddiqui’s “Season’s Greetings 2009 Letter: Stream – River”, 2008; pub. pending in ‘nothing left to say‘, King’s Road Press, Hexagram Series, Marco Fraticelli, Ed.); photo: David Giacalone

- see the story behind this haiga at suns along the mohawk -

V: 030

2009-05-30T05:09:00.000-07:00

weed or flower?
she clucks
as he pulls

V: 029

2009-05-25T04:42:00.000-07:00

monarch butterfly
on the tip of a shoe -
the rocking chair stops

V: 028

2009-05-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

reprise from a year ago:

- - see f/k/a for a few more Memorial Day haiku and senryu --

V: 027

2009-05-16T04:49:00.001-07:00

stuffed
into swing seats --
twenty toes touch the clouds

- orig. pub. Simply Haiku (Modern Haiga, Summer 2009, Vol. 7 no. 2) -
photo: Riverside Park, Schenectady, NY, along the Mohawk River (Sept. 25, 2008) -

V: 026

2009-05-10T06:05:00.000-07:00

[photo: arthur giacalone, Highland Park, Rochester, NY]

grayskies
on mother’s day -
grandma’s favorite park

- orig. haiga at MagnaPoets (May 10, 2007) -

- click for the f/k/a mother's day haiku collection -

V: 025

2009-05-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

- reprise: still resting on laurels and lilacs -

first the scent -
lilac bushes
'round the corner

- Simply Haiku, Autumn 2007, vol 5 no 3 -

lilacs
next to trashcans --
the scent of each

.. dagosan's haiku diary (May 2006 and 2007)

Mother's Day --
admiring lilacs
just past their peak

– The Heron’s Nest (VIII: 4, December 2006) -

- click for more lilac haiku by f/k/a's Honored Guests -

V: 024

2009-05-05T06:49:00.000-07:00

chilly fifth of May
serapes huddled
over menudo soup

- ¡Felice Cinco de Mayo! -

V: 023

2009-04-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

stormy night
pink blossoms
fill the gutter

- - see Schenectady's cherry blossoms at suns along the Mohawk (2009) and f/k/a (2008); plus simply senryu --

V: 022

2009-04-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

- click to enlarge -

spring breeze
the chimes
you left behind

- photo taken April 19, 2009, sunrise at Miner's Farm, Duanesburg, NY -

V: 021

2009-04-18T05:41:00.000-07:00

spring breeze
the wind chimes
you left behind

- haiga version of this poem -

V: 020

2009-04-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

. . . according to today's Grand Avenue comic strip, this is the "first Shorts Day of the year." The twins decided they needed sunglasses to face their Granny's winter-pale legs. On May 2, 2006, dagosan had a similar thought:

first day in short pants --
skinnny white legs
go window shopping

V: 019

2009-04-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

Spring arrives –
peeps melting
on the dashboard

- poem orig. pub. at Simply Haiku (Vol. 3, No. 4, Winter 2005); haiga at MagnaPoets Japanese Form; 1953 photo by Mama G.
- dagosan is apparently still allergic to blogging and haiku-writing. So, we're dipping into our archives and otherwise resting on skimpy laurels.

V: 018

2009-04-04T05:53:00.000-07:00

Palm Sunday rain -
fronds nailed to the door
of a boarded-up church

V: 017

2009-03-31T06:42:00.000-07:00

... it's not haiku,

but today's haiga at my simply senryu weblog might inspire one (by you or me).

Just in case the Muse has left the premises, here's a poem written four years ago today, when we still had some unmelted snow on the last day of March:

snowbank

becoming

compost

..................... dagosan at f/k/a (March 31, 2005)

V: 016

2009-03-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

sunrise coffee
the fog lifts
with the second cup

- click on the haiga to enlarge it; photo: Mohawk River at Washington Ave., Schenectady, Jan. 7, 2009 -

V: 015

2009-03-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

mud and sunshine
spring begins
without you

- warm wishes to all those gathered today in New York City to honor the life, work and memory of Bill Higginson -

V: 014

2009-03-17T05:40:00.000-07:00

almost
the equinox -
muddy again in the mud room

V: 013

2009-03-16T07:22:00.001-07:00

the view
from the sofa
March madness

- photo: Art Giacalone; related haiga here -

- there's no ice on our local hoops this year, but curmudgeonly dagosan is still annoyed by all the Big Dance and March Madness cliches; if you nonetheless have the fever and are in need of basketball haiku and senryu, you'll find more than a bracket-full by scrolling this post at f/k/a (including top-seed presentations by Roberta Beary and Ed Markowski) -

V: 012

2009-03-15T05:39:00.000-07:00

mid-March sunset
one last night
for that last patch of snow

- photo: the Mohawk River seen from my backyard (March 12, 2009); more here -

V: 11

2009-03-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

flood warning
our neighbor says hi
for the first time this year

-- see photos of mid-March ice jams at my new photo weblog, "suns along the Mohawk" --

V: 10

2009-03-04T05:08:00.000-08:00

daylight savings time:
we save sunset
for dessert

too bright for romance
dessert postponed
'til sunset

remember to savor Roberta Beary's new website
and don't forget to Spring Ahead into Daylight Savings Time this weekend

V: 09

2009-03-02T12:52:00.000-08:00

head over heels --
landing hard
on yesterday's snowmelt

V: 08

2009-02-28T09:17:00.000-08:00

last day
for ice fishing
buckets half-full

- photo by dagosan (Feb. 24, 2009, Mohawk River, Schenectady, Riverside Park) -

-- today is the last day for new posting at f/k/a -- it's all memories and archives now --

V: 07

2009-02-14T08:24:00.000-08:00

pink envelope
Valentine hugs and kisses
from Mom

... yes, "the Valentine flamingos have returned to the Stockade" ...

V: 06

2009-02-08T05:52:00.000-08:00

February thaw
cursing so-called
waterproof boots

V: 05

2009-01-25T08:18:00.000-08:00

fallow field --
a scarecrow in the shadow
of wind turbines

V: 004 GW sunset

2009-01-19T16:43:00.000-08:00

moving day
dust bunnies and shadows
left behind

-- see "the sun sets on the Bush presidency" at f/k/a --

V: 003

2009-01-15T05:58:00.000-08:00

blind date
she never mentions
my stripes and plaids

- photo by Arthur J. Giacalone (circa 1980), Einstein Memorial, Washington, D.C. -

V: 002

2009-01-10T18:35:00.000-08:00

holidays over –
the dog puts a halo
on my snow angel

V: 001

2009-01-01T05:46:00.000-08:00

- Riverside Park, Schenectady, NY, along the Mohawk River; Dec. 29, 2008; photo by David Giacalone -

windchill zero
the new year starts
in a sunny bay window

IV: 053

2008-12-31T13:03:00.001-08:00

year-end blizzard –
tentative steps
in brand new boots

IV: 052

2008-12-29T12:25:00.000-08:00

holiday thaw
a trooper emerges
from the snowmelt mist

IV: 051

2008-12-21T08:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve
in an airport lounge
grandpa paces

photo: Arthur Giacalone (near Niagara Falls)
-- see our campaign at f/k/a: "let's move Christmas to May" --

IV: 050

2008-12-20T07:25:00.000-08:00

cold radiators --
on the phone the landlord asks
"are you sure?"

IV: 049

2008-11-28T16:51:00.000-08:00

wintry mix
big wet ones
at the bedroom window

IV: 048

2008-11-15T12:29:00.000-08:00

after the wake
walking past
her favorite bench

IV: 047

2008-11-04T01:02:00.000-08:00

election day
dark skies turn
a bright shade of blue

IV: 046

2008-11-02T23:59:00.000-08:00

photo albums
and dessert –
the chocolate bittersweet

-- f/k/a has another look today at Dia de Los Muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead --

IV: 045

2008-10-31T08:32:00.000-07:00

McCain mask at the door
no thank you
when we spread the wealth

… by dagosan

IV: 044

2008-10-29T06:42:00.001-07:00

still blocking
my river view –
a few stubborn red leaves

. . .

IV: 043

2008-10-18T08:15:00.001-07:00

. ..

haunted hayride
the weekend dad
holds on tight

photo: Arthur Giacalone (2000)
poem: David Giacalone

IV: 042 - fog along the Mohawk

2008-10-08T10:39:00.000-07:00

strangers approach
in the fog
close-up it's you

-- you'll find nine photos of the Mohawk River and Riverside Park, in the Schenectady Stockade, taken by me this morning in the fog, at f/k/a --

IV: 041

2008-10-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

fall's first frost
she prays aloud
for Indian Summer

IV: 040

2008-09-21T06:39:00.000-07:00

summer’s last sunset –
baked apple
for dessert

. . . f/k/a celebrates the end of summer '08 . . .

IV: 039 Harvest Moon reprise

2008-09-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

three-headed stranger -
on his shoulders a pumpkin
and a harvest moon

double-dribble –
harvest moon hanging
on the rim

harvest moon party –
the hostess stares
at the cloud cover

night game –
bocce balls kissing
the harvest moon

IV: 038

2008-09-12T05:42:00.001-07:00

photo after photo
he bends closer
to smell a rose

IV: 037 -- Yu's 70th Birthday

2008-08-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

birthday party –
after dim sum
a little bocce

- at f/k/a "we're celebrating Yu Chang's 70th Birthday" today -

IV: 036

2008-08-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

swat swat
swat swat swat
calamine sunset

- photo: by David Giacalone, Mohawk River, Schenectady Stockade, August 2008 -

IV: 035

2008-08-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

dancing
with his 8-year-old
steppin’ light on old toes

.. by dagosan (08/08/08, for James and Arthur Giacalone)