November 15, 2019 Haiku for Writing Exercise and Therapy November 15, 2019/ Montgomery Mahaffey IMAGE BY INNO KURNIA FROM PIXABAY “Catharsis Through Haiku”Haiku is easy.Haiku is nice. SanityPreserved in Haiku. Thanks. Thank you HaikuTo distill my angst in countsOf five seven five Syllables, three lines,Gives me some kind of control.Even if it’s not true, I can believe it.Five syllables at line one.Seven syllables At line two. And thenFive syllables at line three.I have control, see? These are the onlyRules in Haiku. Simple toFollow, don’t need more. I can say nothingAnd make it sound important.Or say anything Quite nonsensical,Incomprehensible, yes?No! What do you mean? You think this makes sense?I ramble and rant and rave,Give words to my rage. The quirky timingOf a five seven five countTakes the sharp bite out, Eccentric and quaintHaiku softens the strikerAnd fools the strikee. For Haiku is cute,Don’t you agree? Who sees itComing? This shot below The belt, No fair fightHere in the realm of Haiku.It has power near Or far. The powerHaiku sensibilityIs invisible. Can you hurt from aBlow you can’t feel the impact?No offense, darling. It’s all done with tact.Haiku is graceful, discreet,and sounds awful sweet.Condensing my angst in counts of 5, 7, 5 was great therapy. Who knew? “Single Mingle Without a Jingle - The False Love Meet and Greet”I’m not ready yet, But I put myself out there. What is there to lose? There is true freedomDoing the single mingleWithout a jingle. Do that meet and greet!Brush up on your people skills,You have time to kill. No need to invest,Practice active listening,Relearn how to charm. Charm on you, charmer!Be sincere or be guarded,Or both. You’re free now. It’s nice to go out,With no agenda to findThat special someone. You were once hungry,Then you got fed, fed upon.You learned a lot, yes? Now it is your time.Nourish yourself this go ‘round.Guard your treasure chest. I’m not ready yet.True freedom to socializeYet need nothing more. Time to go inwardFill up my well of beingRelationship free My time is my own.No pressure demands my wayI’m me. I am free. Speeding up the grief.I lost time, but not true love.Time to heal is now. Yet in the meantime,I meet and I greet new peepsAnd I want nothing. No numbers, no texts.Simply hello, how are you?And then I move on. I want nothing more,When we part, we part as art.I my way, you yours. Simplicity, yes!Brief connects is best for now,I’m not ready yet. Image by 955169 from Pixabay “Hot Haiku About My Shower”Soak the hair drippingWith warm droplets down my backRunning the gauntlet. No dry shampoo here!Frothing and circling fingersHair now free of grime. Conditioner in,Leave it be for durationof luscious shower. Gentle strokes neck face,Don’t forget your ears! The backOr the inside swirl. Soap up massage,Lather the arms, rememberThe pits. Cleanse that smell. Across the chest, underThe breasts, soaping, rubbing,down over belly. Around stretch the back,The shoulders and the haunches,Diagonal strokes To reach the hard spots.Down the legs and over the feet,The soles need some grit. Get the dead flesh off.Rinse, linger, savor waterRunning head to toe. Shower completes me!Ready to begin the day,So hot, nice, and clean!********So I challenge you,Darling readers and writers, To write a haiku It does make the most marvelous therapy, and is agood stretch for your writing muscles. Efficiency! Give the art of Haiku a try!