HAIKU
maybe a baby
can help me find my escape
I am a mid-evil boy
the sun penetrates
my soul rehabilitates
damaged parts of me
sand on my skin
I lay backwards on earth’s crust
my face feels like grass
a drink at the bar
the behavior one expects
to see from camels
I sit here alone
with a catalog in hand
and void my bowels
the ocean wave breaks
water rises around me
seaweed slaps my butt
steadily I breathe
hear jazz on the radio
carve into my desk
I work to secure
a seal of good housekeeping
honor and respect
with experience
grandma commands the kitchen
prepares a salad
a rosemary sprig
in a warm, hearty beef stew
enhances the taste
potato salad
a regular potluck dish
an item I trust
in a parking lot
I watch the Cardinal truck
round the tight corner
at twenty-seven
fresh from hell, I moved away
became a woman
wild pink salmon
swim feverishly upstream
all action no thought
the night sky offers
manifold combinations
of constellations
DEMYAN HRYCIW is a Ukrainian Scout.