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DanglingModifiers
Alba Publishing
DanglingModifiers
haiku and senryu
Mike Montreuil
Published by Alba Publishing, P O Box 266, Uxbridge UB9 5NX, United Kingdom www.albapublishing.com
© 2016 Mike MontreuilAll rights reservedNo part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-910185-38-4Edited, designed and typeset by Kim RichardsonCover photo © Shutterstock/ItanaPrinted and bound by CreateSpace
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Author’s Preface
In 2012, I received a notebook-sized 2013 agenda as a Christmas present. Unfortunately, I had already purchased a 2013 agenda. Nevertheless, the three lines reserved for each day provided space for writing a haiku. After a year off from this small project, I purchased another agenda of the same type, this for 2015.
From those two agendas, Grant Savage, my renku partner and friend, selected 100 haiku and senryu for the small book you have in your hands.
Mike Montreuil Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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New Year’s—another vowmade to break
grey daythoughts turnto flowers
8
dropping behindthe yearI have yet to live
misery—I love companytoo
9
only one worryhis emptybowl
foreign affairs—e-mailproposition
10
winter afternoonmesmerizedby water drops
above zerolight at the endof winter
11
driftinginto sleep—snowflakes
spring rain—the flowersshe never had
12
borrowingher pento ink a smile
another promiseanother momentcardinal song
13
April fool’sregular programminginterrupted
leaningon his shovelmy shadow
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no earthquakesno bombingsjust sports
sudden summernot even closeto Mother’s Day
15
wise beyondhis young years—flowers
shoppinga pregnant teenwalks a new stroller
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Mother’s Dayher meat loafrecipe
dangling modifierfollowingthe magpie
1717
morning at homenothinghas changed
telling herall is forgottenspring rain
18
long daythe runin her nylons
sunny afternoonwhat do they doon other planets?
19
sunshinebeyond summerrain
in the hot tubmy thoughtsbursting the bubbles
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there!I said it. . .bacon and eggs
a little rainovernight—her morning smile
21
once inawhileonce
there’s no denyinghis new lawnmower
22
retired—the barista askswhy so soon
Septembergeese gatherthe North wind
23
week aloneonly an eraserto right wrongs
cloudy skiesshadows of summerin the fallen leaves
24
hung outto dryex-CEO
35,000 feetthe moon shinesin the twilight zone
25
Halloweenrain and leavesknock
Remembrance Daynot forgettingtheir suffering
26
her birthdaylost in the memoriesof dementia
snow squallwho to dream oftoday
27
saying goodbyeher growingdementia
freezing drizzleit’s all inthe details
28
in anotherlanguagethe same problems
Boxing Dayspendingmy grief
29
2 AMlistening to the catsnore
New Year’s EveDick Clarkno longer with us
30
New Year’s Daylosingat Solitaire
daily plannerwhat to writewhen retired
31
freezing rainmy sinsin crystal
full moonsnow crunchingunderfoot
32
the windin a new directionSudoku completed
after the snownot one haiku
33
approaching springtwo crowsplaying in flight
early warm spellpitchers and catchersreporting
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rightor wrong—her touch
I never knewwhat you saidmelting snow
35
some kind of fluspring has arrived
another dayanothersenior’s discount
36
sunny afternoonthe black driverstopped for ?
trying to imaginewhat’s underneaththe toupee
37
informedmisinformedcensored
crow-cawswinterfrom the rain gutters
38
winter overstill not an anton the salty sidewalk
slow morningeven Mozarta bit too fast
39
old bus routethe citywe once lived in
chasing its tailthe dogthen the cat
40
a beliefthat all is goodSpring
what were we thinking?the Sex Pistols live!
41
thunderstormwhat do we donow?
construction workersthe line-upfor the washroom
42
one dayat a timedandelions
clingingto the wiperbladea blackfly
43
to understandmorning gloriesopening together
tick bitemy tripcomplete
44
was ita memoryher last smile
diabetes—slowly the plumbingmalfunctions
45
saying goodbyebird songI do not recognize
rush hourgroundhogswatching traffic
46
gladiolus bloomnot the colourshe bought
if she hadonly told me—lesbian friend
47
troubledby nothingthe old cat
only ifit takes forever—swallows overhead
48
still wantingto wear his 36’smiddle-aged paunch
flower-patternedleggingsGood Morning!
49
scarsacross his wristthe tattooed man
she picks up a ballwith her snoutmixed doubles
50
years not decades leftis there a timeto go back home?
errors madecontemplatingon my sick bed
51
grey dayonly gray carsin the parking lot
blinking at the blinkingdigital clockpower failure over
52
mid-afternoonif only the cloudswould move
another defeatthe coach’shot air balloons
53
morning noisesthe tic-talkof the clocks
strangestrange.strange. . .
54
everythingon sale“See Store For Details”
she believeseverythingmom and Santa
55
Christmas morningthe promise ofa day long rain
sudden winterI turn overand sleep again
56
when I dieonly thenwill I grow old
something draws me thereChristmas lights
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Acknowledgments
‘dropping behind’ - Kado Haiku Group Broadsheet 2013
‘right’- Kado Haiku Group Broadsheet 2015
‘tick bite’ - Haiku Circle 10th Anniversary Anthology, 2016
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