Pollywog Pond Haiku

" Pollywog Pond Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Males clasping females
temporary rain-fed ponds
pollywogs, froglets

II

Venturing away
changing pH, acid rain
strained population...

Porcupine Haiku

" Porcupine Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Quill-armored rodent
hunched black ball high in the air
flailed quill-studded tail

II

Yellow, white-tipped hairs
broad soles covered with small bumps
wooly underfur

III

Chattering its teeth
backed up towards adversaries
quills loosely attached

IV

Excellent swimmer
air-filled quills keep it afloat
needles blunt the wind...

Beaver Haiku

" Beaver Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Uncontrolled trapping
stimulating expansion
suitably massive

II

Highly adaptive
living in and near water
dense, short, waterproof

III

Gnaw underwater
prominent sticks, mounds of mud
oxygen stored up

IV

Large liver and lungs
counterbalance, rudder, scull
sharp slap of the tail

V

Warning of danger
acute hearing, sense of smell
stand erect, dry land

VI

Fanned area, dammed
crisscross pattern, back-up pond
float logs, dome-shaped lodge...

Weasel Haiku

" Weasel Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Along with the mink
other related creatures
fisher, otter, shunk

II

Consummate hunter
pause to listen and to sniff
lap blood from fresh kill

III

Must eat frequently
high trilling note when mating
screeching and squealing

IV

Turns white in winter
normally snowy background
harder to be seen

V

Hunts beneath the snow
called ermines for the fur trade
tunneling runways

VI

Downsides to slim shapes
northern sections of its range
feathers of its prey

VII

Mark out home ranges
delaying implantation
assuring young pups

VIII

Changing back to brown
shallow burrows below ground
lowlands and mountains

IX

Smallest carnivore
long and coarsely glossy hair
sleek weasel fashion

X

Long body and neck
under fur repels water
sparkling luster pelt

XI

Excellent senses
kill with a bite to the neck
curled up in their dens

XII

Sleeping during storms
opportunistic feeding
kill more than they eat

XIII

Have few enemies
maturing sexually
long expectancy

XIV

Scratch at the entrance
of a fresh underground nest
along pond edges

XV

Arched back bounding lope
on the move in broad daylight
white on chin and throat

XVI

Wooded bottomlands
measures of intelligence
waters' wilderness

XVII

Feet used for steering
looped and twisted gracefully
webbing between toes

XVIII

Utter low chuckles
valve like structures seal its ears
shrill chirps, hissing barks

XIX

Minnows, sunfish, chubs
enlarged burrows of woodchucks
eyes protrude slightly

XX

Scats on stream-side logs
fresh droppings, checking for scents
hollow stumps, logjams

XXI

Polygamous males
several females in estrus
fights among themselves

XXII

Closely related
caterwauling while mating
keen concentration...

Mixed Species Haiku

" Mixed Species Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Year-round residents
mixed species fend together
better detected

II

Glean insects from trees
cling to branches upside down
mobbing enemies

III

Prominent head crests
abandoned woodpecker nests
wedged into the end

IV

Home territory
sound a nasal, "ank, ank" call
herky-jerky walk

V

Hammer shells apart
relish suet at the park
shove nuts into bark

VI

Blows from awl-like beaks
sweep crushed insects back and forth
eat courtship morsels...

Oriole Haiku

" Oriole Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Orchard oriole
open areas, scattered
hanging basketlike

II

Old orchards, shade groves
thought to be monogamous
migrating large flocks

III

Heraldic colors
central chambers, lined with hair
caterpillars, snails

Caddied Knickknacks

" Caddied Knickknacks "

by Suzán Jiván

A straight fairway
with colorful banks
planted with chromatic bliss
walk-in environments
in straight lines
like golfers' swings
on many greens
rarely eagling
replete with bogies
as caddied knickknacks...

Shuttered Haiku

" Shuttered Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Chicken-curry lunch
I never would have found it
if not for my thoughts

II

Both disconnected
tucked into the nondescript
certain instances

III

In a wondrous world
as yet under construction
still being shuttered...

Cult-Figure Haiku

" Cult-Figure Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

From a cult figure
the fates of nations at stake,
" Who's hanging out now? "

II

Exotic projects
as backstage preparations
poison-laced toothpaste

III

Exploding cigars
eclectic diasporas
shifting laser beams

IV

Not easily seen
quiet atmospheres leaving
repeating past years

V

Social media
projected poison pellets
well-intentioned friends...

Sawed-in-Half Haiku

" Sawed-in-Half Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Amassing vast wealth
giddily hedonistic
fully coherent

II

Rifling through styles
already a crowd pleaser
piling up top ten

III

Constrained by limits
cheek-by-jowl in a mansion
punk-pop headbanger

IV

Almost maternal
faithfully reproducing
entering applause

V

Knowingly cooing
flattering the flatterer
seated dead center

VI

Squeezed in at one end
publicizing the title
symbolic moonrise

VII

With a brute focus
no visible nudity
come to think of it...

VIII

Visceral sidelines
successfully sawed in half
then razed and rebuilt...

Reverberating Haiku

" Reverberating Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Simultaneous three-days
waves of denunciation
a fallen leader

II

Potential lessons
incendiary statements
reverberating

III

Eardrums rupturing
meticulous computers
semiconductors...

Falcon Haiku

" Falcon Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

for Anne-Adele Wight

I

Nearing extinction
while hacking and releasing
deep diving in flight

II

Returning to cliffs
after hitting its victims
launching, circling

III

Flying stealthily
spotting its targets below
skimming low, over

IV

Heavily fretted
abandoned nests, relentless
reintroduced broods

V

Eggs in a rude scrape
incubation, fed by mate
fledging in late May...

Played-Out Haiku

" Played-Out Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Usual trappings
delights in difficulties
tossing drumsticks high

II

Turning up the heat
showcasing a legacy
becoming played out

III

Proud record holders
spoken or shown from the stage
still around to cheer

IV

Wept on arrival
known to the public at large
interviewed this week

V

Movieland glamour
an obscure figure in jazz
in the spotlights glare

VI

Enduring mystiques
pioneering achievements
re-released this week...

Data Haiku

" Data Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Data made public
estimates and projections
long been expected

II

Weighing a hard line
while wrestling mightily
with a white milestone

III

Bitter civil rights
from the days of slavery
mostly recently

IV

A majority
Hispanics, blacks and Asians
with those of mixed race

V

Broad implications
restrictive immigration
as transformation

VI

Highly-charged debates
compelling and disturbing
so far shied away...

Ubiquitous Haiku

" Ubiquitous Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

All tickets
moneys advanced by the band
put on sale again

II

Now ubiquitous
like the concert industry
swimming in a sea

III

Entrenched ticket sales
occupying bottom floors
as brick and mortar

IV

With more rigmarole
as you may already now
inflated clichés

V

Mega-lovable
convincingly rapturous
seldom-seen first piece

VI

Turning the tables
confusedly wandering
strenuous whimsy

VII

Lives of common folk
celebrity cameos
game-changing whole rows...

Early-Onset Haiku

" Early-Onset Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Early-onset genes
bursts of gunfire snapping
familiar three rounds

II

Unfamiliar sounds
allies turning enemies
inside the wire

III

Larger spending cuts
in a bruised election year
bunkered guard towers

IV

Homeowners foreclosed
filings reaching the ceiling
rounds being fired

V

Memories fading
remaining complications
fearing mutations

VI

Children frolicking
diseases involving trees
latest in a string

VII

Combatively strapped
blatant animosities
officials believe

VIII

Joint-training models
lightning and apologies
tossed about bodies...

Mangled Haiku

" Mangled Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Finding diversions
after all the apathy
collective numbing

II

Equally depressed
straight to the general fund
as mangled corpses

III

Repeated trauma
deliberate distraction
just a learned response

IV

Debt-limit stalemate
all or most of the money
into the hacking

V

Recorded carnage
decapitated body
the face of horror

VI

Trauma, impotence
wrong doing at two tabloids
buried in mass graves...

A Wake Haiku

" A Wake Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

The band sang folksy
votive candles at their feet
meeting pop partway

II

Eerie digital
a cappella harmony
synthesizer chords

III

A thumping dance beat
added immediately
a pendulum swings

IV

Ticking to reveal
culture for growing numbers
festival feasting

V

Advisory feats
apart from selfish reasons
like shuffle and strut

VI

Its organizer
friction between melodies
promiscuity

VII

Budgets reflecting
being openly tender
solely neglected

VIII

Rubber-band stretchy
unabashedly endless
coming together

IX

Worldwide directions
historical perspective
fetched at an auction

X

Remained unexplored
as separate mosaics
dealing privately

XI

Not so surprising
happening to be really
an alien's child

XII

This little tyrant
sounding much like a playwright
so late in this life

XIII

Might apologize
enticingly realized
underwater lights

XIV

Winsome publisher
uncovering plundering
suddenly unloved

XV

Held up in customs
in the final gallery
displayed as a wake...

Happenstance Haiku

" Happenstance Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Ladened with clichés
final adagio posed
devalued rainbow

II

Forbidden targets
addressed by the president
incentives to buy

III

Leading libraries
signaling secret searches
buckling under

IV

Resisting comebacks
likely more democratic
perhaps happenstance...

Spoofing Haiku

" Spoofing Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Weren't worth spoofing
imperious craftsmanship
extravaganzas

II

Mounted as leftist
political barriers
all in a fashion

III

Compare and contrast
mastery in mediums
alpha figurines

IV

Taking a nanny
almost accidentally
wonkish earnestness

V

Shocking her parents
perhaps a little early
went rogue way too soon

VI

Writing sexy poems
certainly filling the bill
far from a dry one...