Bold Smiles and Wisecracks Haiku

" Bold Smiles and Wisecracks Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Drinking and dreaming
critical abilities
matter-of-factly

II

Went down easily
with guileless simplicity
equally lively

III

Eccentricities
wider visibility
destruct and rebuild

IV

Fingertips and palms
rather than sticks and mallets
multi-talented

V

Tearing up downtown
juicy-sounding novelties
sharp-tongued comedies

VI

Flashy fantasies
escapist entertainment
bold smiles and wisecracks...

Far Flung Haiku

" Far Flung Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Terrifying scenes
shielded by ambivalence
straight jacket escape

II

Unattainable
deadpan, bizarre repartees
making good neighbors

III

Absurdist chambers
potent laugh lines, few and far
extracting humor

IV

Sort of redundant
paranoia and shot guns
ringing out, far flung...

Orogenies Haiku

" Orogenies Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Valleys and ridges
correlations in phases
like edges of old

II

Paleozoic
Blue Ridge and inner Piedmont
seamed orogenies

III

Meta-sediments
intrusively igneous
oceans beginning

IV

Folding and faulting
supercontinent's remnants
later colliding

V

Down-faulted, normal
metamorphosed schist and gneiss
stresses subsided...

Shiner Haiku

" Shiner Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Silvery to blue
knocking sounds and purring noise
swims with fins erect

II

Currents over sand
clear to turbid, small to large
pectoral fin rays

III

Moderately forked
in northwest territories
feeding on insects

IV

Leap a few inches
capture insects just above
a prolonged hover

V

Small rivers, clear creeks
considered a subspecies
berry-red lips, cheeks...

Ridged Sawback Haiku

" Ridged Sawback Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván, Mom
& Mom-Mom Suzán

for Rebecca, Russ
Kenny, Jimmy
Mark, Danielle & Eric...

I

Conspicuous, black
spine-like projections on keel
marked orange circles

II

Yellow-orange plastron
semicircular markings
elongating claws

III

Poorly-known habits
yellow neck stripes behind eyes
following scute seams

IV

Nesting on sandbars
narrow-channeled, fast-moving
passed brush snags logjams

V

Powerful paddling
swimming in rapid currents
basking on mud flats...

Killifishes Haiku

" Killifishes Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Bright killifishes
popular with aquarists
fresh and salt water

II

Spawn, lagoons, tide pools
distinguished from livebearers
barrier island

III

Barred with some pale spots
inserted low on body
pale blue and orange

IV

Yellowish bellies
warm desert pools, springs and runs
upturned pupfishes

V

Marshy backwaters
growing rather rapidly
saltier than seas

VI

Lateral series
compressed posteriorly
terminal, oblique...

Stargazing Minnow Haiku

" Stargazing Minnow Haiku "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Dusky caudal spot
in riffles over gravel
moderate to swift

II

Mid-lateral stripe
long, rounded mouth, sucker-like
eyes on upper side

III

Above upper lip
origin of caudal fin
silt intolerant...