Masters of the art of haiku will poo-poo the stanzas in my piece. They will scoff, “not nature-y enough or in the Japanese tradition.” A rejection from another mag had words to this effect. A Quiet Courage (may they rest in peace) saw the 5/7/5 format and recognized the title for what it was: a reflection of the character who was writing the verse. They published it in June 2017.

Will Haiku For Food

by DL Shirey

Quite cold this morning.
Someone stole my shopping cart
with my heavy coat.

Don’t move or intrude,
never meet eyes, sit meekly,
raise cup, jingle coins.

Syringes like dice
tossed against walls, land snake-eyes.
Little Joe craps out.

Enter exit door,
nap in movie theater,
old popcorn for lunch.

Sirens, gunshots, rain,
methed-out bums, rancid food, ants,
all wake me at night.

Don’t know my future.
Caked with dirt and hopelessness,
can’t see my palm lines.

END