Murphy's Haiku #41

We hiked miles and miles,
Torrential rain drenching us!
-once home, the sun came out.

Copyright 2008

Happy Anniversary, Karen!

Light Through A Clearing
Photo: Edward S. Gault

Married seven years,

We travelled forest rivers

-to the open fields.

Copyright 2008

Weekend Snapshot

See also Forest River Creations

No Fleeting Poem,This!

The Tale of the Golden Bull
by Edward S. Gault

I.
Once
upon a
time, there was

a
village with
a golden bull.

The
people in
the village were

going
through hard
times, so someone

came
up with
this idea to

bring
prosperity back-
they would build

a
spectacle in
the village square

to
draw people
to their dusty

little
corner of
the land. So

they
had everyone
go to collect

whatever
gold they
might have in

their
homes, (and
they didn't have

a
whole lot)
to bring it

to
the village
smith, who then

melted
it all
down. He poured

it
into a
mold he had

created
in the
form of a

bull.
Because the
villagers didn't have

much
gold, the
statue wasn't much

of
a spectacle:
it was only

knee
high. Still
people from the

other
villages did
come, and paid

to
see it!
With the gold

paid
by these
first visitors

the
smith was
able to add

to
the creature-
increasing its size

so
it came
now to the

waist.
More travellers
came giving their

gold,
then going
back to tell

the
news of
the bull (stretching

the
size of
the bull at

the
time they
had seen it).

But
by the
time others had

come
to see
it, it had

grown
to the
size they had

come
to expect!
Before long,

the
bull had
grown to the

height
of the
village church tower.

II.
Around
this time,
People began to

disappear.
They would
go into the

forest
to hunt,
or to get

wood,
and never
return. People grew

afraid
and began
to tell stories

of
bandits, murderers,
and wild beasts.

One
day a
fisherman and his

son
left for the
lake. It was

a
two day
journey through the

woods.
Many people
warned them. This

was
a trip
they had taken

many
times before-
they weren't afraid.

Only
the boy
returned-and he

couldn't
talk. The
villagers grew more

afraid.
Maybe people
would quit coming.

III.
But
people did
come and their

bull
grew as
tall as the

cedars.
Soon people
began to settle

there,
and the
village grew into

a
town, and
then a city.

By
this time
the bull reached

To
the sky.
The city continued

to
grow until
it swallowed up

the
nearby villages,
becoming a metropolis.

It
established its
own mint, becoming

the
kingdom's center
of trade. Poets,

artists,
storytellers, and
performers of every

kind
made the
city a new

Bohemia.
Every night
there were parties

and
celebrations of
every kind-so

naturally,
the people
were much too

busy
to pay
much attention to

reports
that the
disappearances and killings

were
getting closer
and closer. Those

that
did listen
to the reports

simply
laughed, rolled
back their eyes

and
continued drinking
their wine. Sometimes

those
trying to
spread warnings were

jailed
for mischief,
so people learned

to
keep quiet.
Some left for

fear
they would
lose their lives.

One
day, during
the autumn revels,

a
shadow
was cast across

the
land, people
looked up to

where
the sun
should have been-

and
screamed. A
giant claw came

out
of the
sky and swiftly

down
in one
fleeting second, struck

the
golden bull,
sending pieces of

debris
down onto
the city. All

was
havoc in
the streets as

people
ran for
their lives-many

did
not make
it. Some were

mauled
trying to get
out, others were

eaten
alive. Those
who did escape,

travelled
to the
far sides of

the
kingdom where
they settled-and

never
spoke about
their old village.


Copyright 2008

One Single Impression: Fleeting

More about Hay (na) Ku here.

A Poet's Dream

Poet typing away
The night as verse comes to him
-someday a reader.

Copyright 2008

Murphy's Haiku #40

An opened cola,
High on table, gets knocked off
-right into my bag.

Copyright 2008

A Farewell To Summer!

On those Summer nights,

We played cards on the back porch

-chorus of crickets.

Copyright 2008

Things Seen In The Park #1

The Duck Procession
By Edward S. Gault

Each of the ducks
Had a little black veil
On it’s head as they filed
By in a line.
They would not take the bread
Offered by children.
They would not listen
To the lady at the at the juice kiosk
Making her quacky noises
They wanted us all to see
That one of theirs
Had fallen prey
To hunters on their weekend fling
And was now simpering in its’ own juices
Later to be served at the table
With cranberry sauce

Copyright 2008

Walks In Autumn

As Autumn returns,
Leaves slowly fall before me
-death reminding me.

Copyright 2008

A Place To Rest

Autumn in Old Granary
Photo:Edward S. Gault

Leaves fall in glory,

meandering down to earth

-many lay in peace.

Copyright 2008

Weekend Snapshot

see also Forest River Creations

Autumnal Memory

Autmn Afternoons

by Edward S. Gault

Autumn Afternoons in 1969,

I would rush home from school;

running through lawns

grass pastelled with

red, yellow, and orange leaves.

They looked just like the ones

that we made in class that day

and taped in the window

for all to see.

Copyright 1983, 2008

For One Single Impression

see also Forest River Creations

Autumn Reflection

Walking by the lake,

I look out on the water

-In meditation.

Copyright 2008

A Farewell To Summer!

Autumn chill returns
Like an old friend visiting
-hot apple cider.

Copyright 2008

Been Riding The Roller Coaster?

What poor people? Where?!
Prosperity has no end
-stockmarket follies.

Copyright 2008

Happy Birthday to Someone Very Special!

Blow out the candles
Build your castles in the sky

-make wishes, and fly!

Copyright 2008

Photographic Memories

The photo of you
Is gone now, but still in mind
-dear beloved friend.

Copyright 2008

Murphy's Haiku #39-College Days Series

Pop-test tomorrow,
Must read hundreds more pages!
-"cake" my roommate said.

Copyright 2008

Run For Cover!

Storm clouds overhead
A violet mass of pastels
-tapestry in sky.

Copyright 2008

View Of Huntington Ave.
For Weekend Snapshot
see also Forest River Creations

And Now For Something A Little Different

The Summer Of My Bean Plant
by Edward S. Gault

When
I was
a little boy,

our
teacher gave
us bean seeds

To
plant in
the small milk

cartons
we had
just used during

snack.
We put
soil in each

carton,
then buried
the seeds a

half
inch under
the surface. We

put
them all
in the window,

So
they could
catch the sun's

rays,
and grow.
We checked on

them
each day,
I can remember

seeing
the first
little leaf peaking

through
the dirt
in my carton.

It
seemed to
take forever-but

by
the last
day of school,

We
had tall
bean plants that

we
could take
home for the

summer.
I put
mine in the

window
of my
room facing the

backyard
where I
spent all my

time
when I
was not in

camp.
When I
came home,

I
found it
had wilted some

because
I was
not there to

water
it. I
took it out

to
the yard
and re-planted it.

I
could still
see it growing

there
from my
window. Its leaves

would
move with
the breeze, like

It
was waving-
saying thank you.

Copyright 2008

One Single Impression: seeds
More about Hay (na) ku here

To Jack Powers, A Master Poet-Happy Birthday!!

Many poets bow
To the Master who lead them,
-who taught them the dance.

Copyright 2008

To learn more about Jack Powers, visit the Stone Soup Poetry site.

A Heron's View

A heron stands watch

Among reeds and lily pads

-a sentry of the pond

Copyright 2008

Murphy's Haiku #38

Exploring jungle,
Giant boa attacked me!
-knife dropped out of sheath.

Copyright 2008

Looking Back

Looking through albums,

All photos were sepia toned

- I had known that world.

Copyright 2008

Tuesday's Grind

Chasing small details,

Achieving more on less mind

-burning midnight oil.

Copyright 2008

Murphy's Haiku #37

Waiting for an hour,
I decided to take nap
-then, the bus arrived!

Copyright 2008

Weekend Snapshot
and
Forest River Creations

Murphy's Haiku #36 can be found in September 7 posting.

Don't Let Down Your Guard!

They would come at night,
Many people disapeared
-learn to sleep with fear.

Parents and children
Lay side by side on boardwalk
-where they drank Kool-aid.

She sits on the porch,
Waiting for her ride to prom
-he goes with her friend.

Christmas by fireside,
Hessians toast the holiday
-Washinton attacks!

Praying in garden:
Not my will, but yours be done!
-Judas come with kiss.

He surfaced to eat,
Gulls flocked down, they threw harpoons
-running him through side.

We watched the t.v.
Knowing our candidate won!
-next day:total shock.

Murphy's Haiku #36
A nice sunny day
Then, as I'm leaving, it rains!
-forgot umbrella.

Copyright 2008

One Single Impression: Defenses Down

Murphy's Haiku #35

Loaded down with bags,
I finally got a seat
-train then re-routed!

Copyright 2008

Murphy's Haiku #34

Happy and content
As I whistled along, then
-fell through a manhole!

Copyright 2008

Murphy's Haiku #33

Chairman of Board
Asked me to copy report!
-xerox machine jammed.

Copyright 2008

Murphy's Haiku #32

My ship has come in,
I'm the richest in Pompei!
-volcano erupts.

Copyright 2008

Murphy's Haiku #31

At the Airport,
Had no cash, tried A.T.M.
-machine ate my card!

Copyright 2008

Murphy's Haiku #30 is posted on Sunday August 31 Various Spectacles for One Single Impression

Snapshot Of Our Times

Shirts hang like banners
In windows, fanning hatred
-bigotry for sale.

Copyright 2008

Weekend Snapshot
see also Forest River Creations