Liora Engel Smith

Coffee Break Haiku

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ContentsForeword 3

Nature and seasons 6

Work and School 11

Food 18

Odds and ends 24

Photo Credits 29

ForewordHaiku is perhaps the most

accessible form of poetry. There are no rhymes, meters or alliterations. Haikus only have two rules: they must have seventeen syllables in three lines (following a 5,7,5 pattern).

Haiku has its roots in Japan, where poets composed them as a form of meditation. Traditionally, poets wrote about the natural world, though modern poets have branched out to include just about every facet of life.

This book begins with traditional haikus about nature and seasons, but move onto other aspects of life,

4 Coffee Break Haiku 5

including work, school, and food. It is a compilation of fifteen of the best haikus I’ve written.

-Liora Engel-Smith

6 Coffee Break Haiku Nature and seasons 7

Nature walkSand, wind, and waterCaress jagged obsidianInto smooth pebbles 

Nature and seasons

8 Coffee Break Haiku Nature and seasons 9

Winter Wonderland

Trash heaps and dog poopHide under charcoal gray snowWinter in the city

10 Coffee Break Haiku Work and School 11

Desert Parched Moon cactus Kowtows to the sun—nearby, A watering can

Work and School

12 Coffee Break Haiku Work and School 13

StressCross one, add two...three…Fifty...infinite to-dosCalculus of stress

TechnologyPrinter is on strike.Won’t work. Need a new one. NOW.The piggy bank quivers.

14 Coffee Break Haiku Work and School 15

LaterWashing dishes toAvoid homework— lazinessMakes the world cleaner

ChangesLate August routine:Back-to-school sales andHalloween candy

16 Coffee Break Haiku Work and School 17

NoiseSubway at rush hour:A toddler wails; her mom coosWhat did I just read?

18 Coffee Break Haiku Food 19

Food Temptation“Come,” they call me.I won’t...I shouldn’t...I want...OK.Crunch. Death by cookies. 

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In the kitchenViolet magmaEbbs and flows--no moon to-nightMy jam defies nature.

Food shopping “Find Everything OK?”Asks the Whole Foods cashierI’ll miss you, paycheck.

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Packaged JoyProcessed sunshineO crimson ray of goodnessI heart you, Ketchup. 

CannibalsPigeons brawl overA half-eaten chicken wing—You are what you eat

24 Coffee Break Haiku Odds and ends 25

Odds and ends

Darkness IHow selfish of me To solve the world’s problemsAnd ignore my own.

26 Coffee Break Haiku Odds and ends 27

Darkness IIA broken mirror:The illusion of knowledgeHalf-truths are toxic

28 Coffee Break Haiku Odds and ends 29

MarriageThe meaning of love:Hubby leaves toilet seat upBut lives another day

Photo CreditsTree photo: https://www.pinterest.com/

explore/circle-tattoos/

Philadelphia skyline: fineartamerica.com/art/all/philadelphia+skyline/all

Cactus: https://www.etsy.com/market/cactus_illustration

Subway: www.tumblr.com/tagged/Black-and-White-Graffiti

Cookie monster: www.deviantart.com/morelikethis/251318461

Girl sketch: https://www.pinterest.com/birdofparadise2/mirror-image/