R.I.P. Baxter

Baxter - our big, brown cat -died unexpectedly on Monday. John, Tom and I have lost part of our family. We've had Baxter (or he's had us) for about 11 years. We adopted him from Petco. He had apparently been "returned" by someone else, thus he was a "used" cat, as someone called him. Thanks Baxter for the laughs, the joy and the love.

I had the thrill of seeing a Kodiak brown (grizzly) bear on Wednesday and decided it was Baxter reincarnated. Thus, the following haiku:

Kodiak brown bear
running wild, gulping salmon,
it's Baxter writ large.


I think I can still hear him purring. Goodbye Baxtie.

A.H. 9-13-14

Haiku Times Two

A bevy of birds
bursts from top of neighbor's tree,
the party's over?

A flirt of a day
promising to be pretty
then turns cold shoulder.

A.H.

In Praise of Pancit

Protested mildly
when patient
promised pancit,
secretly glad
when still-warm
platter delivered.
Inhaled half
in one eating,
think I might
be addicted.

Note: Pancit is a Filipino noodle dish which I'd never had before moving to Anchorage. I promised my hairdresser Shawna that I wouldn't mention that she thought pancit was a state of mind. Hmm, a pancit state of mind...it's possible.

A.H.

Leaking Light

Started with
a drop or two
but now the days
are leaking light,
today a hemorrhage
of five minutes
and thirty-eight seconds.
At first made
futile efforts
to stem the flow
but now can only
stand back
and surrender.

A.H. 8-26-14

Stick It

"Will you be eating
anything on a stick?"
my sister queried
on hearing of
a pending fair visit.
Passed on the
pork chop
and chocolate-covered
bacon.
Wonder if she'd
believe I consumed
moose eyeballs
on a stick?

A.H.

Multiple Choice Plus Haiku

Multiple Choice

Charrette is:
a) my middle name
b) a sauce made with wine
c) a planning/mediation meeting
d) a region in Austria

Correct answer is c. Charrette: a meeting in which all stakeholders in a project attempt to resolve conflicts and map solutions.
Alaska Dispatch News, August 18, 2014: "More than 50 individuals tied to the beleaguered port construction project will meet...for a weeklong charrette."
Author note: The "beleaguered port" actually needs a divine intervention but I doubt it's high on the Divine Project Manager's list.

*****
Haiku from Iowa Visit

Five Canada geese
etch their late summer goodbye
across the still lake.

A.H.

Garden Haiku

Reaching for the sky
a flowering skyscraper,
my delphinium.

A hazard of hues
tossed upon the green landscape,
my garden palette.

Nasturtiums race
in competition for sun,
colorful runners.

Because the strawberries
hide under cover of green,
I hunt for scarlet.

A.H. 8-6-14