Sunday, June 14, 2009

The Mournful, Short Enigmatic Free Verse That We Call the Academic Haiku, Returns.


Summer Session Eve
& I look at my syllabus.
My spirit is broken.

Season 5 of my career,
burned out,
sorrowing, despairing.

Where I see ground rules,
a map to the goal,
snowflakes see obstacles.

A dear oldtimer once said,
"Put it in writing,
& make them sign it."

But each year they game it,
find new loopholes,
& I add more.

Now the rules work against me,
not for me,
and every rule's a bomb.

So fuck it.
The whole thing now
will fit on one page.