Boxcars on Walnut

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Coming on Kindle $.99 (soon) as well

A Dozen Crime Stories

Now available on audiobook!

Short Stories

for the ages!

Quaker Plays for First Days

This is a southern Illinois thing:

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All profits go to Quaker organizations

more haiku

wakes up from th’strange dream,
magicians, dragons, ‘n’ castles –
‘no name road’ street sign

up devil’s backbone,
th’frog comes a bit too early,
and th’snake is ready

came back from l a –
he says it was th’prom, but could’ve
been seventeenth street

road t’ th’christmas tree farm –
at an old texaco sign,
he sees th’stud’baker

homecoming parade –
chi-o’s are telling the delts
plans for th’spillway

grand tower levee –
barge workers wave, when they’re not
fighting that current

interfaith windows,
broken in th’riots – used t’hit
th’army recruiting

fifty arrested
‘n th’halloween “disturbances” –
most from out of town

on boskydell road,
goes ninety – not listening to
th’shrill warnings ‘f th’locusts

chance t’go up t’duquoin –
he climbs on th’big main stage, where
charlie daniels played

reunion ‘t quatro’s –
only th’freshmen look diff’rent,
pizza’s good ‘s ever

they march t’ward mélange,
everyone’s a bit too cold –
then, th’kid spots santa

turn left ‘t th’smiley face,
vulture fest’s down that valley –
yellow, ‘n’ has th’bowtie

still more

end ‘f th’long grim winter
saint patrick’s day, they seem t’know
t’find their way t’elm street

tried th’cobden peaches,
rich ‘n’ juicy, sweet ‘n’ wet ‘n’ yellow,
moved here from new york

little grand canyon –
nice hike along th’autumn ridge,
little too long ‘n th’valley

from devil’s backbone,
they watch th’barges fight th’river
then cruise right back down

devil’s kitchen lake –
always best, he says, t’hide th’car
with no duck sticker

jury duty, murph –
th’judge has th’bailiff bring th’hot tea,
they still want t’go home

th’kid likes th’water tower,
smiley face with th’big bow tie –
b’neath it, th’leaves change

th’rainbows use chopsticks
t’pull coins from b’neath th’long branch porch –
bean soup f’r th’gathering

more haiku

warm ‘n’ steamy evening –
she gets th’reds from th’closet, t’plan for
t’mato fertil’ty

horn player’s fingers –
he wonders why th’lights parade
is on th’coldest night

fresh painted dawg paws –
too much time watching kids shows,
the boys call them ‘clues’

t’buy th’pomona store –
th’weeds’ve got it, but th’problem is,
th’gas tank beneath it

three a.m., amtrak
station, october evening –
th’guests wonder ‘bout th’crowds

long line ‘f cherry cars,
he tells how they held th’nats – ‘til
they too got rowdy

weeds in th’labyrinth –
tales ‘f synergy, and th’students
who so loved bucky

makanda boardwalk –
gets déjà vu, when th’old guy
talks ‘bout vulture fest

when th’concert’s ‘t shryock,
th’kids all want t’hang ‘round th’fountain,
‘n’ try t’splash each other

reggae comes t’turley –
matted hair lass says, this one’s
more fragrant than th’rest

carbondale haiku, 6-16

memories ‘f jim ‘n’ ruth’s –
th’leaves fall on th’tiny street,
th’stories tumble out
(6-16)

midland inn’s back porch –
crickets chirp, ‘n’ th’old man tells how
they had t’come here t’drink
(6-16)

chief illiniwek
blanket – th’kid sleeps through th’fireworks
down by th’arena
(6-16)

at th’friendship statue –
th’freshmen ‘n’ their parents find
th’mill street underpass
(6-16)

fall’n trees on campus –
those visitors won’t forget
that graduation
(6-16)

no power, two weeks-
th’neighbors ‘n th’sultry back yards
sharing th’gen’rators
(6-16)

pile ‘f anti-war signs –
choose one at th’pavilion, stand
on th’corner, by th’leaves
(6-16)

irish fests 't turley -
for years, th'kids took in th'music
'n' it always seemed t'rain
(6-16)

return of the boxcars

For a while, when I left Carbondale, it was hard to think about it, and I knew it would be, so I compiled my haiku about Carbondale into this one little edition, printed it on paper, and offered it free to anyone who lived in Carbondale. It remains that way today, three years later, but I've given very few of them away, and don't really like a system where it is not really available to the public except through contacting me. It has some of my earlier and better haiku, and is not burdened necessarily by geography as much of my haiku is, since it's clear, from the start, that it's southern Illinois.

I took it out the other day, and was reading it, and decided a few things. 1) I should republish it, and add to it, a variety of things that are not represented in it, for starters, sunset concerts, hallowe'en riots, other things. 2) there is no such thing as "no season haiku" (or, to put it better, though one can maintain that one doesn't need a season for haiku, I don't want to maintain that...3) the process of adding to it, and putting it on Amazon with other publications, would be fun and good for me, though it might take a while.

So there it is - it's coming. It might take a year or two, but it's coming.

This site is kind of indirectly named for Carbondale haiku. The name and the haiku arrived at about the same time. It's not quite accurate to say the site is here for the publication. I put all kinds of Carbondale things here, and will continue to do so. I maintain my offer. If you would like this first edition, paper copy, let me know. I have people coming and going from Carbondale often; it might not even cost me for shipping.

Longbranch remembered

Longbranch Coffee Shop gets its thirty seconds of fame.

Apparently someone from Carbondale was watching this television show, and there it was. CBS had bought the image. Which reminds me, I have images like this as well. They are what I use to remember Carbondale. And I remember it well.

At one point in Carbondale, I was a single father, and had two young children, but only half of the time. My own week was intensive. I did my best with them. When it was over, I'd give them back grudgingly. But then I'd walk down to the Longbranch - usually at night. I'd order a hot coffee and sit out on the patio watching trains. In winter, I'd stay indoors, but usually away from the smoke. It had a lot of smoke those days. It was the smoker's cafe.

e pluribus haiku 2016

my pride & joy; in time for international haiku day. About 500 of the haiku are new, and there is enough modification that each state is very different from last year. Available at Amazon by clicking the picture, or at the createspace store, which has the author's biography.