The Privacy of Corn
soaring low over
furrows of new corn
barn swallows
morning glory climbs
a young green stalk
dripping rain
moon luminous
over the restless corn
a family of possums
ah, crickets
now the soft brushes
of corn leaves
ear of field corn
nailed to a tree
I chatter back
a wall of corn stalks
the privacy
of our farmyard
new snow . . .
mouse tracks cone and go
beneath a stalk
Firsts
diaper change
an open-air fountain
spray
finger over lips
Momma hushes a cricket
outside the nursery
girls’ night out
a long list of to-dos
for daddy
night feeding
a zombie returns the baby
to his mother
teething baby . . .
don’t put me down
don’t pick me up
go to sleep little baby
when you wake
we’ll patty patty cake
Anniversary
only the word beach
on her desk
calendar
flight to Miami
cloud by cloud letting
office work go
the wait for sunrise
a sleepy boy drags his towel
behind mom
so many freckles
much better
than polka dots
well-worn bikini
the swells
of boogie board waves
under dawn clouds
the lip of sun
on our curve of ocean
back home
a trace of sand
in the suitcase
Dr. Randy Brooks is Professor of English Emeritus at Millikin University where he teaches courses on haiku and tanka. He and his wife, Shirley Brooks, are publishers of Brooks Books and co-editors of Mayfly haiku magazine. His most recent books include Walking the Fence: Selected Tanka and The Art of Reading and Writing Haiku: A Reader Response Approach.
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