Pursuit of Happiness

Trump Empire, Inc., XCVI 

for MAGA cult and Christian Nationalists in Trumperica

gated cul-de-sac

lined with wavy green oaks

in golden sunlight

diverse shapes and heights

of white picket fences

whitewashed fence

taller by two feet this year …

neighbors equipped

with security cams, bulldogs

and stars-and-stripes rifles

NeverEnding Story, July 4 2026

FYI: Stars-and-Stripes rifles refer to limited-edition or custom American flag-themed firearms. 

And "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" is a well-known phrase from the United States Declaration of Independence. Like the other principles in the Declaration of Independence, this phrase is not legally binding, but has been widely referenced and seen as an inspiration for the basis of government.

Added: Trump Empire, Inc., XCVII

an eagle spirals

into the gathering dark

this fireworks night

a one-armed veteran

stares beyond his front yard flag

Added: Trump Empire, Inc., XCVIII

Culmination

From the blood-stained sport on the White House lawn, to the pigeons-more-than-visitors fiasco of the “Great American State Fair,” to the fenced-in, algae-green reflecting pool on the National Mall, to the knock-the-hell-out-of-Iran recycled speech:

rainbow flowers

bloom in the July 4th sky

a war veteran

takes aim at the enemy

still fighting in his head

FYI: CNBC News, July 4 2026: Trump hails U.S. exceptionalism before veering into darkly political speech to usher in America’s 250th anniversary

Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty.

-- Donald Trump, America 250 speech

River Trail Tanka

Starlight on the Gutter of  Blossoms, IV

silver moonlight 

drips through weeping willow leaves

the river trail  reeks 

where a stray rips the throat

from a bag of rotting guts

NeverEnding Story, May 6 2026

Added: Starlight on the Gutter of  Blossoms, V

the milky way 

floats in the midlight river --

one yellow stream

arcs higher than the other

while two drunks shout and laugh

Added: Starlight on the Gutter of  Blossoms, VI

the warbler’s wail

ripples through the morning mist --

the screech of brakes

as a truck grinds to a stop

inches from the toddler

Added: Starlight on the Gutter of  Blossoms, VII

the moonlit creek

chatters over mossy rocks

the drainage pipe 

spewing vomit after vomit

of neon-blue factory sludge

Added: Starlight on the Gutter of  Blossoms, VIII

fields of wheat

rippling in morning sunshine

roadside billboards

hawk cheap loans and debt swaps

to the hollow-eyed and aged

Added: Starlight on the Gutter of  Blossoms, IX

morning mist

veiling the river’s curve ...

the bridge traffic stops

as a rusted semi-truck 

grinds a stray into pulp

The Winter of Our Discontent

Its edges browned with age, another photograph, long buried beneath piles of boxes, has come to light in recent days.

His eyes meet the camera head-on. His hand rests at the curve of a young girl’s hip.

the man, once a prince

hid behind purple curtains ...

now cuffed in cold steel

NeverEnding Story, February 19 2026

FYI: This sociopolitically conscious haibun is inspired by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, being arrested by UK police over Jeffrey Epstein ties.

The title, "The Winter of Our Discontent," is a famous allusion to the opening lines of William Shakespeare’s Richard III: Now is the winter of our discontent / Made glorious summer by this sun of York

For more analysis of this allusive title, see To the Lighthouse: The Impact of an Allusive Title.

See The New York Times, Feb. 19 2026: Live Updates: Former Prince Andrew Arrested in Britain Over Epstein Ties

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXXVI

inspired by a viral social media prompt:The U.K. just arrested a royal. Is the U.S. capable of the same?

The Next One

My boy lines the dominoes along the coffee table’s edge, their lacquered backs blinking ivory in the lamplight, and nudges the first with his forefinger.

In the armchair, I grip the remote, the blue glare of the television flickering against my tired eyes as a news ticker scrolls the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

King Charles III’s words, “the law must take its course,” hang in the air like dust in the living room as I switch off the TV. I stand for a moment, facing the window, where the last of the light thins along the fence line.

the White House

shadowed against the sky

crow after crow ...

West Bank on Mute Haiku

Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCXLVIII: "a Mina plush doll, blood-stained and headless"

West Bank on mute  

a Mina plush doll blood-stained

and headless

NeverEnding, November 15 2025 

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCXLIX: "patchworked tents"

rain pitter-pattering  

on rows of patchworked tents ...

a Gazan child

stares out at the puddle

with rippling gray skies

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCL: "a Palestinian doll"

twisted rebar heap

a Palestinian doll's eyes

jammed open

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCLI: "Sde Teiman"

crimson twilight

at the edge of Sde Teiman 

a scream snaps in two

FYI: +972 Magazine, Independent Journalism from Israel-Palestine, NewsLetter, Nov. 18, 2025:

Torture, neglect, and starvation: new data reveals 98 Palestinian deaths in Israeli custody

Read the full report on +972 Magazine. 

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCLII: "summary execution"

their hands raised

into the thinning light ...

a soldier

fires without a word

as Jenin’s skies darken

FYI: Jenin is a city in the West Bank, Palestine. And CBC News, Nov. 28 2025: UN says killing of 2 Palestinians in West Bank looks like 'summary execution'

...The UN and B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, say since Oct. 7th, more than 1000 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied territories and that Israelis are acting with impunity...

Epstein Email Gembun

In a 2011 email to Ghislaine Maxwell, “… that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump.”

a pink-haired girl

seen through a telescope

of age-spotted hands

NeverEnding Story, November 14 2025 

FYI: CNN News, Nov. 12 2025: Takeaways from the new Epstein emails mentioning Trump

‘I know how dirty Donald is’: Several suggestions about what Epstein knew about Trump

In one 2018 email, Epstein remarked amid a discussion about Trump’s possible impeachment: “you see , i know how dirty Donald is. my guess is that non lawyers ny biz people have no idea. What it means to have your fixer flip.” (That last part was apparently a reference to Michael Cohen, who flipped on Trump.)

And 

A desire presupposes the possibility of action to achieve it; action presupposes a goal which is worth achieving.

-- Ayn Rand, novelist and advocate of a philosophy, “the virtue of selfishness”

FYI: The Guardian, April 10, 2017: The new age of Ayn Rand: how she won over Trump and Silicon Valley

Her novel The Fountainhead is one of the few works of fiction that Donald Trump likes and she has long been the darling of the US right. But only now do her devotees hold sway around the world...

Added: 

the kettle whistles ...

my rented attic room

fills with its sound

as I look out at something

or nothing in the snowfall

Added:

snow on snow

the nursing home hallway

stretches into silence

Added:

another rent hike

a crescendo of rain

on the skylight

Added:

The Prime Minister's mouth opens, closes — yak, yak, yak, blah, blah,  blah ...

breadlines lengthen

in the Sunday morning chill

bare branches snap

FYI: Food Banks Canada's 2025 HungerCount report shows that Canada is facing a food bank crisis with record-high usage, as food bank visits in March 2025 were nearly double those in March 2019. This report indicates that monthly visits reached 2.2 million in March 2025, a new record.

Peace Crackled Tanka

burst after burst

of muzzle flashes

lighting up our night ...

between neighbors and in hearts

the peace is crackled

NeverEnding story, September 15 2025

FYI: My tanka below could be read as its sequel:

another

gun control debate

in the spotlight

the back-and-forth flow

of black-and-white monologues

NeverEnding Story, March 29, 2023

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LV

a ball of flames 

as helicopters zoom, zooming 

over Chicago ...

in the meme, Trump boasts

I love the smell of deportations

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LVI: 

inspired by the F.C.C. chair, Brendan Carr's warning against Jimmy Kimmel Live: "We can do this the easy way or the hard way"

Donald Trump Live

suspended over MAGA chants ...

awake at dawn

I muse, it's easy to start

a revolution from bed

FYI: The F.C.C. chair, Brendan Carr, appeared on a MAGA podcast and warned ABC’s parent company, Disney, ‘We can do this the easy way or the hard way.’ Later, after the suspension of Kimmel’s show was announced, Carr went on Fox News, and said, ‘I’m very glad to see that America’s broadcasters are standing up for the interests of their community.’ ” -- The New Yorker Newsletter, September 17

And The Nation Magazine, September 18, 2025: Jimmy Kimmel’s Bosses Sold Us All Out

The mainstream media is complicit in the biggest attack on free speech since the McCarthy era. Kimmel’s suspension is just the latest proof.

Trump, like all would-be authoritarians, has a thin skin and no ability to laugh at himself. As a former reality-show star, he remains excessively obsessed with TV shows and ratings, seeing celebrities as rivals to be brought down.

Trump chortled at Colbert’s firing and wrote, “Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel and then, a weak, and very insecure, Jimmy Fallon.”

The political economy of the new authoritarianism is clear: In an increasingly plutocratic America, where a handful of corporations control most of the media, an authoritarian president such as Trump can easily destroy free speech. The corporate weasels (and other elite institutions) are calculating that Trump has the immediate power to hurt them, and that they won’t suffer any penalty for surrendering to Trump if/when Democrats are back in power.

As scary as Trump’s attack on free speech is, the real danger is not the president but an opposition that refuses the courage this moment requires.

Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LVII

in dim light

staring at the TV talk show

Donald Trump holds 

a remote control with buttons:

Power, Pause, Mute, Sack, Deport

Added: Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LVIII

the footfalls

of MAGA intruders

stir clouds of dust ...

the Wall of Free Speech in twilight

sentineled with talk show hosts

Added:

bomb shelter

rock, paper, scissors growing

loud and louder

Added:

closed doors 

along the nursing home hallway

gathering dark

Added:

her son's gone to war

these pencil marks

on the door frame

Added:

school bus ride 

a small handprint fills

with sunlight

reprinted in Triya,  Sharad, 2025

Hindi Translation

स्कूल बस का सफर 

एक नन्ही हथेली की छाप 

धूप से भरी 

नेवर एन्डिंग स्टोरी, सितंबर 15, 2025 

Bomb Threats Haiku

another wave

of bomb threats and yet...

cherry blossoms

Asahi Haikuist Network, April 4 2025

Abused Body and Mind Haiku

her abused body

inside

the inside of her mind

The Bamboo Hut, 2025

Mob of Crows and Riot Police Tanka

a mob of crows

cawing in the wintry sky ...

a phalanx

of policemen

in riot gear

NeverEnding Story, January 3 2025

Added:

the rust-colored

twenty-foot-high border wall

draped with razor wire

stretches to the horizon ...

raven after raven croaking

FYI: For more examples about atmospheric tanka, see To the Lighthouse: Atmospheric Tanka

Added: The following is a response tanka (not atmospheric one) to the "border wall"tanka:

the howling

of winter wind

through barbed wire ...

an old man stares

in piercing silence

Hushed Silence Haiku

steady dut, dut, dut ...

hushed silence between what if

and what if not

Cold Moon Journal, December 2 2024

Why hast thou forsaken me?

In the back of a dimly lit storage room, the man in his cassock stands behind a half-naked boy, bent over.

Good Friday service

this white-haired man last to come

always first to leave 

The Pan Haiku Review, 4, 2024

Shelter Window Tanka

a girl

sticks her tongue out

at snowflakes

her mother's smiling face

in the shelter window

NeverEnding Story, October 17 2024

FYI: For more examples about mood haiku and tanka, see To the Lighthouse: Mood Haiku and Tanka

Border Wall Haiku

the border wall

after gunshots

after rain

German Translation by Chrysanthemum Editorial Team

die Grenzmauer

nach Schüssen

nach dem Regen

Chrysanthemum, 32, 2024

Distant Gunshots Haiku

distant gunshots

then silence

a falling blossom

Fireflies' Light, April, 2024

Same Bloody Spot Tanka

written on Juneteenth

a Black man

cried, and cried out for his mother

then went quiet ...

years later my friend is stopped

and frisked on the same bloody spot

NeverEnding Story, June 19 2024

FYI: This is a sequel to my haiku below:

passing the shadow

of the George Floyd mural wall

white cops on the beat

NeverEnding Story, May 26 2021

And for more about Juneteenth, see Special Feature: "Selected Poems for Reflections on Juneteenth"

Tiananmen Square Tanka

reading between the lives and writing between the lines, LXXXIII

Beijingers, young and old

stroll along Tiananmen Square

[everything's just fine]

my recurring dream, this sound

of rolling tanks and rifle fire

NeverEnding Story, June 4 2024

FYI: The New Yorker, June 2: The Shadow of Tiananmen Falls on Hong Kong

The anniversary of the massacre coincides with verdicts in the trial of the pro-democracy activists known as the Hong Kong 47.

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LXVI: "shrapnel scars"

calm between fireballs

a boy fingers

his shrapnel scars

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LXVII: "Rafah Crossing"

Rafah Crossing

a girl stares

at the borderless sky

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LXVIII: "Kibbutzim"

home, sweet home!

each window has a vista 

of a blue horizon ...

the half-collapsed billboard

near the gate of Kibbutz Liman

FYI: This tanka is a sequel/poetic response to the following entry:

Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XXII: "punitive house demolition"

bulldozed house

now a bundle of belongings

on the bent back

of a Palestinian man ...

in his mind's eye re-homing

NeverEnding Story, February 28, 2024

Boxing Ring Kyoka

in the ring

jabs, missed punches

and clenches ...

round after round

I fight my drunken shadow

Failed Haiku, 8:96, December 2023

Re-Homing Tanka

Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XXII: "punitive house demolition"

bulldozed house

now a bundle of belongings

on the bent back

of a Palestinian man ...

in his mind's eye re-homing

NeverEnding Story, January 28 2024

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XXIII: "bread"

God willing

we'll have bread like the bread

of old days ...

he states with an eye on kids

eating pita of chicken feed

FYI: Haaretz, Feb. 25: Israel Blocks Work Visas From International Aid NGO Workers in West Bank and Gaza

The refusal has disrupted the operations of numerous agencies involved in providing medical assistance, food, and water to Gaza residents, who are primarily affected by acute hunger and dehydration. Some aid workers told Haaretz they fear political motivations are behind the decision.

The Guardian, Feb. 27: Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians, UN rights expert says

Exclusive: UN special rapporteur on the right to food Michael Fakhri says denial of food is war crime and constitutes ‘a situation of genocide’

And The Associated Press, Feb. 29: Palestinian deaths in Gaza pass 30,000 as witnesses say Israeli forces fire on crowd waiting for aid

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops fired on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza City on Thursday, witnesses said. More than 100 people were killed, bringing the death toll since the start of the Israel-Hamas war to more than 30,000, according to health officials.

Hospital officials initially reported an Israeli strike on the crowd, but witnesses later said Israeli troops opened fire as people pulled flour and canned goods off of trucks.

The Israeli military declined to provide an on-the-record statement about the role of troops in the incident.

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XXIV: "smell"

written in response to Seamus Heaney's view of poetry in times of crises and after Praniti Gulyani 

In a war situation or where violence and injustice are prevalent, "poetry is called upon to be something more than a thing of beauty." 

the ever-changing

smell of the winter wind

Rafah's tent camp

FYI: Haaretz, Feb. 29: Death Is Everywhere': In Gaza, You May Skirt Israel's Bombs, but That Doesn't Mean You're Alive

...Death and destruction were everywhere, with the horrifying smell of flowing sewage and rotting bodies with flies and other insects above them...We walked quietly; most of the people walking marched in silence without looking right or left... 

And 

backyard orchard ...

the ever-changing scent

of the breeze

 

NeverEnding Story, March 1, 2024

Praniti Gulyani 

Added: This Brave New World, CXLIV

the mall's TV

blasting ad after ad

as shoppers flood in ...

at ninety seconds to midnight

the Doomsday Clock ticks, ticking...

FYI: The Doomsday Clock is a design that warns the public about how close we are to destroying our world with dangerous technologies of our own making.

And Haaretz, Feb. 28: Israeli Calls to 'Nuke Gaza' Are Undermining the Nuclear Ambiguity Doctrine

Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who said that dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza was "an option," and lawmaker Tally Gotliv, who urged the government to consider using such weapons against Hamas. 

Given the increasing risks of nuclear weapons proliferation – and, worse, use – continuing such self-censorship about Israel's nuclear arsenal is not just bizarre; it's harmful," the authors write.

Added: Game Show 2024, XXXVII

USA!USA!

a mob of ravens unfolds

into echoes 

Added:

a white raven

on the power line ...

winter deepens

Gun Control Debate Senryu

gun control debate  

they point at each other  

with finger pistols  

Fireflies' Light, October 2023

Old Dog's Stare Haiku

the quiver

of a crime-scene tape

an old dog's stare

Shot Glass Journal, 41, 2023