These haikus were written as exercises in mindfulness— an attempt to catch the fleeting moment in my daily walks, while reading, listening to music, and pondering about life. (Underlined words are not for emphasis but to web links.) This web page best viewed with Times font size 14.

Monday, February 1, 2010, 1:30-2:30 pm KDFC 102.1 FM: Erik Satie, Gymnopédie #1 (1888), (Listen), CD, YouTube Ravel and Debussy, came to hear Satie play for inspiration.	Monday, February 1, 2010, 2:15-5:12 pm Los Altos Hills, Foothill Krause Center Writing essay "Is there an organ for poetry?" for Kay Ryan's Poetry Workshop (English 192V) What makes poetry last?— When it comes from the spirit that is eternal.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 10:38-10:41 am KDFC 102.1 FM: Joshua Bell plays Camille Saint-Saëns (Listen), CD, YouTube, Carnival of the animals: #13, The Swan (1886) The swan conveys lightness as it glides serenely ready for white flight.	Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 10:45-11:03 am KDFC 102.1 FM: Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony #9 in D minor, Op. 125 (1824) (Listen), CD, You Tube: Karajan; Bernstein Beethoven's Ninth Symphony— spirit triumphant singing "Ode to Joy"!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 12:50-1:37 pm Los Altos Hills, Foothill Krause Center Finished essay "What Makes a Poem Lasting?" for Kay Ryan's Poetry Workshop (English 192V) Organ for poetry is pure mind like a clear lake reflecting the real.	Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 20, Room 21B Kay Ryan's Poetry Workshop: Discussed Christopher Smart's "A Song to David" (1759) Stronger than the beasts, even ocean, earth, and air, is a man in prayer.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 20, Room 21B After reading Smart's "A Song to David", I recall Ruben's painting in the National Gallery of Art Rubens' painting of Daniel in the Lion's Den shows the strength of prayer.	Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 20, Room 21B Kay Ryan's Poetry Class: Discussed Housman's "Loveliest of trees, the cherry now" (1896) Cherry blossom is light and fleeting— "hung with snow" echoes "hung with bloom".
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 20, Room 21B Kay Ryan mentions Samuel Menashe leaving a phone message after reading 3 of her poems— He found my poems in "The New Yorker" that someone left in Central Park.	Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 20, Room 21B Kay Ryan's Discussion of Edward Lear's "To Make Gosky Patties" (1870) Nonsense depends on sense as lightness on weight— Lear's recipe is funny.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 20, Room 21B Kay Ryan's Discussion of Edward Lear's "The Owl and the Pussy Cat" (1871) Pussy said to Owl— How sweet you sing! Let's buy a ring and get married.	Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 20, Room 21B Kay Ryan discussed "What rhyme adds to poetry?" and using rhyme to expand possibilities Rhyme creates expectations, makes us safe and free, and making giant leaps.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010, 1:05-1:40 pm KDFC 102.1 FM: Janine Jansen plays Felix Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 (1844) Listen, CD, YouTube: Janine Jansen, Sarah Chang Mendelssohn's masterpiece— melodic lyricism so romantic.	Wednesday, February 3, 2010, 3:15-4:40 pm Los Altos Hills, Foothill Krause Center Alberto Giacometti's Walking Man I" sets art auction record of $104 million dollars. (Man's legs like the Platonic Lambda, Poem) Highest price paid for artwork— but Soul of the Universe is priceless.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010, 6:30-8:45 pm Stanford University, 260-012 (Dupuy, FrenGen 265) Andrzej Wajda directs "Danton" (1983) starring Gérard Depardieu & Wojciech Pszoniak Reign of Terror film, Danton & Robespierre— power leads to evil.	Thursday, February 4, 2010, 11:53-11:59 am KDFC 102.1 FM: George Butterworth, The Banks of Green Willow (1913) Listen, (CD) (YouTube) Idyllic music set to A.E. Housman's poem "A Shropshire Lad".
Thursday, February 4, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 260, Room 11 Prof. Dupuy's seminar "The Problem of Evil"— Discussed Albert Camus & René Girard Desired object cast aside as rivals focus on fighting each other.	Thursday, February 4, 2010, 7:00-10:00 pm Stanford University, Building 200, Room 30 Radical Cinema screens Gillo Pontecorvo's "The Battle of Algiers" (1966) France won Battle of Algiers but lost the war of Algerian independence
Friday, February 5, 2010, 1:00-1:33 pm KDFC 102.1 FM: Franz Joseph Haydn, Symphony #101 in G major "The Clock" (1787) (Listen), CD, YouTube Tick tock, tick tock— clock moves on— Time, moving image of eternity.	Friday, February 5, 2010, 2:00-5:10 pm Los Altos Hills, Foothill Krause Center Wrote poem "Every Step You Make" on the Unseen supporting our visible world For every breath you take every step you make the Soul is watching you.
Friday, February 5, 2010, 7:30-9:30 pm Friends' House, 957 Colorado Avenue, Palo Alto Waverley Writers Monthly Poetry Reading— Read "Walking Man" & "Every Step You Make" Platonic Lambda no longer abstract as Soul shows itself when we walk!	Friday, February 5, 2010, 7:30-9:30 pm Friends' House, 957 Colorado Avenue, Palo Alto Waverley Writers Reading— Mary Marcia reads "You Think I'm Kidding? The Jewelry Thief" Shrub jay smashed glass case snatched a diamond necklace worth a million dollars.
Saturday, February 6, 2010, 11:00-11:06 am KDFC 102.1 FM: Ludovico Einaudi plays Ludovico Einaudi, Odd Days (2007) (Listen), (CD) YouTube Waking up to Einaudi— refreshing music for a good morning.	Saturday, February 6, 2010, 1:00-5:00 pm Stanford University, Cummings Art Library Wrote ten haikus while listening to "Odd Days" and Butterworth's "The Banks of Green Willow" Relaxing music calms my mind to write haikus in tranquillity.
Sunday, February 7, 2010, 10:29-10:33 am KDFC 102.1 FM: Brahms & Jascha Heifetz Contemplation (Listen) (CD) (YouTube) Brahms' "Wie melodien zieht es mir", Op. 105, #1 Let me contemplate on prayer and poetry— how they are linked together.	Sunday, February 7, 2010, 11:21-11:23 pm KDFC 102.1 FM: Sergei Rachmaninoff How Fair This Spot, Op. 21 #7 (1902) (Listen) (CD) (YouTube) How fair this spot in this calm garden glade to sit in silence or sleep.
Sunday, February 7, 2010, 1:00-2:00 pm Mountain View: Friend takes me grocery shopping at Milk Pail (2585 California St.) and Safeway (2580 California Street) Red pepper, radishes, popcorn shrimp, potato chips, cinnamon vanilla dairy creamer, mango & mocha almond ice cream.	Sunday, February 7, 2010, 8:00-9:50 pm Stanford Flicks at Memorial Auditorium: Lee Daniels directs "Precious" (2009) with Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, & Sherri Shepherd Sixteen year old girl abused by both parents starts a new life in school.
Monday, February 8, 2010, 12:24-12:39 pm KDFC 102.1 FM: Erich Kunzel conducts Giuseppe Verdi, Aida: Triumphal Scene (1871) (Listen), CD YouTube Triumphant troops march to the trumpets blaring— Glory to our Isis!	Monday, February 8, 2010, 6:15-8:30 pm Stanford University, Building 260, Room 011 Dupuy's FrenGen 265: Film screening on "Evil" Frank Pierson directs "Conspiracy" (2001) starring Kenneth Branagh & Stanley Tucci Secret plot at Wannsee to plan Final Solution to kill the Jews.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 10:45-10:53 pm KDFC 102.1 FM: Valery Gergiev conducts Alexander Borodin, In the Steppes of Central Asia (1880), (Listen), CD, YouTube Borodin's music prepares my mind for an adventurous journey.	Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 11:30 am-1:45 pm Los Altos Hills, Foothill Krause Center Wrote "Poetry & Prayer" for Kay Ryan's class; Sages on Prayer (Jesus, Confucius, Plotinus, Evagrios the Solitary) with Dante & Rumi poems If when praying no other joy can attract you— then you have found prayer.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 20, Room 21B Kay Ryan passed around Samuel Menashe's "Collected Poems" for us to read; "Enclosure"— Hagia Sophia's high dome magnifies and confines the mind's eye, home within oval lines	Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 20, Room 21B Kay Ryan's Discussion of Edward Lear's "The Owl and the Pussy Cat" (1871) Owl serenades cat who proposes marriage— Lear's rhyme makes a happy story that gives us pleasure.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 20, Room 21B Kay Ryan discussed Gerard Manley Hopkins's "The Windhover" (1877) "to Christ our Lord" Falcon hovers in air swooping down on its prey as Christ takes us in.	Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 20, Room 21B Kay Ryan discussed Stevie Smith's "Forgot!" "There is a fearful solitude" Sad poem about solitude— No one seemed to care, he was quite forgot.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 12:21-12:37 pm KDFC 102.1 FM: Janine Jansen plays Ludwig van Beethoven, (Listen), (CD) YouTube Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 (1806) Such sweetness pouring out from Beethoven's heart— music for those in love.	Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 1:50-4:40 pm Los Altos Hills, Foothill Krause Center Finished "Poetry & Prayer" essay for Kay Ryan's class; Added Millet's "L'Angelus" Millet's L'Angelus— painting of poetry & prayer that is full of peace.
Thursday, February 11, 2010, 11:46-11:58 am KDFC 102.1 FM: Ralph Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music (1938) (Listen), CD, YouTube Serenade to music— May the muse Euterpe favor us with songs.	Thursday, February 11, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 260, Room 11 Prof. Dupuy's seminar "The Problem of Evil"— Discussed the term Shoah replacing Holocaust Shoah denotes destruction so monstrous that there's no instrument to measure.
Friday, February 12, 2010, 12:22-12:37 pm KDFC 102.1 FM: Gustav Mahler Symphony #1 in D minor, "Titan" (1896) (Listen), CD, YouTube Wrote paper on this piece in Hatch's music class at Columbia.	Friday, February 12, 2010, 1:30-3:30 pm Los Altos Library: Returned Joyce Carol Oates' The Journal of Joyce Carol Oates: 1973-1982 Entry of November 13, 1974 about "spirit" (p. 28) Difficult to speak on spirit, soul, psyche— most are afraid of them.
Saturday, February 13, 2010, 10:20-10:23 am KDFC 102.1 FM: Camille Saint-Saens, Carnival of the Animals: #13 The Swan (1886), (Listen), CD, YouTube Hamsa in Sanskrit means swan and soul for its purity and whiteness.	Saturday, February 13, 2010, 1:00-5:00 pm Stanford University, Cummings Art Library Scanned Michael Maier's Emblema XII from Atalanta Fugiens (1617) Rugged rock tumbling from the sky— just right for image of Uncarved Block.
Sunday, February 14, 2010, 1:05-1:34 pm KDFC 102.1 FM: Chen Gang / He Zhanhao Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto (1959) (Listen), CD, YouTube New Moon, Chinese New Year of Tiger, Valentine's Day— Let's celebrate!	Sunday, February 14, 2010, 1:30-3:00 pm Mountain View: Friend takes me shopping at Trader's Joe, Milk Pail, and Safeway Sesame sticks, Brussels sprouts, green onions, radishes, asparagus, peanuts, pizza, string cheese, milk.
Sunday, February 14, 2010, 4:40-7:45 pm Stanford University, Cummings Art Library Notes to poem "Sculpting Uncarved Block" inspired by Maier's Emblema XII and on planetary deities in Roman mythology Each planetary deity tried their hands in sculpting this Uncarved Block.	Sunday, February 14, 2010, 8:00-10:10 pm Stanford Flicks at Memorial Auditorium: Chris Weitz directs "Twilight: New Moon" (2009) starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner; The Twilight Saga (film series) Saw vampire & werewolf film New Moon under the New Moon of Chinese New Year.
Monday, February 15, 2010, 11:32-11:45 am KDFC 102.1 FM: Claudio Abbado conducts Felix Mendelssohn, Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, Op. 27 (1828) (Listen) (CD) (Goethe's poems, 1795) Goethe's poems inspired Mendelssohn to compose this calm sea voyage home.	Monday, February 15, 2010, 3:30-5:00 pm Stanford University, Cummings Art Library Notes to poem "Sculpting Uncarved Block" inspired by Maier's Emblema XII and on planetary deities in Roman mythology Sculpting Uncarved Block is metaphor for polishing our Inner Self.
Monday, February 15, 2010, 7:30-9:00 pm Stanford University, Annenberg Auditorium Hal Buell: "Defining Moments in Photographic History", Former Head of AP gives photo talk Photos etched into our psyche unfolding American history.	Monday, February 15, 2010, 7:30-9:00 pm Stanford University, Annenberg Auditorium Hal Buell: "Defining Moments in Photographic History", Former Head of AP gives photo talk Golden Spike, Earthrise, JFK & Ike, Tank Man, Iwo Jima and The Babe
Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 8:17-8:30 am KDFC 102.1 FM: Sir Edward Elgar, Pomp and Circumstance March #4 in G,, (1901) (Listen), CD, YouTube Elgar's Pomp & Circumstance March for graduation— Hold your head high!	Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 9:34-9:41 am KDFC 102.1 FM: Ludwig van Beethoven Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43, Finale (1801), (Listen), CD, YouTube Prometheus was a Titan that Beethoven became himself in music.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 3:15-4:45 pm Stanford University, Building 20, Room 21B Eavan Boland discussed Marianne Moore's "No Swan so Fine" (1932) The gold swan languished at the still waters of Versailles— The King is dead!	Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 3:15-4:45 pm Stanford University, Building 20, Room 21B Eavan Boland on Kay Ryan's Interviews: Paris Review (2008) & Drunken Boat (2006)— Kay's voice is unique— I admire her independence not going the workshop process.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010, 2:00-4:40 pm Los Altos Hills, Foothill Krause Center Notes to poem "Sculpting Uncarved Block" on planetary deities creating Earth Uncarved Block is a Philosopher's Stone— the true gold that's within us.	Wednesday, February 17, 2010, 7:00-9:00 pm Stanford University, GSB Bishop Auditorium George Schaller, "A Naturalist in the World's Wilderness", Jhumki Basu Memorial Lecture Wildlife lecture in honor of visionary teacher in science education.
Thursday, February 18, 2010, 10:38-10:48 am KDFC 102.1 FM: Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony #7 in A, Op. 92 (Listen), (CD) (YouTube: Karajan) (1812) Galloping music of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony wakes me up.	Thursday, February 18, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 260, Room 11 Prof. Dupuy's seminar "The Problem of Evil"— Günther Anders & Nuclear Deterrence Is there inherent evil in technology that we should avoid?
Thursday, February 18, 2010, 6:40 pm Stanford University, Cummings Art Library Pluto, Discovered 80 Years Ago, Still a Big Mystery (Clyde Tombaugh found Pluto on Feb. 18, 1930) Pluto discovered 80 years ago today— Planet or Plutoid?	Thursday, February 18, 2010, 6:40-10:00 pm Stanford University, Cummings Art Library Nonsense rhyming poems in "Mother Goose"— "As I was going to St. Ives" (Image; poster) Going to St. Ives, met seven wives with seven sacks each with seven cats.
Friday, February 19, 2010, 11:37-11:44 am KDFC 102.1 FM: Sergei Rachmaninoff, plays Fritz Kreisler, "Liebesleid" (1942), (Listen), CD, (YouTube: Daniel Berman, Ksenia Morozova) Zenph reperfomance of Rachmaninoff playing Kreisler's "Love's Sorrow".	Friday, February 19, 2010, 10:20 pm Stanford University, Stanford Oval: Waiting for Midnight Express Shuttle Bus and seeing Crescent New Moon Crescent Moon in the west— crucible in the sky pours down her blessings.
Saturday, February 20, 2010, 11:15 am-5:00 pm Stanford University, Cummings Art Library Scanning images of Milking and Children for essay on "Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes" Go back to childhood— Read and enjoy Mother Goose simple nursery rhymes.	Saturday, February 20, 2010, 12:42 pm Stanford University, Cummings Art Library Yahoo: Humpty Dumpty's missing word— What major detail does the nursery rhyme leave out? Rhyme doesn't say Humpty was an egg until Tenniel drew him as such!
Sunday, February 21, 2010, 8:00-9:40 pm Stanford Flicks at Memorial Auditorium: Grant Heslov directs "The Men Who Stare at Goats" (2009), starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey; Jon Ronson's book Psychic powers used in warfare— remote viewing, mind-control killing.	Sunday, February 21, 2010, 10:40 pm-3:00 am KSFO 560 AM: Coast-to-Coast AM George Knapp interviews Jack Sarfatti "Holographic Universe & Cutting-Edge Physics" (Web site); "Super Cosmos", "Destiny Matrix" Universe is hologram created by a conscious computer.
Monday, February 22, 2010, 1:35 pm Los Altos Hills, Foothill Krause Center "Sleep Now, Remember Later" by Robert Stickgold, "Newsweek" April 27, 2009 Memory improves while we sleep as nerve cells in synapses strengthen.	Monday, February 22, 2010, 1:45-3:30 pm Los Altos Hills, Foothill Krause Center Essay on "Mother Goose" Rhyme #590: Insight on "Go to bed first, A golden purse"— Our universe is 96% dark energy & dark matter— the place we go when we sleep.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 11:46-11:50 am KDFC 102.1 FM: Erik Satie, Gymnopédie #1 (1888), (Listen), CD, YouTube Kay Ryan's poems, compact like Erik Satie's music— minimalist delight!	Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 3:15-5:15 pm Stanford University, Building 20, Room 21B Kay Ryan discussed Emily Dickinson's Poem #364 "The Morning after Woe—" Kay Ryan on Emily: Emily's a giant Black Hole draining everything— I'd hate to meet her.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 8:00-9:20 pm Stanford University, Cubberley Auditorium Kay Ryan, Poetry Reading, "Odd Blocks" ("Threepenny Review" #111, Fall 2007) Order is always starting over. And why not also in the self?	Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 10:00 pm Stanford University, Cummings Art Library Looked at free Sotheby's Auction Catalogues and found Renoir's Gypsy Girl (1879) Renoir's Gypsy Girl— Her hair, dress, and flowers all aswirl with nature.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 12:23-12:41 pm KDFC 102.1 FM: Franz Danzi, Fantasy for Clarinet on a Theme by Mozart (1818) "Là ci darem la mano" (Listen), (CD) (YouTube) "Let me take your hand"— to the land on the other side where all is Light.	Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 6:15-10:00 pm Stanford University, Cummings Art Library Rachel cited Marcel Proust in Kay Ryan's Tuesday's class that we have lots of selves Intermittence— finding not oneself but a succession of selves in our life.
Thursday, February 25, 2010, 2:16-2:28 pm KDFC 102.1 FM: Michael Tilson Thomas conducts Ludwig van Beethoven, 12 Contredances, WoO 14 (1802) (Listen), CD, You Tube: Victoria; Contradance #3 Parallel strands of contradancers wove in and out like DNA!	Thursday, February 25, 2010, 3:15-6:05 pm Stanford University, Building 260, Room 11 Prof. Dupuy's seminar "The Problem of Evil"— Janince: Samuel Sheffler's Consequentialism; Luke: Hans Jonas & "Minority Report" (2002) Listen to the prophets of doom if you wish to survive the future.
Thursday, February 25, 2010, 6:45 pm Stanford University, Cummings Art Library "1939 Batman comic sells for more than $1M": Detective Comics #27 (May 1939) breaks record of Action Comics #1 (June 1938) of Superman Within three days, two comics sold over $1 million— Superman and Batman.	Thursday, February 25, 2010, 6:45-10:00 pm Stanford University, Cummings Art Library Searching for image of Galen Strawson for Kay Ryan's assignment on narrative & episodic minds: What kind are you? The past is alive in the present because we are shaped by our past.
Saturday, February 27, 2010, 11:25-11:33 am KDFC 102.1 FM: Gustavo Dudamel conducts Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony #5 in C minor, Op. 67 (1824) Listen, CD, (You Tube: Dudamel; Karajan; Bohm) Beethoven's Fifth Symphony— O wake up, wake up for Enlightenment!	Saturday, February 27, 2010, 1:00-5:00 pm Stanford University, Cummings Art Library Found Prominent Rose & Great Century Rose with 33 petals for Elisa's birthday; Number 33; Highest Degree in Freemasonry 33o Sacred number 33— our spinal column has 33 bones!

| Top of Page | Haikus 2010 | Haikus 2009 | Haikus 2008 | Haikus 2007 | Nature Haikus |
| Poems 2010 | Poems 2009 | Poems 2008 | Poems 2007 | Poems Index | Basho on Poetry |
| CPITS | Poetry & Power | Poetry Resources | Books | A-Z Portals | Home |

© Peter Y. Chou, Wisdom Portal P.O. Box 390707, Mountain View, CA 94039 email: (2-1-2010)