Haikus: February 2011

HAIKUS: February 2011

By Peter Y. Chou
WisdomPortal.com

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.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011, 10:30 am-6:15 pm
Mountain View: Cleaning up apartment for
tomorrow's Annual Apartment Inspection;
Stash away 22 bags of books & newspapers

What to keep and discard?
No time to sort now—
dump into the trash bin! Tuesday, February 1, 2011, 6:40-9:40 pm
Palo Alto, Foothill Middlefield Computer Lab
Begin essay on Stephen Dobyns' chapter on
Line Breaks in "Next Word, Better Word"

Enjambment creates tension;
end-stopped line makes rest—
poem is a performance.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 11:30 am
Mountain View: Annual Apartment Inspection;
Smoke alarm & water flowing in both sinks OK;
Need repair: kitchen LED light & toilet flush

Will get new windows,
bathroom sink and floor tiles,
after fourteen years here. Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 12:22-2:00 pm
Los Altos Hills: Foothill College Krause Center
Finished sonnet "The Valley-Light" on Bus 40;
Hitched ride with Greg to Los Altos Library

Perceval pierced the vale
of darkness with white light
and found Holy Grail.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 3:15-6:15 pm
Stanford University, History Corner 200-105
Stephen Dobyns, Poetry Workshop (English 192V)
Read 7 poems from anthology "Staying Alive"

Roethke's "Dolor" and
Stafford's "Traveling through
the Dark"— wonderful poems. Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 7:40-9:40 pm
Palo Alto, Foothill Middlefield Computer Lab
Reading Groundhog Day in Pennsylavania—
"Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring"

Groundhog didn't see
his shadow just 16 times
since 1887— Early Spring!

Thursday, February 3, 2011, 2:00-6:00 pm
Mountain View: Friend takes me to Fry's to buy
two Kingston 4 GB camera chips @ $6.88;
sold to Rasputin 10 books ($19.25 credit)

Friend takes me to pay
rent at Public Storage
and store away Dad's books. Thursday, February 3, 2011, 6:11-9:45 pm
Palo Alto, Foothill Middlefield Computer Lab
Chinese New Year: First New Moon after Full Moon; 2011 is Rabbit Year (4709), Rabbit Stamps

Rabbit Year people—
John Keats, Lewis Carroll,
George Orwell, Orson Welles.

Thursday, February 3, 2011, 6:11-9:45 pm
Palo Alto, Foothill Middlefield Computer Lab
Lewis Carroll (Jan. 27, 1832-Jan. 14, 1898) was born in Rabbit Year (Feb. 12, 1831-Jan. 31, 1832)
because Chinese New Year of the Dragon began on Feb. 1, 1832 (First New Moon after Full Moon)

Lewis Carroll— Rabbit Year man
with White Rabbit running
to start his Alice book. Thursday, February 3, 2011, 6:11-9:45 pm
Palo Alto, Foothill Middlefield Computer Lab
Writing haikus for New Year of the Rabbit;
Reading "Nabokov's Butterfly Theory Vindicated"
& "Kepler Planet Hunter Finds 1200 Possibilities"
in New York Times Science (Feb. 1 & 3, 2011)

Kepler Hunter found
1200 Earth-like planets
around Sun-like stars.

Friday, February 4, 2011, 10:30-2:45 pm
Mountain View: 317 Castro Street
Book Buyers gave me $104 credit for
Sotheby & Christie's Art Catalogues

Got Mary Oliver's Poetry Handbook,
Gary Snyder's Mountains and Rivers
Without End & Chinmayananda book. Friday, February 4, 2011, 7:40-9:22 pm
Palo Alto: Friends' House, 957 Colorado Ave.,
Waverley Writers Monthly Poetry Reading—
Read "Platonic Lambda Sonnet" & "Valley-Light"

Is God best found on
the mountain or valley?
Where's the soul and the Grail?

Saturday, February 5, 2011, 1:00-2:15 pm
Mountain View: 630 San Antonio Ave.
Rasputin Music: Used $19.25 credit & $6.50
to buy 12 used CDs @$1.65; 26 CDs @25¢

Bought music of Mozart,
Beethoven, Schubert
and Pachelbel Canon. Saturday, February 5, 2011, 2:30-3:10 pm
Mountain View: Friend takes me grocery
shopping at Safeway (2580 California St.)

Dairy creamer, wheat thins,
popcorn shrimp, appetizers,
supreme pizza, pistachios,
and egg potato salad.

Sunday, February 6, 2011, 4:25-7:50 pm
Stanford University, Green Library, ESPN:
Superbowl XLV: Packers 21 Steelers 17 (5:18 pm);
Reading New York Times Science Section;
Writing 16-line quatrain poem "The Letter B"

In the beginning BOOM—
Big Bang blaze of light
and this universe was born. Sunday, February 6, 2011, 8:00-10:10 pm
Stanford Memorial Auditorium: Stanford Flicks:
Ben Affleck directs "The Town" (2010) with
Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall,
Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Pete Postlethwaite

Boston Bank heist film
with chief thief falling in love
with bank manager.

Monday, February 7, 2011, 1:00-4:20 pm
Palo Alto, Foothill College Middlefield Campus
Seeing crows & seagulls fighting over soft drink cup
Writing poem "Enlightenment to Enlightenment"

Enlightenment: Rousseau
and Buddha— outer and
inner search for truth. Monday, February 7, 2011, 4:30-9:40 pm
Palo Alto, Foothill College Middlefield Lab
Searched for Roland Cat's "La Promenade"
& found Christophe Vacher's "The Messengers"

Rocks suspended in air—
messengers defying
earth's gravitation.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 11:00 am-1:35 pm
Los Altos Hills: Foothill College Krause Center
Writing essay on "Closure" from Chapter 8 of Dobyns' "Next Word, Better Word" & citing Plotinus

We run after the outer
not knowing that beauty
is inward within us. Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 2:45-3:10 pm
Stanford University, Building 260-223E
Appointment with Professor Stephen Dobyns
Discussed essay on "Closure" & Mercedes

Showed Dobyns my copy
of Plotinus Enneads—
how he inspired my work.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 3:15-6:10 pm
Stanford University, Building 200-105
Stephen Dobyns, "Poetry Workshop"
Read poem "This Is Bliss"

The kiss of bliss is
to know thyself— Plotinus
and Ramana knew this. Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 7:40-9:45 pm
Palo Alto: Foothill Middlefield Computer Lab
Bill Morrison sent email on pianist Valentina Lisitsa
playing Chopin's "Etude, Op. 25, #11 HQ" (YouTube)

Her fingers on the keyboard—
simply dazzling BR> inspired fury.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011, 10:30 am-6:15 pm Mountain View: Cleaning up apartment for tomorrow's Annual Apartment Inspection; Stash away 22 bags of books & newspapers What to keep and discard? No time to sort now— dump into the trash bin!	Tuesday, February 1, 2011, 6:40-9:40 pm Palo Alto, Foothill Middlefield Computer Lab Begin essay on Stephen Dobyns' chapter on Line Breaks in "Next Word, Better Word" Enjambment creates tension; end-stopped line makes rest— poem is a performance.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 11:30 am Mountain View: Annual Apartment Inspection; Smoke alarm & water flowing in both sinks OK; Need repair: kitchen LED light & toilet flush Will get new windows, bathroom sink and floor tiles, after fourteen years here.	Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 12:22-2:00 pm Los Altos Hills: Foothill College Krause Center Finished sonnet "The Valley-Light" on Bus 40; Hitched ride with Greg to Los Altos Library Perceval pierced the vale of darkness with white light and found Holy Grail.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 3:15-6:15 pm Stanford University, History Corner 200-105 Stephen Dobyns, Poetry Workshop (English 192V) Read 7 poems from anthology "Staying Alive" Roethke's "Dolor" and Stafford's "Traveling through the Dark"— wonderful poems.	Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 7:40-9:40 pm Palo Alto, Foothill Middlefield Computer Lab Reading Groundhog Day in Pennsylavania— "Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring" Groundhog didn't see his shadow just 16 times since 1887— Early Spring!
Thursday, February 3, 2011, 2:00-6:00 pm Mountain View: Friend takes me to Fry's to buy two Kingston 4 GB camera chips @ $6.88; sold to Rasputin 10 books ($19.25 credit) Friend takes me to pay rent at Public Storage and store away Dad's books.	Thursday, February 3, 2011, 6:11-9:45 pm Palo Alto, Foothill Middlefield Computer Lab Chinese New Year: First New Moon after Full Moon; 2011 is Rabbit Year (4709), Rabbit Stamps Rabbit Year people— John Keats, Lewis Carroll, George Orwell, Orson Welles.
Thursday, February 3, 2011, 6:11-9:45 pm Palo Alto, Foothill Middlefield Computer Lab Lewis Carroll (Jan. 27, 1832-Jan. 14, 1898) was born in Rabbit Year (Feb. 12, 1831-Jan. 31, 1832) because Chinese New Year of the Dragon began on Feb. 1, 1832 (First New Moon after Full Moon) Lewis Carroll— Rabbit Year man with White Rabbit running to start his Alice book.	Thursday, February 3, 2011, 6:11-9:45 pm Palo Alto, Foothill Middlefield Computer Lab Writing haikus for New Year of the Rabbit; Reading "Nabokov's Butterfly Theory Vindicated" & "Kepler Planet Hunter Finds 1200 Possibilities" in New York Times Science (Feb. 1 & 3, 2011) Kepler Hunter found 1200 Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars.
Friday, February 4, 2011, 10:30-2:45 pm Mountain View: 317 Castro Street Book Buyers gave me $104 credit for Sotheby & Christie's Art Catalogues Got Mary Oliver's Poetry Handbook, Gary Snyder's Mountains and Rivers Without End & Chinmayananda book.	Friday, February 4, 2011, 7:40-9:22 pm Palo Alto: Friends' House, 957 Colorado Ave., Waverley Writers Monthly Poetry Reading— Read "Platonic Lambda Sonnet" & "Valley-Light" Is God best found on the mountain or valley? Where's the soul and the Grail?
Saturday, February 5, 2011, 1:00-2:15 pm Mountain View: 630 San Antonio Ave. Rasputin Music: Used $19.25 credit & $6.50 to buy 12 used CDs @$1.65; 26 CDs @25¢ Bought music of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Pachelbel Canon.	Saturday, February 5, 2011, 2:30-3:10 pm Mountain View: Friend takes me grocery shopping at Safeway (2580 California St.) Dairy creamer, wheat thins, popcorn shrimp, appetizers, supreme pizza, pistachios, and egg potato salad.
Sunday, February 6, 2011, 4:25-7:50 pm Stanford University, Green Library, ESPN: Superbowl XLV: Packers 21 Steelers 17 (5:18 pm); Reading New York Times Science Section; Writing 16-line quatrain poem "The Letter B" In the beginning BOOM— Big Bang blaze of light and this universe was born.	Sunday, February 6, 2011, 8:00-10:10 pm Stanford Memorial Auditorium: Stanford Flicks: Ben Affleck directs "The Town" (2010) with Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Pete Postlethwaite Boston Bank heist film with chief thief falling in love with bank manager.
Monday, February 7, 2011, 1:00-4:20 pm Palo Alto, Foothill College Middlefield Campus Seeing crows & seagulls fighting over soft drink cup Writing poem "Enlightenment to Enlightenment" Enlightenment: Rousseau and Buddha— outer and inner search for truth.	Monday, February 7, 2011, 4:30-9:40 pm Palo Alto, Foothill College Middlefield Lab Searched for Roland Cat's "La Promenade" & found Christophe Vacher's "The Messengers" Rocks suspended in air— messengers defying earth's gravitation.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 11:00 am-1:35 pm Los Altos Hills: Foothill College Krause Center Writing essay on "Closure" from Chapter 8 of Dobyns' "Next Word, Better Word" & citing Plotinus We run after the outer not knowing that beauty is inward within us.	Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 2:45-3:10 pm Stanford University, Building 260-223E Appointment with Professor Stephen Dobyns Discussed essay on "Closure" & Mercedes Showed Dobyns my copy of Plotinus Enneads— how he inspired my work.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 3:15-6:10 pm Stanford University, Building 200-105 Stephen Dobyns, "Poetry Workshop" Read poem "This Is Bliss" The kiss of bliss is to know thyself— Plotinus and Ramana knew this.	Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 7:40-9:45 pm Palo Alto: Foothill Middlefield Computer Lab Bill Morrison sent email on pianist Valentina Lisitsa playing Chopin's "Etude, Op. 25, #11 HQ" (YouTube) Her fingers on the keyboard— simply dazzling BR> inspired fury.