High Coup Journal - October 2011 Issue

(Photo by Ann Wright, Plymouth, IN)

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Art Bupkis (Gainesville, FL)

Courtney Davis (Freehold, NJ)

Amanda Hillenburg (Sherbrooke, QC, Canada)

Rose Kowaliw (Swanzey, NH)

Chuck Von Nordheim (Dayton, OH)

Annie Perconti (Louisville, KY)

Amelia Ritner (Hinsdale, MA)

John Tustin (New Hyde Park, NY)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Editor's Note:

Snow, a white pillow

waits to smother leaves as red

as an infant's cheeks.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Courtney Davis

It’s Rosh Hashana

wishing you a very sweet

and healthy new year

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

John Tustin

All your dark dark hair

On my pillow. Like curtains

Smothering sorrow

  

You packed up and left

Watching me disintegrate

And now I am dust

Fill my emptiness

With your liquid compassion

Flood me with your love

Your face in the sun

Your face in the light of moon

I will take them both

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Art Bupkis

(Mr. Bupkis prefaced his submission with the following explanation: "Well, Yankees, you may be 'anal' about 5/7/5, citing 'English', but these ain't in English, they're in Cracker... Cracker is terse: 3/5/3.")

on that pine

that damn crow’s landed

cock the gun

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Rose Kowaliw

 Worst Bridesmaid Gown

 Hot pink, puffy sleeves

with matching shoes in satin.

Big pink marshmallow.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Amanda Hillenburg

#firstworldproblems

Protests nationwide?

But a celeb did something

Report that instead.

Children are starving

Who cares? Facebook changed my feed.

brb raging

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Annie Perconti

Slipping hips into

belts hung low, laced with language 

she's ready to flow.

He's an eye-drifter--

Slipping low into places 

the world cannot know. 

Thoughts form like stitches.

The machinist of the mind

connects truth with lies.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Amelia Ritner

The cold morning air

Tea in hand, cat at my feet

The winter begins.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Chuck Von Nordheim

spectral fog shimmers

above lamp-lit wet blacktop--

autumn’s grey tint grows

helmeted ranks break

through butcher paper banners--

homecoming heralds

drive past corn stubble

see leaves rage yellow and red--

autumn’s last warm day

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

October 2011 AWESOME SAUCE: John Tustin

Like riding lightning

I love you differently

But I love you both

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Best of luck to all

coming up with new ideas

for haiku and life.

highcoupjournal {at} gmail.com

High Coup Journal - September 2011 Issue

(Photo by Ann Wright, Plymouth, IN)

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Evan Chow (San Francisco, CA)

Amanda Hillenburg (Sherbrooke, QC, Canada)

Kevin James (Terre Haute, IN)

Rose Kowaliw (Swanzey, NH)

Bob Lucky (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

Geoff Pope (Renton, WA)

Adam Tetelman (Troy, NY)

Chuck Von Nordheim (Dayton, OH)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Editor's Note:

Hurricane season,

a sloppy kiss from your aunt

who never visits.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Chuck Von Nordheim

one final brain freeze

caused by cherry flavored ice—

Dairy Queen closes

hurricanes bulldoze

human homes in new places—

make way for sea rise

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Evan Chow

Step on bathroom scale.

Darn! Well, let me get my wrench.

Ah, that’s much better.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Kevin James

How many times son...

Lock the door to your bedroom...

when you want "me" time

Who's your kid's father?

Maury has your answers now

Only cost? Your pride.

Newton Lied to us

He discovered gravity

by his plumber's pants

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Rose Kowaliw

Forever Young

Wrinkles come with age

sure as hell won’t be for me

not when there's Botox.

Ha Ha Ha

Manhattan rich bitch

wearing last year’s Manolos

what was she thinking?

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Adam Tetelman

The roads are all closed

Danger lurks around each turn

Time for a roadtrip

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Bob Lucky

three days of cold rain –

a flock of sheep stop to drink

from a deep pothole

a night of fireflies –

the internet connection

flickers on and off

the moon lost in clouds –

twisting the hair in my ear

at the long stop light

cold steady drizzle –

watching the dog lick herself

over and over

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Geoff Pope

husband eats his first

Oyster Burger while the wife

(milk)shakes her sweet head

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Amanda Hillenburg

Social media 

Great for broadcasting chaos 

Without hazard pay

Who needs milk and eggs? 

Liquor is more important 

Non-perishable!

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

September 2011 AWESOME SAUCE: Adam Tetelman

Pounding storms hit hard

the students getting hammered

straight through the storm's eye

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Soon, before the next

monster storm destroys us all,

send in your haiku.

highcoupjournal {at} gmail.com

High Coup Journal - February 2011 Issue

(Photo by Ann Wright, Plymouth, IN)

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Sara Bickley (West Carrollton, OH)

Salvatore Buttaci (Princeton, WV)

Rosemary Foster (Bloomington, IN)

Antoine Hayes (Baltimore, MD)

Amanda Hillenburg (Sherbrooke, QC, Canada)

Megan Milligan (Las Vegas, NV)

Matt Tuckey (Manchester, England)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Editor's Note:

Love is in the air.

That's right, airborne-- shit got real.

Call the CDC.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-


Matt Tuckey

Silent Treatment

What is she thinking?
Her silence speaking volumes
How have I fucked up?


Serengeti

Hyenas scrounging,
Like ruthless, gathering flies
On rotting gazelle


All I Am

I am just a man
With a disability
I’m not a genius

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-


Salvatore Buttaci

married but at war,
once a year they declare a
valentine's day truce
    
 you promised me love
would mend my heart, but I was
treated and released



-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-


Rosemary Foster

Dearest professor--
I hope that's chalk on your crotch.
You're super creepy.



-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-


Sara Bickley

Psalm thirty-nine, verse
eleven (or thirty-eight,
twelve) — two translations:


God is a clothes moth,
ravenous for wool; our lambs
are resacrificed.


God is a spider,
sucking back our gossamer,
spinning in reverse.



-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-


Amanda Hillenburg

Single white preacher
Loves long walks by the fountain
Sluts need not apply


Show me your glory
And by that I mean titties
Care for my number?




-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-


Antoine Hayes

Flawless*

I lack nothing, but
The ability to know
What I am lacking.

*from Hayes's 100+1 Haiku

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-


Megan Milligan

Freddie Mercury Haiku

Freddie Mercury
Overbite larger than life
Like his vocal chords.



Roadkill Haiku

Little dots of fur 
The side of the road littered 
With bunny pancakes



A Cold Haiku

Cold November wind 
Caresses my body like 
A rough lover 
  
Whispering tender 
Terms of endearment in 
My frostbitten ears.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

February 2011 AWESOME SAUCE: Matt Tuckey

The Gale

Hard wind bends the tree

Old man stoops, grips walking stick, 

Standing, defiant.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Though we love you all,

we would love you even more

if you would put out.

highcoupjournal {at} gmail.com

High Coup Journal - November 2010 Issue

(Photo by Ann Wright, Plymouth, IN)

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Cal Clugston (Sydney, Australia)

Neil Ellman (Livingston, NJ)

Amanda Hillenburg (Sherbrooke, QC, Canada)

Dale Holdampf (Ann Arbor, MI)

David Hollander (Bloomington, IN)

Yume Kim (Woodbridge, VA)

Taylor Lampton (New Brunswick, NJ)

Jen Sicking (Terre Haute, IN)

Jacob Thomas (Terre Haute, IN)

David Tomaloff (Racine, WI)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Editor's Note:

November babies:

take your pick of scorpions

or centaurs with bows.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Jen Sicking

Green gecko wind surfs
Joyful lifted head on hood
‘til whoosh, death spirals by.


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Neil Ellman

Party Time

A party's on in Hell
Sex and booze and rock'n'roll--
Death knows how to live.

Fried Food

Whichever came first
The chicken or the omelette
It tastes better fried.


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

David Tomaloff


Frog out in the pond
His boom-box ungodly loud
Really, Frog? Lil' Jon?




-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Cal Clugston

Indian summer

Retreats up a trail of tears

When the east wind blows

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Jacob Thomas

Trundle-beds are strange
They nestle like Russian dolls
Sleeps like a coffin

Red and Stalwart Foe
I see thee taunting my bread
Toaster, be my bitch

Violets are not blue
They are purple you dumbass
Go learn your colors


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Yume Kim

Ezra Pound really
liked Asian culture. Figures.
That guy is an ass.


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Taylor Lampton

Dude, you have a cold.
Don't come to class. Sniffling
and snorting is gross.


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Amanda Hillenburg

Serve up some crackers
With a side of grey matter
Zombies love snack time


Don't hog the mayo
The obese won't eat veggies
Without extra fat


Necktie or a noose?
Same thing but softer fabric
Just add a black hood


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Dale Holdampf

Towel-toting man
Hitchhikes across the planets.
Oh, that Zarking Frood!


Excited dolphin
Flipping the fuck out of waves
Totally bitchin'


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

David Hollander

trying to study
but asphyxiating gas
pours from my rectum

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

November 2010 AWESOME SAUCE: Cal Clugston

Eat her like lettuce

Peeling away each layer

Of her sweet wetness

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

One more month this year--

why not send one more haiku

to High Coup Journal?

highcoupjournal {at} gmail.com

High Coup Journal - October 2010 Issue

(Photo by Ann Wright, Plymouth, IN)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

IN THIS ISSUE:

Rosemary Foster (Bloomington, IN)

Michael Frissore (Oro Valley, AZ)

Amy Harris (West Lafayette, AZ)

Amanda Hillenburg (Sherbrooke, QC, Canada)

Kevin James (Terre Haute, IN)

Ethan Mandelkern (Mt. Shasta, CA)

Darcy McMurtery (Seattle, WA)

Christina Rodriguez (South Ozone Park, Queens, NY)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Editor's Note:

In just a few weeks

these leaves will become more red 

than my poetry.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Christina Rodriguez

puppy love, dear youth
lost in the shuffle of mort-
gages and children.


start off slow, they say.
take your time...time? when did time
give out luxuries?

Daddy, are you too

old for cupcakes and poems?

Too poor for Hallmark.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-


Ethan Mandelkern

wet peach tastes yummy
succulent soft beautiful
damn juice stained my shirt

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-


Kevin James

LOOK PAPA! NO HANDS!
words you never want to hear
at a porno set


boxes vibrating
turns out it wasn't sex toys
worst birthday ever

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-


Rosemary Foster

Call him “she” again
And I’ll break your fucking face
Did you get that bitch?

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Amanda Hillenburg

Laser gun bullets

Three shots missing the mallard

Want to kill that dog

God! It's full of stars!
My bad, it's just dust buildup.
Play that cartridge flute!


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Amy Harris

Sweet Malaria
Fair maiden of the tropics
Once bitten, twice shy

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-


Darcy McMurtery

A guarantee of
long-winded discussion: I’ve
Prepared a few words.


Keep your speeches short
We can still strangle you with
A wireless mic.


Personalities
Around a board room table
Like oil and water.


A workplace romance
Will poison your well so please
Don’t shit where you eat.


Writer's Block

I can't pass a verb,
completely consonated,
must move a vowel. 

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Michael Frissore

Haiku: True Story

This guy was pissed off
by my humorous haikus
Well, fuck you, buddy.


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-



October 2010 AWESOME SAUCE: Christina Rodriguez

Hello denial...
Don't you look pretty today
in your coat of lies!

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-


Tell the bogeyman
that you've sent in some haiku
or he will eat you.

highcoupjournal {at} gmail.com

High Coup Journal - September 2010 Issue

(Photo by Ann Wright, Plymouth, IN)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

IN THIS ISSUE:

Shana Dennis (Terre Haute, IN)

Amy Harris (West Lafayette, IN)

Amanda Hillenburg (Sherbrooke, QC, Canada)

Kevin James (Terre Haute, IN)

Julie Kelsey (Germantown, MD)

Vinnie Kinsella (Vancouver, WA)

Taylor Lampton (New Brunswick, NJ)

Mike Lushbaugh (Terre Haute, IN)

Nicole Reich (New Brunswick, NJ)

Ray Scanlon (Rehoboth, MA)

Richard Stevenson (Lethbridge, AB, Canada)

Maggie Wheeler (Terre Haute, IN)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Editor's Note:

Picking grapes is not

the romantic pastoral

task that poets claim.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Mike Lushbaugh

Summer is settled
Humid thunderstorms all day
swamp ass forever


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Ray Scanlon

"Cheer up, cheerily,"
exclaim the robins at dawn.
Goddamn fucking birds.


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Kevin James

The sparkling bowl
never stays that way for long
after the kegger

Dancing Fool enters
does The Worm down the aisle
your wedding's ruined


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Maggie Wheeler

Cat in a trash bin
Woman won't give a reason
Throw her in instead!


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

(These next two haiku
are inspired by a hate
of FOX host Glenn Beck.)

Shana Dennis

Little man spreads hate
Dances for the camera
Dance, attention whore!


Amanda Hillenburg


Fat guy on TV
Claims to be true blue Mormon
Did it to get laid



(Read a ton more poems like these at http://www.haikuglennbeck.com/)


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Amy Harris

Cerebral Palsy?
More like a sorry excuse
For shaking all day.


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Taylor Lampton

I am in heaven.
spirals, rubbers, and stick-ons--
school supply shopping!


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Nicole Reich and Taylor Lampton

Cheetos

Splendid are the curls
Of the crunchy snack-time munch
Bathed in orange dust


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Richard Stevenson

in extended care
my dad zones out mid-sentence.
a hummingbird hovers


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Vinnie Kinsella

Limp and impotent,
The power cord came unplugged--
Too short to connect.


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Julie Kelsey

LAUNDRY DAY

racing down the stairs
greeted by the waiting arms
of your sweaty shirts


MIKEY, AGE 4

idiblockon, noun:
idiot – blockhead – moron
a poet is born


JUST FRIENDS

under a blanket
curled on the sofa with you,
my friend, Nick-at-Nite


HEARTACHE

under a full moon
we kiss at midnight, yearning
for ibuprofen


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-



September 2010 AWESOME SAUCE: Vinnie Kinsella

Two lines, one corner:
Basic trigonometry.
You and I converge.



-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Please send us more 'ku!
We will spend all October
scaring poems up.

highcoupjournal {at} gmail.com