High Coup Journal - November 2011 Issue

(Photo by Ann Wright, Plymouth, IN)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

IN THIS ISSUE:

Robin Burke (Terre Haute, IN)

Mrs. Copeland’s First Grade Class (Terre Haute, IN) 

Rose Kowaliw (Swanzey, NH)

Bob Lucky (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

Dennis Maulsby (Ames, IA)

Tom Rault (Laxviken, Sweden)

Sherry Steiner (Housatonic, MA) 

Eli Van Sickel (Normal, IL)

Chuck Von Nordheim (Dayton, OH)

Anthony Ward (Durham, England)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Editor's Note:

Hear the powerless

crying out for warmth and aid

in Connecticut.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Robin Burke

falling

colorful dead leaves

silently murder my grass

mulching makes me smile

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Mrs. Copeland’s First Grade Class

We saw a turkey

so colorful and chunky

he was so funky

On a spooky night

I once saw a haunted house

I ran for my mom

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Eli Van Sickel

I check my Facebook
to reassure myself of
my safety, I think

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Bob Lucky

bad weather forecast

the morning newspaper lies

bleeding in the rain

Friday at the beach

the bikini-clad tourists

are the attraction

the TV blasting

both my parents sound asleep

in their new twin beds

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Rose Kowaliw

Two Strikes...

Dinner was a bust

Forgot his wallet, again

No more web dating

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Tom Rault 

This doormat will not

talk, otherwise it could tell

some dirty stories.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Chuck Von Nordheim

wind-blown leaves dance past
lawns decked with campaign slogans—
gray days and choices


fall sunlight tints days
amber as an old photo—
memories seem new


-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Sherry Steiner

a shocking secret
a forgiven yesterday
a silk robe nine bucks

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Henry Visotski 

who owes favors where,

ass and elephant debate.

meanwhile, the sun sets

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Dennis Maulsby

Arms and legs entwined.

Man♂…woman♀, so united,     

yet so far apart.

Shouting men place bets.

On a red dirt patch of ground

cricket sumos fight.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Anthony Ward

Reflection

searching for myself

while finding my reflection

right where I left it

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

November 2011 AWESOME SAUCE: Tom Rault

If I bump my head

once more on that attic beam

I will saw it off.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

One upcoming month

to squeeze in more nasty storms

and nasty haiku.

highcoupjournal {at} gmail.com

High Coup Journal - October 2011 Issue

(Photo by Ann Wright, Plymouth, IN)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

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)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

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 - August 2011 Issue

(Photo by Ann Wright, Plymouth, IN)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

IN THIS ISSUE:

Brian Barnett (Frankfort, KY)

Sara Bickley (West Carrollton, OH)

Samuel Franklin (Terre Haute, IN)

Annie Perconti (Louisville, KY)

Melissa Reddish (Salisbury, MD)

Morgan Shnier (Tuscon, AZ)

Adam Tetelman (Troy, NY)

Henry Visotski (Brooklyn, NY)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Editor's Note:

In a balance scale,

cries for heat and cries for snow

wobble to and fro.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Morgan Shnier

i set each alarm

five hundred thirty-five clocks

i'm still late for work

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Adam Tetelman

All chaos breaks loose

Every man for himself

The network is down!

Certain doom awaits

This requires sacrifice

Send out the intern

A pair of black pants

A lecture at the chalkboard

A pair of white pants

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Brian Barnett

 

Bela Lugosi

 

He does not drink...wine

Make his a shot of morphine

Bela feels no pain

 

 

Zombie Apocalypse on Sesame Street

 

Burt in riot gear

Big Bird slain twice by head-shots

Elmo ate Grover

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Annie Perconti

there is a moment

between inhale and exhale

where all my lies stop.

I already know

that the tongue cannot create

what I hold for you.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Melissa Reddish

He’s the kind of guy

who smirks when I eat a peach.

Yes, you know the one.

 

The rankest odor

on the face of this green earth:

A goddamn dog fart.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Henry Visotski

 

Scent of bleach and piss,

Sleeping bum, loud shrew with cell.

Wish I drove to work.

  

The neighbor’s poodle,

While neutered as a puppy,

Still molests my leg

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Sara Bickley

Cappuccino and

cigarettes on the hottest

day so far this year.

Sunburn stops hurting

two days after you get back.

Then it starts peeling.

After this pack I

quit smoking.  I will have to

drink even faster.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Samuel Franklin

Summer Storm

Torrential rainfall-- 

helluva water balloon 

fight up in Heaven. 

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

August 2011 AWESOME SAUCE: Sara Bickley

All the girls in their

summer dresses, showing off

their year-round tattoos.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Tryyyyyyy to remeeeeeember

a time in Septeeeeeember when

you sent in haiku!

highcoupjournal {at} gmail.com

High Coup Journal - July 2011 Issue

(Photo by Ann Wright, Plymouth, IN)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

IN THIS ISSUE:

James Dye (Dubuque, IA)

Jack Granath (Kansas City, KS)

Amy Harris (West Lafayette, IN)

Lex Joy (Amherst, MA)

Jamie Lushbaugh (Terre Haute, IN)

Amit Parmessur (Quatre-Bornes, Mauritius)

Geoff Pope (Renton, WA)

Miriam Sagan (Santa Fe, NM)

Mitzi Sicking (Midland, TX)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Editor's Note:

Each birthday a door

to new, unseen hallway

ending in a door.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Lex Joy 

Philosophy class--

One more angry German man

says we know nothing...

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Amit Parmessur

Yellow cars speeding;

Farting thin cancerous clouds

like a wintry mouth

Bonnet on my head,

As a king on a tall stool

I watch worlds drying

With a toothless mouth

My multi-colored moustache’s

A dusty toothbrush

Two pharmacy bombs

sending me to paradise,

my doctor to hell

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Geoff Pope

“Shit!”

I heard my mom say

“Shit!” only once in her life —

door crushed ring finger

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Amy Harris

Sarah Palin: the

evolution of man will

not be televised.*

* RIP Gil Scott-Heron

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Jack Granath

Her body sculpted

by a summer dress--so much

for non-attachment.

She laughs, the purse strap

between her breasts, a lesson

in geography.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

James Dye 

An intense debate

Does not deserve metaphors!

Fuck! You get the point?

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Jamie Lushbaugh

Your sandpaper tongue

licks my face after your ass.

Thanks for the gross bath.

At Petsmart, select

The three-figure, plush cat tree.

He plays in the box

Um, no, officer.

I don't know whose pot that is.

You sure it's not yours?

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Mitzi Sicking 

Unneeded finger

When you, my fellow driver,

Ran the stop sign.  Jerk.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Miriam Sagan 

to escape the smoke

as ten thousand acres burns--

movie with mermaids

cherry blossoms float

on the edge of this haiku's

silent green pond scum

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

July 2011 AWESOME SAUCE: Geoff Pope

do you suck and chew

on tips of the alphabet

until your mouth bleeds?

  

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Send birthday money

or at least some more haiku

to assuage your guilt.

highcoupjournal {at} gmail.com

High Coup Journal - June 2011 Issue

(Photo by Ann Wright, Plymouth, IN)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

IN THIS ISSUE:

Ian Chung (Leamington Spa, England)

Temple Cone (Annapolis, MD)

Sam Franklin (Terre Haute, IN)

Michael Morris (Royse City, Texas)

Mark Skrzypczak (Jersey City, NJ)

John Tustin (Flushing, NY)

Henry Visotski (Brooklyn, NY)

  

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Editor’s Note:

Missing the wedding,

we blasted the car speakers:

“No Woman, No Cry.”

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Mark Skrzypczak

Your entire life

Is the creative process

Open your damn eyes

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

John Tustin 

Cooking up something

To fill and satisfy me

The recipe – you

   

Waiting for the words

My ideas like carrion

The buzzards circle dolefully

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Ian Chung

his belly flattens

ridges carved out for someone

other than yourself

napkin in his car

sticky with her red lipstick

and his betrayal

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Sam Franklin

Judas

Iscariot kissed 

a man for money--he was 

a prostitute, yeah?  

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Temple Cone 

  

Dualist, monist,

we’re all alike under these clothes--

lean, tired, scared shitless.

   

You mastered walking

as an infant and forgot

each step thereafter.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Henry Visotski 

The Death of the (Other) American Dream

Faded cowboy boots

ancient Chevy, never used

covered, rusty gray

want to trust the myth

old weird America is

a gas tank away

road trip in the sun

will the waitress call me “hon”

out where cowboys ride?

so far all I see

is Starbucks and Applebee's

flanking either side

no Nelson or Cash

radio plays same old trash

Gaga, Nickelback

someone swiped away

the myth, the sweet old cliché

somewhere we lost track

inner city bound

nothing gained, we turned around

home with empty hands

mission was a bust

ancient Chevy gathers dust

think I’ll let it stand.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

June 2011 AWESOME SAUCE: Michael Morris

A white seagull floats

above the turbulent waves

of the parking lot.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

School's out for summer;

haiku school has just begun

in each sprig of grass!

highcoupjournal {at} gmail.com

High Coup Journal - May 2011 Issue

(Photo by Ann Wright, Plymouth, IN)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

IN THIS ISSUE:

Sara Bickley (West Carrollton, OH)

Salvatore Buttaci (Princeton, WV)

Samuel Franklin (Terre Haute, IN)

Rick Hartwell (Moreno Valley, CA)

Danielle Johnson (Clemente, CA)

Lex Joy (Durham, NH)

Taylor Lampton (New Brunswick, NJ)

Lauren McBride (Houston, TX)

Stephen Miller (Stockbridge, MA)  

Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory (Jersey City, NJ)

Robert Petras (Toronto, OH)

John Tustin (Flushing, NY)

Annie Welch (Louisville, KY)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Editor's Note:

May, I ask you this:

where do you store all the joy

winter hid away?

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Sara Bickley

Standing humming hymns

outside the confessional

with the leaky door.

Dropped my cigarette.

Is it clean enough to smoke,

or does it matter?

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

John Tustin

You still live with him

And I still sleep next to her

Good thing I’m patient

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Lex Joy

Thesis proposal.

 Which work of literature

 will I learn to hate?

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Taylor Lampton

The Undergrad Thesis Shuffle 

Reading. Reading. Notes.

Hypothesis? Nope! Again!

Reading. Reading. Notes.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Stephen Miller

You have enemies?

We can address that problem...

Nukes cure lots of things!

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Salvatore Buttaci

claustrophobia

in this tight economy

can be stifling

old man knitting brows,

lean on your question-mark cane.

Life’s a mystery.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Danielle Johnson

Stuffed Toy Cemetery

Seams busted open

Gloomy pile of marred plush toys

Tobin chews and chews

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Robert E. Petras

from "Redneck Haiku"

Second amendment

Tree-hugging sums-a-bitches

Mullet with crosshairs.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Annie Welch

Bourbon Haiku

The coming of fall

whispered in mid August as

corn turns to liquor

When I feel too seen

I can write in third person

as she finds shelter

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Lauren McBride

homo sapiens

are LGBT labels

so damned important?

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Samuel Franklin

3:30 a.m.

Early morning Haute 

with sleepless, stupid deskjob--

you may kiss my ass.  

This is important

My fecal matter 

matters a lot--but the smell

kills my gray matter.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Rick Hartwell

good haiku is like

tasty tidbits offered up

inviting your dreams

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

May 2011 AWESOME SAUCE: Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory 

Judy Blume

Are you there, God? It's

me, Adam-- Margaret got

knocked up.  What's cracking?

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Now that spring has sprung,

those haiku that spring to mind

should be sprung to us!

highcoupjournal {at} gmail.com

High Coup Journal - April 2011 Issue

(Photo actually NOT by Ann Wright, Plymouth, IN.  This is an anonymous photo.)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

IN THIS ISSUE:

Salvatore Buttaci (Princeton, WV)

Tom Carbaugh (Plymouth, IN)

Sarah Dubinsky (Dunellen, NJ )

Samuel Franklin (Terre Haute, IN)

Rick Hartwell (Moreno Valley, California)

Kevin James (Terre Haute, IN)

Edward Jones (Stevens Point, WI)

Hal O’Leary (Wheeling, WV)

Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert (Norfolk, MA)

Mitzi Sicking (Midland, TX)

Jari Thymian (Aurora, CO)

Henry Visotski (Brooklyn, NY)

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Editor's Note:

SPAM: discovered love,

just like bad haiku, I think.

So sweet, so salty.

People might make fun of SPAM for being gross or slimy or covered in "spucus" (the fat that congeals at the top of a can that's so akin to mucus), but what has been enlightening about this contest is the fact that we've gotten some Hawaiians and WWII veterans who really stood up and said, Hey, SPAM is a food we like.  As with anything (apart from haiku), we recommend SPAM in moderation.  But just as they say "there are no atheists in foxholes," we suspect there are few vegans.

EDIT: Strike that.  One of our veteran poets confirmed that he is now a vegetarian.  Twelve years in the SPAM-a-lot army may have done that to him.  And as for the contest, one good sport mentioned, "Although I am sad to not have won the grand prize, I can console myself with the fact that the grand prize was SPAM."  Thank you all for submitting!

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Tom Carbaugh

It isn't Kosher,

but it's got the sodium

that your body needs.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Sarah Dubinsky

How SPAM-alicious

The can's rendering of you

All pig and all parts

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Samuel Franklin 

Sacrificial SPAM

Flesh-cube, poor piglets

were spiced and mashed to make you. 

Thanks, piggy martyrs.

Best Sex Ever

Pink ‘neath her panties

reeked of slimy SPAM. Greasy

screw, lunch is on you.   

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Edward Jones

 SPAM is like pussy:

more time's spent getting it out

than in eating it

SPAM is like pussy:

more men have died eating it

than have needed to

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Salvatore Buttaci

mostly pork shoulder

chopped in a glaze of aspic

sandwiched in white bread

a simple wedding--

they toast with empty glasses

and dine on hot SPAM

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Mitzi Sicking

Spam-alicious

Fry it up and slide

Between two white bread slices.

Slap your mama good.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Henry Visotski

Hey kids, daddy's home!

Delicious SPAM for dinner.

Now we feast like kings.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert

On a post-war Earth--

nuclear fallout; SPAM mutates;

it becomes sentient.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Kevin James

The Hawaiian steak

Should be something tropical

Not spiced shoulder meat

Here! Salty war meat!

It’s great food for the road and

Helps fight the Nazis!

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

  

Hal O’Leary

Warmth

Warmth in a frozen

fox-hole, comfort surrounds us

my K-ration spam.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Rick Hartwell

Hawaiian delight

meaty subversive mixture

canned fat concoction

Ks Cs MREs

60 years Spam goes to war

move pork futures up

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

  

April 2011 AWESOME SAUCE and SPAM-KU SPECIAL winner: Jari Thymian

my grandma’s love-wich

homemade bread with pan-fried Spam

died, gone to heaven

-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Look for SPAM all month,

and then we'll never again

tackle this topic.

highcoupjournal {at} gmail.com