Feeding-the-Shitenoji-terrapins haiku tripych

Feeding-the-Shitenoji-terrapins haiku tripych

by Kevin Bradshaw

Their bodies submerged
and their heads reach to the air
as they fight for food

Occassionally
a back leg flicks and they turn
just to keep going

The biggest, bites and
shakes the smaller ones, over
what it doesn't need.

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I've just submitted this to http://www.isreads.com/ an "outdoor journal".  The project involves selecting 10 short poems for publication in the journal, which is then emailed to people to print out and stick up around town.  Public poetry to be discovered by accident.

The above poem is an old one as I haven't written one in years, but haiku is fun to write, and I really used to like doing them in series to form a fuller narrative.  Here is the complete terrapins one.

Feeding-the-Buddhist-terrapins haiku

Turtle or tortoise,
are they interacting or
swimming aimlessly?

their bodies submerged
and their heads reach to the air
as they fight for food

Occassionally
a back leg flicks and they turn
just to keep going

crowd around biscuits
a pigeon looks envious
a sparrow postures

pigeons and sparrows
daren't brave the water's surface.
Disabled they fly.

Those of land and sky
miss the orgiastic feast
mmm, wet biscuit, yumm

The biggest, bites and
shakes the smaller ones, over
what it doesn't need.

Biscuit bobs an inch
then floats to the surface or
hits a shell and splits.

One takes a bite and
pushes away what it can't
finish in one go.

We'll have to wait and see if my poem is accepted.  I'll keep you posted.