seventeen melbourne haiku philip harvey wrote in august 2014
tiny
lady near huge sculpture buttons her coat waiting for old friend
outside
office entrance smokers share a flared match and compare the frosts
south
yarra schoolboys on peak trains flat chat without end algorithms
front
seat drivers swap family foibles all along dawn freeway
new
york truths fuse their double fantasy who’ve never been to new york
last
night’s tax form face stares at bronchial planning sunshine holidays
park
bench world’s one daylong parade: cyclists, ipods, walkers with their dogs
laughing
in midday café unaware their jokes rode last night’s nightmares
passing
smiles between customer and seller get them through the minutes
his
eye signs of thrilled awareness notice his wintry look of knowledge
two
talk outmoded existentialism on tram stop of mobiles
man
and cap on pavement unwashed beg man whether he gives what loose coin
lovers
separated on tram have all the time to reach their next stop
unknown
refugee stares at well-showered face that will not return her look
1
a.m. god dreamer tends to the loss of a dead man in drug lane
closing
time: long lost friends rave their past near the café window, alone
cold
outside: after mild tensions, in each other’s arms, they fall asleep
