In driest desert
Life finds a way to exist
We must do the same
With strength, we will endure this.
Hope blooms where least expected
AAA/MAD 1/12/25
Please do not blame me
I really had little choice
I had to move on
I would have faded away
Need to be away to grow
AAA/MAD 1/12/25
Dancing long stockings
Warming all of my chilled toes
With each step I take
Spinning in rhythm’s embrace
Joyful laughter fills the air.
AAA/MAD 1/12/25
Crisp salty sea air
Birds rise high without a care
Squawking if they dare
Waves crash on the sandy shore
Sunset paints the sky in gold.
AAA/MAD 1/12/25
Brainstorming haikus
In my current moments choose
Mind burns in my shoes.
Thoughts like rivers flowing,
Ideas start to take shape.
AAA/MAD 1/12/25
Does dirt become clean
After being washed up, or
Does it remain dirt
Can water change its nature
Is there a chance for rebirth?
AAA/MAD 1/10/25
Will horses run free
On never-ending pastures
Faster than the wind
Gracefully, they roam so wide
With joyful hearts, they gallop.
AAA/MAD 1/10/25
Harvest wheat dances
As the prairie breezes blow
Creating ripples
Under the golden sun’s glow
Fields alive, a vibrant show.
AAA/MAD 1/10/25
Voice raised in anger
Bad intentions are in mind.
Violence will follow
Feelings will be damaged and
It will be hard to repair.
AAA/MAD 1/10/25
Better than the rest
Left out in the heartless cold
Many neglected
Dreams are lost within shadows.
Hope flickers like a small flame.
-AAA/MAD 1/8/25
Where did our rain go
Winter seasons really slow
Now nothing will grow
The ground is parched, sky is gray.
Each passing hour, the sun shines.
-AAA/MAD 1/8/25
Fierce winds fan hot flames
Fires race up and down hillsides
Where is the relief
Devasation for many
Compassion is needed now
-AAA/MAD 1/8/25
You count all the words
While I’ll count out all the days
Then divide by two
The answer cannot explain
all the joy & love that we have
-AAA/MAD 1/8/25
In darkness it lurks
Fear and mystery entwined
Eternal unknown
Deep inside us the fear binds
For all life has seen and shown.
MAD/AAA 01/03/2024
Electric spark’s dance
Sensation of joy and hope
Shiver of delight
Tingling from head to toe
Butterflies fill our stomachs…
MAD/AAA 01/03/2024
Mirthful in folly
Laughter echoing through time
Silliness embraced
Look in the mirror and small
at the person looking back…
MAD/AAA 01/03/2024
Harmony’s embrace
Strings vibrating in concert
Music’s perfect blend
An ensemble’s wall of sound
Penetrates all who will hear…
MAD/AAA 01/03/2024
Branded and repeated
Business model standardized
Franchise expands wide
All for lemmings to consume
Line up, and be a number…
MAD/AAA 01/03/2024
Shadows faint and dim
Light obscured and fading fast
Dimming into night
Stars slowly make themselves known
Competing with the moonlight…
MAD/AAA 01/03/2024
Loss of home and hope
In foreclosure’s cruel grip
Dreams shattered and lost.
Gone are all the happy times
No one owns homes anymore…
MAD/AAA 01/03/2024
Singing in the dawn
Nature’s joyous serenade
Melody of life
Everyone join the parade
Dancing to celebrate life…
MAD/AAA 01/03/2024
Composing haikus
Is as easy as breathing
For seasoned writers
Add two lines with seven beats,
and you have made a tanka.
AAA/MAD 12/26/24
Shedding life’s crutches
Empowers everyone
To live their best life
Shining in your very best
Embracing your special self.
AAA/MAD 12/26/24
Green fragrant pine trees
Atop a fresh earthy scent
The mountains beckon
All for your exploration
Many adventures await.
AAA/MAD 12/26/24
I know you did it
Seeing the grin on your face
It gives you away
No trying to deny it
You are guilty of something.
AAA/MAD 12/12/24
Some intelligence
Would make all the difference
In a cruel hard world
Things are getting dumbed down now
Idiocracy follows.
AAA/MAD 12/26/24
Think well of others
Kindness doesn’t cost a thing
In our lives grand scheme
Selflessness goes a long way
To be more than just oneself.
AAA/MAD 12/26/24
It’s ok to cry
Let all of those feelings out
We are all human
Let all the emotions flow
As you heal and grow anew.
AAA/MAD 12/26/24
Time is infinite
As the seconds all add up
Present becomes past
The past is forever gone
Minute moments mean much more.
AAA/MAD 12/26/24
It’s absurdity
With what we’re left to believe
Just fake rhetoric
The truth begins to grieve now
In shadows, hope starts to fade…
AAA/MAD 12/13/24
Tankas with a friend
Endless fun that never ends
Words together mend
Laughter echoes through the air,
Sharing dreams without a care…
AAA/MAD 12/13/24
I love winter’s lips
Cold but not nearly too cruel
Ice touches us all
Whispers of snowflakes drift down,
Frosty breath upon my cheeks…
AAA/MAD 12/13/24
Grey-white misty veil
Touching all in moist contact
A morning dew’s kiss
Sunbeams filter through the haze,
Awakening to greet day…
AAA/MAD 12/13/24
Choice of happiness
Will ensure no conditions
For the achievement
Let joy arise in each day
Embrace the light within you.
AAA/MAD 12/13/24
Hippopotamus
Lurking below the water
Waiting for something
Wading slowly through the stream
He suddenly saw his prey.
AAA/MAD 12/13/24
Unexpected jolt,
Abrupt change in direction,
Caught off guard, quick turn.
Everything falls around you
Find a safe place to shelter…
-MAD/AAA 11/29/2024
Drawn in by the pull,
Towards a force felt within,
Gravitate and meet.
Attraction is beautiful
From your head down to your feet…
-MAD/AAA 11/29/2024
Power at your grasp,
Controlled strength within your reach,
Harnessing the force.
It was always within you
Now it’s time to take action…
-MAD/AAA 11/29/2024
Colors blend and meld,
Light and warmth suffuse the air,
In harmony found.
Primary colours do mesh
to form much more complex ones…
-MAD/AAA 11/29/2024
Seeking peace within,
A gentle touch, soothing balm,
Comfort found in love.
Comfort at being myself
Comfort without any fear…
-MAD/AAA 11/29/2024
Arms wrapped around tight,
Comfort found in close embrace,
Love shared in cuddles.
Time almost seems to slow down
As all troubles melt away…
-MAD/AAA 11/29/2024
Sitting in the car
Waiting for my uncle now
Grocery shopping
Hoping he will come out soon
To enjoy this sunny day…
-MAD/AAA 11/19/2024
Learning poem forms
It’s a challenge and it’s fun
Here I go again
These rules have me on the run
Count eight syllables or ten???
-MAD/AAA 11/19/2024
Patience is golden
Patience is one of a kind
Many things can come
If you loosen up your mind
Many new things you will find…
-MAD/AAA 11/19/2024
Auburn mixed with gold
Making the world beautiful
Sprinkle all around,
and share it everywhere
Such a treat for all to see…
-MAD/AAA 11/19/2024
Longing for a break
Yet no one to share the time
Solitude remains
Find my happiness alone
Being who I’m meant to be…
-MAD/AAA 11/09/2024
Turning gears align
Momentum builds beneath steel
Strength in motion flows
Flowing forever like time
From here to infinity…
-MAD/AAA 11/09/2024
Shadows in the night
Whispers call, yet hearts stand firm
Stronger than the dark
Overcoming obstacles
Until they all are achieved…
-MAD/AAA 11/09/2024
Brush strokes on the canvas
Colors sigh and come alive
Art speaks without words
Saying all we cannot say
Opening our hearts and minds…
-MAD/AAA 11/09/2024
Roots spread deep in earth
Seasons cycle through the years
Wisdom blooms with time
All branches for each decade
and many leaves for each year…
-MAD/AAA 11/09/2024
Anthony’s Crazy Love and Life Lessons in Empathy 