Haiku lovers know the value of brevity. With Presidential campaign “debates” coming soon, the venerable Dean Stanley Fish shared some invaluable advice with John Kerry in a New York Times op/ed piece yesterday. E.g.:
“If you can’t explain an idea or a policy plainly in one or two sentences, it’s not yours; and if it’s not yours, no one you speak to will be persuaded of it, or even know what it is, or (and this is the real point) know what you are.”
tired of listening
the man walks away…
cicada on a branch
from Kobayashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue
River current
one by one the geese
bottom-up
First light
through old-growth forest
an owl hoots
parents’ new home:
old bladders
one bathroom
[Sept. 24, 2004]
one-breath pundit
Tired hearing about Cat Stevens? How about some Cat Senryu? A collection of Haiku for Cats is posted on the webpages of Texas A&M’s Bob Brooks. I wish I could credit the actual author(s), as they appear to have captured well the indifference and arrogance of the domestic feline. (Thanks to lawyer-poet Deborah Sirotkin Butler for passing them on to me.) Here’s a teaser:
The food in my bowl
Is old, and – more to the point -
Contains no tuna.
There’s no dignity
In being sick – which is why
I don’t tell you where.
Am I in your way?
You seem to have it backwards:
This pillow’s taken.
Update (9 PM): Back home from a rare visit with both siblings (Mom and Dad, too) – tired, but pleased, I offer two more family photos on my Sibs Page. As you’ll see, I was not in charge of choosing the pictures.
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“bryant”
A visit to my birthplace, has given me a chance to learn about the alleged crimes
of suspended Rochester-Greece, NY, lawyer Kevin C. Bryant. Bryant, 46, is charged
with hiring his wife’s half-brother, for $5000 plus 50% of life insurance proceeds, to
kill his then 26-year-old wife, Tabatha, [click here for the rest of the story].
his detested wife’s
violets…
all have bloomed
out of breath punditry:
George Wallace is correct: grapez has penned the Acme of autumnal haiku. (warning: it is graphic and Loony)
FYI: I’ve collected a number of excerpts about Cat Stevens and the Satanic Verses fatwa here, in a response to UCL’s Comment.
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swallow flight
looking out the window
long after
falling leaves
the house comes
out of the woods
siblings’ kids –
comparing laughs
and bald spots
[Sept. 25, 2004]
Another
TISK! Update: including our #1 ranking in the Google Search “we was robbed>.”
“First autumn morning!”
just saying it…
lonely
born again
morning-glories make
autumn bloom
it’s my life’s autumn
but the moon
looks perfect
[click to see this self-portrait by Issa, with accompanying haiku]
visitng mom and dad
faces and refrains
gettin’ old
[Sept. 22 & 26,, 2004]
one-breath pundit
-
-
Yusuf Islam, f/k/a Cat Stevens, a terrorist threat? haikuEsq is skeptical. It’s hard to disagree with
“Crimes against innocent bystanders taken hostage in any circumstance have no foundation whatsoever in the life of Islam and the model example of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.”
The lyrics and tune from Moon Shadow are rolling around pleasingly in my mind this morning, as are the hopeful words from Peace Train:.
I’ve been crying lately
Thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating?
Why can’t we live in bliss?
For out on the edge of darkness
There rides the peace train
Peace train take this country
Come take me home again
-
Do you care what music your weblogger is listening to?
Evan wants to know;
Tony Pierce doesn’t care, and neither does cranky old Prof. Yabut.
-
Update (Sept. 25, 2004):
I’ve collected a number of excerpts about Cat Stevens and the Satanic Verses fatwa here, in a response to UCL’s Comment.
-
Update (Sept. 26, 2004): Time magazine says it was all a spelling mistake. See our post.
autumn’s first geese
crapping on people
fly on
autumn wind–
red flowers she wanted
to pick
lying belly-up
yet still singing…
autumn cicada
last day of summer -
the old cat naps
in the sunny window
[Sept. 21, 2004]
neither frivolous nor meritless 
one-breath pundit
Every one (look here, here, here, here, there and there, etc.) is talking about “frivolous” lawsuits, but they seriously need to define the term. As we have noted often (e.g., this post, and Comments here and here): a claim can be meritless but not frivolous. (See Model Rule 3.1,; Fed. Rule 11; law.com definition; and MetLife case) [with ethicalEsq retired, we sure could use another weblawger spelling out the issues!]
The New York Archdiocese has a good point: parents shouldn’t sue over their children’s grades and
Crisp autumn afternoon–
shouts of window washers
from floors below
late fall–
my echo calling
the dog
equinox stroll:
cold fingers
and sunglasses
[Sept. 21, 2004]
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piano practice
in the room above me
my father shouting
autumn breeze
the new smell
of my red jacket
caught hiding the stash -
colombian
caffeine
[Sept. 19, 2004]
one-breath pundit
Sartorial snub from BigMedia? Not one weblogger is featured in the Men’s Fashion 2004 edition 
of NYT Magazine (Sept. 19, 2004) — despite him, him, him, him, and many other deserving candidates.
Although they’ve expanded the Obama Jobs & Economy Issues page, we still have no reply concerning
Barack’s stand on tort reform. Hey, B.O., Google Obama +”tort reform“> and see what’s #1.
Speaking of Google results, how the heck is f/k/a #1 in a Google search of we was robbed> ?
Oh, oh.
Carolyn is really going to be envious (
Jack Cliente, too): Inmates to get access to computerized legal research (via
TalkLeft).
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. . . . . 
dropping stone after stone
into the lake I keep
reappearing
Divorce proceedings over
wet leaves stick
to my shoes
(Brooks Books, 2000)
street closed
for the Saturday Faire
the only sound is rain
[Sept. 18, 2004]
one-breath pundit
Richard Cohen is purple, and I concur (Sept. 16, 2004): “The demonization of Bush is going to
cost John Kerry plenty if it has not done so already. It so overstates the case against Bush that
a levelheaded listener would be excused for thinking that there isn’t one in the first place. It
squeezes the middle, virtually forcing moderates to pick which bunch of nuts they’re going to join.”
evocative of the Old West or of nuevo L.A. Cuisine? You decide. (thanks Prof. B) . . . . 
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sunflower
withered brown
beside green tomatoes
morningmoon
plays hide-and-seek
my sleepfilled eyes
unsummer day:
crisp morning
long, hot shower
[Sept. 17, 2004]
one-breath pundit
“Embrace optimism for both its beauty and its tactical advantage.”
And, another: “Know how to have fun even when life sucks.”
Ernie Update: (never left N.O.) “slept like a baby and woke up to beautiful blue skies.”
DUI: Deliberating Under the Influence is apparently okay in NYS (see NYT, Overlawyered,
to police against fuzzy-thinking by jurors. Slippery slope, indeed.
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not in Da Nile, Da Mississippi, nor Da Gulf of Mexico. Adjourneyed attorney?
Here’s a couple haiku from ex-lawyer Barry George to buoy Attorney Svenson’s spirits
His Honor’s glasses
clouding over…
adjourned for snow
autumn sun–
the lawyer carries home
a pumpkin
ceo and counsel
deposit their checks –
pensioner gets none
[Sept. 16, 2004, for bjg]
one-breath pundit
Slandered Shakespeare Update: Our attempts to straighten out Google and the lawyer propaganda
machine have had some success: While the misleading blurb from our earlier post is still shown in
result #4 to the query Shakespeare and Lawyers and Google and I
post moved into third place, and our dual citing to a similarly-themed article from the The Ethical Spectacle
seems to have nudged it into the #1 position, ahead of some tripe from the Okla. Bar.
Here’s a little more proof that weblogs with a few links get undue weight in Google Searches: based on one
Search for
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When it comes to muzzling the famous 1-(800)-PIT-BULL, the Florida Bar is all bark, and no bite. After more than two hours of testimony and argument yesterday (Sept. 14), the Hon. William W. Herring, the referee/judge hearing the Florida Bar’s case against Fort Lauderdale’s Pape & Chandler, ruled that neither the 800-PIT-BULL telephone number, nor the firm’s pit bull logo, violated the ethical Rules of the Florida Bar, which were found to be unconstitutional as applied in this case. [read the rest of this posting here, plus Comments]
using his nose
the dog searches
the violets
runaway kite!
the dog also eyes it
restlesslly
not your daddy’s law firm (thank goodness!) in full color here . . .
last mums
a lone bee
hums by
sun sets
through blackened leaves
last red pepper
from the curb
perfect
peonies
[Sept. 15, 2004]
Let there be no mistake, this Florida attorney deserved disbarment for engaging in and
Jim Copland‘s post on British legal fees in 1859 reaffirms my conclusion: whether compared
Check out the latest update to our TISK! Report, and find out how this weblog has done recently in
search engine queries on topics ranging from
Beldar has asked why it’s okay to admit that some under-18 female celebs are “hot” but not others: It depends on
their original target audience. Britney and the Olsens originally had pre-teen girls as fans — the fans’ parents
don’t want the wholesome role model to become a sex symbol and rush their kids into adolescence. Anna Kournikova appealed to a much different crowd from the start.
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paul m. makes me want to dive right into autumn 
:
autumn footpath;
on the familiar elm
new initials
falling leaves
the rusty wheelbarrow
heavy with stones
Language Haiku (Jim Kacian & Dee Evetts, eds., Red Moon Press, 2001)
credits: “autumn footpath” – Frogpond XX:3; 
falling leaves” – Modern Haiku XXIX: 1
supine at noon
sunshine spotlights
one big toe
[Sept. 14, 2004]
one-breath pundit
Update (4 PM): Dennis W. Driscoll, the “Silent Associate” involved in the April 7th
opining that the decision “puts all attorneys at risk”. For all the reasons stated in my
the principle applied was sound and that lawyers have been catastrophizing over it.
Lawyers seeking advice: (1) Carolyn wonders if she should delete old posts that put
And, one from me: Do you agree with this advice from the Flint, MI, firm of Rizik & Rizik
Give one a call for an opinion about your attorney or for a referral. He or she may be able
to direct you to the appropriate resource to find an attorney. You’ll be surprised how
approachable a judge will be.” Yeah, I would be surprised.
by 
