Six Wonderful Haiku by Tohm Bakelas

 

hispanic streets conjuring ghosts

 

grey clouds mask the sky—

beyond the cemetery—

i dream of lost love

 

loaded reading poems in the dark 

 

i read poetry

and laugh at shifting shadows

as the hours drain on

 

 

haiku for m.t.s.

 

when i am with you

all that coldness goes away

my heart swells with warmth

 

 

parallel lives fuse

 

it took thirty years

so many empty-handed sunsets

i love you

 

 

a promise

 

when the light goes out

rain whispers my dying name—

i will never leave

 

 

shared pain

 

moonlight on white snow,

dead poet’s words in my head—

feeling low i grin

Tohm Bakelas is a social worker in a psychiatric hospital. He was born in New Jersey, resides there, and will die there. His poems have appeared in numerous journals, zines, and online publications. He has published 10 chapbooks. He runs Between Shadows Press.