deep in debt
I answer the phone
as my son

14 Responses

  1. Rick Hartwell Says:

    Been there, again and again.

  2. Ross Says:

    Great stuff.

  3. Bruce F. Says:

    Painful and heartfelt. Crafted with simple elegance.

  4. madhurip Says:

    Sad and poignant, great senryu.

  5. Alan Summers Says:

    Debt is not a nice state to find ourselves dealing with most of the time.

    zombie debt–
    the practised slice
    of a bread knife

    Alan Summers

    Publications credits:
    Haiku News (Vol. 1 No. 41 2012); Does Fish-God Know (YTBN Press 2012)

  6. Seren Fargo Says:

    This one struck home. Nice senryu.

  7. Brandon Bordelon Says:

    pool algae
    all the green
    I shouldn't have spent

  8. T. Johnson Says:

    As a poet, but also as a recently retired banker who has been on the other side of this equation and seen this situation with folks who never thought it could happen to them, this piece is quite poignant…lovely work!

  9. Norman Darlington Says:

    Very strong senryu

  10. haikuapprentice Says:

    Laurence Stacey again shows us what a truly human haiku poet he is. He has captured poignantly the dehumanizing effects of debt, and the humiliation of the debtor being harassed presumably by a bank).

    But there is also a delicious sense of humour and irony in the haiku. I can imagine his voice, perhaps deliberately falsetto to imitate his son. And the opening line, "deep in debt" recalls to me another common phrase when we are buried in troubles – being in "deep sh@!"

    Such resourcefulness and such humanity makes this poem ultimately for me optimistic. Well worth coming back to again and again. Thank you Laurence!

    Strider

  11. Garry Eaton Says:

    I love the way Alan never misses a chance.

  12. seaviewwarrenpoint Says:

    This is one of those senryu that makes you feel sad and want to laugh all at once. Wonderful.

    marion

  13. Jeffrey Winke Says:

    Love it. Deadly accurate in this era of economic depression we're living in…..

  14. Dave Bonta Says:

    Just catching up on two months' worth of tinywords, this one stands out. Terrific.

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