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#114, Boston, Massachusetts, June 19-24, 2005. Haiku and photography by Jonathan Machen







lifted from the reverie
that boulder has become
days spent in now familiar grooves






all now so distant
halycon days of music
and bachelorhood






volunteering by instinct
leads to a trip to boston
where the principles of
non-profit management
and community deveopment






are drilled into me
providing good cover
for haiku in boston






elmus beside me
southern hospitality
from mississippi






i sit
a welcome change of pace
in the minority






couple beside me
augmenting their diet coke
with baccardi rum






a study in contrasts
the christian science plaza
old subway 'T' steps






bending down to read
inscriptions on that gravestone
reveals her red thong






across harvard bridge
motorcycler does wheelie
speedy defiance






from many cities
we come sharing our stories
of community






beers in red bar
discussing people we know
in cambridge hangout






from across the room
loudly shouting, 'game's over'
drunken baseball fan






his hands still shaking
something i had forgotten
about my old friend






convention center
busy with floors of people
all taking classes






inside stained-glass globe
whispers and sighs across borders
boundaries dissolve






urban architects
for the last 300 years
shaping brick and glass






my hmong roommate
comes straight back up to his room
just watches t.v.






either with headphones
or talking on their cell phones
boston is plugged in



cops doing detail
watching construction projects
so no-one gets hurt



m.i.t's buildings
appropriately given
numerical names



floating idle
u.s.s constitution
relic of the past



wonder why she says
"it's sick - it's insidious"
talking on her cell



at italian restaurant
host barks at me
in thick italian bostonian accent
and boxy crew cut
serves wonderful wine
in an orange juice glass
italian villa murals
cover the walls
ceiling fans
stir up the atmosphere
hoping they will serve
my ziti soon



not having to speak
only to observe
this colony from whence
america was settled



in paint, not in blood
boston's freedom trail lies red
snaking down sidewalks



focusing on
the march to independence
not the native americans



timeless event
creates historic aura
on plain patch of ground



harvesting haiku
on historic freedom trail
red path leads me on



boston commons now
the site of playful frolic
not revolution



next to ipod sign
old south meeting house now stands
new culture, old class



he's been on my mind
for the last 300 years -
ben franklin, that is



government center
concrete, looming, ponderous
over brick state house



gravestones at copps hill
where ben franklin once wrote
the lighthouse tragedy



the symbols of death
skull and wings, willow and urn
on copps hill gravestones




solo/group kukai
drawing/writing/photography
jonathan machen