Ten plague haiku by Andrew Hamlin

• Third week of the plague
• pile-driver bangs tempo
• for the brave builders

• Third week of the plague
• the crows — hungry, perhaps...?
• voice discontent

• Third week of the plague,
• but dog shit on the sidewalk
• is still for real!

• Third week of the plague...
• a peace I cannot explain—
• the yellow bakery

• Third week of the plague...
• the trains have heat; at least
• my nuts won’t freeze

• Third week of the plague
• he plays sax alone, shrouded
• by the bus shelter

• Third week of the plague,
• Venus glows red tonight...
• silent street

• Third week of the plague
• grey above, so below...
• a barge steams steady

• Third week of the plague
• drunks laugh, back of the bus...
• nothing can kill them

• Third week of the plague
• the laptop warms my lap...
• safe from the rain

• Third week of the plague
• is it the same hummingbird
• each morning?

Andrew Hamlin likes to photograph shoes and write about dog shit. He was born and raised in Seattle, where he resides today. He attended the Evergreen State College, where he wrote and edited arts coverage for the Cooper Point Journal. He is the film critic for the Northwest Asian Weekly, and he’s published arts coverage and criticism in the San Diego Reader, Village Voice, Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, Goldmine, and other publications. He misses Helen Wiggin. Hamlin’s website is www.andrewhamlin.org.