Haiku Windows: window cleaner
Haiku Windows
In the book Haiku: The Art of the Short Poem, editors Yamaguchi and Brooks quote David Lanoue: “A haiku is a window”…
In the following weeks we will look at (or through?) the many possibilities raised by this thought – and you’re invited to join in the fun! Submit an original unpublished poem (or poems) via our Contact Form by Sunday midnight on the theme of the week, including your name as you would like it to appear, and place of residence. I will select from these for the column, and add commentary.
next week’s theme: hospital window
Hospitals are places of healing, hope, caring and pain… needles, bandages and stretchers – can these open a window to poetry?
I look forward to reading your submissions.
Haiku Windows: window cleaner
spring cleaning
the spotless shine
around the noseprintsJennifer Hambrick
Columbus, Ohio, USA
Anyone who has a pet cat or dog (and maybe other pets?) or even a young child, knows about the noseprints on every window within reach… before, during and after the window cleaning…
professional strength
all her windows gleam
as her garden diesMarilyn Ashbaugh
Edwardsburg, Michigan
A strong statement is made here – one that people often disregard – that one person can make a difference, even with the simple choices around household cleaners and their effect on our environment…
cleaning windows
another game
for the catSimon Hanson
Queensland, Australia
The simplicity of this poem is its strength – we have probably all witnessed this adorable scene – the poem illustrates the relationship between us and our domesticated family members, and also hints at the notion that cleaning windows for us is not so much a game…
Here are the rest of my selections for this week:
skyscraper
two window washers
blend into blueAmy Losak
Suddenly, I feel that
Someone stares at me…
Window cleanerAnna Goluba
cleaning clouds
on the twentieth floor –
head for heightsAnna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo
before the splash
a riot of handprints
on the windowBilly Antonio
skyscrapers
orchestrate the wind
window cleaners singcarol jones
Wales
window washer –
she watches him
watching herCarol Raisfeld
window squeegee
the slight squeak
of cloudscezar florescu
the sky lift’s
torrid descent
cleaner’s six pack absChristina Chin
Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo
seeing the world
through soap bubbles
first car washChristina Sng
Dad cleaning the windows
with a short ladder
and a mopChristine Eales
UK
I scrub the window
and my sadness away
autumn reflectionChristine Villa
transition
balance beam to swing stage
window washerClaire Vogel Camargo
the stuffed kingfisher stares
at the window cleaner
– glass lake houseCorine Timmer
cleaning
an upstairs window
the contortionistDavid Jacobs
London, UK
moments after
scrubbing the windows
spring showerDebbi Antebi
London, UK
children’s hospital
the window cleaner
dons his capeDebbie Strange
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
fuzzy smile
the last blue squirt
of window cleanerDeborah P Kolodji
Temple City, California
east wind blown stray
tongue drips down glass door
canine cleanDeirdre Hines
Letterkenny Ireland
sunbeams stream
through spring-cleaned window
cat catnapsdianne moritz
clear window
from my desk
a new outlookDoris Pascolo
window cleaner
summer stars become
brighterEufemia Griffo
first spring sun
the naked legs
of a window cleanerEva Limbach
Germany
moving the clouds
from window to window
the window cleanerHifsa Ashraf
Pakistan
perfect synchrony
the kitten’s head
and window cleaner’s spongeIngrid Baluchi
Uganda
window cleaner
trying to wipe away
the fogJoanne van Helvoort
winter sun
suspended on ropes
a boy cleans the glass paneKala Ramesh
kissed by a suckerfish
the window cleaner
at the aquariumKath Abela Wilson
Pasadena, California
window cleaning
rubbing the inside
of an outside spotKen Olson
Yakima WA
his signature
in soap
high rise window washerKimberly Esser
Los Angeles, CA
spring cleaning
I call the rain gods to wash
the upper windowsLiz Ann Winkler
window cleaner…
one spider waits patiently
in its cornerpulizia vetri… paziente nel suo angolo / aspetta un ragno
Lucia Cardillo
wiping away
the clouds
window cleanerLucy Whitehead
Essex, UK
full service station
a squirt of window cleaner
in my faceMarilyn Appl Walker
naked mannequin
the window cleaner
admires the sheenMark Gilbert
UK
exchanging of looks –
outside the penthouse window
man with a squeegeeMarta Chocilowska
washing windows
the grass now greener
on the other sideMary Hanrahan
the window washer
pausing that extra second
above her cubicleMichael Henry Lee
hypnotized
by the sway of his hips –
window washerMichael H. Lester
Los Angeles CA USA
polishing windows
with yesterday’s newspaper
a new perspectiveMike Gallagher
cleaning the window –
I remove the dust
from the treesMuskaan Ahuja
Chandigarh, India
cat’s nose prints…
she washes
the window, againNancy Brady
heavenly chanting
from behind office windows…
migrant cleanersNatalia Kuznetsova
Cleaning windows
I reflect on myself
Window cleaning.Niall OConnor
Ireland
not seeing them
until it is too late
window cleanersOlivier Schopfer
Geneva, Switzerland
window washer
a drop away
from eternityPeter Jastermsky
window cleaner
how he follows me
from room to roomRachel Sutcliffe
sky reflected
in the clean glass
bird flies into the windowRehn Kovacic
swaying ropes
the window washer
keeps singingRoberta Beary
County Mayo, Ireland
detective story
the window cleaner takes aim
with a spongeRon C. Moss
Tasmania, Australia
window cleaner
rubs away the visage –
Amazing SpidermanRon Scully
the windows
wait their turn
I read the newspaperRonald K. Craig
Batavia, OH USA
hotel
window cleaner
a room with a viewSari Grandstaff
Saugerties, NY, USA
penthouse window
the cleanerman washes
the dirt from the skySerhiy Shpychenko
Kyiv, Ukraine
red light
a homeless man’s squeegee’s
sudden swooshSkaidrite Stelzer
Toledo, Ohio
sunny morning
man’s shadow
on my deskSlobodan Pupovac
Zagreb, Croatia
window dirt
i clean
my glassesSrinivasa Rao Sambangi
window
after cleaning
some of the streaks remainStephen A. Peters
cleaning windows
I offer a prayer
for each childSusan Rogers
Los Angeles, CA, USA
washing my windows
just like grandma taught me
first homeTia Haynes
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA
window cleaner
in the museum pauses –
a Monet paintingTomislav Maretic
old church –
the window cleaner discovers
the Bible storiesTsanka Shishkova
reappearing hand prints
on the glass door…
the neighbor’s childValentina Ranaldi-Adams
Fairlawn, Ohio USA
Barcelona fan
the window cleaner glued
to my windowVandana Parashar
futile effort
to dust the day moon
window cleanerVishnu Kapoor
Katherine Munro lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and publishes under the name kjmunro. She is Membership Secretary for Haiku Canada and an Associate Member of the League of Canadian Poets. She recently co-edited an anthology of crime-themed haiku called Body of Evidence: a collection of killer ’ku.
This Post Has 29 Comments
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Cleaning windows is one job I like to leave to the professionals. The extra expense saves both time and stress that would be caused from cleaning the windows on my own. I know the old saying practice makes perfect and I do believe that in most circumstances this is true.
For so many haiku I would say “favorites” … Congratulations to the authors and the selection 🙂
thanks for this Tsanka!
Too many favorites to recount them here, but loved this:
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futile effort
to dust the day moon
window cleaner
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Vishnu Kapoor
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I thought this might be apt, still a very famous song in Blighty, including the recent Queen’s Birthday. 🙂
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George Formby – When I’m cleaning windows
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfmAeijj5cM
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that clip is too funny, Alan! thanks for sharing, as always, kj
Congratulations to all the poets. Always a pleasure to read the fine selections and thank you so much for including one of mine!
thanks for submitting, Mary!
Making light of the window cleaning chore produced some comic haiku this time round. Enjoyable reading. Thank you Kathy for including one of mine.
& thanks for this Ingrid
A wonderful, varied selection, KJ. Thanks for including one of mine in this august group.
thanks for submitting, Nancy!
Thank you for choosing one of mine. There are many poems to love. It’s hard to choose. Here are three of my favourites
window washer –
she watches him
watching her
—Carol Raisfeld
I love the alliteration. The watching becomes entwined.
polishing windows
with yesterday’s newspaper
a new perspective
—Mike Gallagher
My mother cleans windows with old newspapers.
This reminds me of her. A new perspective is interesting as it’s
open to multiple layers of interpretation.
cleaning windows
another game
for the cat
—Simon Hanson
I can visualize this. The cat having fun and the window Cleaner
most likely getting annoyed.
thanks so much for sharing, Corine!
Thank-you for publishing my modest attempt.
thanks, as always, for submitting, Valentina!
I forgot to mention that I love the poem of Srinivasa Rao Sambangi — I can relate at the basic level and do I, perhaps, detect a broader statement?
& thanks for sharing this!
Thank you Katherine,
All at once I feel a sense of accomplishment and a challenge for the future!
Congratulations to each poet whose work has been selected. A distinguished group!
thanks for this, Ken!
Cheers to all poets!
Kathy, Thank you for another fine selection of poems, and special thanks for selecting mine for comment.
thanks for this Marilyn!
Congratulations to all the fine haiku poets included here! I love the poignant humor in many of these such as Mary Hanrahan’s haiku. Since window cleaning is a chore usually done in the spring it is a good choice of theme for this time of year. Thank you for all the great work you do selecting these weekly window haiku Kathy and thank you for including one of mine.
thank you!
Thank you for including my first attempt at the haiku windows prompt, Kathy. You’ve curated another fine selection!
shine on,
Debbie
thanks so much for this, Debbie!
A marvellous collection of haiku, Kate, the humour is wonderful. Thanks for including one of mine
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This reminds me of the UK weather-
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moments after
scrubbing the windows
spring rain
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Debbi Antebi
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back to square one 🙂
thanks for submitting, Carol – & for sharing this, kj
Thanks so much, Kathy for selecting my haiku.
Excellent selections. Congratulations everyone.
thanks for submitting, Christina! & for your kind words!