SENRYU 0150
kindness gently falls
truth heard in the whistling wind—
snow moon— safe haven
SENRYU 0149
awakening world
now— to begin sowing seeds
amidst vast unrest
SENRYU 0113
time— longing for you
the unending illusion—
the space between us
HAIKU 0156
drowning in her wake—
enticing cold sea tempest
takes my breath away
HAIKU 0111
The comedian
hit the audience with shtick—
They say he killed it!
Copyright David Hoffmann © 2025 – All Rights Reserved
SILENCE
Peer into eternity—
Starlight’s twinkles
are speaking
an ethereal
whisper
Expanding endlessly —
drawing ever closer
Falling forever
through the hush—
quiet the lonely
silent screams
of your aching
homesick heart
Comfort yourself—
Bathe in the rich black ink
of a thousand voices—
Silently speaking truth
Copyright David Hoffmann © 2024 – All Rights Reserved
INTO THE NIGHT
A falling star
landed in my heart last night
after traveling through
a canopy of forever.
Like a final note, striking
in a silent symphony,
hanging brilliantly
throughout the night.
I too, like a falling star,
will eventually let go
knowing deep within my heart
She will catch my last tear.
And though my spirit yearns
to soar among the stars—
and hears the call
“Come home—”
“Come home”
I know the hardest thing
I ever will do—
is take that final, forever
step,
into the night.
Copyright David Hoffmann © 2008 – All Rights Reserved
Rumi Quotes I read for round two
(I found posted on Quora)
“The garden of the world has no limits, except in your mind.”
“Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.”
“Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot. Seek the path that demands your whole being.”
“When you let go of who you are, you become who you might be.”
“There is a force within that gives you life. Seek that.”
“The universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself; everything that you want, you already are.”
“Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.”
“If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished.”
“The art of knowing is knowing what to ignore.”
“Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.”
“The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.”
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
“What you’re seek is seeking you”.
“The wound is the place where the Light enters”.
“It’s your road, and yours alone, others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.”
“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.”
Tag: OPENMIC
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Open Mic Medford Library 20250218 Round 2 Posted
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Open Mic Medford Library 20250218 Posted
HAIKU 0115
emptiness listens—
and plays upon taught heartstrings
patiently— she waits
SENRYU 0157
displace loneliness
lost in my own wilderness—
seeking is a friend
SENRYU 0158
smile upon bent light
myriad of prisms shine—
archway to dreaming
HAIKU 0170
moved gently by breeze
silently falling through time—
snowflakes— lifelong friend
SENRYU 0058
Recurring delay—
wait for it— wait for it— wait—
on this groundhog day
Copyright David Hoffmann © 2025 – All Rights Reserved
Why
Unpublished Poem
Copyright David Hoffmann © 2025 – All Rights Reserved
HOLLOW
Hollow timpani
beckons—
emptiness sings
its silent song.
Simply intricate
in its glorious arrangement—
subtly quiet.
Omnipresent.
Vibration
ceasing—
overwhelming
deafening hush.
A moment ticks
beyond yourself,
Drum beat— Heartbeat—
Silent beat—
Copyright David Hoffmann © 2024 – All Rights Reserved
Rumi Quotes I read for round one
(I found posted on Quora)
“Run from what’s comfortable. Forget safety. Live where you fear to live. Destroy your reputation. Be notorious. I have tried prudent planning long enough. From now on I’ll be mad.”
“Respond to every call that excites your spirit.”
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you love.”
“This is a subtle truth. Whatever you love, you are.”
“Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.”
“Doing as others told me, I was Blind.
Coming when others called me, I was Lost.
Then I left everyone, myself as well.
Then I found Everyone, Myself as well.”
“Body is only an instrument for the spirit.”
“Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.”
“Lose yourself completely, return to the root of the root of your own soul.”
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.”
“Travel brings power and love back into your life.”
“When you do things from the soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”
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OPEN MIC— THE MEDFORD MIC 20250121 Round 2
Theme: winter and cold
Honoring the people enduring the #lafires #wildfire in LA.
HAIKU 0134
Snowflakes are sleeping
dreaming of a white Christmas—
wildfire ash fallingHAIKU 0101
Trilling sounds echo…
sandhill cranes migrating south.
Snowflakes are waving.HAIKU 0105
Antlers adorn fog…
arrow remains in quiver.
Frozen majesty!HAIKU 0145
You wait as Cold Moon
casts ethereal shadows—
monochrome tombstonesHAIKU 0147
Snowflakes gently fall,
embracing tranquility—
silent Cold Moon nightHAIKU 0149
december slumber
bear sleeping in solitude—
fish prepare breakfastHAIKU 0157
cold one room cabin
bitter drafts of whistling wind
teeth play percussionSENRYU 0085
frozen regret clings
like lingering icicles—
a prompt for endings
TOUCHED BY SNOW
unpublished version
LOSS
She had always loved
the twinkling lights
upon the tree
Her eyes now
were still— Dry
Mine dampened
Peering into her
seeking the familiar joy—
I found only a fading spark
Her tongue was parched
Her lips cracked—
Mine quivered
My cheeks glistened
as I failed
to hold back tears
My throat tightened
as it choked
on swallowed salt
Her courageous heart
was silent
Mine pounded— longing to follow
Gathered with grief—
I am alone—
Christmas— no longer a joy
Copyright David Hoffmann © 2025 – All Rights Reserved
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OPEN MIC— THE MEDFORD MIC 20250121 Round 1
ASTUTENESS is published in the
2024 Best Haiku international #anthology!
astuteness mastered—
the red fox leaps precisely
arrow in the snowCopyright David Hoffmann © 2024 – All Rights Reserved
The Haiku Foundation
chose TRANSCENDENT for theHAIKU DIALOGUE – Dreams – Future and Past – long list
HAIKU/SENRYUNavajo elder
and I— spoke with brilliant eyes—
my tongue sat silent
Copyright David Hoffmann © 2015 – All Rights ReservedHAIKU 0115
emptiness listens—
and plays upon taught heartstrings
patiently— she waitsSENRYU 0103
retracing my steps
along the path of grieving
labyrinth of lossHAIKU 0122
aurora crackling—
trilling sounds pierce the curtain
sandhill crane redeyeSENRYU 0094
sent letters returned—
homesick— I bear loneliness
my anthologyHAIKU 0111
the comedian
hit the audience with shtick—
they say he killed it!
Copyright David Hoffmann © 2024 – All Rights ReservedSILENCE
Starlight’s twinkles
are speaking
an ethereal
whisperExpanding endlessly —
drawing ever closerFalling forever
through the hush—
quiet the lonely
silent screams
of your aching
homesick heartComfort yourself—
Bathe in the rich black ink
of a thousand voices—Silently speaking truth
Copyright David Hoffmann © 2024 – All Rights Reserved
ASK ME by William Stafford
Some time when the river is ice ask me
mistakes I have made. Ask me whether
what I have done is my life. Others
have come in their slow way into
my thought, and some have tried to help
or to hurt: ask me what difference
their strongest love or hate has made.I will listen to what you say.
You and I can turn and look
at the silent river and wait. We know
the current is there, hidden; and there
are comings and goings from miles away
that hold the stillness exactly before us.
What the river says, that is what I say.In 1975, William Stafford was named Poet Laureate of Oregon; his tenure in the position lasted until 1990.
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SPEAK EASY OPEN MIC— BEAT FARM 20240927
DAWN
Pink hues delight in dance…
softly touching their fingers
upon feathery yawning clouds.The honking, not of the city,
emanates from the V of outstretched wings
pointing intently toward the shifting light.Untethered barking, in the wilderness,
are songs sung by wild dogs
singing to a setting moon.Pink hues…
marvelously meandering…
gently fading into the day.https://davidhoffmann11.wordpress.com/
Copyright David Hoffmann © 2024 – All Rights Reserved
HAIKU
HAIKU 0113
Helene devastated
photos, dolls, lives… swept away.
Ocean of grieving.My heart goes out to all impacted by Hurricane Helene. Godspeed in your recovery.
HAIKU 0101
Trilling sounds echo…
sandhill cranes migrating south.
Snowflakes are waving.
HAIKU 0105
Antlers adorn fog…
arrow remains in quiver.
Frozen majesty!
HAIKU 0102
Galleries open…
scars adorn grand granite halls.
Glacier funerals!https://davidhoffmann11.wordpress.com/
Copyright David Hoffmann © 2024 – All Rights Reserved
INTO THE NIGHT
A falling star
landed in my heart last night…
after traveling through
a canopy of forever.Like a final note striking,
in a silent symphony
hanging brilliantly
throughout the night…throughout the night.
I too, like a falling star,
will eventually let go
knowing deep within my heart
She will catch my last tear.And though my spirit yearns
to soar among the stars…
and hears the call
“Come home…”“Come home.”
I know the hardest thing
I ever will do…
is take that final, forever
step,into the night.
https://davidhoffmann11.wordpress.com/
Copyright David Hoffmann © 2008 – All Rights Reserved
DavidtheDreamer 