Haiku 2023–293

a blank screen appears

the minute hand on the clock

kicks into high gear

— —

Here’s a quick look at how the sausage is made… or perhaps more accurately, a look at how the sausagemaker feels while the sausage is being made.

My mornings are scripted, and I mean this quite literally. As soon as I wake up, I sit in my writing chair and launch a computer script that guides me through my morning — it opens a page for journaling, times my meditation, prompts me for exercise, reminds me to take my medicine, and opens my email. As soon as I quit my email program, my haiku for the day appears…

…that is, it appears if I have one written.

Today, I had nothing in the hopper — not one word. What’s more, I had no topics, themes, ideas, or even a sentient thought for an offering. Nothing.

I’m committed to getting a haiku out every morning, but I’m also committed to getting out the door to be at work on time. Isn’t it funny how time just seems to accelerate when you stare at a task that needs to be completed and have no idea how to start?

As the cogs of my brain kept spinning looking for purchase on other cogs, it soon became apparent what I needed to do with that moment — I needed to lean in… and I did. That’s how today’s haiku came to be.