Richard Stevenson

    Hot Flashes: Maiduguri Haiku/Senryu

        African cook book --
        not cups of this and that
        but tobacco tins!

        Penicillin sold
        in cello-wrapped baggies --
        take before whoring.

        overweight women
        are desired, much prized here:
        well fed means well-heeled

        The Wabenzi tribe?
        Dem who drive Mercedes and
        have naira plenty.

        Folks in Potiskum
        pronounce the p as an f.
        Phigger that one out!

        What are you in for?
        the thawed, re-frozen turkeys
        whisper to the fish

        Ponded yam? I ask,
        not thinking of misspellings.
        Nicer without u

        'snot soup -- or is it?
        My spoon draws the glutinous
        post-nasal okra

        looking for eyeballs,
        slowly, carefully I spoon
        up my goat's head soup

        You go buyam beef?
        The meat man swats flies off
        his very best chunk.

These haiku are
Copyright © 2001
by Richard Stevenson.

E-Mail: richard@pi-flora.com

About the Poet -- Richard Stevenson worked in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria for a time as a World University Service of Canada recruit during the early years of his teaching career. Since those heady days, he has published twelve full-length books, including, most recently, "Live Evil: A Homage To Miles Davis" (Thistledown Press, 2000), "A Murder of Crows: New & Selected Poems" (Black Moss Press, 1998), and "Nothing Definite Yeti" (young adult verse, Ekstasis Editions,1999). Stevenson also performs occasionally with two jazz/poetry troupes, "Naked Ear" (doing a Miles homage) and "Sasquatch" (doing YA material) and has recently completed his first CD with Naked Ear, "See 4/4 Miles", which he is currently trying to market. Other current projects in the hopper include a third collection of YA verse, "Take Me To Your Leader!" and a second CD of Sasquatch (YA) material. Other haiku, senryu, and tanka have recently been accepted for future issues of, or recently appeared in, Black Bear Review, American Tanka, HASEE web site, Borders & Time, Poetry In The Light, Raw Nervz Haiku, Redneck, etc. Stevenson teaches Canadian Literature, Creative Writing, Children's Lit. and Business Communication for Lethbridge Community College in sunny southern Alberta, Canada. Richard Stevenson's website.