Today’s secondhand haiku comes from David Cecil, who is no stranger to poetic writing. David is one half of Kansas City-based music duo Far Beyond Frail, which blends his songwriting with the mellifluous vocal stylings of Sharlynn Verner. I await their next foray into the Philadelphia area so I can check them out firsthand, but I’m pleased to have David’s input into this project in the meantime.

You can find out more about David and Sharlynn’s efforts, and even check out some music, by visiting them not only at their website, but also on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

You can also check out the entire secondhand series by clicking here. If you’re interested in contributing a haiku or short poem of your own, please feel free — click here to find out how.

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I targeted a specific media outlet with my initial draft of this haiku, but I realized the sins of demagoguery are pretty much shared across the spectrum of cable news networks. The people at Fox News who used to make me laugh with their “Fair and Balanced” sloganeering really aren’t that much different from some of the commentators elsewhere.

Too many of the folks dispatching their views on the airwaves are more than happy to let people take their opinions as fact. This is dangerous, mostly due to an utter lack of media literacy on the part of most American viewers. In short, too many people watch their favorite news commentator — whether it be someone like Neil Cavuto, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Keith Olbermann, Lou Dobbs, Rachel Maddow or Joe Scarborough — blindly believing what they’re watching is a straight newscast.

There are probably millions of news watchers who would be shocked if news networks were forced to label commentators as peddlers of opinion rather than news. I know more than a few who are shocked when I suggest their favorite talking heads are less than impartial. I didn’t used to think people were that naive, but now I think a little truth in labeling could go a long way.

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This installment of the secondhand series comes from Bob, my longest-tenured friend (we go back to the mid single-digit years). Bob is also one of those whose contributions have been long awaited, and I’m relieved to see he hasn’t forgotten me. Sadly, his haiku touches on a remedy to which I must resort all too often.

To check out the entire secondhand series to day, click here. If you’re interested in contributing a haiku or short poem of your own, click here to find out how.

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I was engaging in some mostly useless thought a while back, mostly about a girl I was once involved with. It’s a familiar story to most jilted lovers, I suppose: dwelling on how the person who dumped you has moved on to someone even less worthy than you were.

I label these thoughts “mostly useless” because we tend to skew assessments of our own comparative worth. Either we think too much, or too little, of ourselves in relation to other people with whom we see ourselves competing. We rarely see the situation as it is.

Which isn’t to say I think I was wrong in the situation referenced by the haiku — just that it’s marginally possible I could have been ;)

(Incidentally, this is the handwritten version of my most recent haikubreakup submission)

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Today marks the eighth anniversary of the largest scale terrorist attack ever on U.S. soil. Every year I feel compelled, as many people do, to commemorate the huge loss suffered that day. But today, some of those memories, along with more recent events, have my mind running on a different track.

Many remember the apparent sense of political unity that existed in the days following the attacks. Many saw the absence of political strife as a sign that we were all pulling together. And in many ways, that’s exactly what we were doing. Many of us hoped against hope for a permanently kinder, more unified America. Unfortunately, like so many alliances forged in times of desperation, it quickly evaporated like the mirage it was.
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Since I’ve been writing for others to see, I’ve been gratified to receive kind words about my writing from various readers. Some offer simple words of encouragement, while others offer praise so flattering I can’t imagine deserving it. Benjamin Russell, author of this installment of the secondhand series, is a young poet for whom I have that sort of admiration.

Ben is one of a handful of writers whose contributions I’ve coveted since the secondhand project began, and I’m extremely gratified to have his participation. To read more of his fine writing, please visit him at Agitation of Hands. Strength of Words.

If you want to see more secondhand work, please click here to read all contributions to date. If you would be so kind and adventurous as to contribute a haiku or short poem of your own, click here to find out how.

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*

today I felt the need,
the need to move away;
this place is much too close
and reeks of yesterday.

you say I should prefer
to outlast, to endure
– not clamor to escape
the demons at the door;

but it’s not the same as running –
there’s a diff’rence between flight
and the things you have to do
to get back to the light.