Haiku Bob: Rising Moon

Haiku Bob’s reflection on the Grand Final.

AFL Preliminary Final – Sydney v Collingwood: September breeze

Haiku Bob reflects on Collingwood’s final game of the season.

Haiku Bob: so little done

Haiku Bob’s take on the recent West Coast v Collingwood match

seconds ticking

  august night hot puffs of breath enter the stadium     the moon witness to all the mistakes under the sun     night chill Reid rises from the mist   bare trees all authority gone from our game     Saints hit the front the stadium changes tune     long bomb the rush [Read more]

haiku bob: more than daylight

hawks glide casting shadows across the ‘G   bright winter sun – more than daylight between the two teams   static forward line winter stillness   ice cold hands even in the sunshine – the slumping star   for a moment nothing but Rioli   heavy defeat looms my life too lacks direction   packed [Read more]

already gone

cat wakes up magpies already gone   night mist – the tagger looks around for his man   rain and fog – still no sign of Cloke pouring rain a long stream of handballs rain squalls – players chase the ball to and fro Swan streams forward rain begins to clear 8 goal quarter – [Read more]

changing pitch

  four beers in things a little ragged down back and up forward     winter frost yawning cracks in the back half     Beams unsighted the moon hiding in the clouds     needing a goal from anywhere Thomas from nowhere     back in it the crowd’s noise changes pitch   wellinghamagro   [Read more]

A little more

deep in the last term – when little more can be done we do a little more   my heart beats – the ball falls from his arms   Elliot’s heroics – a reminder I’m not a child   sky bereft of blue how difficult some goals are   overcast Beams making something out of [Read more]

Haiku Bob: football the ocean

  pile of leaves – the coach’s plans all coming together   crisp afternoon – the click of our midfield   football the ocean Swan swims in   rustle of leaves – the defender hears footsteps   sunlight spills through the clouds – Blair crumbs   broken sunlight – Swan half in half out of [Read more]

out of sight

edge of the city the sound of a goal   late start an early rush of goals   twilight game how soon the forwards put us out of sight   broken clouds in the space between Beams   full moon Didak still going round defenders   swirling leaves suddenly Ablett somewhere else   kicking yips [Read more]

Haiku Bob: From the outer

autumn remains – a few minutes left of the low scoring game   away game the ball not going to the right spots   one goal down in the rain sinking lower into the sofa   scores level vapor rises from the outer   branches snap off another knee   thin rain hopes of winning [Read more]

Haiku Bob: nowhere left

autumn night Pendlebury shifts attention from the cold     wind halves the moon a perfect pass intercepted     misdirected kick the man-mountain brushed aside     spring sun dusting the screen to watch Pendlebury     leaves skip past Didak turns out of trouble     Pendlebury gathers on the wing a leaf [Read more]

autumn veins

autumn night long before it ends the game over goal in the first minute and the last in between the scrap deep autumn veins bulge on the neck of the coach sun long gone the forward line lacking spark sultry night a set shot slides away away game short passing left behind some leaves dead [Read more]

round 6 – haiku bob – three quarter moon

roof closed the game not reaching great heights     three quarter moon the crowd just shy of full     colder nights a measured kick lands out on the full     turning leaves all our goals kicked by defenders     thinning trees welcoming with open arms Cloke’s first mark     moon [Read more]

almost not there

autumn night the missing parts of our game watching the footy in a different time-zone I whisper an expletive turning leaves Swan fast becoming slow wisps of cloud Collingwood almost not there lingering snow the team’s lifeblood lies motionless flaming red the young maple – new coach feels the heat autumn haze I vaguely remember [Read more]

still the crowd

  Good Friday – we discuss who ought to be culled Easter Saturday – we enter the game without our leader a shot at goal brings howls from the crowd – full moon no wind missed kicks still the crowd autumn night nothing much going on except Pendlebury dusk – Daisy splits the night into [Read more]

down another falling

new season starts at the 10 minute mark I catch my breath first quarter the umpire plucks the ball from the clinging pack dusk deepens one more missed goal the debutant’s first shot at goal straight through the middle MCG in March Buddy’s skied hook post-high Cloke drags down another falling leaves alone inside fifty [Read more]

sunlight on leather

 by Rob Scott   first morning a familiar scent on the breeze   It should perhaps be the game at its purest. Everyone and everything is primed. Sun-tanned, tattooed and absurdly muscled players; feverish fans emerging on frenzied tenterhooks from a long summer of enforced detachment and other family commitments; pristinely manicured playing surfaces; even [Read more]

Haiku for Maggie

  by Damien Little The morning sun beats Starting slowly unsteady Gripping handle bars Determination Can’t let go a father’s test Start over again Determination Possibilities awake Feel freedom flying       Almanac Admin

deeper into spring

spring sunset the difference a goal makes       freshly cut fields Swan feeds on the MCG     cloud then sun then cloud yet to hit our stride       looking for the angle Krakouer turns his back to the goals       a gap in the clouds Wellingham catches the [Read more]