Muslim Haiku

By Ken Gaertner

Apple blossoms fall,

Sunlight in an empty cup.

Morning prayers chanted.

 

Sun glares on white sand.

Abayas flow with the wind,

Prayers float into thin clouds.

 

In the tree a dove,

Young man reads his salah,

Far off thunder

 

In the restaurant

chicken tawook smells good,

I remove my hat.

 

Red , white roses blooming.

Voices chant morning prayers.

Coffee machine drips.

Ken Gaertner, former head of Ave Maria College Drama Department has had eight productions of his work in New York City and the Midwest.  His dramatic poetry, Children In Praise, was set to music by Gregory Hamilton and has had performances in all the major capitals of  Europe and New York, Tampa, and Ann Arbor , MI.  His poetry has appeared in America, Commonweal, and St. Austin Review, among many other literary quarterlies.  His book, Koan Bread, a collection of poetry and plays has been published .