getting the band back together is proving difficult

Come on in, kids. It's your old friend, The Haiku Master, but I'm feeling a little glum... 'cause I'm having very little luck getting firm commitments to future adventures from formerly staunch Haiku International agents and associates!

I know, I can hardly believe it myself! The nerve of those bums -- now I know how Jesus felt in the garden of Gethsemane! At any rate, here's a run-down of what some of the more notable ones say they're too busy doing to help me out if I find myself in a pinch:

• Paulo: Running a cockfighting academy in Pescados Muertos, Mexico. Think Han's island in Enter the Dragon, only replace "Han" with "Paulo," "island" with "bombed-out Mexican village," and "kung fu" with "cockfighting," and you'll get the idea.

• Professor de la Groove: Doing tantric research aboard the International Space Station, along with some call girls and his assistants Ralphus and Malphus. Not scheduled to return to Earth until mid-2007.


Ralphus







Malphus







• Texas Kelly: Managing an up-and-coming "boy band" down in Austin, TX, with the help of his longtime sidekick/Bizarro Bush clone, Dubya. He says the band, Young Taint, has superstardom in their grasp, and he can't leave them alone at this juncture without fear of some other manager stealing them away.

Dubya







• Angelina Jolie: Bitch shacked up with Brad Pitt, in case you hadn't heard. Pitt can have my sloppy seconds for all I care -- I've got my eye on Scarlett Johansson these days, anyway. Besides, I've never viewed a houseful of adopted street urchins as desireable.

So there you have it. Good thing the Haiku-Bot and new H.I. operative Brother Ko are onhand to get my back if things get hairy. Ooh, not to mention the Haiku Street Irregulars. I wonder what those scamps are up to, anyway? Guess I'll leave a bottle of hooch out by the trash cans and see how many show up. Those kids sure love their liquor.

Best,

dear god does my stomach ever hurt

Uh, hi folks. It's me, The Haiku Master, but I'm not feeling so hot right now... because I ate way too much Halloween candy today!!

If The Haiku Master Had Limited Himself To The Candy Shown Here, His Stomach Probably Wouldn't Hurt As Much

Sadly, I had no choice -- between my own trick-or-treating efforts and my cut of the Haiku Street Irregulars' monty haul, I had a veritable mountain of candy at my disposal. Not being the type to waste food, and having no idea what kind of expiration date that stuff carries, I didn't want to take any chances. So I ate 'til I could eat no more, leaving my belly feeling like a lurching, twitching, rubber sack that's been filled to the brim with half-digested Halloween candy!!

Unfortunately, this means I won't even be able to look at candy for months. The rest won't go to waste, though; I've instructed the Haiku-Bot to ship it to an Ethiopian orphanage, where the abandoned children will no doubt put it to good use. And with so little candy left, and so many kids to feed, I'm not worried about it having the same adverse effect on them as it had on me!

Ethiopian Kids Are Already Lining Up For All The Sweet Halloween Candy They're About To Get From The Haiku Master

Okay for now, 'ku believers -- time for the Pharaoh of 5-7-5 to strategically position himself on Castle Haiku's true throne, a stack of comic books and bottle of Pepto Bismol within easy reach!

Best,

happy halloween

Boo!!! Ha ha ha -- don't be scared, fan club members! It's just me, The Haiku Master, playing a little Halloween trick on you! Plus, I have some good news: thanks to the zombicillin I picked up at the free clinic, I'm no longer afflicted with zombieism!!

That's right! The doctor gave me a clean bill of health earlier today, which means I won't be craving brains again anytime soon. Still, it's not like being a zombie was all bad. Heck, I even managed to land this lucrative endorsement deal as a result (I hope I don't have to eat any actual brains to fulfill the terms of the contract, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it):

Brains: The Only Snack Endorsed By The Zombie Haiku Master

Either way, I'm glad it's behind me... and not a moment too soon! For as everyone knows, tonight is the night they give out the free candy -- and the Sultan of Syllables isn't about to miss any free candy!!! Sure, the Haiku Street Irregulars will give me a cut of whatever they bring in, but that won't keep me from trying my luck around here. Nor will it stop me from ordering the Haiku-Bot to give a stern toilet-papering to any houses that don't give up the loot!

That's no threat, friends; it's a promise!

Best,

shelton really earned his keep this week

Hidey-ho, 'ku believers! It's me, The Haiku Master, freshly returned from an ill-fated fishing expedition with a group of juvenile delinquents I like to call the "Haiku Street Irregulars"... only to find that H.I.'s Minister of Information updated the dickens out of the ol' "blog" while I was away!

H.I.'s Minister of Information, Shelton, Isn't The Sharpest Card In The Deck, But He Gets The Job Done

I mean, just look at the place! As if compiling my Big Vegas Caper into one complete edition wasn't enough, he also created a brand-new comic book cover for it! Then he went above-and-beyond by whipping up that swell new masthead... which will apparently be revamped on a more-or-less weekly basis with a different wide-angle action shot of yours truly!! Can you believe it?!?

And there's that other thing, below the masthead, which I'm technically not supposed to speak of per the terms of our pending application with the provider. So 'nuff said on that front!

Okay for now, fan club members -- time for the Sultan of Syllables to hit the shower in an attempt to rid himself of this infernal fish stink. In the meantime, feel free to enjoy the fruits of Shelton's labor!

Best,