Twilight Zone complete series Haikus
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Twilight Zone
Brimfin — 1 year ago(June 25, 2024 08:57 PM)
Several years ago, just before they closed the IMDB boards, I was working on a project to try to do haikus for each episode of the original Twilight Zone. I only completed up to the second season (with the premiere episode of the third season, since I was doing 6 shows at a time and season 2 had 29.) After the boards closed, there seemed to be no point to finish it. But now I have retired and have more time on my hands, so I finally finished the project. I am going to post all the episodes each day one season at a time - starting with Season 1 on the next post. Enjoy, everybody.
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Brimfin — 1 year ago(June 25, 2024 08:59 PM)
Season 1 Haikus
In an empty town,
a frightened man cries aloud
“Where is Everyone?”
(Where is Everybody?)
He must distract Death
To keep him from collecting
A sweet little girl.
(One for the Angels)
A magic potion
Can change the town drunk back to
A real gunfighter
(Mr. Denton on Doomsday)
An aging actress
likes to watch her old movies.
Now she lives in one.
(The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine)
He went home again,
But his time had long since passed.
Returned with a limp.
(Walking Distance)
Hypochondriac
He tries to live forever
But he ends up dead
(Escape Clause)
A lonely convict
finds sweet companionship with
a woman of steel.
(The Lonely)
He has books galore
but his reading glasses broke.
Poor Henry Bemis
(Time Enough at Last)
A roller coaster
and lovely Maya help to
scare a man to death.
(Perchance to Dream)
For his crimes of war
he must live his victim’s fears
over and over.
(Judgment Night)
They survive a crash
only to then begin to
vanish one by one.
(And When the Sky Was Opened)
He’s just a peddler
with a tray of knickknacks, but
he has what you need.
(What You Need)
A changeable face
and a penchant for deceit
lead to tragedy.
(The Four of Us are Dying)
Worried family
steals a spaceship and heads for
a planet called Earth.
(Third from the Sun)
Three astronauts are
stranded on an asteroid.
But are they really?
(I Shot an Arrow Into the Air)
A woman is scared
by a man’s cryptic question
“You Going my Way?”
(The Hitchhiker)
A one-armed bandit
compels a man to gamble
With his very life.
(The Fever)
An old bi-plane lands
by a modern jet in this
tale of redemption.
(The Last Flight)
A blinding white light
shines across the faces of
those about to die.
(The Purple Testament)
Strange cemetery –
people frozen in poses
of their fondest dreams.
(Elegy)
What would you do if
you saw your double try to
take over your life?
(Mirror Image)
Paranoia turns
a neighborhood to chaos.
Aliens waltz in.
(The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street)
You hang up your phone.
A director says “Cut.” Huh?
Your life’s a movie?
(A World of Difference)
Walter Jamison.
He can be young forever
if he isn’t shot.
(Long Live Walter Jamison)
Are we really all
alike? Would we put a smart
Martian in a zoo?
(People Are Alike All Over)
A condemned killer
is plucked from his noose and sent
to our present day.
(Execution)
A little boy's wish
that his father be a champ
fades with non-belief.
(The Big Tall Wish)
A great place to live
where your wildest dreams come true
until you're bored stiff!
(A Nice Place to Visit)
Helen Foley sees
a little girl on the stairs.
But is she for real?
(Nightmare as a Child)
Boss shouts "Push, Push, Push."
Take the train to Willoughby.
Get off at that stop.
(A Stop at Willoughby)
He wants just one girl.
She turns out to be clingy.
Buy the glove cleaner.
(The Chaser)
Trumpeter Joey
hovers between life and death.
Chooses life. Good call!
(A Passage for Trumpet)
A guardian angel
tries to normalize a man
who loves his zither.
(Mr. Bevis)
Need a good pitcher?
Let’s make a robotic one.
But he has no heart.
(The Mighty Casey)
I need a thimble.
How’d I get trapped in the store?
I’m a mannequin!
(The After Hours)
Rod does a cameo.
An elephant’s at the door.
Greg West runs the world.
(A World of His Own) -
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Brimfin — 1 year ago(June 26, 2024 07:05 PM)
Thank you all for your comments. As promised, here is Season 2:
It was just a dream.
In the desert, by my plane.
But – sand in my shoes?
(King Nine Will Not Return)
A nice couple learns
from genie and four wishes
that life’s not so bad.
(The Man in the Bottle)
Good side in mirror.
Bad side cowers in hotel.
So, they trade places.
(Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room)
Clock chimes at odd hours.
Razor slithers down the stairs.
Oh, you darn machines!
(A Thing About Machines)
Wooden staff of truth
holds the Devil in prison.
Don’t open that door!
(The Howling Man)
Can you fix my face
so that I look as ugly
as everyone else?
(Eye of the Beholder)
Devil’s head adorns
that fortune telling machine.
So, user beware.
(Nick of Time)
My dad builds robots.
He could have “built” his own child.
Hey, wait a minute….
(The Lateness of the Hour)
Booth was very sad.
So his friends performed a script
to lift his spirits.
(The Trouble with Templeton)
What a camera.
It can show what will happen
ten minutes from now.
(A Most Unusual Camera)
Man loses his job
As department store Santa
But gets better one!
(Night of the Meek)
Peter Sykes, con man
sells a bag of magic dust.
But he finds - it works!
(Dust)
Men debate about
whether the past can be changed.
One gets to find out.
(Back There)
Used car dealer buys
a car with a flaw - it makes
him tell the whole truth.
(The Whole Truth)
Up in her attic,
woman is terrorized by
tiny aliens.
(The Invaders)
Flipped a coin on end
Now you can read people’s minds
And win your dream girl.
(A Penny for Your Thoughts)
What a creepy dream.
A girl in the morgue tells you,
“Room for one more, hon.”
(Twenty-Two)
First, there’s dinosaurs.
Then, we’re brought to the wrong year.
Rather be airsick.
(The Odyssey of Flight 33)
Martians make him strong.
Venusians turn him smart.
That’s Mister Dingle!
(Mr. Dingle the Strong)
An old radio
brings back the days of his youth
in more ways than one.
(Static)
Ace Larson needs cash.
Jimbo Cobb moves things by thought.
They’re off to Vegas.
(The Prime Mover)
A toy telephone.
A grandma who won’t let go.
Dangerous combo.
(Long Distance Call)
Just over that rim
lies the knowledge I need to
save my wagon train.
(100 Yards over the Rim)
Steal gold. Take long nap.
Value goes way up by then.
A flawless plan – not!
(The Rip Van Winkle Caper)
A bet has been made.
Now can a man keep silent
for one entire year?
(The Silence)
Every single night
Haunted by the same nightmare
With a changing cast.
(Shadow Play)
He makes folks vanish.
Then makes them all look like him.
Don’t give some men books.
(The Mind and the Matter)
Martian is holed up
inside a snowbound diner
hiding his third arm.
(Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?)
The rulers bellow
“Wordsworth, Romney, Ob-so-lete!”
But he proves them wrong.
(The Obsolete Man) -
Brimfin — 1 year ago(June 27, 2024 08:58 PM)
Okay. Here come some new ones - Season 3!
American Man
Russian Woman. All that’s left.
Can they start again?
(Two)
Plane lands at airport
without passengers or crew.
Can Grant find out why?
(The Arrival)
He built a shelter
to protect his family.
Now, neighbors want in.
(The Shelter)
Weary souls march by
Victims of the Civil War
Lincoln the last one
(The Passersby)
A simple pool game
Winner lives on forever
But the loser dies.
(A Game of Pool)
Given a mirror
that reflects all treachery
including his own.
(The Mirror)
Conny comes into town
To visit Pinto’s gravesite
But he never leaves.
(The Grave)
Small group of people
Terrorized by little boy
It’s not a good life.
(It’s a Good Life)
Former commandant
Visits his former prison camp
And is driven mad
(Death’s Head Revisited)
The Earth is baking.
Oh, good. It was just a dream.
It’s freezing instead.
(The Midnight Sun)
Southern officer
Finds a dying sorcerer
And his book of spells.
(Still Valley)
A lion’s tooth charm
If left behind in a bar
Will not protect you.
(The Jungle)
Man takes time machine
To see a better future
Then wants to get back.
(Once Upon a Time)
Clown, soldier, dancer
Bagpipe player and hobo
Wonder “Where are we?”
(Five Characters in Search of an Exit)
Army lieutenant
Sees enemy’s point of view
Looking through his eyes,
(A Quality of Mercy)
Elderly woman
Is afraid of death until
They meet face to face.
(Nothing in the Dark)
Scheming billionaire
Creates fake nuclear war
That turns real – for him.
(One Last Pallbearer)
Bum puts on two shoes
Belonging to a dead man.
Becomes a gangster.
(Dead Man’s Shoes)
Hunter and dog die.
Hunter’s dog helps him pick the
True path to heaven.
(The Hunt)
TV cowboy star
Gets a surprise when he meets
The real Jesse James.
(Showdown with Rance McGrew)
Old man has belief
Playing kid’s games makes you young
Then he proves it’s true
(Kick the Can)
Theater critic
Buys old piano that can
Show people’s true selves.
(A Piano in the House)
Dead Jeff Myrtlebank
Interrupts his funeral
By waking right up.
(The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank)
Title was “To Serve Man”
Don’t judge book by its cover
It was a cookbook!
(To Serve Man)
Kindly old man Ben
Not what he appears to be
He’s from other world.
(The Fugitive)
Rod always tells us
There is a fifth dimension
Now it’s got Tina!
(Little Girl Lost)
Poor David Gurney
Nobody knows who he is
Not even his wife!
(Person or Persons Unknown)
Navigator Craig
Seeks to be god to small folks
Gains some perspective
(The Little People)
I will end evil
Make bad people two feet tall
Hey, wait! Not me too!
(Four O’Clock)
Somerset Frisby
Like to weave his big, tall tales
But someone believes!
(Hocus Pocus and Frisby)
Elderly couple
One has a chance for new youth
Picks to stay as is.
(The Trade-Ins)
Alien being
Arrives with cure for cancer
But it gets burned up.
(The Gift)
Ventriloquist J
Controls dummy named Willie
Till they trade places.
(The Dummy)
Newlywed Alex
Goes back home to his mother
Quite literally.
(Young Man’s Fancy)
Bradbury’s only tale
Of a loving grandmother
Who is a robot.
(I Sing the Body Electric)
Angel Cavender
Assigned to help Agnes Grep
Improve her drab life.
(Cavender is Coming)
He taught poetry
That inspired many young men
A full, worthwhile life.
(Changing of the Guard) -
Brimfin — 1 year ago(June 28, 2024 11:39 PM)
Here's Season 4 - the hourlong episodes
His name? Al Talbot.
But his past life can’t be found.
Who – or what – is he?
(In His Image)
Missing sub appears.
Navy ship investigates.
Crewman has secret.
(The Thirty Fathom Grave)
Sometimes little towns
Have mysterious secrets.
One has a doozy!
(Valley of the Shadow)
He died years ago
But his evil legacy
Lingers on and on.
(He’s Alive)
Ilsa cannot speak.
Can only communicate
Through her subconscious
(Mute)
Three space travelers
Come across a crashed spaceship
Strangely like their own.
(Death Ship)
Brunette haired Jess-Belle
Puts spell on a man she loves
At a dreadful cost.
(Jess-Belle)
In a museum
Charley sees an exhibit
With a living doll.
(Miniature)
Mystery man comes
To save failing newspaper.
The Devil, you say?
(Printer’s Devil)
He can’t fix the past
Nor can he exist in it.
Embrace the present.
(No Time Like the Past)
He returned from space
Little things are different
Is he on
our
Earth?
(The Parallel)
Genie offers wish
George ponders potential risks
Picks the wish he wants.
(I Dream of Genie)
To save museum
Man keeps wax figures at home.
They commit murders.
(The New Exhibit)
Rich man time travels
To acquire his wealth again.
Does poor job of it.
(Of Late I Think of Cliffordville)
Childhood incidents
Weren’t really as he recalled
Learns one Horace Ford.
(The Incredible World of Horace Ford)
Poor William Benteen
He wanted to stay in charge
Now he’s left behind
(On Thursday We Leave for Home)
Eileen and Alan
Rediscover their love on
Lady Anne’s last voyage.
(Passage on the Lady Anne)
Julius Moomer
Wanting to write a screenplay
Conjures up Shakespeare.
(The Bard) -
Brimfin — 1 year ago(June 30, 2024 01:11 AM)
And here comes the final batch - Season 5. A haiku for every single episode of the show. Now I can scratch this item off my bucket list. Thanks again for all your comments.
His son is dying
Max offers self in exchange
God accepts; Pip lives.
(In Praise of Pip)
Robot’s not working
He’s booked to fight in the ring
So, Steel takes his place.
(Steel)
Passenger Wilson
Sees gremlin on the plane’s wing
Is it real or not?
(Nightmare at 20,000 Feet)
Man receives stopwatch
That can freeze time in its tracks
Sadly, he breaks it.
(A Kind of a Stopwatch)
Banned for life jockey
Gets his wish to be real tall.
Oops! Ban gets lifted.
(Last Night of a Jockey)
Talky Tina doll
Threatens owner’s stepfather
“I’m gonna kill you.”
(Living Doll)
Old man in the cave?
He’s computer! Folks rebel.
And they end up dead.
(The Old Man in the Cave)
Mean Uncle Simon
Reborn in a machine form
Misery lives on.
(Uncle Simon)
Crashed male Astronaut
Female planet survivor
Meet Adam and Eve
(Probe 7, Over and Out)
National Guard crew
Goes back to Little Big Horn
Indians still win
(The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms)
Man takes youth serum
To keep up with his young wife
Gets a tad too young.
(A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain)
A Grandfather Clock
Sam thinks if it ever stops
His life will end too.
(Ninety Years Without Slumbering)
Big Hollywood star
Returns to her home town for
Final performance.
(Ring-a-Ding Girl)
Hit and Run Driver
Is forced to turn himself in
By very own car.
(You Drive)
He was in deep space
She on Earth for forty years
Poignant reunion.
(The Long Morrow)
Young man discovers
Unique trade ability
Tries to improve self.
(The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross)
She’s a unique girl
But everyone else tells her
“You have to conform.”
(Number 12 Looks Like You)
They ride on cycles
And wear black leather jackets
But they aren’t from here.
(Black Leather Jackets)
Elderly woman
Gets call from her late husband
Graveyard connection
(Night Call)
Advanced Computer
Falls in love with its maker
Disrupts his lovelife
(From Agnes, With Love)
Young soon-to-be bride
Gets scared by woman on horse
Makes bad decision.
(Spur of the Moment)
A Rebel soldier
Escapes his death by hanging
But did he really?
(An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge)
Movie star stays young
Draining the lives of young men
Using a beetle.
(Queen of the Nile)
Evil Repairman
Destroys man’s life and marriage
Over a small insult.
(What’s in the Box?)
Dying millionaire
Forces his heirs to wear masks
Or be left off will.
(The Masks)
The sun will not rise
Darkness covers the country
All because of hate.
(I Am the Night – Color Me Black)
Roswell is obsessed
Always making and hearing
Lots of loud noises,
(Sounds and Silences)
Sad Ventriloquist
Lets his dummy convince him
To start life of crime.
(Caesar and Me)
Russian defector
Turns the tables on enemy
By making phone call.
(The Jeopardy Room)
Don’t drink and then drive.
You might end up as child’s toy
In a tiny town.
(Stopover in a Quiet Town)
If you have a beer
With stranger in an attic
Leave the door open!
(The Encounter)
Jared Garrity
Promises to raise the dead
Then gets paid not to.
(Mr. Garrity and the Graves)
Wallace V. Whipple
Feels machines do jobs better
Till one takes
his
job.
(The Brain Center at Whipples)
Floyd Burney goes out
To research old folk song and
Lives to regret it.
(Come Wander with Me)
Trooper and woman
Out in a remote cabin
Aliens arrive.
(The Fear)
Parents are fighting
Aunt T has nice place waiting
Let’s jump in the pool.
(The Bewitchin’ Pool)
