one thousand fingers
gently fold one thousand cranes
our tears are countless.
red sandstone plateaus
coyote stalks through scrub pine
chindi howl assent
in the Norway Spruce
pine cones threaten to descend.
Squirrels sit waiting.
Haiku
TRIPTYCH
Origami cranes
take to the sky, devour clouds
denying winter.
Zebra butterflies
hover, dance on rays of light
never tomorrow
The pond imagines
itself one day a great lake
its shore dreams of spring.
BRIEF THOUGHTS (3 HAIKU)
In the sunlit park
the small dog watches the man
go fetch the thrown ball
Maple leaves emerge
almost certain that winter
is now history
A rain of petals
cherry snow covers the ground
we await the fruit.
GROWING
Buddha cares little
for the endless prostrations
preferring Summer.
The sun ignores the Buddha
and bows to the greening rice.
The grass is growing
When we are present to watch
Without us — growing.
SEASONINGS (HAIKU)
above only sky
beneath only dark gray clouds
the sun is content
a mountain of clouds
rises from white tufted bed
the earth is watered
in winter’s icy chill
ripples from autumn’s pebble
await the spring sun
the leafless ginkgo
taunts the first snow of winter
with the dream of spring
MARCH APPROACHING (HAIKU)
Winter dies slowly
under the jay’s watchful eye
harbinger of spring.
The ghosts of winter
hide behind the Sun,
the hawk hears them.
Frail pink petals fall
onto slowly warming earth
the winter concedes.
A SOUTHERN WINTER (HAIKU)
In the dark of night
clouds gavotte across the sky
we awake to rain
There is no snow here –
we dream of Fujiyama
imagine winter.
A thousand cranes rise
take wing over the city
smiling at the sun.
