Your light
illuminates the truth
so much
it burns
my soul

so small
against the fall snow, the acorn
and I

Straining to see the lesson
darkness falls
on my disappointment

Thirty year old man
without coverage--let him die?
"Crucify him! Crucify him!"

*Note: This was written as a response to the Tea Party debate audience crying out in the affirmative to a theoretical scenario asking whether an uninsured 30 year old should be allowed to die.

A ladybug sits
on my question mark. Is she
asking or answering?

a cool breeze
in the garden a cup of tea
whispered chanting

a cool breeze
a warm cup of tea
in the garden

I transplant
ornamental grass
in the speckled sunlight

Three families of birds
live, grow up and fly away
my empty nest

accidental death
burned in a pot of hot milk
the live cultures

if I traveled through time
would you be
as I imagine?

I trudge through the internet
like a child lost in the city of bright lights.
The flashing neon distracts me from myself.

The world's wedding:
cabbage butterflies
and Queen Anne's lace

walking the dog
two baby rabbits
run for their lives

Shocked by the reflection;
in my mind I'm thin.

checking the animals
to see if
they are still alive--
no a/c

Oven door
the heat pours in
from the outside

Oppressive
Omnipresent and eternal
the egg cooks on the sidewalk

Smooth bowl, a watery blue,
bursting with sunshine--
lemons

stifling summer heat
shock of white hair zooms by
young man jogging to work

I work well
under the pressure
of actually having a job.

hazy, hot and humid
the heat wave moves east
counter-intuitive oatmeal

he looks at me
ever hopeful
of love--
the cat

The stifling heat
melts away all ambition
dusty riverbed

The silence grows
like the mold
in the bathroom
we pretend not to see.

As the sun sets
they join us at the car show
the three rabbits

In the Morning Darkness

my fractional brain
rarely functional,
I blindly grope
for coffee

wishing on a star--
i want to go back in time
and choose respect

This is in response to One Single Impression's prompt: respect.

i hear vomiting
the cat waltzes in
to apologize

Radiant

lit from within
those treasured look on
youthful bride

This is in response to Haiku Bones' prompt: radiant.

Documentary

He tells us of
the Holocaust,
his daughter
behind him, smoking.

tall boy in loose jeans
I look twice; it's not him
my son is married

Saturday evening
sweet sounds of harmony float
flying geese

My short poetry
flits around like a small bird
and my A.D.D.

a morning "gift"
a Rorschach blot of pee
left by the dog

Snowy feline
curled up against the cold
marshmallow cat

flash of white fur
against a dark, winter house
surprise cat

dark, ancient forest
endless, snow covered branches
as I drive to work

fluttering shadow
on the snow-covered driveway
American flag

sweet, creamy goodness
of a proper tea
poured in the morning darkness

Penitential soup
Full of vegetables and beans
Post Christmas diet

We walk together

balancing in too-tall shoes

Are we grown up yet? 

Polite and friendly,
I greet them as I go by
the bewildered cows

old baby pictures
      smile at me from the wall

my face is pensive


One Single Impression prompt:  Pensive

When I break from  my 

cocoon 

who will I be? 

One Single Impression Prompt:  cocoon

forgotten glass jar 

left outside, brewing at night

moon tea 

beautiful flowers
colorful and artificial
disappointed hummingbird

A Little Tea Cup

a little tea cup
sits on a matching saucer

civilization

outside my bedroom window
the soft light of the silvery moon
holds all my secrets

holiday weekend
in an old historic town
tourist season here

dedicated bird
diligently builds her nest
poops on my window

We travel the road
of life. Some things slip away.
Only God remains.

working outside
sweating in the hot June sun
cackling crow

dinner on the porch
we watch the rabbits eat too
soft, silent rain falls

on the cherry tree
flowers give way to leaves
youth fades

pink blossoms
morning prayer in the cold
blessings of spring

Fissures

bright morning sun beams
give light to the chasm
between life and death







This week's One Single Impression prompt: fissures

Picture by Chris O'Doherty

Night Rain

night rain
endured in quiet darkness
first light



This week's Haiku Bones prompt: Night Rain

dark, sweet life
nestled among the Easter grass
newborn calves

bitter tears mingle with
the harsh clink of counted pennies
uncertainty

Infestation

the dust of our years

a bittersweet infestation

of lingering love

This week's Haiku Bones Prompt: Infestation.

Seductive birds sing
in the frozen landscape
spring's siren song.

Here is a second poem with this week's Haiku Bones prompt: seductive.

Lent

Each year we fight
the world's seductive lure--
with quiet resolve

This week's Haiku Bones prompt was seductive. 

Uncanny

from dead to living
in unspoken alliance--
habits are passed

This week's Haiku Bones prompt:  Uncanny

The years pass by.
The incandescent twinkle
in his eyes remains.

i watch the world,
silent, and black and white
exploding rain drops

dressed in our finest
we smile for the camera
I look away

horses in the snow 
looking for edible grass 
a lone pine tree

losing energy

tired; sighing quietly

mournful teapot

hearts electrify
across telephone wires
winter static


This week's Haiku Bones prompt: electrifying

we take refuge
from the winter wind
the fly and I

snow and bitter wind--
rush inside; remove coat--
and note the fly

soft snow encloses
the world in the silence
of new year's regrets






Thanks to Walky Soto for inviting me to Haiku Bones. 

Skeleton trees reach
gnarled branches through falling snow.
Our joints ache.

winter resurrection
a friend's face
on Google Chrome

Pale and cold
I warm my hands
on the red mug.
Winter blood test.

Pale and cold,

I dream of the tropics

and stare at the ceiling--

winter blood test. 

pale and cold
dreams of tropical islands
December
blood test 

inside for days

bedroom, fever, stay the same

natureless haiku

in the searing heat
reduced to its elemental form
my brain in fever

moon viewing

a scholar's garden retreat 
you are with me in spirit

rapturous delight

soft--in the afternoon

raw salmon

the deepening chill 


settles in my waiting soul 


early winter

fall colors

exploding in pinks and greens

beautiful weed

black cat leading me,
half asleep, to the food bowl
midnight snack

Red, gently applied over yellow

with a dry brush.

Cold apple.

At the Grotto

Orange butterfly
alights on purple flower--
prays with Bernadette.

is it bad luck
when a vulture crosses
your path?

large families
quiet and well behaved
in my dreams

March Haiku

Cold snow rests
on the old Torii gate.
Red berries bring hope.

an Alzheimer's stranger,
he wheels in
and joins our party.

Married Love

Ancient and bent,
after pushing her wheelchair,
he feeds her.

on my tongue
I taste the bitter words--
potent medicine.

crouching tiger
hidden in the early morning fog
the fog lifts

newborn flurries fall
gently, on tired black coats.
first snow

early morning reality
disappears
in the foggy mirage

early morning
giving way to stifling day
the fog lifts

Ember Days

I feel the coolness
in the quiet harvest night
and offer thanks

pink and ubiquitous
the dry paint recoils from the walls
barely hanging on

loud summer thunder
the dog jumps up on my lap
the tension's broken