stargazing

stargazing--
is it a star or plane,
that pulsating?

spring rain

spring rain--
how the polished rock
parts the river

rumor of war

rumor of war--
lightning chars
the sweet olive

lunar new year

lunar new year--
the baby waves her
dumpling fists

snowbound

snowbound--
the boundless form
of silence

inauguration

inauguration--
the new mom wiping tears
with a burp cloth

starlight

starlight--
slow dancing long after
the music ends

bitter wind

bitter wind--
all the sweetness captive
in this clementine

hunger moon

hunger moon--
the deer's neck stretched to reach
the last tree bark

deep winter

deep winter--
fragile ice fringes
the meadow pond

midwinter night

midwinter night--
holding a hug longer
to hear her heartbeat

Tanka

train platform--
unmistakable scent
of English Leather
the man even looked
a bit like my father

fork in the road

fork in the road--
the sign points
both ways

flood waters

flood waters crest--
a coffin bobs
to the surface

matins

breaking
the water basin ice--
matins

evensong

singing again
her favorite lullabye--
evensong

snowmelt

the taut plunk
of a cello string breaking--
snowmelt

winter moon

ferrying night
from dusk to dawn
winter moon

snowed in

snowed in--
a child etches her name
in window rime

paperwhites

paperwhites...
in her pale, blue-veined hand
the teacup trembles

another year

another year--
to blow out the candles
two breaths

Happy birthday to Magyar too!

fresh snowfall

fresh snowfall--
losing her last baby tooth
my daughter's gapped smile

individuality

light snow in aspens--
in the mirror, all that
is and is not me

moonrise

winter night--
from the lake a silver blob
breaks free and rises

Gaza new year

Gaza new year--
fireworks ring in
warfare

blossoms

camellia blossoms--
The pink-fisted baby
grabs my finger

blue

crystal winter skies
counting the shades of azure
through bare branches

shadow

winter sun--
my shadow writing haiku
beside me

new year

new year--
a phone call
from an old lover

this new year
resolving
not to make resolutions