counting

counting seconds
between lightning and thunder
litany of loss

blood moon

blood moon--
stepping into the river
my young daughter

scent of rain

scent of rain--
all the ways
we failed each other

spring meadow

spring meadow
sound of seedlings bursting
into sunlight

luna

budding branch--
luna moth dries
her unfurled wings

creekside

purling creek--
a remembered lullaby
in the mother tongue

hawk

hawk glides
bearing lightly on its wings
heaven

night sky

stars gleam
dewdrops
on a spun sky

labyrinth

labyrinth--
between pavers new shoots green
my meditation

midnight

midnight--
I wonder whether you breathed
this same air once

thunderstorm

thunderstorm--
a child sleeps
on my leaden arm

days lengthen

days lengthen--
my young nephew enroute
to Afghanistan

willow catkins

willow catkins--
newborn barn kittens
open their eyes

cleaving

In the spring of 1993, I was nearing the end of my second pregnancy with a daughter. As she once again dug her heels into my ribs, I was able to clutch her tiny heel through my stretched flesh for a few seconds. It was a precious near-meeting in the bright world outside my womb where I knew and held all of her.

My thoughts turned to my son, the firstborn, whose tiny heel had been pricked countless times and whose burial booties had been far too big. Could he be as nearby as she with only a translucent membrane or mime's wall separating his dimension and mine?

the rising fog--
all that divides us
all that binds us



Published in Contemporary Haibun Online.

robins return

robins return--
a strand of pink ribbon
feathers a new nest

first pale shoots

first pale shoots--
whisking the matcha
to a jade froth

first tree buds

first tree buds--
untuned piano music
from the old folks home

waves

shell held to my ear--
a wave swells and rides
itself to shore

post-divorce date

post-divorce date--
rubbing the pale band
on my ring finger

spring thaw

spring thaw...
an old friend and I
make amends

drip

finally sun--
the icicle's persistent
rhythmic drip

stargazing II

clear night--
the big dipper ladling
the milky way

nesting

robins nesting—
fresh white for the crib
she once slept in

cold front

cold front--
in the busker's guitar case
five copper coins

double

upon still waters
this rustic boat rides
its reflection

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

midnight

midnight--
slowly slipping off
her silk straps

winter garden

winter garden--
plaster rabbit
hops away

streams

winter light streams in--
the girl gives her blond hair
one-hundred strokes

alone

clouds cross the moon--
your back to me
alone in this bed

after Christmas

after Christmas--
poinsettia petals
dropping

Christmas day

Christmas day--
the girls set the table
without being asked

after the party

after the party--
rearranging plates
in the dishwasher

piercing cold

piercing cold--
the piercing clank
of the garden gate

wind in the pines

wind in the pines--distant shakuhachi music

solstice

solstice--
snow falls
embers rise

park bench

park bench--
the sleeping man's eye
fills with snow

winter burial

winter burial--
the baby's cry drowns out
the eulogy

blizzard

blizzard--
deer blinks in the wind
snow-laced lashes

snowflakes

snowflakes fall
in monochrome silence:
mute haiku

snow lantern

snow lantern--
lacking spark, lambent
with moonlight

perigee moon

perigee moon--
unstrung pearls scatter
between us

winter night

winter night--
a tree cracks
in the cold

last word

soft snowfall--
calling my sister by my name
his last word

snowstorm

after snow--
yesterday's footprints
a memory

flurries

flurries--
two crows perched
on a white cross

frozen

frozen pond--
only moon glides across
its dark glass

nativity

venus rising--
nestling the newborn
in Mary's arms

merging

upon the water
snowflakes merge with essence
like you and I

advent

advent chocolates--
finding today
preempted

sock-mates

winter night--
unable to find
my sock's mate

pearls

frost moon--
I reach for mother's
pearl earrings

bed of roses

on the rose
snow finds a fragrant
winter bed

winter sky

winter sky--
a skein of wild birds
unravels

veil

veil of fog--
looking over oranges
a veiled woman

winter

snow-drifted landscape
this expanse is no place
but winter

dusting of snow

dusting of snow--
lifting my child to place
the faded angel

Tetons in snow

Tetons in snow--
the jagged terrain
of my soul

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving--
hands held around the table
for dad's tenor grace

economic haiku in NY Times headlines

to buy children’s gifts
mothers do
without

outlook grows
more dire
for housing market

repose

fallen leaves
fill the hammock--
autumn repose

returning

returning--
her aged hand draws back
the lace curtain

graveside

graveside--
my breasts
leaking

early winter

Happy birthday, Andy.

early winter--
placing on my son's grave
baby's breath

Atlanta autumn

Atlanta autumn--
the last leaf
gone with the wind

winter moon

winter moon--
the cygnet tucks her head
in a snowy wing

silence

winter silence--
only the sound
of falling snow

persimmon moon

persimmon moon--
the involuntary moan
when you enter me

gibbous moon

gibbous moon--
the fit of our pale bodies
spooning

hunter moon

hunter moon--
a lone coyote howls
from the foothills

late autumn

late autumn--
in the shorn field
a weathered barn falling

publication in Simply Haiku

Check out my haiku published in Simply Haiku.
Most of these poems appeared here first in one form or another.

first snow

first snow--
seeping wild rose hips
for tea

wind

wind
blowing my dress
up

field goal

high school football
the field goal clears
the moon

veteran's parade

moisted-eyed
those who remain salute--
veteran's parade

eau de Afton

after riding
she bears the scent
of wind and sweat

autumn moon

autumn moon--
polishing grandma's silver
I see her eyes

new moon

new moon--
the swaddled newborn
latches on

caresses

caressing the wind
that caresses them--
bare branches

translucent leaf

translucent leaf--
autumn sun limns
its fragile skeleton

rain

rain--
through the window
the landscape runs

voting

wishing not
for an "I voted" sticker
but an ink-stained thumb

windblown leaves

windblown leaves--
becoming versed
in this language of loss

day of the dead

day of the dead--
the candle sputters
with your breath

early frost

early frost--
the moon cradled in
a tree's bare branches

Halloween

Halloween
doling extra candy in
her pink pillowcase

A Prayer for Holly and Santiago

We celebrate and bless
This love-struck day
And its solemn, joyful
Leap of faith

To Holly and Santiago
Love arrived unbidden,
In a tender gesture or gaze
Silently given

From Wyoming and Colombia
The arc of time and space
Gathered them inevitably
Into eternal embrace

May your love be embroidered
With patience and forgiveness
Adorned in devotion that
Like Cana’s wine is endless

And to mark that first fateful chance
Always make time to dance…

This is me reciting the poem I wrote for my sister's wedding.

river mist

river mist--
scullers row in unison
geese in their wake

woodpile

woodpile
rings of a spider's web span
the rings of an oak

Windswept prairie

Windswept prairie--
In autumn sage antelope
Prick their ears

Cold rain

Cold rain--
She smoothes her veil
Into place

*My little sister marries today!

Autumn walk

Autumn walk--
Leaves swirl 'round the neighbor's
New foreclosure sign

Falling leaves

falling leaves—
after chemo, he washes
what’s left of her hair

Falling leaf

Falling leaf--
In its slow surrender
Seduction

Hand-me-down

Stitching a button
This coat another year
Another child

Harvest moon

Harvest moon--
I recall my own hopeful
Gravidity

Autumn rain

Autumn rain--
Drawing down her
Dogeared favorite

Confession

Deathbed confession
Litany of acts
Left undone

Autumn proof

with Marty

Autumn proof--
Aroma of rising bread
Leavens the whole house

Dying light

Dying light--
Her last words linger
In the stillness

Frost

First frost--
The young man's voice cracks
For the first time

Waning moon

Waning moon
Bolero unravels
Our waxing love

Autumn equinox

Autumn equinox
A golden thread braids the days
Of the season

Harvest II

Harvest moon--
Vellum pages fall open
To "a time to reap"

Full moon

Full September moon
A rising rainbow trout
Iridesces

Text

Caught in a downpour
Text from my daughter
R U OK?

Deserted beach

Your wet body
Pressed to mine
The pounding surf

Genesis

For such as this ray
Of moonlight dusting your face
Were galaxies made

Answer

My love is answered
In your pleasured flesh, whose heart
I own the question

Memento

On my fore finger
Two parallel scars, memento
Of a child's first teeth

Sundial

Sundial, time's shadow
Traces the patina'd face,
Falls across my own

Looking glass

Looking glass image
The silver reflection is
No more than mirage

Things lost

Beauty of things lost:
An heirloom locket, a love,
The faith of childhood

Transformation

Birds sing the morning
Into day; your love summons
Me into being

Refugee

Old refugee
Wrinkles carved deep
As her suffering

Wish

Baroque fountain
The hopeful child
Casts her copper wish

Witness

Bearing witness
Willow weeps over
A new grave

Broken

One-hundred aspects
Reflect in broken mirror
Of my shattered heart

Riverdance

A dancing bouquet
Yellow butterflies blossom
On the river's edge

Undone

In every wild bud
Summer comes
Undone

Flight

Dandelion seeds:
Fledgling summer
Takes flight

Iris

Banks of white iris
Sway in the breeze, their beauty
Fleeting as my own

Concert

High school symphony
Straining to see my daughter
In forest of bows

Mystery II

Cast off illusion
Dwell in the house of doubt where
To know is to die

Earth perfume

A revelation
Carried on the breeze, perfume
Of fresh-plowed humus

Church bells

Church bells' somber chime
An enumeration of
Error and regret

New life

Within your embrace
A new creature I quiver
Like a fresh-furled leaf

Datura

Whirling dervishes
Datura's white petals yearn for
Sacred ecstacy

After disbelief

What remains when disbelief has gone? ~Philip Larkin

After disbelief
Nothing to profess, recant
To thine own self true

Aperture

Through the aperture
Of retrospect, prismed past
Shimmers a mirage

Known world

Bounds of the known world:
Far as I see in your eyes
Wide as your embrace

The cross

Torturous planks, less
Crucifix than bridge crossing
The mortal chasm

Bridge

Bridge, mediator
Of earth divided, beauty
In form, metaphor

Droplets

After rain, droplets
Hang globular on branches
Refracting the world

Sunday morning surf

Sunday morning surf
Communion of sea and sand
Where God's voice moves still

Celadon

In celadon spring
Nature is a green-glazed bowl
Ready for the kiln

Memory II

A reliquary,
Memory, littered with pain,
Exquisite beauty

Melancholy

In gloom and shadow,
Illusions haunt elusive
Sleep, no tomorrow

Love letter

An avowal, each
Vernal petal, unlike my
Unsent love letter

Sudden spring

Spring comes unbidden
Longed-for then suddenly blooms
In full profusion

Valentine

As to sun dogwood
Opens first blossoms, to you
I open my heart

Metamorphosis

As caterpillar
Emerges butterfly, so
Winter flowers spring

Extravagance

An extravagance,
This luminous day and you
And I together

Spirit house

In the spirit house
Of my body dwells passion
Married to rapture

Wolf Moon

Guardian of night
Lighting the boundless dark of
Howling loneliness

Evanescence

Snowflakes in my hair
A last farewell as you and
Snow will melt away

Gray

Winter's gray embrace
Gathers in melancholy
Even sparrow song

Snowflakes

Snowflakes fall
Haiku
From heaven

In the beginning

Creation's big bang,
Universe is conceived in
Cosmic orgasm

French kiss

French kiss, silent tongues
Seeking, answering, praising
Love's lingua franca

Snow moon

December snow moon
Only train's plaintive whistle
Shatters the stillness

Led Zepplin heaven

Such music angels
Will play when I ascend the
Stairway to heaven

Alate gem

Dragonfly wing, one
Fragile iridescence found
Beauty abandoned

Monochrome

Snow-drifted landscape,
A veiled bride pauses outside
White clapboard chapel

Hunter moon

Through barren branches
Trees peer at hunter moon hid
In cloud-camouflage

Three weeks

Happy birthday, Andy

They're small creatures, and they are filling their bodies with sweetness, how could they not moan in happiness? The little worker bee lives, I have read, about three weeks. Is that long? Long enough, I suppose, to understand that life is a blessing. ~Mary Oliver

Three weeks, a lifetime
Of joy, pain, love; taste of these
Blessings? Bittersweet

The amateur

Amateur--lover,
From the Latin--mark me an
Avid dilettante

Cup of tea

Steaming cup of tea,
Translucent green tastes of spring
Outside, brisk fall breeze

Bonsai

Sculpted symmetry
In botanical haiku:
A meditation

On rooted beauty
Pared to spiritual essence
Pre-Mies van der Rohe

Or pious Quakers
For whom simplicity was
Art--both means and end

Illusion of dance,
Miniature arabesque
In graceful (re)pose--

Aesthetics distilled
In sentient architecture--
Still life perfected

Harvest moon I

Curtain of clouds parts,
Night sky midwifes harvest moon,
The birth of autumn

Office of dead languages

To name is to know and remember. Dana Gioia

Stilled tongue of a past
People: way of life, naming,
Knowing the world, dead

Cricket song

Crickets' creaking fills
The audible world with
Inaudible desire

Mist rising

Mist, water spirits
Captivated by sunlight,
Ascends to heaven

Enough

To want just enough--
No feast nor famine, at peace
With sufficiency

Trout rising

Rainbow trout rises,
Catching new mayflies, merging
Iridescences

Bell

Church bell's mute tongue loosed
Its song pealing through the fog,
Diaphanous fugue

Walking after rain

Walking after rain,
Light is like inhabiting
A Homer painting

Day moon

Full moon at daylight,
Gilt orb hangs translucent in
Nacred newborn sky

Sound of water

Water falling, sound
Of God's voice, epiphany
In trickle and roar

Perseids

Translate night sky's scroll
Limned with meteoric Morse
Code, stars' pulsing Braille

Petunia and bee

Potted petunia
Opens fuschia to the bee,
Who seduces whom?