a crow caws

this leaf

When Brenda was born, I was so focused on coaching Dawn to breath, that i forgot to breath myself. I hyperventilated and nearly passed out. When Jennifer was born I was determined not to do a repeat of that performance. Everything was going well, I was holding up fine, in fact i was feeling pretty darn proud of myself . . . until the doctor handed me a pair of scissors and asked if I wanted to cut the umbilical cord . . .

a crow's . . .

what's my purpose

daydreaming

i don't mind . . .

butt

cigarette butt at my feet
not mine
the street-sweeper's scowl

shadow

this blossom
that hides in the shadow
. . . not knowing its name

gulls

gulls laughing
at all his jokes
the old man and the sea

toes

touching stars
in the midnight pond
her toes and mine

moon

moon
in the dew
cricket song

speck

the gull
shrinks to a speck and is gone
evening sky

leaves

brushing aside the leaves
to find the moon
grandfather's pond

her whisper

her whisper
slippery on my skin
rivulets
become torrents
sweeping my heart away

notes

how effortlessly
its wings catch the breeze
notes from a sad song

sitting

a pine cone
sitting on its shadow
winter zazen

gnarled

ocean wave and rock bluff
the pine
gnarled to perfection

touching the sun

touching the sun
in the stone
butterfly feet

preeninge

preening drake
the hen pretends
not to notice