Sunday, July 31, 2011

What the Day Holds

morning sunlight
through window shades--
a glint
of
morning--
not
one sparrow
is quiet


yet

Sight

sun burns off the mist:
the clearer the sky
the less
I
see

Saturday, July 30, 2011

A Reminder

reaching toward the kitten
first, recoil
then, attack

lost in years of evolution
the ache of who we really are

Friday, July 29, 2011

Thoughts on Dusting

    1 
                                                                       
                                                                       The saying goes:
                                                                       Cleanliness is next to godliness--
                                                                       makes sense
                                                                       until
                                                                       I have to take a grimy rag in hand
                                                                       spray a stream of greasy matter
                                                                       on a bookcase, slide it around,
                                                                       watch the surface turn
                                                                       to a clean, brown shine

                         2

                        Was it worth it all
                         I ask myself,
                        worth the sneezing that followed
                        worth the grease now on my hand
                        worth how clean I feel?

                                                                        3

                                                                        Yep . . .

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Why

Why do I think
of a snow-covered garden
in this sweltering heat . . .
yet
I
do

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

From Where We Stand

                                      

                             In the heart of crimson
there is more crimson
                        and
more . . .
                                                even red
 maybe burgundy
                                          
 and 

        crimson
         
        
       more red
       
even burgundy

now again 
crimson

and crimson

and
crimson

maybe red

  or
burgundy
 or

red or crimson or 




                        maybe . . .



Deer

urban life:
still room for a deer
to find its way
nibble on tree leaves,
the stillness of this moment

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Coffee vs Sparrows

Coffee
tip
   ping
over the cup's edge
tipping over my plans
to stay awake this morning:
now only the music
of loud sparrows
seem
to
work

No Mist: The Downside of City

no mist to burn off
no fog to lift
no stars at night
only the hot burn of brick
the deep smell of tar
&
burned tips of grass

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Seeing

bathroom mirror
seeing sweat on my forehead
now even hotter

On Reading Tu Fu’s “I Stand Alone”

Heaven’s ways include the human:   
among a thousand sorrows, I stand alone   
                                                             Tu Fu

I wake to a siren fading in distance
jaunting, playful murmurs of kittens
sparrows’ songs caress the morning heat
a young man shouts boldly a half-a-block distance
the roar of a motorcycle squeals past my window
the deep bellow of distant thunder,
with each deep breath
release:
Heaven’s ways include the human
even among a thousand sorrows . . .
I
am
not
alone

Friday, July 22, 2011

Heat-A Fibonacci Reflection

 Summer 2011

heat
heat
heat now
heat again
heat now and again
heat it seems again
heat forever and again now
the impenetrable heat now it seems forever
the immeasurable heat it must be forever
heat I think forever again
heat everlasting
still the heat
heat now
heat
heat

Flash Forward Winter 2011-2012

cold
cold
cold now . . .

Thursday, July 21, 2011

After Heat

With this
              strong
                        cool             b  r  e  e      z      e
dust  fills the eyes
I long to see clearly

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Uncle

a clash of thunder
first drizzle
then
the heavy momentary downpour,
memory
of his violent temper

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Mirror

full-length mirror
the kitten's reflection
fights back

Monday, July 18, 2011

Jury Duty

From the court window
I see the hot breeze
brushing the tips of trees,
the jury room is air-conditioner cool
I
am
not

Saturday, July 16, 2011

What Love Is

As she curls
her thread around the spools
her nimble fingers
wipe
her
tears


her eyes thread
the weight of her sadness
in
then
out
in
then
out:
a gentle gesture
of  hope

A Ghostly Dream

There is someone in this room
here with me
someone listening to me breathe
listening to me shuffle between the sheets
someone here with me
a light bulb flickers
a cold air sweeps 
a fragrance of sweet vanilla--

(there is no flicker
there is no cold
there is no fragrance
only the claws
of a kitten
clawing at my feet)

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Between the Lines

early morning:
gentle breeze
                        (not so gentle)
brushing
                        (overpowering)
these windchimes
                        (organ pipes)
and
now
this
day
begins

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

About Ready

About ready to bury my teeth
into this plum
the purple of it
deep red
as red as the blood
from my tongue
I've just bitten

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Two-Pint Glass

New York City:
at the beer garden
thinking it a one pint,
I finish the two-pint glass--
the near-full moon spins
reflecting a wide empty sky

Monday, July 11, 2011

Same Moon

This heat
heat
heat
somewhere in the world
someone else is complaining
cold
cold
cold
the same moon hangs
over both of us

Sunday, July 10, 2011

City Morning

city
street
the sun
heats the brick
the building's facade
ripples with the young man's swift kick

Saturday, July 9, 2011

After Rain II

                    for Forrest Rader

After
after-rain

freshly cut grass
each blade caught in a wind-swirl;

his memories spin
into a fading breeze

Friday, July 8, 2011

After Rain

After rain:
the heaviness of this humidity
the heaviness of her stare

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Chaos

Sneezing
S  n    e   e    z           i             n              g
this cat

that cat

yet

the soft gentle
purr
after                c      h    a    o           s

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Thick Heat

Thick heat:
as I water
the h
     a
      n
   g
      i
        n
    g
plant,
a sudden splash
of envy

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Two For the Road

heavy traffic
geese above fly by--
mockingly


highway speed trap
I slow down
the seagull doesn't

Monday, July 4, 2011

Fireworks?

Facebook pictures
of Macy’s 4th of July fireworks:
a car back fires
I’m tempted
to
applaud

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Day Rain

day rain
not as poetic as the night’s storm:
gray,
dull—
I race the bug
walking across my desk

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Frog

over the phone
I listen
as she walks the shore
chasing frogs,
the oppressive heat
of my third floor office
cools—
if only 
for this brief breath

Friday, July 1, 2011

Dark Morning

In the dark, dark morning
a sparrow chorus,
the splinter
of
an ambulance siren,
a brief rush of silence