Cormorants Resting

Water birds perched high
on winter skeleton tree
drying wet feathers

Turkey Day Ride

Fallen foliage
dry leaves swirl as bikers breeze
over covered trails

Grateful, and yet

Warm, fed, safe, and cared
still the human heart hungers
to fill nameless voids

Underwater

Pearly orange scales
slipping through sea fronds swaying
bubbles rising up

Reconnect

Out of the blue call,
"We've been thinking of you, dear"
Me, out of the blues!

Childhood Memories

Cowboy big brother
Lakota little sister
Play-acting extreme!

Cold front

The wind whips white caps
on a small man-made lagoon,
angry dark clouds loom

This is not a pipe

Real and yet surreal
familiar but perplexing
Art for the mind

Magritte

Nature's appliance

Gold patch of sunlight
traveling across the floor
time piece and heater

Backyard Promises

Autumn afternoon
grass beneath us embracing
love and fealty vows

Nature's Candy

Red plum, fresh and sweet
first bite breaks the crisp smooth skin
juice runs down my chin

Blue bag bind

Recycle pickup
takes my discarded plastic
burning fossil fuels

Courage

In the face of dark
wretchedness and deep despair
I will live today

Reunion

Laugh lines deepen as
we reminisce about our
childhood follies past

Night vs. Day

Pale mid-morning moon
fading into azure sky
barn owl winks asleep

Happy Birthday, Kathy

Seasons shifting by
While color may leave my locks,
it flows through my life

Luck runs out

"Your tickets and cards,
People. Fare Enforcement here!"
One man leaves the train.

-- Guest blog haiku from BRG3

Censorship

My pen lays silent
my voice is stilled and muted
but my thoughts are mine

Predawn storms

Moonlit puddles glint
on city pavements washed clean
of reveler's dross

Paradox

Truths and falsehoods live
entwined around hearts and mind
both playing their parts

Procrastination

Left undone, ignored --
on dismal days, the painful
on good, the mundane

Love's prelude

First live music, shared
first hands held, protectively
first kisses, sweetly

Missed you

Greeting me with meows
following me room to room
snuggling as we sleep

Flying home

Cool white vapors hide
the dark warm earth I know is
below and waiting

Election Night in Times Square

A crush of bodies
voices raised in crescendo
a historic night

Perseverance

I lean deep into
the tempest as it pushes
against my wee soul.

Disguise

Smiling and laughing
telling stories of humor
hides sadness emmense

Dimensional Denial

My size 8 body
wears size 2 trends of today --
do these tricks sell more?

Creatures of the Night

Soft fur and webbed wings
silent echoing chorus
searching through darkness

Express Bus 234

Early morn commute
shared smile, shared seat, shared journey
familiar strangers

Found items

The wheel-less walker
spies road-side debris telling
cryptic life dramas

Crisp Autumn Days

Blue norther blows in
wiping cyan clean, the sky;
light frost dusts the leaves

Sleep debt collected

Body-mind sleeps through
cat pounces and cell phone rings
soft breath on pillow

Gift

Just pen and paper,
keen eye, steady hand, quick strokes
she begets beauty

Commerce street

Streets lined with cypress
birds perched high cantillating --
sidewalk serenade

Lunch Buddy

Tiny hands reach out
asking for a nut, unshelled --
Shared lunch in the park

Happy Birthday, Nikhil

He set his sights on
climbing slopes, to synchronize
mind-body zenith

Smoke alarm calling

Insistent chirping
reminds me time is nigh for
9-volt renewal.

Courtroom a cappella

Crisp suits, murmuring
Stacks of paper, susurrant
Swivel seats, squeaking

Woolgathering

Hooks through fuzzy yarn
stitches downy warm blankets
telling family tales.

Never Ending

Water-worn wood dips
down into quickening streams
lift up, down, up, down...

Pink for October

She - tiny, but with
the fortitude of ten men,
survivor - my mom.

Constellations

On a clear dark night,
my inner child's eye sees a
connect-the-dot sky.

Honored Cicak*

Mosquito hunter,
sleek with a castaway tail --
Welcome to my walls.

*chee-chak, Bahasa Indonesia for lizard

Obligations

Late night deadlines loom
with foggy mind, aching neck,
spent will and Red Bull.

Climbing through Altostratus

Mountaintop fog mists
on my cheek and eyelashes --
Clouds engulf me whole.

Sunkist

Cries for attention,
but squirms out of an embrace --
Ambiv'lence Defined!

Gold

As precious as gold,
amassed and stockpiled by tykes --
Spoils of Halloween!

Dawn portrait

Watercolor skies
greet me on the day I dip
brush in hues akin.

Friday afternoons

Eyes and mind wander
to windows brimming with blue --
is it time for play?

Tracks to nowhere

Endless steely lines
leading eyes to locus far,
but the rumble nears.

Good morning

Sun salutations,
a steaming cup of dark brew --
Daily rituals

Serendipity

Ambling through swap meets
for Elvis-related gems --
Hello, kindred "Kings"!

Monday showers

Downpour of rain drops,
all sodden and glistening,
tender shoots bow down.

Johnny Jump-ups

Purple visages,
with baby grimacing cries,
turn to face the sun.

Inner loft

Leafy tendrils cling,
light dapples through bygone glass --
sanctum from life's woes.

The Artist's Path

The eye sees, the mind
imagines, the hand creates,
the heart cherishes.

Instant Bird Bath

A hasty retreat --
lonely ice cube left
melting on picnic table.

Fleeting

Childhood's innocence,
a blur in my eye's corner;
I turn and it's gone.

My favorite songs

Tonic melody,
Layered words that speak to me,
Chords in minor key.

Eau de Big Tex

Evening breeze wafts scents
of golden doughy sweetness,
hints of grease past prime.

Access Granted

Click-click-click, keys pressed;
Metal-in-metal, keys turned;
Each to open worlds.

Not ready to say goodbye

Casting long shadows,
red sun clings to horizon --
still one more ray left!

A New Autumn

Summer days ending,
looking back she is root-bound
but forward, wind-swept.

After Ike

Yard toys in tree tops,
Life shards strewn about like glass;
Pick up, start anew.

Energy crisis solved

Harness the forces
of two kittens playing to
power the cosmos.

Two sides, one heart

Stay at a distance, or you'll[I'll] see the broken, scarred, evanescent me[you].

Draw near - life is flawed, messy, harsh, splendid, precious, amazing - like [you]me.

Warrior One posed

Single drop of sweat
trickles between taut shoulders,
poised on bended knee.

Metropolis dawn

Steel towers rise up
above misty river fog --
Urban mountain range

Backyard mow

Cut grasslets fly by,
landing on glistening brow --
Nature's green bindi.

Captain Midnight

He lumbers atop
soft belly, ribs, and breastplate --
cat breath in my face.

Ticket for one

Slumber tip-toes in,
staying 'til dawn to watch my
Dali-esque dream reels.

Ranch Road 2114

Spied on dusty tracks
cutting through verdant farmland --
red birds and Keystone!

3 A.M wake-up call

Windows open wide,
Lunar light casts night shadows
in the devil's hour.

Door #1

An ageless gateway
to a world unfamiliar --
shall I step through it?

Summer ends with a bang

Thin branches bend low

as September storms gust in,
sweeping instant streams.

Saturday Builds

Our hands rough from wear
strike with tools of wood and steel,
forging a new life.

Farmers Market Finds

Tiny pyramids
of Indian summer yields
mark my salad days.

A New Day

What will today bring?
Gritty sidewalks, found pennies.
Brave paths, my true self.

Aqua yearnings

Hungry, I rush to
devour an alluring bright-
ness, but I'm consumed...

Feline Therapy

Are there answers in

an all-knowing, unblinking,
noble amber gaze?

Expo Park Couture

Tanned boots and denim
with an untucked pearl-snap shirt --
Brash, sexy, classic!

A Flame Needs Oxygen

His light eyes, tall frame
hid dark thoughts, a withered soul,
no life's breath to spare.

Remember me

Neglected garden -
Sage & Rosemary asks Susan,
where's Parsley & Thyme?

The Way

What is my purpose?

Stand still to guide others? Or

spin my own brilliance?

Vulnerability

How are you? I'm fine.

How are you really? He asks.
My voice shakes. I'm scared.

Lying on my back

Still black lines crossing
shimmering pond reflections -
urban inner sky.

Sneaking in

Walking time-worn paths,
shared spaces glimpsed privately
reveal its splendor.

Commuter's joy

Freshly painted lines
on a road to tired views
makes my journey new.