Glowing blue asters
Amidst jewel weed, Queen Anne's lace.
The bee has a feast.

Still and suspended
A dragonfly on a twig.
Then it zooms upward.

The sun hits my face;
In the bushes crickets chirp;
A caressing breeze.

I kick the brown leaves;
They rasp dryly on the road.
Only a few now.

Leaf floats to the ground;
The woods are carpeted brown;
From this year or last?

A warm gust of breeze;
A rain of leaves flutters down.
Brown is mixed with green.

Goats in the barn door
Braying in the morning sun.
Butterflies flutter.

The field is mowed now.
Green and brown mix on the hill.
The air is pungent.

Above seagull cries;
The bird is far from the sea.
Is it really lost?

I sit on a rock
A bug buzzes near my ear;
Sun and breeze kiss me.

Swaying feathered ferns
Cluster together on a hill.
Below: plastic bag.

Between the two trees
Three spider webs hang like nets;
Now they catch the sun.

Yellow goldenrod
Waves gently in the sunlight;
The field is brightened.

Not all trees are green;
Yellow leaves catch the sunlight.
A brown one falls down.

A paper doll lies
Staring up at the blue sky
Surrounded by grass.

Cobwebs in the grass
Sparkle in the morning sun
Catching the dew drops.

Table saw buzzes
Cutting through the morning light
Then even that fades.

A car purrs softly;
Overhead a plane drones on.
Then, just the cricket.

A red car roars past;
Brown leaves scatter in the road;
Frog plops into grass.

Hollow shots echo;
A leaf shudders to the ground.
There's no connection.

Leaves shine in the shade;
The sun has not yet reached them.
Soon they will be dry.

Brown leaf floats slowly;
A bird calls from the treetop;
Bug buzzes in my ear.

A big gray horsefly
Sits in the shade of the road.
I leave it alone.

Startled bird rises
Fills the air with fluttered sounds.
Then stillness again.

Black dog in shadows
Lies down merging with darkness.
Anonymous peace.

Leaf congregation
Gathered on the sunny road.
Butterfly shadows.

Where do the woods end?
Green and dark go on and on.
A woodpecker pecks.

Brown leaf on the road
Lost among the dark shadows.
Wait! There's another.

Hoo Hoo Hoo Krek Krek
Birds talk in the morning sun.
Squished rabbit on road.

Dove on a phone wire
Sees me and flutters away.
A fat van roars by.

Birds call far away;
Bees humming break the silence;
Bugs dart in the sun.

Web between two trees
Catches the morning dew drops.
A gossamer net.

Green briar bushes
Guard the entrance to the woods.
Just go around them.

Woods smell moist and rich;
Shadows compete with sun
And find silent truce.

Insects are humming;
A cricket rushes madly.
Watch out for the truck.

Pop. Pop. The white ball
Clicks across the green table.
Outdoor ping pong game.

The silent sun falls;
Woods, road, sky--all are quiet.
Just my mind chatters.

Sparkle of orange:
Jewel weed plants dot the roadside.
Guardians of Fall.

Soft light in the woods;
Leaves catch the falling sun beams
And drop the shadows.

Happy crickets chirp;
Shadows fall upon the road.
Sun is warm and soft.

Leaves are shimmering;
Gently the sun shines through them.
A lone bird twitters.

How quiet is the woods;
Sun patches fall silently.
Chain saw rips through it.

Sun bright in green fields;
Stalks of yellow radiate.
Goldenrod again.

Road shadows quiver;
Warm breeze shakes the sunlit trees.
Leaves skitter and slide.

Noiseless butterfly
Flutters over the still lawn;
Flowers sway in breeze.

Weaving wire fence;
Twists glistening through the woods.
A gated forest.

Trees touch overhead;
Below, the road is cool, dark.
A moment's relief.

Worm crosses the road;
It wriggles in the sunlight.
Will it get across?

Zebra grasshopper
Flies above the shadowed road.
Sure sign of Autumn.

Tiny pine tree sways;
The sun glistens each needle.
Beer bottle on ground.

The woods seem endless;
Sun and shade pattern the ground.
One leaf floats downward.

The smell of warm grass;
A light breeze tosses my hair.
Nearby, hammer pounds.

Now there is a breeze;
Sunlit leaves tremble softly.
Which one will fall first?

Light climbs the mountain;
Sun patches light up the woods.
A ringing stillness.

A Queen Anne's lace plant
With hundreds of small flowers
Smiles at the sun.

Tree stump in the woods
Surrounded by baby pines.
Soon it will be gone.

A white butterfly
Alights on a white flower;
Both bathed in sunlight.

A blue dragonfly
Flutters between the shadows.
A crow calls three times.

Deep and dappled woods;
Sun illuminates the leaves;
There is just silence.

Everything is still;
Even the stream is quiet.
Startled quail flutters.


Light blue chicory
Sprinkles the edge of the road;
Nearby cricket chirps.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2005

It has been over two months since I have walked Yerry Hill Road. As probably the only person who leaves Woodstock for the chicken farm country of southern New Jersey every summer, I miss the months of July and August here in Woodstock.

But now I am back on the road again. The season is changing and so are the sights along the road. And so are the haiku.