Snowflakes are falling;
They flicker across the road.
Suddenly are gone.








In the snowy field
Sun catchers wait patiently;
But there is no sun.

Now the stream is black
Imprinting in the white snow.
A car spins its wheels.

Snow rides on the swing,
But the wind does not move it.
Play time is over.









Mailbox ornament
Waiting through spring, summer, fall--
In time for Christmas.

There is no sun now;
A gray cloud blankets the sky.
It will soon give birth.

Persistent dead leaves
Tremble in December's wind.
Will they wait 'til spring?

Roadside snow is gray,
Covered with dirt and gas fumes.
Beyond: the white fields.

Wind is icy cold;
Leaf skitters across the snow;
Now the world is white.

The field is all white;
Some shadows play on its face;
North wind blows icy.

Trampoline is full;
Thick layer of snow sits on it,
And it's not bouncing.

Shadows on the snow
Lie unmoving, dark and stark,
While wind howls above.












Still, dead tree reaches;
Its branches frosted with snow:
A winter ballet.

Grizzled old black dog
Jumps up and down barking loud;
Keeping himself warm.











Stern one-eyed tree face
Stares blind at the snowy woods.
What is he thinking?

Beneath ice and snow
The dark stream still moves loudly--
Motion and stillness.

AT THE MOMENT OF SNOW

Crows in the grayness
Caw beyond the darkened sky,
Their cries all around.

High on a tree top
Crow alights--a silhouette;
Then there are others.










Silhouettes abound:
Tree branches and birds flying,
Drawn sharp by the sky.

Gray world is waiting;
Even the wind is silent--
Soon there will be snow.

The familiar bend
Is mysterious today,
As if in a dream.

Sudden quick motion--
A dot of white floats past me:
The first snow flakes fall.

They are all around:
Teeming, silent, specks of white
Falling to the earth.

They fall silently
These myriad flickers of snow--
They need no fanfare.

Road is white now--
Soft snow blanket descending;
Bewildered Schnauzer.

Winter warmth today;
Potted plant lies in the road;
Gray misty rain falls.









Yellow car beacons
Breaking the gray morning gloom
Slow as in parade.

Is it rain or sleet?
Light cold tapping all around;
Yet stream is louder.

Tangled in brambles
Dead leaves have not reached the ground;
Fall from tree to tree.

Most snow is melted
Leaving beer cans, bags and slush:
"After" to "Before."

In a mud puddle
A sepia tree looks down
From sepia sky.

Across the gray sky
A white jet stream moves slowly,
Then it's covered up.

Miniature forest;
Moss flourishes on the rock,
A parallel world.









A bright splash of red
Add a dash of winter green:
Seasonal salad.

Sharp crunching of ice;
Flag frozen on the mail box;
Frosted pine tree tips.








Bundled up tightly
Kids sit around the table--
Eat ice for breakfast.











On the tip of leaves
Frozen motionless tear drops
Hanging suspended.

Glistening, twisting
Ice snakes up the long driveway--
No place now for cars.

Dancing down wildly
Puppy skids on the slick ice
Still wagging its tail.








Thin branches outstretched;
Weighed down by layers of ice--
Trees seem to reach out.

Howling in the woods,
Invisible and plaintive
Animal sadness.

Icy veil of mist
Envelopes the gray landscape--
No walking today.

Humming in tree tops--
Cable box sends images
Above the snow field.

Sky is cloudless blue;
Bright light bounces off the snow--
The sun is winning.










Stream bends in bright light,
Bubbling through the snow banks,
Making sun liquid.

Shapes in the forest:
Shadows, snow, trees intermix;
Winter illusions.

Guarded by saplings--
Ancient tree stump capped with snow;
Crown for the old king.

Rustle in the bush--
A flickering flash of red;
A cardinal flutters.




Like grasping fingers
Bare slender branches reach up
To grab winter sun.

Face in the tree trunk:
Two big eyes stare out blankly--
Totem of an owl.










Wrapped in blue plastic,
Three newspapers on driveway
Gathering up time.

Everything's frozen,
Even sunlight on the trees;
The goats stand stock still.

Lying on the ground
Frozen, frosted over sign:
"Solar Energy."

Black tree striped shadows
Divide the road in segments
Courtesy of sun.


Snow topped trampoline
Stands patiently in the yard.
Nothing's bouncing now.



How still the woods are--
Neither leaf nor animal move.
Are the trees listening?

Bare exposed bird's nest
Adorned by one dead brown leaf;
Both mark what has been.

Sunlight on the snow
Does not melt a single flake.
Now is frozen time.

Only the stream moves
With icy shapes above it,
Breaking the silence.

Feet crunch in the white
Walking down to the cleared road--
In between snow falls











In between the slats
The big brown Schnauzer peeks out;
Or do I peek in?

Pink ribbon, brown leaf,
White snow, tangled brown brambles:
Soft winter pastel.

Booming from the house
Music thuds across the snow
And into the woods.

Abandoned in bush
Snow covered nest sits exposed;
Fledglings have long fled.

Frozen in mid air
Iced leaves hang from pine branch tip--
Precarious gift.











A van passes by;
Two pairs of hands wave friendship.
I feel much warmer.

Sun peeps through the clouds
Illuminating berries
And blinding the snow.

The world is melting;
Frosted tree limbs are dripping;
Water goes tap, tap.

Gray smoke from white roof
Puffs lazily in the air.
Birds cry side by side.

Frozen water drops
Melts on the slender branches.
White dog on snow barks.

The sky is gray now.
They say there's going to be snow;
Now the pine trees bow.











Everything's water;
Trees are dripping and raining.
Soon, all will be ice.









Wind pushes the clouds;
Blue spaces have disappeared;
Leaves skip on the road.

Sunlight has disappeared;
Even the snow has become gray;
What foul thoughts I think.

Now the sun breaks through
Lighting up lichen on the rock.
Then, gone in a blink.

A puff of warm air
Brushes lightly on my cheek.
What did I forget?

Snow flakes and sunlight;
Wind plays with the tree limbs.
The brown cow just stares.

Snow flakes and sunlight;
Wind plays with the tree limbs.
The brown cow just stares.

A single snow flake
Bobs swiftly across the road--
Then invisible.

Like an old rocket
Dead tree is posed to take off--
Will wait forever.

Gray storm clouds hover.
An ice wind rustles the leaves;
Then the sun breaks through.



The wind gathers strength
Rattling the limbs and branches;
A roar--then silence.

Skipping on the road
Dry leaves have their direction
Pointed by the wind.

Thin palette of ice
Forms geometric patterns
Over soggy leaves.