Frozen Breezes Blow

Buried in the bank,
Crumbled in the filthy snow
An old can of Busch.

Repeating its cries
Bird sits in an unseen tree.
Shadows on the ice.

Coming from the pines
A duet of bird chirping.
Workmen call near house.














The news lies bluely
Shrouded in its plastic wrap--
Red hot! (And frozen.)












Glistening as ice,
Yesterday''s puddles frozen.
Have to watch my step.

Shadows splash the snow;
Driveway is an ice mirror;
Frozen breezes blow.

The melting has stopped;
Snow flows are mini glaciers;
Still, moss shines in sun.

A tree of dead leaves,
Shriveled, brown, they still hang on--
History blooming.

Winter Slumps to Spring

It's a dripping day;
Layers of clouds fill the sky;
A blue haze pervades.

Mud puddle has ice;
It only partly mirrors.
Bird trio takes flight.

Once again the stones
Clear beneath the running stream
Are not ice covered.

Snow bank is shrinking;
White pulls back across the field.
Winter slumps to Spring.


A plane rumbles high;
Below are no other sounds.
Still, the plane goes on.

A crow starts shouting;
Soon it is joined by its friends,
Always arguing.

The brown leaves of Fall
Again blanket the forest:
Seasonal see-saw.










Balanced on two limbs
Stick hangs precariously;
Natural mobile.

A Crack in the Ice

Distant children's laughs
Sound like a flock of wild geese
In the cold crisp air.

Hens cluck on my left
While roosters crow up the hill--
Poultry symphony.

Breaks in the stream's ice
Reveal dark running water;
Sky is glacial blue.










Bare, brown and frigid,
The patch had thawed then frozen--
February dance.

A rough wind was here;
A tall thick tree cracked in two,
Now shrieks silently.

A friend stops his car;
We chat for a few moments.
I'm no longer cold.

Three dots on one side;
Bell and number on the other--
Telephone bingo.












Flutter in the bush;
Pastel red flash of cardinal;
Then she flies away.

Cheeky woodpecker
Does not stop when I walk by,
But keeps on drumming.

Phantoms on the Snow

The sun is glaring;
A cold wind shakes the tree limbs;
Then the light is gone.

It's almost mid day;
A rough wind blows puffs of snow;
The field is blinding.












Shadows on the snow
Are etched into its stillness
Despite the hard wind.

A hoop on the fence--
Remnant of a forgotten game
Or random garbage?

A path of shadows
Leads sunlight into the woods;
Then abandons it.

Ghost locomotive
Roars unseen inside the woods;
Then across the road.












The blown down pine--
Years of growth gone in a puff;
Stump stares quizzically.

Phantoms on the snow:
Shadows appear suddenly,
Then just fade away.

Drooping Dripping Trees

Drooping dripping trees;
Branches laden with thick snow
Already melting.









Wetness and whiteness
Frosts fields and drops from branches.
Concerned chickens cluck.












A metal monster--
Snow truck barrels down the road;
(It's already clear).

Revealed by the snow
Phantom tree has no bottom
Suspended in air.

White clumps of wet snow
Splat noisily on the road;
Melting has begun.

Silence in whiteness--
The snow has muted all sounds
Save for the dripping.

A single white puff
Drops from the towering branch;
Plummets to the ground.












The black and white cat
Curls up against snow and house;
It's used to contrast.

Blood red against white;
Berries seem a deeper hue.
Snow White memories.









Sun breaks through the clouds
Casting light upon the snow.
Cows stand in shadows.

Slicing the Silence

Ancient artifact
Lies shining next to snow bank;
Mysterious use.

A new sawed off stump
Opens the view to the barn;
Its saw dust near by.












It will snow soon--
The gray sky is one big cloud;
Cold earth receptive.

Perched on dirty snow
Pine cone poised delicately
Ready to take flight.

A slice of sunlight
Cuts through the thick cloud cover
Just for a second.

Snow banks are filthy;
Trash, dirty, fallen leaves and turds
Have mutated them.

Winding and twisting
Writhing limbs of the dead tree
Are so strangely still.

Hidden in the vines
The cardinal is motionless
And thus disappears.

Howling in the woods:
Distant chain saw whines its work
Slicing the silence.

Today is the Wind's

Today is the wind's,
Chasing and pushing the clouds;
Roaring up the road.

Sun is blown away
Above the gray fleeting clouds,
Propelled by the wind.







Stream is clear now,
Racing forward to a fork--
A second of sun.

A distant echo
Gathers up force in the woods
Howling to the road.

Long drive is shining;
Melting snow and ice glisten;
Wind ripples puddles.

Snow is receding;
Dry leaves sweep across the road
Freed from confinement.










Stuck fast in the ice,
Dry leaf struggles to break free
And join its fellows.












Road is full of turds--
Archaeological find
Under melting ice.

Ice Slipping Away

Spring is in the air;
The cow bellows with delight;
Hens cackle smugly.

Ice slipping away;
Snow banks begin to recede;
Tinkling of water.

Hooting of a bird;
Shadows crisscross on the road;
Sun warmth on my neck.

Soft paths of shadows
On the snow and through the woods,
Tempered by the sun.


















Roaring in the woods--
Is it an awakened bear
Or just Spring's promise?

Woodpecker rattles--
Somewhere a high pitched bird chirps;
Plane rumbles above.

Brown patches appear;
Earth begins to show its face
And play tag with snow.

Cold breath from the woods
Breathes softly across the road.
Winter is not done.

The warmth on my face,
Sounds of birds, planes, and buzz saws
Can't be photographed.

A flitter of birds
Flock through bare forsythia
And then out again.

It's alive again--
Stream tinkles and flows darkly
Shedding its snow coat.

Stories in Puddles

The wind is restless;
Road shines with the melting snow;
Sun breaks through the clouds.

Mirrors on the road--
Ice turns to muddy water;
Sun chases the clouds.








Shadows on the snow
Vanish as clouds take over
Propelled by the wind.









There is no silence;
The wind roars in the forest;
Clouds and trees obey.

A break in the clouds--
The road is washed with shadows
That evaporate.

Rippling tree limbs--
Faint clouds and slanting poles:
Stories in puddles.

How loud it bellows:
Wind--Unseen and persistent,
Sweeping through the woods.

When I turn around
The road is mysterious;
I've never seen it.

Familiar Mysteries

It's closer to night
Even though it's ten A.M.;
All is gray, blue, dark.

Next to the ladder,
Leaning against the old barn,
A faded peace sign.

Glowing in the gloom
Against a background of snow--
A yellow lamp light.

My long gone neighbor
Tells me of her far journeys
Standing on this road.


















The bends are darker;
Their mysteries familiar
But always unknown.


















Slipping down the hill--
Blue box slides along the snow;
(Trash recreation).













Dry brown dead leaves hang
Above a fallen tree trunk;
But their tree still lives.

A cluster of friends:
Bare trees lean towards each other
Whispering the snow.