Today all is light;
Even the shadows are lit;
Goldenrod more gold.

A lone brown mushroom
Basks in a luscious green sea.
Wind rustles the leaves.

Single cricket song
Flows softly from the forest
And over the road.

Light strikes the wire fence
Illuminating the cage.
Who are the captives?







Some leaves are yellow
But most of them are still green.
It is reversing.

The plane gets louder
Then fainter as it passes;
But always unseen.

Light plays in the woods
Breaks darkness into patches
And welcoming paths.







Mysterious buds
Sway over the hidden stream;
What will be their bloom?

A full wheelbarrow
Stands in the door of the barn;
Behind, the goats chomp.

The purple thistle
Blooms brightly above its thorns:
Look! But do not touch!

Pencil on the ground
Has something to write about
But no one to write.







Luscious white flowers
Hang in delicate bouquets--
Offers to the world.

There are more dead leaves;
Slowly the woods change color;
Winter's carpet comes.

Ticking behind me
A dry leaf has hit the road
And come to a halt.

Cars and trucks whiz by
Heading for destinations
Leaving the still woods.

HAIKU ON LABOR DAY

Mistless moist morning;
Breath of woods and fields exhale;
Perfume of autumn.

Mirror in the stream
Skims along the smooth surface
Just reflecting thoughts.







Man walks his two dogs;
Joggers jog two directions.
Today is Labor Day.

Green and brown pine trees
Stand together side by side--
Living and the dead.

They have become steps
The tough old brown shelf fungi:
Stairway to tree tops.

Small delicate plants
Spread out their spidery leaves
To catch sun and rain.

Mail boxes are mute;
Web on one, other rusted;
No messages here.

Old web on dead tree
Glistening in the morning sun;
There's no one at home.

Cool, crisp sunny morn;
Curious goats peek out from dark
Staring at the world.

Old balloons hang limp;
Party was three months ago.
All have forgotten.

Squirrel in the shadows
Becomes a shadow himself--
In and out of light.

Marking an event
Balloon bobs and sways gently--
Polka dot sign post.











Faded red sumac
Offers dry sour berries
For exotic foods.

A fluffy green cloud--
Small fir tree basks in the sun
Storing for winter.

Christmas ornament
Still hangs on through the seasons--
Many Septembers.

Sipping goldenrod
Bee enjoys the autumn feast
Before moving on.











Pregnant milkweed pods
Ready to burst into seeds
And fly, fly away.

Crossing the wide road
Fuzzy bear changes its mind;
Other side? Who cares?






It's a dappled day;
Woods, road and leaves all speckled
With the play of sun.

Dead leaf on a branch
Stuck on its way to the ground
Waiting for a gust.

Garbage off the road
Has been strewn there for six days.
Where are the owners?

Sky breaks through the trees
With patches of blue and white
Framed by shiny green.











One tiny mushroom
Grows in the tree stump center--
A forest jewel.











Smashed against the bank
Old beer can starts to recede;
Nature will triumph.

Growling behind me--
Is it a dog or a bear?
Oh. Just a cyclist.

Million small droplets
Sparkle in the morning sun--
Spider web in field.

Munching as always,
The goats never stop eating.
Does it taste that good?

Bee on chicory
Hopes for something that tastes good;
Just keeps on buzzing.

Clouds of stupid bugs.
How can things so very small
Be so annoying?

Deep in the forest
Rusted cabinet and table:
Ancient tea party.






Rough dark wooden bench
Sits at the edge of the woods;
Lichen grows on it.

Hammock high on hill
Seems to swing out to nowhere,
Endlessly rocking?

Just touching the sky
Leaves are beginning to turn--
Near heaven or hell?

A hand print of sun
Touches the crotch of the tree
Bringing it to light.

Sitting in the sun
The white post seems whiter;
All things are washed clean.

Three crows in the field;
One flies off, others follow--
Follow the leader.

Squarely in the road
A box with a whole pizza.
Someone want a slice?







The woods are gentle;
Green light lies like a blanket
On the soft clearing.






All shadows are still;
There's no motion in the woods.
Leaf floats to the ground.

It is shady now;
L'autre côté de la rue;
(Feels better in French).

My old doggy friend
Absorbs the warm August rays,
Stores them for winter.

Man and girl play catch;
I turn away a second--
They have disappeared.

Patches of sunlight;
Father and daughter jogging;
A breeze comes and goes.











Patch of goldenrod
Absorbs the morning sunshine
And keeps it inside.

I like the lichen
Playing with tree shadows
Giving their own light.

Lying in the woods
Green grass glows in the dimness
Generating light.

Wild daisies protrude
Demanding that they be seen.
Who can refuse them?

Breeze swoops up the road
Shaking leaves and bringing smells;
Then it's on its way.









Bowed under the sun
Timothy grass is grateful
Thankfully praying.











Pale Butter 'n Eggs
Tempt the palate with their name--
Faint savory pastel.

Muggy August morn;
Clouds in the sun splotched gray sky.
The shadows seem moist.

Puffballs on a stump--
Light beige on the dead dark wood.
The two states of brown.






Small asters peek out,
Maybe to grab some sunshine.
They seem very shy.

A jogger runs by,
Her feet slap the hard gray road.
Is she having fun?



Brown maple leaves lie;
All that's around them is green.
Prophets of the fall.

Flying grasshopper
Stops still, then flutters upward
Spreading zebra wings.

Two dark mounds of rock
Sit still facing each other.
Will they come to life?

Mini white flowers
Hide together in a bunch
Each petal unique.

Bright morning sunshine
Butterflies skim the meadow;
A warm breeze billows.

Shadows on the trees
Dance lightly in the sunshine;
Wind and light combine.

Warm gentle breeze blows
Bringing smells from the forest:
Childhood memories.



The road is silent;
Leaves hang muted on the trees;
Hush! The shadows speak.

Shaking in the wind
Plant's leaves quiver and tremble--
A small ecstasy.

Tiny white flowers
Join others in harmony
Forming Queen Anne's Lace.

Dark the dappled woods;
Path of light draws me onward
To a place of rest.


Tiny orange blossoms
Illumine the large green leaves:
Jewel weed blossoming.

BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN

It has been my twenty first summer as head counselor and theater director at Appel Farm Arts Camp in south New Jersey. It is two months of great creative intensity and now back to the welcoming arms of Yerry Hill Road and the surrounding mountains.

Surrounded by mountains and laced with streams, this is a feng hsui paradise. Maybe that's why it has attracted so many artists, writers, musicians and creative folks for over a century. And so, I begin my journey along this ever changing road again. What a delight.

Blue hickory grows
By delicate Queen Anne's Lace;
The gray air is soft.

Jewel weed by the road
Glistening stream flows slow;
No need for a rush.

A doe and three fauns
Stop in their tracks to check me,
Then keep on eating.


Falcon skims the road,
Flies to telephone pole,
Sits uncertainly.

The falcon again
On top of telephone pole
Pulling at its meal.









Rifle shots ring out
Hollow unseen in the woods--
Danger reminder.

Small group of puffballs
Grow together by the road
Dream when they'll explode.






Goldenrod is out
Showering the field with yellow--
Queen of the autumn.

Pale butter 'n eggs,
Chicory, Queen Anne's Lace, jewel weed:
Autumn eye salad.