Now Shadows Ride It

A white flowering tree
Billowing in my back yard.
(I never saw it)

Cow mooing loudly
Followed by bleating of goat;
Hen clucks and bird chirps.


Morning dove cooing;
Basset hound stretched out asleep;
New blossoms on tree.


Suddenly a hush
Broken by the flowing stream
And shaking shadows.


The first white lilacs
Bloom near the old lady's house.
She is rarely seen.


What a peaceful day;
Even shadows seem content
To lie without light.


Petals in the shade
Grow in tiny white clusters,
Delicate and round.


Surviving winter--
Abandoned tire by the stream.
Now shadows ride it.

Both Fading Softly

Sad music, sunlight
Fill my kitchen and my heart;
Both fading softly.


Flurry of whiteness
Waves gently in my front yard;
Then clouds and stillness.


By the hanging swing
A congregation of chairs
Reflects on their past.


Dandelion field
Welcomes the resting football;
Both seem to belong.


Where has the ice gone?
Where are the towering snow banks?
Imagination?


Sun on clover leaves
Lighting up patch of woods
Stirring memories.


Jack-O-Lantern face
Appears in a shifting cloud
Slowly melts away.


Trembling on a limb
A bursting bud feels the breeze;
It's own orgasm.

Creatures of Un Light

Out of the dull clouds--
Bright steaming rays of sunshine;
I am good to go.


The great secret is:
Allow sunshine to come and go,
And be there each way.


Covering the ground
Forsythia petals fall;
The earth is yellow.

Billowed in the sun,
Clouds leisurely cross the sky;
They're going nowhere.


Strong wind up the road
Shivers and shakes the bushes--
A rain of petals.


The leaves make shadows
Pressed upon the bark of trees:
Creatures of un light.


Fiddle ferns growing,
Their heads bowed towards each other
In green silent prayer.

Softness Without Sun

Sun has retreated;
Still the forsythia shines;
Lilacs are waiting.










The air cleaner hums,
Emphasizing the silence--
Absence of voices

On the evergreen
Brown needles hang in clusters:
Nature's oracle.



Flock of silent birds
Rises swiftly from the field
Into the gray sky.










Its job is finished;
No longer pushed by snow banks,
The fence can lay back.

Softness without sun
Falls upon the clouded road
Muting all noises.

My old kitty friend
Out for her own morning walk
Runs up to greet me.










At the edge of the marsh
A cluster of daffodils
Pretend to be wild.

Suspended mid air
Long broken branch has been caught--
Silhouetted high.








Few cars pass today;
The woods are full of silence;
Not even birds chirp.

Buds are everywhere
Bursting open and blooming;
White and yellow rule.

Like Gentle Thunder

Even though it's gray
My heart's forsythia bright
And billow cloud light.












Even the rain clouds
Can.'t wipe out the bright colors
And gentle pastels.


Rooster soft crowing
In the late afternoon haze,
Then the sun breaks through.

The plane sounds lazy
Echoing across the sky
Like gentle thunder.


Spring loves St. Francis;
All the flowers gather round,
Try to make him smile.












Pale green umbrellas
Hanging from slender branches
Waiting for the rain.










It's the edge of rain--
Soft, not sharp, warm, understanding
Preceded by breeze.









Where are the sumac?
They've gone away for two years
Leaving gaunt branches.

Dark/Light Magic May

Sun rays breaking warmth;
The lilac bush is blooming.
On this first of May.












Forsythia day--
Yellow bushes are blooming
Echoing the sun.











How soft the stream sounds
Pouring over the moss rocks,
Sparkled by the sun.

Stretched between two trees
Shadow ripples on the dirt;
Soft hoot--morning dove.





Dark woods seem softer;
Shadows seem to be warmer
Dark/ Light Magic May.


Slender fluted blooms
Displayed in perfect roundness:
White clover cluster.












One foot off the road
The wild woods take over
With green and shadows.












Suddenly tree tops
Burst into brilliant yellow
Where starkness had been.