I Miss You, Now, Ma

Watering the plants
I substitute for rainfall
And then step outdoors.

Was ninety-five years
When you first came to this earth;
I miss you, now, Ma.

 

 Alfred licks mama;
She stands, patient, enjoying--
A dutiful son.

Soft floating white flecks,
Some sailing across the road;
Some hiding in trees.

Distant train whistles;
Their rumbles far far away.
The snow keeps falling.

By slender branches
Broken limbs are suspended,
Almost tenderly.

Scattered logs and brush--
Dead trees strewn over the hill;
Mayhem on mountain.

I've never seen it--
This school bus turning ahead.
(It's never turned mine).

 

Crows Keep on Calling

The sky is pregnant;
Pine trees shiver in the wind.
It is going to snow

Rhododendron buds
Peeking straight up at the sky;
Just waiting their turn.

 Flicker of snow flakes
Drift lazily through the air.
Crows keep on calling.

Gray cracks in the road:
The ravages of winter
Or asphalt wisdom?

Against the slate sky
Streaming band of wild geese;
Honking precedes them.

A dry empty stream
Flowing broken through the forest
Joins its companions.

Clatter on the ledge;
Two deer turn and melt away
Leaving their white flash.

Small shards of bright white
Flash softly across the road;
Snow is gathering

Peaks and Valleys Line the Road

Squirrel on snowy lawn
Disappears in puff of gray
On to the brown lawn.

Who's that watching me,

The man hiding in the leaves?

(He's watching you, too.) 

Brown and white compete;
Snow is stopped at the earth's edge;
The sun plays with both.

Standing near my house
Wooden stake has been forever;

What is its function? 

Rough cold winter wind
Rushes up and slaps my face: 

"Wake up," it says, "Now!"

The ancient stone wall
Long fallen into disuse--
Now a pile of rocks.

The friends are walking;
They murmur around the bend;
Were they ever here?

Stark against the sky
Sumac hulks from last summer
Paint their silhouettes.

 No trespassing sign
Stands guard by imprisoned woods:
"STAY OUT! THIS IS MINE!!" 

(He's Watching You, Too.)

Squirrel on snowy lawn
Disappears in puff of gray
On to the brown lawn.

Who's that watching me,

The man hiding in the leaves?

(He's watching you, too.) 

Brown and white compete;
Snow is stopped at the earth's edge;
The sun plays with both.

Standing near my house
Wooden stake has been forever;

What is its function? 

Rough cold winter wind
Rushes up and slaps my face: 

"Wake up," it says, "Now!"

The ancient stone wall
Long fallen into disuse--
Now a pile of rocks.

The friends are walking;
They murmur around the bend;
Were they ever here?

Stark against the sky
Sumac hulks from last summer
Paint their silhouettes.

 No trespassing sign
Stands guard by imprisoned woods:
"STAY OUT! THIS IS MINE!!" 

(Just Where Could I Be?)

 

March 1, 2013

Dreary first of March--
Not in like lion or lamb;
Just gray and dismal

 

 

March 2, 2013

This is tomorrow
And it looks like yesterday;
(Just where could I be?).

 

 Alfred and photo:
"Even cow's have taste, madame,
Now--out of the way."

 Cold goes through fingers
And the the top of my head.
Must keep them covered.

Abandoned snow man;
Freshly torn peace of tree trunk.
(It's yesterday's news).

 Between the worn slats
Of the broken down wood fence
Red berries glimmer.

This rotting tree trunk
Is made up of several trees--
A strange illusion.

Bed springs in the snow
Seem most uncomfortable,
(What about mattress?)