Only Heaven Knows

Peace descends again:
Legions of white mute the sound.
The road is empty.


What haiku is there
To embrace this snow moment?
Only heaven knows.

Echoes From A Dream

Just the transformer
Humming on top of its pole
Breaks the gray stillness.

The weathered barn boards;
Distant crow of a rooster;
All is well just now.








Beyond the tree tops
There are dim mountains of clouds;
Silhouettes of crows.

Like a giant nest--
Bundle of twigs on the snow.
No birds are coming.

Wheelbarrow on snow--
All filled up, no place to go;
Winter vacation.








Chipmunks on snow,
Racing as fast as they can,
Stick out like sore thumbs.











Another bird's nest
Laid bare of its protection
And crowned by the snow.

A distant dog barks,
Hollow, deep in the forest;
Echoes from a dream.

Sun Breaks on the Hill

A crisp blue morning;
Pink clouds shine in the clear sky;
Dogs bark; roosters crow.

From another time,
A milkmaid on Yerry Hill;
Or is it a ghost?










Sun breaks on the hill;
Dog barks high on the mountain.
My mind is elsewhere.










Giant predator
Fed its young on this high branch,
Then they flew away.

The morning sunlight
Paints the tree trunks orange
Against the ice snow.



The tree tops are first--
Touched by the rays of the sun--
Closest to heaven.










With rock mouth open
Face protrudes from the gray slate,
Words stuck in its mouth.











Little tracks of light
Tread softly across the snow,
Making not a sound.

Curve Into Themselves

Line of snow banks
Pressed against the side of road;
A mark of winter.












Chilling bitter wind
Forces the plants to huddle,
Curve into themselves.









Snow plow ice block
Sculptured by side of the road,
Looking eternal.

So light and fluffy,
Snow pile has bent back the fence.
Such minuscule force.

With its mouth open
Mailbox, ajar, speaks mutely:
Emptiness--absence.

An icy stillness,
Even the birds are silent;
All sounds are frozen.

Snow picks up the sheen
Glistening on the snow crust.
Ice is everywhere.













On a mound of snow
Sun etches a sharp shadow;
Then, poof! It is gone.










Face down in the snow
Trash can is almost buried.
Will it disappear?

Shadows on the Snow

It's back to normal:
Sun is shining, roads are clear.
Snow blanket remains.









Shadows on the snow
Ripple and roll in the light;
Clouds billow above.













Climbing up the tree
Snow seems like it's falling up.
Topsy turvy world.










Magic lawn today:
Green moss covered by white snow,
All in a few hours.

A winding darkness
Cuts through the white in the woods;
It's underground warmth.

Look how high the snow,
At least ten feet above ground.
Did it climb or fall?








Still the bungi cord
Holds the abandoned mail box
Firmly in its place.









These winter saplings
Set to brave the ice and snow
Bow to the cold wind.

Joyous Solitude

Silence in the snow;
There are no cars or people,
Just eternal white.

A tapping snow click
Dances lightly on my hat.
White road is empty.








A single dark leaf
Skates lightly across the road--
Its moment of fame.

No plow has come yet,
Just the road and endless white.
Joyous solitude.

The two garbage pails
Measure the depth of the snow,
Higher and higher.












Snow tracks tell the tale:
Who came from where and went where;
Muted testament.

The snow plow has come
Cutting a swath in the road.
The snow keeps falling.












Little black birds fly
Skittering from bush to bush
In seeming chaos.

The Shadows are Out

Some dry brown flowers
Hang from the edge of the bush.
Now they're yawning husks.









On top of the tree
A crow perches and watches.
Now king of the roost.












The shadows are out
Puddling under the large tree;
Dancing on the road.

Climbing down the pole
Squirrel was checking the mail box.
There's nothing for him.

How does it do that,
Growing from a bed of rock?
Innocent sapling.












In the sun's brightness
Ghostly seed pods are transformed
Into fluff fairies.












On the rock's surface
Delicate shadows of grass
Etched and unmoving.

Yesterday's Puddle

Sun on the field leaves;
All that's left are rooster's cries
Over the dim snow.








Yesterday's puddle
A car track, now filled with ice.
Crows call in the gray sky.

Sudden break of sun;
The stream bursts into sparkles
And seems to giggle.

A neighbor stops me
Asking help for his ill wife.
Is there a question?


The sunshine has left;
Snow whitened woods turn dark.
My nose is freezing.

Tiny wooden bench
Sits five inches off the ground--
For legless midgets.








A crow keeps calling,
Unseen, high on a tree limb.
What is he saying?

The sky grows darker;
Gray, cold envelopes the road.
Is it going to snow?