12.26.2010

cozy claret walls

and a soft moss green sofa

a welcome refuge

12.25.2010

I believe in joy

I believe in giving gifts.

I believe in love.

Merry Christmas!

12.24.2010

pale glass green water

beneath a lowering sky.

the lake almost glows.

12.22.2010

neil gaiman’s ‘sandman’

is not just a comic book.

true storytelling.

12.21.2010

a foggy solstice

the old year disappearing

the new one hiding

12.20.2010

the blues guitar wails

like a soul squeezed in a vise,

the heartbreak dripping

12.19.2010

verdigris griffon

guards wisconsin avenue

watching from above

12.18.2010

incense and candles

the odor of sanctity

scent of holiness

12.17.2010  (bonus haiku)

fractured cloud fragments

litter the sky like the bull’s

shattered bone china

12.17.2010

Christmas lights twinkle

little stars fallen to earth

bringing yuletide joy

12.16.2010

the conductor writhes

and gesticulates wildly,

helping not at all

12.15.2010

sleigh bells are ringing

carolers are caroling

cd is spinning

12.14.2010

half moon like a cup

in the sky, spilling ice and

stars everywhere

12.13.2010

wild waves gallop to

the breakwater, rearing up

and leaping over.

12.12.2010

snow clouds clear away.

the setting sun disappears

in cold radiance

12.11.2010

rain splashes into

black bottomless holes.  does it

rain up in China?

12.10.2010

driving in the snow.

I know what I’m doing, but

everyone else?

12.09.2010

ice on the river

black gash where deep water flows

like shameful secrets

12.08.2010

like cold castanets

for a frigid flamenco,

bare branches clatter

12.07.2010

radio rouses

me from deepest slumber.  shit.

too freaking early.

12.06.2010

gleaming brass portals

to Greek Revival grandeur

entice and intrigue

12.05.2010

love the smell of snow!

that tang, that bite, that… something…

fresh and clean and cold

12.04.2010

fine new snow conforms

to bi-chromatic branches

tree in black and white 

12.03.2010

the sun makes the lake

sparkle like a disco ball

I feel like dancin’

yeah

12.02.2010

arctic wind biting

deep into defenseless bones.

aaaah - whiskey warming!

12.01.2010

street light garlanded

snow glitters among the boughs

feels like Narnia

11.30.2010

november is gone -

the month that never was.  just . . .

evaporated

11.29.2010

notes dancing about

little footprints on the page

leaping into song

11.28.2010

voices blend as one

with great power and beauty to

express timeless truths

11.27.2010

a warm home, a meal

shared with family - we are

giving thanks indeed!

11.26.2010

fountain trickling

surprised by the sudden freeze

droplets suspended

Thanksgiving Day 2010 (not a haiku)

I am thankful to have a job, especially one with health care benefits; for my safe and warm home; for (more than) enough to eat; for the freedom to speak my mind without worrying about being disappeared for it; for my faith and the freedom to practice it; for so much wonderful music in my life; and especially for family and friends whom I love and who love me! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

11.25.2010

lowering grey sky,

that certain chill in the air

that whispers “winter”

11.24.2010

cottony fluff flies

from slate skies into the grin

on my upturned face

11.23.2010

hammered pewter lake

gold, brass, copper, and bronze leaves

metallic morning 

11.22.2010

unexpected rain

sneaks under my popped collar,

surprises my spine

11.21.2010

breathe in the fall rain,

redolent of leaves and earth

revitalizing

11.20.2010

pinot grigio

grapes squished to their true essence

revealing mine, too

11.19.2010

the clouds are quilted

vague shapes and hidden figures

like a dream story

constantly changing

non-sequiturs and segues

rorschach in the sky

11.18.2010

mother of pearl sky

nebulous emulous clouds

origami air

11.17.2010

red leaves shout for joy.

fat squirrel commutes across

the park. chill air snaps.

11.16.2010

wings churning the air

the geese ascend, then sail off

flight smooth as butter

11.15.2010

eyes begin to close.

each blink lasts a bit longer

than the last. sleeeeeepy.

11.14.2010

impressionist lake

variously verdigris,

turquoise, lichen grey.

moss green within its

sturdy breakwater border.

wild-hued beyond it.

11.13.2010

light drizzle dripping

rain tap-dancing on wet leaves

bare twigs and grey sky

bonus haiku, in honor of INAP’s new cd:

I’m Not a Pilot

their name is made for haiku

how could I resist?

11.12.2010

anxiety  - that

creature crawling in your gut,

catching at your throat.

11.11.2010

will war ever cease?

no more need for veterans?

they’re dying for peace.

11.10.2010

sun on the water

waves joyful and sparkling,

laughing and winking

11.09.2010

russet red pinecones

a fibonacci sequence

of seeds spiraling

11.08.2010

imperturbable

squat, solid the lighthouse sits

mirrored in the lake

11.07.2010

the bromeliad

is dead. killed another plant.

I’m the grim reaper.

11.06.2010

burrowed down into

warmth’s embrace, my internal

voice slows, stops, dreams.

11.05.2010

color of comfort

fabric of respite. not just

“clothes” - old friends. my jeans.

11.04.2010

twin sundogs at dusk

hounding the sun from the sky

chasing it away

11.03.2010

petulant. greenblack.

the corrugated water

matches my foul mood

11.02.2010

icy rime scattered

like confectioner’s sugar.

delicious sparkle

11.01.2010

where’d my weekend go?

what happened to October?

or 1990?

how does this happen?

can a year just disappear?

I, evaporate? 

10.31.2010

old moon overhead

orion sets in the west

morning star gleaming

brazen band appears

in the darkness, signaling

the immanent dawn

stacked layers of light

coral, white, and palest blue

limning the earth’s curve

10.30.2010

in the stillness, peace

in the quiet, serenity

heed the still small voice

        * * *

all hallows’ eve eve

skeleton tree silhouette

darkness encroaching

        * * *

cold air on my face

cozy under the covers

a far away train

10.29.2010

going on retreat

three days of contemplative

and peaceful silence

10.28.2010

phones ring off the hook

perky, cheerful, I answer

how may I help you?

10.27.2010

madly twitching, my

left eyelid tells me I’m stressed.

like I didn’t know. 

Bonus almost-haiku for Jeff’s birthday on 10.26.2010

on the hiking trail

owls join in the ritual

honoring [this] place, [this] time

10.26.2010

rain lashes, leaves thrash

wayward umbrella whizzes

I am blown away

10.25.2010

my favorite word

sums up my optimism

and my hopefulness

10.24.2010

my own little space.

cozy and warm, stacks of books

everywhere. I’m home.

10.23.2010

soft breeze on my cheek

the falling sun in my eyes

the year fades away

10.22.2010

heartbeats thud gently

mind settles, breathing softens

tranquility hums

10.21.2010

chevron in the sky

reedy honks: “this way! this way!”

flying south again

10.20.2010

it is raining leaves

rustling, spinning in the air

I am content.  yes.

10.19.2010

brilliant icy white

there’s a ring around the moon

rain in the morning?

10.18.2010

gunmetal blue on

gunmetal blue reflected

air and water twinned

10.17.2010

dusk softly settles

molten gold, copper, silver

glow, linger, vanish

10.16.2010

under clear blue skies

Amy and Scott got married

love, laughter, deep joy

10.15.2010

siblings arriving

family all together

we are home again

10.14.2010

I look above me

red berries in a blue sky

the breeze sings of fall

10.13.2010

constant.  changeable.

new moon hangs low in the sky

sister of my heart

10.12.2010

lies, lies, and more lies

it’s politics in full swing

use the mute button

10.11.2010

a clueless eejit*

and a back-stabbing schemer

they make quite a team

*Irish for ‘idiot’

10.10.2010

packers sucked today

no-one knows how to tackle

why do I bother?

bonus haiku by Meg:

too much lemonade

my bladder is going to burst

I will be right back

10.09.2010

the year is dying

accept all mortality

starlings fill the sky

10.08.2010

acorn strewn sidewalk

slapstick waiting to happen

tiptoe to safety

10.07.2010

look into the sky

feel one with the infinite

I am infinite

look into the sky

consider the universe

I am just a speck

10.06.2010

nineteen twenty-six

mom is born october sixth

happy eighty-fourth!

10.05.2010

touching earth and sky

yoga mends body and soul

becoming centered

10.04.2010

rich, dark, luscious smells

dry leaves crunch in the gutter

the best time of year

10.03.2010

spinal stenosis

five months in a wheelchair

longing for freedom

today she does it:

fifteen steps across the room

a huge victory!

(my Mom rocks!)

10.02.2010

sun here, rain over there

today the sky has many

faces all at once

cumulonimbus

blazing white -- blue-black storm clouds

with coral-edges

fragments of color

over water, over woods

goddess at day's end

10.01.2010

children are dying,

killing themselves because they’re

bullied and harassed

just ‘cause I’m gay, bi,

lesbian, transexual, queer - 

no reason to hate

we are all people.

as we love ourselves, we should

love one another

sisters and brothers,

in our shared humanity

what hurts one, hurts all.

tell your schools, churches,

make the world a better place - 

a more loving place

09.30.2010

how can tomorrow

be October already?

this year is flying

09.29.2010

sitting in the dark

what the hell is going on?

film festival time!

09.28.2010

six – who gets up then?

what kind of crazy people

get up before dawn?

seriously – who?

my circadian rhythm

is antisocial

09.27.2010

getting off the bus

old moon rides in the morning sky

she makes me happy


09.26.2010

Sunday morning Mass

sharing the mystical feast

makes us one in Christ

09.25.2010

midnight - still can’t sleep

obscure british crime dramas

Netflix truly rocks

09.24.2010

singing Beethoven

my heart swells with deepfelt joy

for alle menschen

09.23.2010 (belated equinox)

the wind is shouting

crying out the coming cold

the year dies again