evening cool / only the frogs are out / for a swim in the pool

surveying / the direction of the wind / rooster at dawn

in the bathroom / spider walking / on water

with my every step / the orange spider tries / to catch up

sticky evening / our next-door neighbors yell / above cricket chants

across the room / paper airplane flits / from hand to hand

summer tease / the smell of children's grubby hands / on the swings

today's forecast / rain foaming around the clouds / of a baby's mouth

at the cathedral / beside the curb / a gutted grey mouse

morning alarm / a crow caws / piercing my dreams

to your doorstep / the hard clacking of my heels / against cobblestone

like haiku / I run short / of what's important to say

in the kitchen sink / the last of summer's ground beef / thawing

Sunday morning breeze / a sneeze caught / by heart-shaped leaves

winter rain / the quiet huddle / of umbrellas

end of summer / the familiar crunch / of dying grass

smell of berries / his slow kisses on my neck / during our embrace

bleached walls / the moth no longer sees the veins / of the climbing mold

while mopping the floor / I play tug-o-war with the strings / of the spider

summer's end / a muddy puppy hides / its first wishbone

at first sight / a swirl of grayish green leaves / turns into dragonflies

dawn / the ripple of sunlight / on a man's sweaty chest

early autumn / somehow a mosquito has clung / to my shirt

bath time / my dog tries to climb / a tree

like clouds / plastic bags drift past / my windshield

first day of autumn / I woke up to the smell / of heavy rain

pounding / against the windowpane / the persimmon tree

autumn sunset / the bright red / of her auburn hair

folding origami / a moth lands in / the mountain valley

news of suffering / autumn blooms of kisses / from mosquitoes

after I mowed the lawn / a bluebird plays tag / with grasshoppers

gloomy skies / white blooms wrapping warmth / around the street lamp

prioritizing / which leaf to turn over / the autumn wind

skeleton homes / where before there was / a marshland

autumn greetings / the arc of a maple leaf / across my windshield

soaking up / the last rays of the sun / a black slug

fine-combing / the shore's surface for algae / school of shrimp

sitting on the seat / of an abandoned bike / a shivering seagull

under the umbrella / dining at Starbucks / the murmur of pigeons

evening poetry / sometimes these lines sway / when sparrows land on them

not yet winter / yet her frosty handshake / gives me goosebumps

at the seashore / the thorns and blooming pastels / of jellyfish

running rainwater / an earthworm slides / across my driveway

today's Moon Festival / I peel a lantern / from the stars

redder than sunsets / Chinese lanterns / in the Saigon marketplace

yesterday's autumn chill / my friend chirps / to wake the crickets

bathing / in the birdbath / autumn leaves

after the morning rain / the smell of manure / on my work clothes

every mid-autumn / black strands of silk hair / on my pillow

after the festival / the Buddha's belly / full of the moon

our talk of moving on / a lizard leaves behind / its old tale

our talk of moving on / a lizard leaves behind / its old tail

at the pond / a child's paper cranes befriend / the mallard ducks

at the creek / blowing bubbles from their shells / freshwater snails

over each headstone / the wind drops / white myrtle blooms

mistaking for a moon / white puffs of mushrooms / springing from morning grass

deep woods / my stumble finds / many acorn holes

behind a limousine / a trail of paper cranes / flying towards the sun

blue skies / contrails skidding over / a rainbow

sick day / the slow slant and hiccup / of a beta fish

another snowfall / buries / my snow angels

dumped on the ground / from an old truck / my friend's first snow

at the park bench / the wind reading / an abandoned newspaper

street music / a guitar case collecting / pink cherry blossoms

this autumn / how our hands remember / unwrinkled hands

growing whiter / paperweight glass swan / collects dust for winter

from the tunnel of love / an old boat carrying / two white ducks

quiet / under the autumn stars / a baby duck and my lover

quiet night / crescent moon checks its reflection / on the chalky sidewalk

Sunday picnic / the ants' appetite / bigger than ours

winter chill / I made my snowman wear / my childhood sweater

the pool / collects today's rain / and a fallen lawn chair

holding fast / my heartbeat / the hummingbird

third day of rain / the splash of dried sycamore leaves / in the pool

after my flu shot / my dog / catches the cold

sitting on / the new page of my journal / black and white dog hair

today's headlines / my dog's drool doused the fire / on the front page

foggy night / mistaking an airplane / for a spaceship

autumn rush / the skid marks / to all things broken

holding / the glow of your blush / firefly

autumn thunderstorm / I blow my nose / in a borrowed handkerchief

fallen leaves / each red and gold / in koi pond

wind chimes / I catch the tune / to her dangling earrings

strawberry sunset / a stop sign bent / towards the police station

rush hour / shadows of storm clouds / beat me home

chilly day / the wind interrupts my game / of solitaire

stargazing / Pluto no longer / visible

stargazing / the galaxy from my childhood / outdated

mid-autumn / how everything becomes a pile / or a puddle

laughing sunset / kids play duck-duck-goose / at the pumpkin patch

heavy with rain / the palm-like tree pulling down / its fruits not yet ripe

erratic disco / trees bob and toss their heads / to rumbles in the sky

full moon / still screaming at her parents / the psych patient

in the sandbox / only the autumn wind playing / with the sand

around the campfire / even moths and flies tell stories / to each other

after the hurricane / a dog waits for rescue / on the rooftop

first day of winter / my mailbox full / of leaves and twigs

on the fridge / the morning sun reads / my love notes to hubby

in the sunlit trees / swinging from branch to branch / a calico cat

in the creek / my paper swan floating after / a line of baby ducks

afternoon mail / a Monarch rests / on my name

wearing love / we could count the wrinkles and grey / on each other

during autumn / I try every summer flavor / of tea

autumn orchard / the dusk steals the orange / from the persimmon tree

home from vacation / everything in the house / covered in snow

psych hospital / only morning glories climbing over / the gate

the pauses / between the soft rain / acorn showers

molting for winter / the trees shedding / pecans

camping / I stir away the stars / in my teacup

at the creek / the snails and I blow bubbles / of linked verses

evening twilight / the autumn sky smudged / with factory smoke

Halloween / the black flying cape / of the full moon

black and white / dalmatians running with / the cattle

across the concrete / tap-dancing to the wind / swirls of leaves

curled / next to brown leaves / a dead squirrel

curled up / next to brown leaves / a dead squirrel

at my computer / my calico cat hogs and licks / my mouse

Texas autumn / the full moon brighter / than street lights

pawing the air / my cat likes the fact / that I'm a bird-woman

following the bubbles / of two beta fish / the eyes of a cat

on the playground / blackbirds scatter / an abandoned game of marbles

wind chill / the baby duck alone / at the fountain

trying to find / its mother's face in the fountain / the baby duck

between power lines / the crows can't decide whether / to leave or stay

grabbing / the oranges in the fridge / green mold blooms

autumn sunset / I wait for the brightest ray / to turn the creek red

autumn bath / a swan dives / in a fuchsia pond

from the earth / a crack / of fresh earthworms

glinting in the sun / shattered glass / from a morning's hit-and-run

first heartache / the bite / from the winter wind

night sky / a lone hawk circles / Orion's belt

Big Dipper / is the cup too full / for my birthday?

only in winter / each bare tree filled / with nests

autumn night / I fill pages of my loneliness / with Whitman

while playing tennis / the bee meets my return ball / mid-air in the sky

sudden chill / forgetting yesterday's problem / with no a

chilly day / the sudden warmth of / a friend's hug

autumn breeze / the leaves twirl / to the sound of a bamboo flute

tonight / a shower of stars / from the pine trees

early morning / the cattle graze / the lavender mist

autumn chill / no sound or print / of your voice

autumn chill / the hospital pool / loses its sparkle

after school hours / a lone spider plays / hopscotch

from the eaves / tree frogs play peek-a-boo / with spiders

from a corner / a spider's legs open wide / to the autumn wind

under the creek's bridge / the quiet chatter / of mallard ducks

kitchen clatter / the cat bounces off the table / from our breakfast plates

lunch break / our cat bounces off the sunlight / from the windowsill

moonlit autumn / the goosebumps I have / every time we kiss

coastal winter / the splat of snowflakes / on my windshield

foggy night / I catch stars / from road reflectors

laced on every window / in my neighborhood / paper snowflakes

flickering / upon my touch / the cerulean wings of a butterfly

winter chill / no difference between sky or creek / this Christmas morning

at the creek / I sail paper boats / after that one shooting star

winter dusk / the wind sorts the twigs / from the pecan shells

dandelions / fragments of spring / among citrus dewdrops

the same orange glow / the girls' jump-rope picking up / leaf after leaf

in the garden / dozing / the stone face of a dragon

on the rocks / floating in my root beer / the lost wings of a fly

with my car window down / the faint smell of horses / through the mist

during the night / the moon whiter than snow / and this sheet of paper

fish food / dipping our toes in the jeweled lake / as we fed ducks

windy day / discussing our haiga / over tapioca smoothies

cocooned in plastic bags / against tonight's bitter wind / sidewalk trees

under the oak tree / nestling next to an old sheepdog / a baby chick

cinnamon sky / how the maple leaves add more gold / to his green eyes

slow day / even our papaya tree is heavier / than the storm clouds

holding steady / the cable wires in the wind / lines of blackbirds

middle of the night / the rain joins me / writing love letters

winter dusk / the bitter rain frozen / on the rails of a bridge

winter dusk / more clouds bruising the sky / and my heart

winter dusk / more navy blue clouds bruising the sky / and my heart

winter chill / the silence behind / my love letter

after the rain / I follow my own wet footsteps / out of the piny trail

under the bridge / the stack of huddling pigeons and doves / this winter night

drumming / on every leaf and flower petal / raindrops

the last sizzle / from the barbecue grill / three flies

in the sand / the rain fills my drawn-out heart / instead of you

wolf moon / I howl with the bitter wind / through every chimney

across the backyard / catching a glimpse of the full moon / countless seashells

high above the grass / the flower bruises with age / between weathered stones

mid-summer / a taste of the wild and romance / among these raspberries

early spring / his blush as he puts / daisies in my hands

twirling / around the tire swing / the summer rain and weeds

long day / the tug of the bitter wind / among these words

all-day rain / the sluggish poses / of the goddess

across the flooded courtyard / all the small waves / of a lonely squirrel

all-day rain / even my thoughts try to find / the softest landing

before dawn / the snaps and pops / of each goddess' arms

before sunrise / black waves over power lines / birds and storm clouds

dull morning / the tired feeling of ice / on the windshield

setting into / the folds of a lotus / a dazed bee

on the windowsill / one more pink daisy left / basking in the moonlight

reading today's forecast / a broken fortune cookie / in a puddle

early spring breeze / still tagging each other / through voice mail

early spring breeze / we still tag each other / through voice mail

waxing gibbous / my heart fuller / towards the marathon finish line

in mid-song / two doves play tag / above a bare oak tree

February's end / the moon much fuller and brighter / than my future

February's end / the full moon filling in the cracks / of Chile

scraping the sidewalks / the shadows / of bare branches and my chalk

evening chill / such distance! / as the stars and I study each other

waning moon / her face crumples / under his f-bombs

cold moon / I let the wax melt away / this poem I've written for you

before our kiss / fluttering past our faces / mating mosquito hawks

late afternoon walk / last year's autumn leaves swirl away / our silence

afternoon walk / only the leaves break / our heated silence

Easter Day / all the daffodils bowing / to the statue of Jesus

first day of spring / how the last winter wind bangs / on our door at night

through the fog and rain / the Morse code / of flashing ambulance lights

spring dusk / the creek catches the fall / of the last pine cone

this morning / all the birds and I hold our breath / to the neighbor's chimes

3 a.m. / I breathe along with the crickets / and the stars

breaking through clouds / of blackbirds / a man fixing traffic lights

home alone / only these drooping roses / dine with me tonight

clouding the raindrops / on the other side of the window / my breath

a pause in the rain / from each branch / a falling bird song

crescent moon / lining the edge of sidewalks / earthworms and toads

at the busy crosswalk / I help the baby dove fly / to the curb

breaking the stillness / a swoosh through the net / a squirrel

our conversation / breaks / under the gravel path

under the gravel path / our conversation / breaks

chasing after treetops / and dreams / the cardinal and the blue jay

scraping my bedroom walls / tree shadows / in a moonless sky

morning yoga / even the mosquito joins me / in sweet bliss

on our checkered picnic blanket / playing chess / all the birds and squirrels

4am / only the neighbor's dog and I / howl at our own past

sitting on the back porch / the gibbous moon / over a teacup

bobbing along with The Beach Boys / the hula girl / on my dashboard

afternoon stroll / counting the crickets in the grass / the Manx cat

from the wings / of an oil-coated seagull / the startled spray of sand

singing / for a whole new world with me / my lover's parakeet

in each sidewalk puddle / myrtle blossoms strewn across / the smokey skies

washing its wings / on a raindrop-filled rose petal / a green ladybug

chasing clouds / and dreams of yesterday / an abandoned yellow kite

under the moon / playing with its own shadow and past songs / my parakeet

smashing / against the car windows / a handful of mosquitoes

during winter / only birds make bare trees / less leafless

growling / at the cockroach's shadow / the neighbor's beagle

July heat / filling its thirst from rain puddles / the potted plant

through the door / a gust of summer wind / then falling grey feathers

at the sports bar / the Pyrenees, misty / behind this beer mug

winter sets in / so are the new strands / of my graying hair

over the gibbous moon / my golden retriever jumps / after the frisbee

over the gibbous moon / my golden retriever jumps / after two warblers

dodging between cars / a black hawk / smells roadkill

how my cheeks flush / when kissed / by a mosquito!

across the seedless watermelon / drawing figure-eights / that darn fly!

the sound of water / dripping / from the deer's mouth

after the rock concert / sun-drenched grass / underneath empty beer cups

under the shade of a tree / a white sedan speckled / with bird poop

Monday afternoon / robins sew songs / on each tree branch

Sunday hiccups / both the frog and I / look for water

late August rain / the mushrooms tremble / under the cypress trees

down the rake / following the dewdrop / the garden spider

summer's end / the prickly feel / of berry-studded bushes and aloe

footprints on the dirt road / red oak leaves / trailing to the creek

parking lot / filled in all the spaces / autumn leaves

spinning / on top of this swan paperweight / orbs of autumn sunlight

with its fingertips / snatching the last rays of summer / the waves

higher than the waves / the white ebb / of foam and swan wings

lunchtime / the swirl of leaves / in the dog dish

half moon / the cat's behind / fills the other half

autumn daybreak / each sock / clothespinned to a bruised cloud

late October / traffic along the highway / a fog of blackbirds

road rage / guarding a buzzard carcass / a buzzard

autumn wind / a fragment of you / among these old Hallmark cards

adding in a verse / two robins flit across / a page of my journal

the sweep / of last year's letters / autumn chill

last day of October / down the attic steps / the life-size turkey

wind chill / the potted aloe leans toward / a sunlit patch of grass

on sidewalks / an evening battle between acorns and leaves / wind chill

at dawn / every vet opens his poppies / from the grave

wind chill / mistaking the moon / for a cat's eye

wind chill / the pitter-patter-tip-tap / of acorns on my car

autumn storm / the soft pitter-patter of acorns / in a sand pail

autumn twilight / the squirrel retraces its path / of buried acorns

as the traffic light turns / the first fall / of pear blossoms

first of December / a full white-out / of my laptop

caught on a barbed wire / melting snow / on old duck feathers

midnight song / the whisper of trees / between our kisses

December evening / caught in the wind chimes / a mockingbird's feather

holding the fall / of each pine needle / the kids' trampoline

into a puddle / the last drop of an icicle / into the Dipper

harvest time / a sudden split of the moon / a blooming lotus

tangled around the Christmas tree / my kitten / in a golden garland

across the bridge / tugging away my shadow / a paper boat

stuffing stockings / even the dog / gets no coal this year

outside the cafe / lighting the Christmas tree / cardinals at dawn

Christmas Eve / a mob rushes to buy love / among the chaos

Christmas Eve / the mob buys the last love / among the gift cards

dad's birthday / his footprints / across the newly polished floor

winter moon / the smell of polished wood / slipping out the door

'baking needs' aisle / every customer checks off / her list twice

in and out of traffic / weaving the wintry skies / a red hawk

year's end / seeing my laundry / only in black and white

waiting / for Groundhog’s Day / home with a cold

from a snail shell / the clouds swirl / in thawing ice

from the eaves / Chinese lanterns string together / the icicles

darting / in and out of the chimes / broad-tailed hummingbird

a piercing midday's gaze / my two-year-old self / unpoised for the camera

my head out the car window / the faint taste of cow manure / in the wind

car window down / the faint taste of cow manure / on the wind

I layer more glue / on the paper chrysanthemum / snowless day

bubbling / through the mud / earthworms

fishing / for a rabbit-cloud / blue kite

on my knee / the painful bloom / of a violet pansy

at the welcome mat / greeting my cheeks / plum blossoms

waning moon / all the things I wish / I hadn't said

a paper cut / on my left index / Chesire moon

at the fountain / mistaking a floating leaf / for a dollar bill

through the mist / fading lip prints / on the shower door

Texan porch / the broken limbs / of our snowmen

worm-digging / bits of dried grass / shower the blackbird

playground jury / all the pog winnings / not due to the wind

sifting leaves / through my vase of azaleas / morning hummingbird

around the iron bars / drawing figure eights / green dragonfly

new moon / too many countries to pray for / with this small candle

tonight's moon / my eyebrows waxed / for a blind date

from Buddha's smile / a gold gingko leaf falls / into my teacup

shattering news / yet the Buddha smiles / 24

after the rain / a sparrow hopping / in puddles

spring breeze / the moon almost full / in her belly

the meaning / of nothing / and everything

seven minutes past midnight / the Rapture / of flying like Superman

at the world's end / my neighbor calls around / for news

cloud counting / all the places you've been to / before me

skin deep / the beautician digs up / the scars of my past

runner's high / baptized by sprinklers / on the way home

at the traffic light / the honks / of morning geese

pushed aside / on the pavement / sun-dried earthworms

summer heat / the mother-to-be tabby / wobbles around the birdbath

out of breath / out of shape / after 100 stairsteps

summer heat / puckering to the wind chimes / tiger lily

through the wire fence / all the bell flowers / filled with hymns

almost new moon / how your coarse hands hold more / than nails that rust

falling in / and out of the park bench… / my sunlit thoughts

even without leaves / you gave me a reason / to blossom

rushing stream / carrying the pin-drops / of mountain pine

rushing stream / carrying the pin-drop sounds / of mountain pine

almost home / the sunset stops for a rest / between the borders

balmy evening / picking up sticks / toddler and sparrow

laid off / gobbling my last quarter / laundry machine

heat wave / the wedding planner forgets / the bride's veil

bone-digging / my new puppy gnaws / on my dead dog's bones

all the arcs / in the backyard / garden hose and the dog's

wrapped in dreams / under a leaf / black slug

mid-morning / mistaking the garden hose / for a water snake

FOR SALE in neon / all the gifts / from the ex

dreamboat moon / our fingers find each other / through the slick streets

snow moon / this red handful of berries / still warm from your touch

wax-winged / his hubris faltering / after the first date

waning moon / my credit card stolen / by my blind date

summer's end . . . / the slow crawl of clouds / around the school

between stalled cars / a bead of floodwater / falls from a duck's beak

playing kiss-and-makeup / after thumb wars / just because

in Irene's eye . . . / finding our center / through the loss of words

in Irene's eye . . . / finding our center / through spiraling words

new moon / within these ruffled red petals / the birth of dreams

new moon still / dreaming of ways to hold / the last summer rays

Saint Monica's feast day . . . / spun from sea-green dreams / women in ao dai

tented thoughts . . . / so many rocks / beneath my sleeping bones

merlot moonlight . . . / brick by brick / we retrace our love-codes

his galliard footsteps . . . / her every longing / ruffled with each breath

early autumn / sometimes peace tucks / a maple in our hair

summer's farewell / a myrtle blossom's last dip / in a swimming pool

holding still / tasting your every song / in each drop of rain

first autumn light / now the longest shadow / of my arthritic dog

autumn morning / baby's first suckles from the milk / of honeydew

through the gauze / of raindrops / on the windowpane

September's end / the last tiger striped butterfly / slipping through sunset

Indian summer / detaching / a wing from a cloud

morning rush / the touch of a wind chill / on an empty stomach

in the twilight shadows / the spider's web tangled / in the rake

yesteryear's song / at the end of a raincloud / mallard duck

lifting dreams / from the morning fog / mosquito hums

churchyard breeze / myrtle petals fall / for the wedding couple

desert mind / retracing my memories / from stone to stone

moon rust / the desert wind buffs away / a part of my shadow

cocooned / in yesterday's news / dreams of a homeless man

under the old bridge / a puppy dreams deeper / in a cardboard box

tea-colored morning / a frog tastes the winged hums / of mosquitoes

starless sky / instead I count a constellation / of mosquito bites

tethered for miles / your moon face blushing / at the edge of clouds

harvest moon / the song of your voice measured / along these lines

on this mountain / finding secrets between us / the higher we climb

conducting / at the tips of grass-blades / mountain song

curbside yellow grass / a butterfly nudges / the edges of dawn

Halloween daybreak / my daughter's excuse / for skipping school

no snow yet / but these white blooms carry / the kiss of your breath

sunny side up / my son dresses his eggs / in syrupy devil horns

twirling the light / from 4th of July sparklers / a child's pinwheel

afternoon shadows / measure the hypotenuse / of the lawn

hushed under deer hooves / the clean break / of pine cones

afternoon shadows / along the granite wall / bird crossing

date night / a scoop of the moon / in my ice-cream bowl

cloudy dawn / stirring from a long night's sleep / mountain song

through these heavy clouds / my thoughts of your last smile / after our goodbye

after the quake / finding some of my family / through these photographs

road closure / the clouds take a detour / to the fireworks store

on her sunlit jello / my niece scribbles her name / in caramel

Sunday morning / a fallen maple slips through / the church doors

sharing shadows / on this late fall afternoon / my old dog and I

from grandmother's clothespin / the slow drip / of afternoon light

in white fir / how we each pretend / to have angel wings

outstretched to the skies / each oak branch alight / in robin song

from this aster's core / a golden dust of prayer / clings to the breeze

by the chimney / the dance of flames around / empty wineglasses

during bingo / we sip the length of ourselves / in apple cider

not looking back / so that it would hurt less… / winter moon

how my little niece / gobbles up strawberries… / snapdragon breath

splitting the trails / of incense / scent of fresh pine

gust of wind… / my mind scatters / with the leaves

dragon breath / I reset all my passwords / for a dozenth time

full moon / every dolphin pose in the room / jumps for the stars

in a bottle of wine / I find all of my answers / to life

Friday the 13th / your Christmas card stills / the longing in my heart

as if plucked / by a warbler's beak / morning star

nothing more to say / I listen / for the dragon wind

out the door / sweeping away / ashes of myself

dragon dance / I win the li xi and the whole moon / from the hoa mai tree

morning star / everything I am today / when I'm in your arms

swinging his tail / in and out of the cage / our one-eyed parakeet

spring dawn / a thread of chickadee song / fiddles with the chimes

lunar new year / finally putting away / the Christmas tree

fracturing the ice pond / in the shape of a dragon's tongue / oak leaf

wrapped in feathers / his song lingers / even after the birdcage is gone

layering / all the sunlit lawn chairs / apple blossoms

lifting into the blue / my thoughts skimming along / an eagle's wingspan

tender beginnings / another song left / in my hair

nose twitching / on both sides of the tank / toddler and catfish

green beetle / in her bowl / my dog's sour look

from a broken eggshell / the spill of / pine needle stain

always framed / by her sister's shadow / her tiny successes

framed behind bars / her hospital bills much longer / than her way home

first star / how he wants to frame / a part of her

bead by bead / all the Hail Mary's / that won't bring you back

mid-July heat / all of our teardrops / in the scent of earth

wedding veil missing / our aunt gives the guests / a cold shoulder

Valentine's Day / the thaw of grudges / between us

chopsticks / trying to grasp what's left / between us

cold high noon / all the new yelping / from the neighbor's puppy

before the deep fry / folding gossip / into the eggrolls

still after the last / bite of carrot cake . . . / mother's presence

from corner to corner / we fold sunlight / into our arms

laundry day / from corner to corner / we fold sunlight

another day / seeing myself / along the cracks

tadasana / finding my breath / on the scent of pine

mountain song / the length of shadows / from an eagle's wings

aum . . . / the stir of willow song / in mountain stream

raincloudpuddle / the dying spark / of a cigarette butt

spring bath / my dog dips her nose / in cheese and nachos

one life to live. . . / their shadows meet half-way / after parting

decrescendo / the moon-shadow falls / on her dark side

cupping / a foret of fog / flock of blackbirds

falling myrtle / pooling around my thoughts / this sunlit silence

traffic light / queuing for crumbs / grackles

fortune booth / the long queue to hear / how I die

new hobby / the surgeon explains / how he carves out

curbside puddle . . . / the rattling skeleton / of an umbrella

spring dew / outside my doorstep / a trek of feathers

spring buds . . . / he forms his first words / through a ventilator

leaffall / in my dreams / your lovesong

arpeggio breeze. . . / cassette tape ribbons fall / from a toddler's head

harvest moon / someone out there is wearing / my layered locks

therapy session / my patient finds the exit / through Scrabble

spring chill / his breath traces the edges / of my skin

fresh sunflowers . . . / the sunspots even darker / on the CT scan

smudged hopscotch / the crows skip over / my unturned stones

breaking down . . . / the startling touch of a plum blossom / on my cheek

wet morning / crow notes ripple / the power lines

balmy silence / our lovesongs orbed / in supermoon

pre-dawn silence / my dreams of you / flicker in and out

speed dating / even the 20th man / flashes the same charm

summer dew / my retriever fills in / the rest of my shadow

all the words / I can't yet form . . . / dawn mist

a puddle here / a puddle there / lost

sudden wind / a clean break / in the tail

mountain song / the sky opens / in my palms

quiet rainfall / my morning gone / under in dreams

endless rain / my own inbox puddled / with Viagra ads

onion moon / at last I find a way / to make amends

salty breeze / for now I hold the crown / to this sandcastle

sharing each other's / thought bubbles / creekside snails

cold feet / the tea kettle boils / a morning psalm