. . .
wide wing span, stilt legs
spear fish in shallow river
great blue heron stalks
. . .
*See video at All About Birds and wonderful photos by Linda Murdock here.
swoop low, sweet heron
03 Jun 2025 4 Comments
in classical haiku Tags: blue heron, fish, river, wings
trapped?
02 Jun 2025 29 Comments
in quadrille Tags: cloud, depression, faith, helpless, midnight, mood
Lillian hosts dVerse poets pub where she’s serving quadrilles till sunrise.
dark cloud
gathers
over house,
heavy weight
of self-pity
settles in;
crawls into
bed with
depression to
brood sombre
mood;
unsettling
helpless inhabitants
who desire respite
but cannot
escape
shadow of
“woe-is-poor-me”
midnight feeling
…unless
faith dawns
miraculous
at sunrise.
worth wait/weight
30 May 2025 19 Comments
in trolaan Tags: dance, love, marriage, separation, wait
Think hard again before you leave
the partner you pledged to love;
That decision will certainly cleave
two hearts like a sacrificed dove.
How much value is in your word,
honor found deep in your soul?
Hold onto courage and fortitude
however love’s difficult toll.
Opposites do naturally attract
or eventually they may repel;
Often we give up, due to fact
of living in temporary hell.
Perhaps if given gracious chance
people can learn to change;
Pull partner closer in life dance,
pride aside, missteps rearrange.
______________
Linking to dVerse where Grace hosts with a new form: Trolaan, created by Valerie Peterson Brown, is a poem consisting of 4 quatrains. Each quatrain begins with the same letter (the second letter of previous stanza). The rhyme scheme is abab for each stanza.
momento mori
27 May 2025 4 Comments
in haibun Tags: Alzheimers, breath, death, grandson, quilt
Tillie slumps in her wheelchair under hand-stitched patchwork for warmth. She’s shrunk with age, both body and mind. She stares, emotionally flat…until they place young grandson on her lap. They sing “Jesus Loves Me” off-key together and watch little birds chirp behind glass.
Eight years of Alzheimer’s…enough for anyone to suffer this long goodbye. Her breathing shallows as family gathers round. Last grandson arrives as they hold matriarch’s cool-veined hands in prayer. She quietly exhales one final breath after family members murmur, “Amen.”
lap quilt for keepsake
her once sharp eyes, now shadowed
trust we’ll meet again
…
Haibun on “momento Mori” linked to dVerse poets where Frank Tassone hosts pub for Memorial Day.
portent
26 May 2025 4 Comments
in rhyming verse, Uncategorized Tags: cemetery, crow, dead, headstone, sparrow
while visiting town cemetery
i walk among the dead
dark crow caws loud atop pine tree
sound fills my mind with dread
anon, i heard another bird
sing sweet upon headstone
“his eye is on the sparrow”
means i will not die alone.
Civil War headstone photo by lynn__
boxed to go
15 May 2025 15 Comments
in shape poem Tags: godfather's, pepperoni, pizza, sauce, sausage
Linking to dVerse poets where Bjorn invites us to write shape poetry…
please serve me up slice of humble pie
can’t refuse godfather’s boss sauce
green peppers, onions, tomatoes
smothered thick with cheese
do delicious dinner date
on warm baked crust
italian sausage
pepperoni
spiced
hot
merry month of may
14 May 2025 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: Dutch dancers, klompen, musicians, tulips
tulip time, holland michigan
definitely a dutch treat with
window to the waterfront
and view of windmill island
people bird-watch along
macatawa river wetlands
or people-watch at parks;
photograph bronze statues
admire blooms in beds and
pots on cobbled sidewalks;
sing spring’s delightful song
along with street musicians
downtown bustles with
ethnic bakeries, breweries
bookstores and gift shops
sell everything blueberry
dutch dancers prance in
klompen; stomp rompin’
fun as arm in arm, toe to
wooden-shoed toe they go
following noisy festivities,
relax in adirondack chair on
lawn of pillared church where
locals sit in quiet contentment
or take ride to nearby state park,
walk pier past red lighthouse to
watch working dredger move sand
stroll beach, cool feet in great lake
life bursts forth
10 May 2025 16 Comments
in ekphrastic, list poem Tags: birth, delivery, gestation, life, pregnancy
_______
women-only
need apply
superpowers
unmatched
desire match
ovaries ready
and waiting
full of eggs
moon tides
to cycle
ebb & flow
for release
love-fest
fertilization
leads to
journey of
countdown:
nine months
forty weeks
three trimesters
time to ripen
to prepare
body & mind
for reckoning
life-giving
fire of birth
purify & refine
focus on process
breathe deep
pant shallow
death grip in
overwhelm
of nature
to push
human life
for delivery
_______
Linking to Mom With a Blog…
japanese garden
08 May 2025 3 Comments
Guest post: haiku written by my son…
______________
mornings grow brighter
grasses and trees green and bloom
time for hikes and bikes
beast of burden
04 May 2025 2 Comments
in senryu Tags: bitterness, bones, burden
he carries his old
bitterness in bag of bones
hollow steps heavy
alterations needed
28 Apr 2025 2 Comments
in limerick
An American limerick, for fun, using the word “alter” 😉
y’all know a woman named Flo
whose appetite made her hips grow
her pants tightly fit
we fear they may split
should Flo alter her habits… or clothes?
a poem in my pocket 
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