apples and almonds
begin as delicate buds
which blossom in spring
if cloudy skies rain too blue
fragile flowers fall like snow
Tanka inspired by Van Gogh and Megan Willome…and spring rains ☔️
fruit & nuts
02 Apr 2025 4 Comments
in tanka Tags: almond, apple, blossom, rain, spring
goodbye/hello
12 Mar 2025 3 Comments
in classical haiku Tags: robins, snow, spring, sun
dirty snow melting
sun’s warmth caresses my face
welcome robins back
spring’s song
26 Feb 2025 Leave a comment
in classical haiku, Uncategorized Tags: song, spring, turtledoves, window
familiar coo… coos
fluttering past my window
turtledoves are back
mono no aware
21 May 2024 18 Comments
in haibun Tags: bride, cats, death, life, lilacs, spring
Mono no aware is not only “a Japanese idiom for the awareness of … the transience of things.” It’s a paradigm through which the Japanese view life. Linking this haibun to dVerse where Frank hosts.
Neighborhood cats chase one another through backyards, loudly caterwauling in the night. Five interested toms follow one breathless tabby who flees under the deck. Food dish is ignored in this spring mating frenzy. Once she’s bred, hormones calm, kittens develop and toms slink away.
Lilacs bud in May, one of the first blossoms to appear. The tight buds open to a thousand tiny flowerets, blooming in bunches of profligate purple display. The delicate scent of each cluster concentrates on fragrant breezes. After a few days, the heads wither and flowers fall.
Young couple speaks wedding vows on sunny May day. The bride wears sleeveless lace gown with tiny corseted waist and magnificent hoop skirt. A fingertip veil, lacey wristlets, and ballet flats complete her bridal finery. She dies of asthma complications a month past their 4th anniversary.
brief season of life
actors pass across the stage
cherish spring vignettes
before the greening
06 May 2024 4 Comments
in tanka Tags: geese, island, nest, spring, wind
canada geese back
welcome migrants from the north
spring comes with the wind
soon build nest on their island
papa goose protects new brood
love calls in spring
12 Mar 2024 25 Comments
in ekphrastic Tags: daffodils, narcissus, orchard, spring, turtledove
farewell, white lion; we hear spring’s love call,
lone turtledove coos like sentinel in orchard;
schoolgirl swings carefree from supple branch as
she and tree both bud-burst into double smiles.
sun’s gaze reflects golden dawn on water and
we breathe in heady floral of narcissus blooms;
drink goblet of lemon beauty offered by daffodils,
open beautiful eyes to every greening possibility!
Merril hosts dVerse poetics incorporating names of daffodil varieties (in italic) and a painting by Alfred Sisley (1881) entitled, “Orchard in Spring”.
winter wrangling
21 Apr 2023 2 Comments
in tanka Tags: robin, seasons, snow, spring, wind, winter
winter won’t let go
snow blows, sun beats, clouds recoil
tug-o-war with spring
robin redbreast looks confused
water in birdbath frozen
spring sevenling
18 Apr 2023 19 Comments
in sevenling Tags: birdbath, sparrows, spring, twitter
A window view with dVerse poets….
i rake dead leaves
pick up fallen sticks
fill birdbath to brim
seven sparrows
fritter in chirpy circle
twitter reflectively on rim
lazy gaze out window sees spring days peep in
vers beaucoup
04 Oct 2020 5 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: apple trees, fall, honey bees, spring
The vers beaucoup (French) is a poetic form meaning “many rhymes”, with 4-line stanzas. Linking to https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2020/10/03/saturday-mix-lucky-dip-3-october-2020/
i hear fall call from stone wall
to all apple trees and honey bees,
as you please, give your best for fall fest,
then rest…we will sing, come spring!
iris in vincent’s eye
19 Feb 2020 14 Comments
in ekphrastic Tags: bulb, garden, irises, leaves, spring, van gogh
i begin as
dry ivory bulb
asleep in deep dark
until warmth stirs from
far away as sunshine
whispers, “come to me”
i stretch
uncurling in
moist brick soil
insects tickling my
pale skin as it peels off
with sigh, “love, arise!”
i reach up
to throw off the
heaviness of garden
bed’s blanket and am
blinded by yellow light
crying, “it’s spring!”
i grow long
sabered leaves
of vibrant green to
drink in cool rain and
shelter tender buds with
promise, “we’ll dance!
i bloom in
profuse blue hues
from cerulean to indigo
unfurling petaled banners
to reveal frilly stamens and
sing, “behold life’s beauty!”
i fade as
sun sets in gold;
plucked from roots
glory slowly wanes as
flowered energy wilts with
a moan, “remember me.”
irises by van gogh
calving season begins!
03 Feb 2020 20 Comments
in haibun Tags: barn, calf, heifer, newborn, shed, silage, spring
Hello, world, my name is “Shadow”
It’s Monday morning and our skittish range heifers cautiously approach wooden feed bunk. Breakfast is a generous helping of fragrant silage and a bit of cow mix mineral supplements. The farmer counts, re-counts furry heads and realizes one is missing.
He discovers her in the back of open cattle shed…with her newborn calf, first of the season! Little black bull is healthy and already standing. Our son carries him to shelter in the barn. We soon coax mama into stall where they can nuzzle and nurse.
calf eyes wide to world
fresh cow licks her baby clean
new life birthed in spring
Linking this spring haibun to dVerse Poets pub where Frank hosts today…
a poem in my pocket 
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