through the long night
the endless murmuring
of dreams and rain
this cup of tea
so quiet
without your hands
the maple leaf
I pressed between the lines
of a haiku
marshmallow clouds
roasting
in sunset
watching crows
jump
into the sky
three small pumpkins
I help
my granddaughters
carve a silly grin
on my face
when I was a pumpkin
you were the candle
inside
warm sunlight
dripping down
the maple trees
plastic bag
barking in the back
of a pickup truck
you are
the first time
I stepped outside
hurricane Sandy
New Yorkers
back up their smartphones
tail-end of the storm
One Way sign
going every which way
yellow porch light
a ghost with shiny red shoes
holds her sister's hand
birthday sunrise
me and the sun
settin' the day on fire
Autumn valley
a mountain sparrow
sings a different song
the night I prayed
until the morning
became the answer
after church
leftover communion bread
for the pigeons
November sunset
in a hurry to get home
and kick off her shoes
when I was nothing but rain
you were the warm fire
inside
dog asleep
I put on my coat
and walk the moon
first morning frost
thin layer of melancholy
covers the back woods
the day you said
you'd marry me
(and we watched the snow stick)
I skip church
to sit in an empty pew
in the park
the sky
feeding me
pigeons
woman wearing a cross
gives a crust of bread
to the pigeons
and a pamphlet
to the homeless man
homeless man
sits down with a slice
of pumpkin sun
biting his head off
after a bad day at work
gingerbread man
unshaven face
the day you smelled like honey
and I growled like a bear
when I was a color
and you kept me
inside the lines
after you tore it in two
how I still
gave you half
kitchen window moon
I rinse the dishes
and put them away
without thinking
at all
after the fight
the rain apologizes
all night long
Autumn
fades
to white
as if there was
no winter or summer
no wind or rain
no here nor there...
sparrow song