Small Stones: Day 29

new stones abandoned
along the trail, looking up
a hummingbird's perch

Baba Yaga

she holds
the pestle, shaped
like man's part, a rudder
to take her mortar wherever
she wants

Small Stones: Day 26

Today's small stone looks more like an egg...

Small Stones: Day 22

Apparently, it is "Syllabic Tanka Day, 2012." If you go to Jim Wilson's blog, here, you will find an excellent description of tanka's evolution. Below is my small stone.


the sails deflate
when the wind changes its course
and the boat is still
far from land, the gulls cry out
who will give my eulogy?

crags of earth recede
a view of mist takes over
I want only wind
I want it to blow my ash
oversea with singing gulls

Small Stones: Day 21

dark is the rain
roiling, unquenchable
I numb my lips with brandy

A Stone for Poe

rusty door
creaking floor
Raven cawing, "Nevermore!"

thumping starts
tell-tale hearts
never from my mind departs

thump-thump
           thump-thump
                      thump-thump

Happy Birthday, Edgar!

For those who want to see an awesome Fibonacci Poem about Mr. Poe, see Kirigirisu's Jan. 19 post!

Learning to Paint

wolf's tail defines the man
goat's hair brushes
the woman
an afternoon moon
in my inkstone

Beauty and the Beast

snow is falling
I watch polar bears teethe on
Aurora Borealis

Small Stones: Day 17

today
I toss a stone
the silent ripple forms
I ride it into the sunset
of dreams

The Path

How many times have I clambered up the path of Multnomah Falls? The effort to shape my body leaves me wilting at the top. The old trees hold their branches to the wind year after year, strengthening without effort.

Tai Chi
the gnarled tree
contemplates
its next pose
over the waterfall

Baked From Scratch

the Snicker
(covered with cinnamon hands)
Doodles
(on the cookies)
laughter on shortbread

Grandma's Recipe

collards are simmering
and she is back
in steam tinted glasses
I see her
rolling the pastry
strewing flour
on the board
like rose petals

Front and Center

there!
the last actress
on stage left
the cast exits
Lobelia waves

Point Well-Taken

a puffer fish
balloons

languorous lifts
a kaleidoscope of ocean
parts

The Eye of the Beholder

knee
deep
water
in the pond
the frog catcher wades
while clever little Buddhas cross
their legs, in Lotus position
a meditation
to mire him
knee deep
in
mud

Faith

imperceptible
the changing wind
commissions
to the mustard seed
Mt. St. Helens trembles

The Riverbed

throwing stones
skipping stones
petroglyphs dance to river music
I add another stone
to my blog

Spectrometers

quiet is misunderstood
the power of eyes is
taken
for granted, we are human
but he is the entire range of wavelengths

In the Woods

I

am

always

caught off guard

the dog waits around

the bend, listening with one ear

cocked, pointing with his wooden leg

a likeness to life

in the moss

covered

fir

tree

Small Stones: Day 4

eventide
the shore's reflection
dabs
the hushed rush