Haiku – Spring Season
on the muddy bank
catalpa flowers fallen from the highest branch tire tracks fly-fishermen's trout season filter tips cardinals don't care bishop's mitre undisturbed robins have arrived first cherry blossom robin gives its first call first drop of rain buds about to break birds about to start singing clouds about to rain she turns back the whole lawn taken over by crocus fine soft weather that grows moss on a rock in February white snowdrops finding themselves in the woods grow wild winter aconite by a narrow woodland path flowering alone thawing footpath a heel sinks in --the squelch behind dark clouds a busy moon hurrying toward night's end snowy swamp skunk cabbage in black mud --the springs in spring green now with moss bracket fungus killed by frost --wood ears on wood rhododendron bud sharp point toward the winter sun --snow birds look back north asparagus spears drawn to a point by the waxing moon knotted fingers a brief squeeze of the seed pack foretells the harvest a young man with a sharp eye and a knife attacks the peach tree old perennials in among their crowns almost archaeology easy hurt easy healed running with sap – March apple hopeful mother duck nesting in the bleachers – Little League one drop tips the twig one glistening in mid-air and a high clear call dumped together piles of sycamore bark –school bus empties her pink peonies begin to lose petals – Graduation Day one hundred rings gone the stump rots in from the edge –hemlock seed takes root stone Buddha reflected in uncounted rain drops ten-thousandfold in reflecting drops – spider and moth the stone was un-changed last summer this winter— but now it grows moss daffodils break earth beech buds swell on their twig-tips-- age four pre-school starts at early spring’s end a hummingbird approaches fading camellias the first skunk cabbage its’ hooded and striped flower-- she grew up homely daff-a-down-dilly poking winter in the tail makes me feel silly |