13 December 2010

Outside my windows,
Snow so thick I cannot see
Even the railroad track

13 December 2010

12 December 2010

“A long December...”
Not so long as in years past.
The years seem short now.

12 December 2010

11 December 2010

Outside, cold wind, ice.
Inside, a different chill,
When we are apart.

11 December 2010

9 December 2010

Snow snaking across
The street. Cars slow, crawl past as
I watch from my desk.

9 December 2010

6 December 2010

Walking cautiously,
Still slipping on the fresh snow.
A winter hazard

6 December 2010

2 December 2010

Winter approaches.
Gray skies, gray days coming.
But spring will come, too.

2 December 2010

30 November 2010

No gentle shower,
Rather a driving downpour
Beats on my windows.

30 November 2010

29 November 2010

There’s much work to do,
But I see sun and blue skies
And I do not care.

29 November 2010

23 November 2010

And Zevon’s singing
“Disorder in the House.” Now,
Play it when I die.

23 November 2010

17 November 2010

One more sleepless night.
They come more often these days,
When I am alone.

17 November 2010

16 November 2010

Each night, freight trains pass.
In another life, I might have
Been riding along.

16 November 2010

15 November 2010

Some days I wonder
If the world is just a dream.
Then, I see my wife.

15 November 2010

11 November 2010

Full, lush. Ben Webster
Plays “When Your Lover Has Gone.”
Somehow, it’s not sad.

11 November 2010

6 November 2010

A neighbor walking
Her dog in the vacant lot.
An autumn tableau.

6 November 2010

5 November 2010

Sitting at my desk.
Sitting in meetings. All day
Sitting in small rooms.

5 November 2010

4 November 2010

Late this afternoon,
Skies turned dark. Long past sunset,
Rain continues falling.

4 November 2010

24 October 2010

Late at night, thunder.
No rain, just the distant threat
Of a storm to come.

24 October 2010

17 October 2010

Sun shines--and I'm warm;
Clouds--and I'm chilled by the breeze.
Must be October.

17 October 2010

14 October 2010

Images on screens
Have come to define my life.
Sitting at my desk.

14 October 2010

13 October 2010

On my wife's birthday
We celebrate quietly
In different towns.

13 October 2010

11 October 2010

A red-leaf carpet,
Fallen from maple trees;
Like walking on flames.

11 October 2010

7 October 2010

Autumn. Cool days and
Cooler nights. My hip protests,
Aching with each step.

7 October 2010

5 October 2010

An evening chill.
A new moon drifting behind
Scattered, broken clouds.

5 October 2010

20 September 2010

My neighbor's dog wakes
Me, barking at things only
She knows are out there.

20 September 2010

19 September 2010

Another morning,
Train passing. Waking alone.
And another night.

19 September 2010

18 September 2010

Wind. Distant thunder.
As the rain begins to fall,
I close the windows.

18 September 2010

15 September 2010

Long day, and I ache.
Tomorrow starts too early.
I'm too old for this.

15 September 2010

13 September 2010

Is our dog happy--
Or just ready to go out--
When, at last, we're home?

13 September 2010

12 September 2010

September morning.
Eastern sky changing color
While I lie in bed.

12 September 2010

7 September 2010

Falling asleep to
Rain dripping from the gutters.
Waking to sunlight.

7 September 2010

27 August 2010

Today will not last.
And tonight will also pass.
Loneliness remains.

27 August 2010

24 August 2010

One of my favorite artists is the Japanese woodblock print-maker Maki Haku (1924 - 1999). I recently bought the print you see here (titled Owl-A), and as I looked at it, I began to see a snow owl, at night, in a tree, waiting...

Winter night. New moon.
Snow owl waiting in silence,
Watching for movement.

24 August 2010

23 August 2010

So the time has come.
Gone, days of peace, quiet thought.
Here, days of clamor.

23 August 2010

11 August 2010

Time to go back to work, back into the classroom, back to dressing like an adult.

Next week I will wear,
For the first time in two months,
"Business casual."

11 August 2010

9 August 2010

My dog nuzzles me
While I try to write. Better
To rub her belly.

9 August 2010

4 August 2010

We just got back from a week in Stratford, Ontario, where we spent most of our time in theaters, at the Shakespeare Festival. But we also indulged me--by finding a number of old industrial buildings in varying stages of reuse or decay. Including this one, about which we could find out nothing...

Vacant factory,
Its roof gone, windows broken.
Its story untold.

4 August 2010

21 July 2010

Week of rain and heat.
Movement leaves me soaked with sweat.
Winter months away.

21 July 2010

20 July 2010

After the storm ends,
Evanescent steam rises
From the sun-baked road.

20 July 2010

19 July 2010

On the road again,
Through another rain shower,
To my other home.

19 July 2010

18 July 2010

Streetlights reflecting
From rain-soaked pavement. Rain drops
Making puddles dance.

18 July 2010

17 July 2010

Night. Lightning. Thunder.
Rain falling. Wind bends the trees.
I sit in the dark.

17 July 2010

22 June 2010

I've been listening to John Prine's new CD, In Person and On Stage, which is brilliant. His voice, never a beautiful instrument, is now about as much of a croak as Bob Dylan's is...

Too much cheap whiskey
And too many cigarettes.
Just enough music.

22 June 2010

20 June 2010

We have a Rose of Sharon just off our deck, and today it blossomed for the first time this year, and, so...

Bursting into bloom.
Flowers opening at dawn
Attract scores of bees.

20 June 2010

18 June 2010

Too hot to be spring.
Air thick with humidity.
Storms coming tonight.

18 June 2010

16 June 2010

5 AM. I wake.
My windows misted over.
Moon a pale shadow.

16 June 2010

9 June 2010

Long night, little sleep.
Longer day, much work to do.
Eyes close on their own.

9 June 2010

8 June 2010

A dark day. Clouds, rain.
Slippery roads, dripping leaves.
Good to be at home.

8 June 2010

7 June 2010

Sun shines on my desk,
Obscuring what I'm reading.
Might as well daydream

7 June 2010

4 June 2010

At my desk, again.
Outside, rain begins falling
And lightning flashing.

4 June 2010

3 June 2010

Spring nearing its end,
I wake with the sun in my eyes,
And drowse through the day.

3 June 2010

The Leap Into the Void

I leapt into the Void,
Figuratively, like Yves Klein.
But literally, figuratively,
What does it matter?
The Void
Is still
The Void.

So, OK, it's not a haiku. But I read today a review of a retrospective on the work of the French conceptual artist Yves Klein (at the Hirschorn, in DC, this summer) (review here), and I was reminded of this photograph and of the poem I wrote about it in March 1998. And it's my blog, so I can break my own rules...

26 May 2010

Midnight. Trains passing.
The night still too hot to sleep.
And so I read blogs.

26 May 2010

24 May 2010

The pavement shimmers.
A mirage floating above
Softening asphalt.

24 May 2010

13 May 2010 (2)

The rain has ended.
The air is still. 2 A.M.
But I'm still awake.

13 May 2010 (2)

13 May 2010

Lightning and thunder
Roll ceaselessly through the night,
Keeping me awake

13 May 2010

7 May 2010

Suddenly--dark skies,
The wind beginning to blow.
A storm approaching.

7 May 2010

4 May 2010

From the distant past,
Every year on this day,
I remember death.

4 May 2010

3 May 2010

Today...hours watching.
Unable to leave, turn away.
Just waiting, watching.

3 May 2010

2 May 2010

After last night's storms,
The ducks paddle placidly
In the drainage ditch.

2 May 2010

1 May 2010

Outside, in the field,
A thousand flowers in bloom.
First morning in May.

1 May 2010

(Now, I grant you that most of them are really weeds...but, still, a nice Maoist poem on May Day seems appropriate.)

30 April 2010

Long after sunset,
Hot, wet air envelops us;
We wait for the storm.

30 April 2010

29 April 2010

My world is silent,
The moon hidden. Neither lights
Nor voices intrude.

29 April 2010

26 April 2010

I’m on my way home,
Driving into the sunset,
Driving almost blind.

26 April 2010

23 April 2010

Rain while I'm driving.
My wipers streak the windshield.
Things could be better.

23 April 2010

21 April 2010

Streetside, flashing lights
Warn me not to go that way.
I find a detour.

21 April 2010

20 April 2010

Driving home tonight,
All the way, it’s one red light
After another.

20 April 2010

19 April 2010

I really don’t need
Another way to waste time…
But…oh, well…Facebook!

19 April 2010

15 April 2010

These mornings I wake
With the sun filling the bedroom
With the promise of spring.

15 April 2010

14 April 2010

From an open door
Tenor sax, trumpet, bass, drums...
Music fills the night.

14 April 2010

13 April 2010

Warm breezes blowing
Across campus make me wish
For a short-sleeve shirt.

13 April 2010

12 April 2010

Outside my window,
Trees covered in white blossoms.
One more sign of spring.

12 April 2010

7 April 2010

Outside, in the dark,
Something moving through the night...
It's only the wind.

7 April 2010

6 April 2010

Rain, late in the day.
Streets reflecting the headlights
Of oncoming cars.

6 April 2010

5 April 2010

Baseball season starts
Today. A long winter ends.
And, yes, the sun shines.

5 April 2010

29 March 2010

Another full moon
Rises over still-bare trees.
Another month gone.

29 March 2010

26 March 2010

Driving home, work done,
The setting sun warms the car,
And all but blinds me.

26 March 2010

24 March 2010

Sleep still eludes me.
I watch moonlit shadows dance
On my bedroom wall.

24 March 2010

23 March 2010

My desk clear at last
I wonder how to avoid
Work a bit longer.

23 March 2010

19 March 2010

A spring afternoon,
Sun shining, warm breeze blowing.
The dog and I nap.

19 March 2010

17 March 2010

Trees starting to bud,
Tulips reanimated,
Spring is almost here.

17 March 2010

12 March 2010

Hawk waits on my roof,
Watching the field for movement,
Head turning slowly.

12 March 2010

9 March 2010

Outside my window
Tonight, the world seems to have
Vanished in the fog.

9 March 2010

8 March 2010

Our dog, Menina,
Would catch all the world's squirrels
If we let her loose

8 March 2010

5 March 2010

The sun's warmth makes me
Drowsy. That would be perfect,
Except I'm driving.

5 March 2010

4 March 2010

An unearthly light
Reflecting from the full moon,
Disturbing my sleep.

4 March 2010

28 February 2010

Well, today turns out to be a two post day. I wandered over to the window, with the sun down for the night, and was captured by the slow drip, drip, drip of the melting icicles.

Icicles melting
Slowly in still-frigid air…
Drop by drop they shrink.

28 February 2010

28 February 2010

An icicle hangs
From the gutter, glistening
In the setting sun.

28 February 2010

26 February 2010

The stairs grow steeper
As I grow older. One day soon,
They will be too steep.

26 February 2010

25 February 2010

Night. A quiet room.
I sit alone, quietly,
Waiting for morning.

25 February 2010

24 February 2010

In late afternoon,
Gray skies, snow falling softly.
I could use a nap.

24 February 2010

21 February 2010

I've been thinking a lot lately about getting older, about approaching retirement, about being (once again) in a commuting marriage...about hoping this one lasts...

I'm still on the road--
Three marriages, six jobs, and
Forty years later.

21 February 2010

17 February 2010

Dog sprawled on the floor,
Asleep in the winter sun.
Another good day.

17 February 2010

11 February 2010

Bob Dylan sang tonight, live from the White House, and I felt transformed by the words and by the memories of a whole flood of words and sights and sounds..."there's a battle outside/And it is ragin'/It'll soon shake your windows/And rattle your walls/For the times they are a-changin'..." Forty-six years on, and that battle is still outside--and still inside me, and maybe inside all of us--and still raging.

Words from a distance…
In time, not space…and the times
Are changing again

11 February 2010

10 February 2010

I wake up this morning to about a foot of snow...

The sky is as white
As the branches of trees, which
Vanish from my sight.

10 February 2010

4 February 2010

As I turn 62...

Feeling very old
On my birthday. All my joints
Ache with winter’s cold.

4 February 2010

1 February 2010

Empty rooms, empty
Bed. My love is far away.
Her touch, days away.

1 February 2010

30 January 2010

Cloudless sky tonight.
Full moon's cold light freezes time.
Dawn a distant hope.

30 January 2010

25 January 2010

The old snow has melted
Just in time for the new snow
To begin falling

25 January 2010

22 January 2010

Ice beneath my feet
As I slide across the path.
I’m going nowhere.

22 January 2010

21 January 2010

I'm listening to the Steve Kuhn Trio (the CD is Mostly Coltrane) last night, and I'm struck by a song that I don't think I'd ever heard before buying this CD, "Jimmy's Mode." [It's on a posthumous Coltrane release, Stellar Regions (1995), which I don't have. But which I think I'll have to buy.] On this version, Joe Lovano is playing tenor, and his performance is exquisite; the rest of the group might as well not be there. Shortly before the song begins, I turn out the lights, getting ready to head off to sleep. But the music keeps me in my seat.

Minor key. Tenor sax
Plays a somber melody.
I sit in darkness.

21 January 2010

19 January 2010

Tonight, memories
Surround me, as if the ones
I love were still here.

19 January 2010

14 January 2010

Piles of snow turning
Black. Gutters filled with snow melt.
January thaw.

14 January 2010

11 January 2010

The holidays? Over.
Reality sets in now.
Going back to work.

11 January 2010

8 January 2010

Clear sky, quarter-moon.
Air so cold my beard freezes.
Snow crunches underfoot.

8 January 2010

7 January 2010

A full day of snow.
Tonight, high winds building drifts.
I’ll stay inside, thanks.

7 January 2010

4 January 2010

I spend far too much time--generally, 5 hours a week, in two blocks, on interstate highways. And sometimes it gets difficult.

Just for a moment
The rhythm of the highway
Sings to me "...come…sleep..."

4 January 2010

3 January 2010

I composed this last night, while trying to fall asleep. I wrote it down (and did a little editing) this morning.

The pond froze last night.
Today, the setting sun
Turned the ice to gold.

3 January 2010

1 January 2010

We work up early this morning, with the sun just beginning to rise. And I do seem to be attracted to sunrises when writing haiku...so, here's the first:

The sun has risen
Just a little earlier…
The new year begins.

1 January 2010