gift

echoing across
time's never-ending
whispers of wisdom
your words
to my childhood ears
a gift
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
one single impression

never ending

little breaths
in & out
each day
until the last one
but love
is never ending
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
one single impression

gold

they say gold is found
at the end of the rainbow,
but in the chase
to that one small place
all one can see
its undersided knots
of tapestry.

i say gold is found
in the light bending vista
sun streaming cloud
elegantly shroud
where one can see
the whole kaleidescope of
its tapestry

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
one single impression

late

life's untender mercies
fleeting as sparrow's wings
leave in their wake
a solace
found on sun-warmed stones

lingering

for a fraction of time
slide between
blissful sleep
& pounding awake
a moment's awareness
cascades into recognition-
dreams skimmed from the surface
of nighttime tide
compete with practical reality
the reverie of memories
recalling things that did not occur
& yet their presence with a clarity
not so easily lost in normal elegance
of daytime's passing events

fleeting2

you believe
that you know a summer leaf
in the green,
but one morn you wake
discerning a change
to red
& the next...it's gone

serendipity

fork in the road
of humble options,
path less tread
looks serendipitous
to me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
serendipity
is not found
in backward glances
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
of all the wide world
through view of your lens i see
serendipity
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
one single impression

fleeting

just as one bud
turned autumn leaf aflutter
& so your presence

chill air threatens
to invade every crevice
& so your presence

warmed sun behind
wind-driven cloud of dry
& so your presence

round seasons ply
in tangible hope espied
your fleeting presence

one single impression

autumn

exhale of summer

one achingly beautiful

red leaf releasessea of field

yellow bloom belies the turn

soon to brownautumn wind

whispering through tired leaves

of firelight to come

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

one single impression

flow

ocean wide

these dreams are pulled

in timeless currents

that lead me back to you

pilgrimage

all the hard words in the world
will not settle
the undercurrent of unrest;
life on the journey
is not home,
a divided soul
stumbles on
sidestepping in a terrain
that will always be foreign
but not without
a promise~
whispered above the din
in time, to know
as we are known.

spectacle

close up

life's spectacles all look

familiarthrough the lens

of life's grand vision

see as seen

one single impression

homecoming

standing in the shade
a glimpse of home filters through
shift of summer breezein the longing, light

shining down on the journey

home is in your handpathway leading home

gliding over sea surface
spyglass safe return
one single impression

hope

for josiah...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
bedside vigil
uttered prayers desperate
please don't go
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
unreal world
night is daytime, sounds incessant
that keeps you alivepray for breath of hope
hanging on each spoken word
nap in waiting room
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
life's fragile balance
hovering between two worlds
one hand keeps you hereplease, pray for Josiah.

stairways

looking up, i see
a journey toward heaven
one step at a timeover timeworn stairs
sea of humanity flows
longing for the view

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

one single impression

faces

faced with challenges
under the guise of a smile
memento morifrom afar, your warmth
hidden under marble mask
slips as i draw nearcaptured in content
time slips through centuries
holding your smile

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
one single impression

one year...

with these simple lines
one year of written words flow
from my heart to you
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
one year of poetry @ write away!

nap

tired scratchy awake
after night of every number,
should i hear just one lull
of cicadas...
slumbery noonday
in gentle repose.

more travel...

back & forth, jets fly

contrails of longing to go

fasten your seatbelt!

through a window

through a dusty pane

outward glimpse of light & hope

forget the dishescozed lamplight billows

piercing the darkened street with

internal yearning

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

one single impression

vagabonding...

i feel quite badly

no posting, no visiting

another journey...

independence day

by fireworks' light
we reflect on sacrifice
freedom is not free

haiku!

with only three lines
some tell whole stories
five, seven, five

permanence/transience

the only thing of

real permanence in this life

is its transience

one single impression

jet lag

i am awake

but on the wrong continent

six hours behind

reflection

in the water

i see ripples of hope

staring backsilent glide

across mirrored surface

two skiesone drop falls

onto still surface

ripples outwardspatter of sunlight

shimmering dance of surface

tickled reflectionmirror image

reflection in stillness

morning light

one single impression

bleeding

across the white page

words of a fountain pen bleed

infusing new lifebleeding hearts pass by

with nary a sidelong glance

stranger to your plightone careless word cuts

with skill of a surgeon's knife

hope bleeds from the wound

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

one single impression

warm

in stony repose

block of stone becomes vision

of warmth in sun's raya week of burden

grown heavy on the heart

warmed by love's prompthope is a flower

warmed in sun-showers of love

that blooms in the heart

deserted/desert

once in newborn joy

you crashed into our world

and now you are gonesea of lonely sand

but not without lush center

desert oasis

one single impression

flowering

springing upon us

from the ruins of winter

open full-flower

heady scent of air

petal soft breezes enchant

dance of bumble bee

ascent/descent

poems from the road...firenze
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
out of touch
with everything i knew
& yet something found...
a thing i have always known;
paradise
in the swirl of an ancient stair
with drifting scent
of fresh rainwater
& carved earth,
the view from the top
is one i always knew.
sunlight pouring through
i pause for descent
to be swallowed by the walls
of the aged city.