the rising mist

hunger moon

2012-02-08T12:31:00.002-05:00

hunger moon
how bittersweet
this longing

narcissus

2012-01-29T12:47:00.000-05:00

narcissus
we are all born
to die

winter song

2012-01-19T08:50:00.000-05:00

winter song
the broken horse hair flies
with the music

Announcement

2012-01-16T15:53:00.000-05:00

There may be a poetic way of making this announcement, but I haven't found it. Our baby BOY will join our family on 7/25/2012. I am transitioning from morning sickness to ravenousness as I move into the second trimester. He appears healthy, and the genetic tests came back with low risk of defects. Your positive thoughts for us to have a healthy, full-term baby are appreciated!

quickening

2012-01-16T15:44:00.001-05:00

cirrus veil
the snow moon--
quickening

first light

2011-12-14T13:00:00.002-05:00

first light
another wave
of morning sickness

winter rain

2011-12-06T13:52:00.000-05:00

winter rain
the unnamed
no less loved

last leaf

2011-11-22T14:17:00.002-05:00

last leaf
the unspoken
goodbye

leaves layer the yard

2011-10-29T14:19:00.000-04:00

leaves layer the yard
my face a palimpsest
of all these autumns

autumn chill

2011-10-29T14:17:00.000-04:00

autumn chill

the fallen leaf's veins
tinged a deeper hue

a fallen leaf

2011-09-27T15:27:00.000-04:00

a fallen leaf
brushes the corner
of your grave stone

wedding at (in) Sope Creek

2011-08-23T21:47:00.000-04:00

stepping into the creek
a new name
a new life

another day

2011-06-17T11:22:00.000-04:00

another day
the stilled heartbeat
on the ultrasound

ordinary day

2011-06-07T03:41:00.001-04:00

ordinary day
until we saw
the heartbeat

heat shimmers

2011-06-05T21:23:00.000-04:00

heat shimmers
fighting the waves
of morning sickness

frog song

2011-05-24T07:23:00.000-04:00

frog song
so tired
I can't sleep

day lilies

2011-05-23T14:22:00.001-04:00

day lilies
the dormant spark of death
within me

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T10:31:00.002-04:00

the bridge
to life
Mother's Day

vernal equinox

2011-04-05T21:48:00.000-04:00

vernal equinox
my days and nights now measured
not in hours
but by our time together
and apart

midnight vigil

2011-04-05T21:45:00.000-04:00

midnight vigil
what lies after
all this longing?

Abide with Me

2011-03-19T10:02:00.001-04:00

Only traditional hymns and classical music played on classical instruments were performed in the rural Mormon church of my childhood. "Special musical numbers" that intersperse a sacrament meeting and give the congregation a break from singing may be sung by the ward choir, a family harmonizing a capella, or a nervous girl accompanied by the piano, a violin, or even a flute. Anything raucous or modern as percussion, guitars, and most music written after the 19th century is still forbidden, as is applause.

One winter Sabbath, old Brother Humphries sat in a chair in front of family-filled pews and slowly opened a battered violin case. He tightened and rosined the bow and bent an ordinary handsaw on his knee.

dusting of rosin
the saw's quivering
Abide with Me

daffodils

2011-03-11T13:50:00.002-05:00

despite
the foreclosure sign
daffodills

pear blossoms

2011-03-05T13:09:00.000-05:00

pear blossoms
the toddler's white mary jane
on the roadside

early spring

2011-02-14T10:58:00.002-05:00

early spring
our footprints intertwine
on the forest path

snowfall

2011-02-10T16:08:00.002-05:00

snowfall
listening for all the words
that went unsaid

freezing rain

2011-02-01T20:40:00.002-05:00

freezing rain
the words
I cannot take back

deep winter

2011-01-10T15:12:00.001-05:00

deep winter
igniting the match
with a lit candle

another year

2011-01-09T19:04:00.000-05:00

another year - frosting on my daughter's nose

at least

2010-12-11T08:22:00.002-05:00

at least
we look up at the same moon
this sweet longing

this love

2010-12-04T09:37:00.000-05:00

this love
the stars all shine
a little brighter

early winter

2010-12-01T16:33:00.001-05:00

early winter
the pond's edge
gives over to ice

cold rain

2010-12-01T13:18:00.000-05:00

cold rain
the persistent warmth
of your kiss

early winter

2010-11-27T08:18:00.000-05:00

early winter
only an empty nest
in the bare tree

Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving
a new seat
at the table

blue moon

2010-11-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

blue moon
the hope
of an afterlife

for Andy

maple

2010-11-11T14:10:00.002-05:00

maple in full flame
becoming at last
myself

last leaf

2010-11-09T08:16:00.002-05:00

last leaf
I too
am dying

falling back

2010-11-07T10:23:00.001-05:00

falling back
the fading light
caught in your hair

autumn wind

2010-11-05T06:52:00.002-04:00

autumn wind
knowing what you
will say next

Honorable Mention: Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

2010-11-02T09:25:00.000-04:00

cherry blossoms
leaving the hospital
alone

http://www.vcbf.ca/haiku/2010-winning-haiku

leaf after leaf falls

2010-10-20T21:43:00.000-04:00

leaf after leaf falls
the way your laugh
makes me laugh

chrysanthemum moon

2010-10-16T20:06:00.002-04:00

chrysanthemum moon
the way
you open me

autumn stillness

2010-10-14T06:38:00.000-04:00

autumn stillness
only the sound
of your heartbeat

no turning back

2010-10-11T20:32:00.002-04:00

wading deeper
into the Autumn creek
no turning back

equinox

2010-09-23T10:47:00.002-04:00

equinox
reminding my daughter
in my mother's voice

early autumn

2010-09-21T06:57:00.002-04:00

early autumn
crossing Sope Creek
your steadying hand

JapanFest TODAY!

2010-09-18T07:28:00.002-04:00

If you are attending JapanFest today, please be sure to stop by the haiku workshop at noon.

See you there!

JapanFest Saturday, 9/18, Gwinnett Center

2010-09-12T12:19:00.000-04:00

Pinecone, The North Georgia Haiku Society is presenting a haiku workshop at the 23rd annual JapanFest at 12:00 noon next Saturday at the Gwinnett Center in suburban Atlanta.

We will be presenting on modern English haiku, reciting a few favorites, and helping participants to try their hand.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

mackerel sky

2010-09-10T12:50:00.000-04:00

mackerel sky
first gold leaves spangle
the maple

RIP Peggy Lyles 1939 - 2010

2010-09-06T09:02:00.001-04:00

first cool morning
bluets
for her grave

My mentor and editor passed away on Friday.

Peggy's obituary

last color

2010-08-31T09:43:00.000-04:00

last color
drained from the sky
my eyes soften

blue moon

2010-08-29T18:56:00.000-04:00

blue moon
the day
I get over you

autumn breeze

2010-08-27T16:23:00.000-04:00

autumn breeze
the sussurus
of leaves

moonlight

2010-08-22T20:14:00.003-04:00

moonlight
your hand pressed against
the small of my back

summer haze

2010-08-17T05:12:00.002-04:00

summer haze
were you ever
the man I loved?

cricket song

2010-08-17T05:10:00.002-04:00

cricket song
my longing too
unanswered

late summer

2010-08-10T11:27:00.002-04:00

late summer
the gardener polishes
a bronze girl

thunder moon

2010-07-26T21:29:00.000-04:00

this old fight
knowing both our parts
thunder moon

from dusk to dawn

2010-07-24T16:41:00.001-04:00

from dusk to dawn
you and I
just like evening star
and morning star
one and the same

eclipse

2010-07-18T09:05:00.002-04:00

eclipse
the taste of goodbye
in your kiss

cloud watching

2010-06-28T10:02:00.000-04:00

cloud watching
the reunion
of Pangaea

mosquito

2010-06-26T17:43:00.002-04:00

mosquito
and I
blood brothers

hiking trail

2010-06-19T12:39:00.000-04:00

hiking trail
my shadow merges
with the oak's

trail's edge

2010-06-19T12:32:00.000-04:00

trail's edge
deceiving only ourselves
bunny and I

sego lilies

2010-06-14T16:38:00.000-04:00

sego lilies
the trail dissolves
into wildflowers

ceiling fan

2010-06-13T20:18:00.002-04:00

ceiling fan
the whir
of my thoughts

this common sabbath

2010-06-13T19:37:00.001-04:00

this common sabbath
spokes of sunlight splay
from a nimbus cloud

summer day

2010-06-12T15:34:00.000-04:00

summer day
clover bending
with the bee's weight

memorial day

2010-06-08T14:47:00.000-04:00

memorial day
a sea of small flags
bearing witness

afterward

2010-06-06T15:11:00.000-04:00

afterward
nothing between us
everything between us

lover's quarrel

2010-06-06T13:47:00.000-04:00

lover's quarrel
the tea kettle
silenced

summer heat

2010-06-04T15:36:00.003-04:00

summer heat
the air you no longer
displace

lingering dusk

2010-06-02T06:14:00.000-04:00

lingering dusk
the silence between us
says it all

stone's last skip

2010-05-31T14:34:00.000-04:00

stone's last skip
before sinking out of sight
wishing I had known
that farewell kiss
was really goodbye

magnolia buds

2010-05-30T15:15:00.002-04:00

magnolia buds
tell me, what breaks
your soul open?

wild horses

2010-05-29T12:04:00.005-04:00

wild horses
your twenty-year-old body
as if yesterday

été

2010-05-28T21:20:00.000-04:00

été
such beauty only French
can capture

spring cleaning

2010-05-26T12:43:00.001-04:00

yellowed envelope
holding your golden curls
spring cleaning

Special Olympics

2010-05-22T18:07:00.000-04:00

Special Olympics
athlete's smile
takes the gold

sickle moon

2010-05-18T22:02:00.002-04:00

sickle moon
metallic taste
of this papercut

tanka

2010-05-16T13:18:00.000-04:00

no words exist
to articulate my love
so let me
show you now
with this kiss

late spring

2010-05-15T16:52:00.000-04:00

late spring
height of unknown children
notched on this door frame

evensong

2010-05-13T20:26:00.000-04:00

evensong
sunset the pale orange
of mother's hair

mother's day

2010-05-10T15:51:00.000-04:00

mother's day
the neighbor's lilies
on my breakfast tray

spring wake

2010-05-04T20:15:00.002-04:00

spring wake
the sun
before its rise

untimely death

2010-04-30T06:49:00.006-04:00

untimely death
watching dust fall
through sun's rays

RIP Charles Wood 1932 - 2010

twilight

2010-04-29T08:37:00.001-04:00

twilight
portrait of a child
that will never age

another summer

2010-04-27T16:59:00.000-04:00

another summer
summoning the courage
to try again

swollen spring river

2010-04-25T19:20:00.000-04:00

swollen spring river
the line catches
first light

experimental haiku

2010-04-25T12:48:00.003-04:00

life death

blue iris

2010-04-24T12:59:00.004-04:00

I arrive at his hospital bedside to find him much closer in his harrowing and humiliating decline. Despite the pain that even morphine and dilaudid only dull, he welcomes a stream of visitors. His eyes fill with tears as I squeeze his hand and tell him I love him.

We always knew it would be lung cancer, yet we cannot believe when the diagnosis comes.

blue iris
the color of his eyes
fleeting as smoke

fire opal

2010-04-24T12:23:00.002-04:00

I am wearing the beautiful fire opal earrings and necklace he gave me. This gem could be mistaken for turquoise except for its brilliance. Yet I am conflicted about wearing jewelry given to me by a man who presented them with such affection and who no longer returns my calls.

I didn't want to hurt him by returning his gifts, though I am unsure whether it is right for me to continue adorning myself with his love tokens.

fire opal
the spark
snuffed

earth day

2010-04-22T21:10:00.001-04:00

a robin's beak
pierces its shell
earth day

Haiku Now! contest results

2010-04-18T13:14:00.002-04:00

I love the word "apercu," so I'm happy Jim used it in his analysis of my poem. http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/contest/haiku-now-contest-2010/

dandelion seeds

2010-04-11T18:35:00.002-04:00

dandelion seeds
of all my eggs
the three that took root

Curtis Dunlap's Three Questions

2010-04-11T08:39:00.001-04:00

I am today's featured poet at Blogging Along Tobacco Road!

veil of spring rain

2010-04-09T07:25:00.002-04:00

veil of spring rain
the anniversary
of my divorce

Snapshot Press Calendar 2011 Runner Up

2010-04-01T16:10:00.000-04:00

Slightly disappointed about being "just" a runner-up in the Snapshot Press calendar contest for 2011, but the haiku will appear in the calendar nonetheless. I hate when the results are alphabetical, because it looks like I'm waaaay down at the bottom of runner-up-hood.

the observer effect

2010-03-23T14:09:00.014-04:00

Behavioral scientists have proven that people act more ethically when they believe they are being watched. In one study, students gave to an honor system kitty for coffee twice as often when a set of eyes was illustrated on the sign requesting a contribution.

cherry blossoms
the monk primes
his alms bowl

Understanding how to direct human behavior by perceived observation pre-dates psychology, as the author of Hebrews 4:13 knew: And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render account. The all-seeing eye is represented in religions as diverse as ancient Egyptian polytheism, Buddhism, and Christianity. It even appears on US currency.

if there were a god...
entering my full income
on the tax form

Most of us prefer to imagine the less Orwellian eye of a shepherd watching over his sheep or our very own guardian angel.

clear skies
my faithless prayers rise
unfettered

In quantum physics, the term observer effect means the act of observing influences the phenomenon being observed. The eye of the beholder, and even its perspective, directly affects the process.

the instant
of transubstantiation
paschal eucharist

vernal equinox

2010-03-22T10:54:00.001-04:00

vernal equinox
as many questions
as answers