morning’s glory

 

draped across the garden fence
morning’s Glory
dressed in indigo and blue
and heart-shaped greens
a reminder to sip the day
and taste the moments
as they are given
and received
in the communion of life

first frost

a whoosh of heat
as the house clicks and rattles
the season’s first frost

Evensong

An evening on the dock

muggy air extracts
a chorus of cicadas
a whining of mosquitoes
a deluge from dark clouds
thunder growls
lightning dashes like fireflies
the tide moves in and out
as a matter of course

finding home

chopping onions
in the stream
of early morning
the house becomes

home
is where the heart is
learning to reside

violets

though straggly
soon they conquer all…
violets

~ Issa, 1822

I haven’t had time to write my own small stones lately.  You might think it doesn’t take much time to write up a small stone, but for me it does.  I find it challenging to be succinct.

I came across this Issa haiku after spending time with the violets in the woods and meadows.  It was too appropriate to pass up.  I’m hoping it will, when I find time again, lead me towards writing my own small stones (and/or haiku) once again.  It is a challenging, but enjoyable, exercise in mindfulness.

breakfast

Little birds — sparrows, juncos, chickadees — dance at the feeder, filling their bellies.  A red-tailed hawk hides in the trees at the back of the pond, waiting patiently as snow and wind whirl and howl.  I wonder if he is contemplating the animal tracks in the snow and on the ice, hoping to manifest breakfast.  Pema Chödrön said, “Give up all hope of fruition,” because hope robs us of the present moment.  The hawk abandons hope and swoops.  Breakfast has arrived.

New Year’s Day

Tiny white snowflakes fill the air
As the cold squeezes and squeezes
Moisture from the overhanging clouds
Bella is glad
She wore her winter coat

falling

snowflakes mingling
with raindrops
a fall transition

We had our first hint of winter yesterday.  It was mitten weather, cold and damp after a week with the remnants of Sandy swirling wind, gray clouds, and rain showers over the area.  The lake effect machine (Lake Erie in the north) was turned on, bringing rain at first.  Big, fat snowflakes joined in, reminding us that winter weather will soon take over.

stasis

a moment of stillness
in between breaths
before the thought arises
a delicate balance
between thought
and no-thought
a brief awakening
on dragonfly wings

Threshold

through the old doorway
summer creeps
on wisteria vines