Backyard Haiku Week #2

My goal is to write one haiku per day this year, starting on the day before the inauguration. It is meant to be both inspiration and distraction. We’ll see how long it lasts.

The icicle melts -

A prism’s brilliant life

Cut short by the sun

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The foxes courted

In the gray dusk, not caring

That we could see them

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The cat abandons

Her obsession with birds to

Watch me cross the yard

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Sunny haikus feel

Indulgent when darkness looms

Just beyond the gate

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The mulch and wagon -

Unlike me - wait patiently

For sunshine and spring

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The wind rattles and

Shouts like it’s aiming to bring

Great oaks to their knees

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I love the feeling

Of the cold drafts receding

As the fire is lit

Backyard Haiku Week #1

My goal is to write one haiku per day this year, starting on the day before the inauguration. It is meant to be both inspiration and distraction. We’ll see how long it lasts.

Unable to choose

Between rain and snow, the sky

Darkens now, and waits

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Luminous, bright moon

Woke me early to show off

Shadows in new snow

###

Just for a moment,

Sunlight turns icy branches

into strands of gold

###

How do I explain

The pleasure of seeing small

Bird tracks in the snow?

###

Hard work for the birds

To wrestle seeds from dried cones

now covered in snow

###

A small bird calls us

To melt the snow for her bath.

Wait for the sun, dear wren!

The Cats

I am trying to find purpose and dignity in these challenging days when the world seems increasingly dangerous, and when old age begins to dig its fingers in. I worry. I feel sad. I reminisce. On the good days, I glory in the sunshine, the memories, and the luck that are still with me. In the dark, I count my regrets and fret about the obstacles to come. I wait for the proverbial shoe to drop in this country, in the world and in my body, too. The motion of trees, the smile of blue skies, and the warmth of good friendships are the things that get me by. And cats.

I did not expect that among the comforts I would treasure as my life slows down are the cats who lie on top of me in the early morning, and settle next to me in the evening light. They have become my touchstones, and daily they remind me of my great fortune in the little things (and big ones, too). They give me hope that love of the earth and of each other will survive the threats and follies we see coming down the road. They assure me that even as I grow more fragile and forgetful, my cats will still be here. We all need such small talismans of hope and companions in the dark.