Scarred with rust

scarred with rust

this metal dustpan

after two floods—  

the things I replace

the things I don't

—Frameless Sky, issue 3, fall 2015

Stitches out!

stitches out!
at this Thai café
my rice
arrives on the plate
in the shape of a heart

—American Tanka, #26, Feb. 2016

On bare ground; I consider

Here's a repeat, my second twigs&stones post. It almost feels like a "signature" poem for me:

on bare ground 
I sprinkle small seeds
with abandon
as if growing wildflowers
requires a lack of care

—Notes from the Gean, June 2011; Take Five (vol. 4), 2012

And another repeat (though I decided to make a small edit here):

I consider
buying a lily
this week,
my deluded body
clinging to spring

—Simply Haiku, Autumn 2006

To all who celebrate the holiday,  H A P P Y  E A S T E R ! And  P E A C E  to all.

A small boy; superimposed

a small boy

staring out at a world

he doesn't know—

snug in his flannel robe,

shrouded in illness

superimposed

on a snowy mountain,

my unclothed self …

no pockets to carry

the answers I want

—both of these from A Hundred Gourds, 5:2, March 2016

P.S. The little boy is a teenager now and doing very well indeed—thriving!

An angel

an angel

sitting on a stump

of peeling pine ...

the rich-red heartwood

has turned to sawdust

—red lights ("featured tanka" section), vol. 12, no. 1, January 2016

A stepping stone

a stepping stone

etched with a dragonfly

and welcome ...

…..the earth, the heavens,
……….me somewhere in between

—Skylark, 3:2, Winter 2015

I believe I must have one foot firmly on the ground and the other somewhere in the clouds. 

Tanka Time 2016

Calling all tanka poets: Tanka Time, an annual challenge at Mandy's Pages, is currently taking place. The theme: rose. Entry fee: none.

An anthill

an anthill

covers a stepping stone—

I leave it,

as if all roadblocks

in time resolve themselves

—A Hundred Gourds, 4:4, September 15, 2015

An impaired hill under the holly