haiku

seagull dines on crab --ocean provides the soundtracktide cleans the table

mix tapehidden in the junk drawer --memories forgotten

the greatest treasure:the ability to be oneselfwithout judgment

ring on a keychainfalse symbol of a lovethat never was

in his heart and mindthe will to live is strong as ever --his body weakens

​lying motionlessin his hospital bed recallingthe day his breath changed

on the wallthe shadow of a person i thought i knewbut it's just me

contrails streak the skyinnocuous remindersto call some old friends

in the evening mistthe smell of stale cigarettesassaults the sunset

white houseon a white backdrop --home in Maine

transformed, surviving,stumbling along the coastline:oil-covered penguin

entering the waterbending the river's path:hippopotamus

listening to the night,he wonders, do bats hear traffic noiseor the wind through the trees?

gliding across the roomhair fallen, covering one eye --fascinating

while boy and dog scanthe sea for signs of fathercat stares down raven

Susan stands alonein a meadow filled with greenwhite and yellow

faltering, famishedcheetah slinks through the tall grassseeking subsistence

as waves crash the shoresky and sea spotlight the womanbare-legged in red and blue

extra hot salsaprovides an exclamation pointI didn't want

grey houselong departed owneruntended garden