Tanka

 the prick of thorns

leaves a trickle of blood

the same red

from any color rose

from any bruised heart

Red Lights

Tanka

                                                     scraggly pines

                                                     uneven branches

                                                     against pink clouds

                                                          with advancing time

                                                          my changing perceptions

Ribbons

Tanka

pleasure boats

bob on the outgoing tide

silhouetted

against a wide red sky

the toys we have

in my advanced years

a found peace in simple things

the summer dusk

slips into night with an ease

I long to emulate

Country & Abroad

Modern English Tanka

Tanka

it was her month
this May of blossoms
and fragrances:
the softness of these days
was in her voice and smile

Ribbons, September 2007

50th wedding anniversary

TO HAVE and to HOLD

dedicated to JFS

first date-

he reaches across

to take my hand;

in an instant I know

he will hold it for life

the winter sun

through a window

warming my back;

the lazy comfort

of lunch for two

if I could turn back

I'd revise some stories

of my life,

yet, the part in which you come

would always be the same

youthful excitements

long ago put aside

for comforts of home;

my books, my music and wine

and you in my life

all these years

learning the ins and outs

of a marriage,

the last chapter not yet read,

not yet written

Red Lights, January 2011

Feast of Santa Lucia

it was her day
the Feast of Santa Lucia;
she, too, had a gift
of lighting up lives
by just being herself

in memory of Lucia on her
feast day, December 13

deer in the garden
unhurried in their walk
to the wooded ravine;
in this life I share
many paths with strangers

Red Lights, June 2010

Hector

In memory of Hector Combattente
April 17, 1989 - October 27, 1995

why am I still here?
the old man asks again;
for us, we answer,
to know that the world revolves
and that spring has come again

a wish to hurry
spring's arrival
a contradiction
I cannot explain
when I want to slow time

Modern English Tanka, July 2009

pear trees blooming
in all directions
one white petal
nestled in my hand
fragile as hope

Everyday Musings, July 2009

in ancient poems
the highs and lows of desire
and human nature;
my life a repetition
of well-told tales

Ribbons, winter 2010

leisurely breakfast-
we stifle the world
and its pain;
yet I watch again
what I cannot watch

Tanka

afternoon mending-
a breeze through the window
stirs a reverie;
what guiding spirit led me
to this comfort zone?
Simply Haiku, Feb. 2008


morning bird calls-
I rise with expectation
of your smile
together we plan a day
of no plans
Ribbons, Sept. 2005

TWO TANKA

a flock of crows
gathering in the meadow-
pecking...pecking;
their raucous caws
the voice of the valley

Moonset, Oct. 2008

this day's routine
so like that of yesterday
and the day before;
no change do I make
except to move more slowly

The Country and Abroad, Sept. 2007

ANNIVERSARY POEM
for Jan. 28, 2009, 48 years married

the first meeting
in a room filled with chatter
there is but one sound;
your voice alone reaches my ear
long after we say goodnight

World Haiku Review, Dec. 2004

In memory of Lucy Combattente, May 9, 1904 - Nov. 30, 1982

a lone old woman-
dried leaves swirling
around her feet;
she looks in my direction,
and you return from a long way

a bite in the wind-
her hand lifts to secure
her ruffled hair;
from somewhere in memory
you tell me to button up

snow by morning-
the old woman tightens her belt
and shudders;
I move to help her along,
but she's lost in the shadows

Ribbons, Winter 2007

TANKA FOR NOVEMBER


the lanquid nights gone-
chill winds, hinting of winter
chase away lovers;
bare branches let in the sky
and the earth turns brown

Anglo-Japanese Tanka Society Journal, Jan. 2005

November winds
rippling across my back-
your hand on mine;
the feel of each bony knuckle
warms me through

Presence, Sept. 2005
Ash Moon Anthology March 2008

autumn leaves
brightened with mist
like jewels;
mine to borrow
again this year

Ribbons, March 2008

WHITE PETALS

A few tanka


mid-afternoon
the sun still warm
so late in autumn
a gentle slowing down
nothing to do but give in
Modern English Tanka, Summer 2007

newly married-
a Friday night date
at the Laundromat
we hold hands
between cycles
Moonset, Nov. 2007


hydrangea bush-
one blue blossom
amidst the pink;
how strange it is
to be so alone
Red Lights, Jan. 2008




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