C: Haiku of the Pacific Northwest

Haiku

moon's reflection
on white-capped sea
rising, falling.

northwesterly winds
on shallow hidden cove
anchor holds

kingfisher falls
upon lingering minnow
only ripples remain

reservation family
passing by a gift shop
only glancing in

old man sitting
bottle in his hand
staring at the ground

heron on tideflats
stares at stranded minnows
slowly steps forward

still green water
faded wooded boat
no sounds

island cliff
tangled madrone trees
campfire smoke

frayed bow lines
softly creaking dock
hands mending nets

Indian child
grins at passing gull
teeth missing

beacon of light
splitting the darkness
the sound of foghorns

darkening clouds
tempest through the trees
children dashing home

bowling winds
rain in the darkness
crackling firewood

along the freeway
amidst the trash and junk
a single rose

ragged man at counter
drinking tepid coffee
counting his change

rain pool on the roof
dripping to the porch
new pool forms

through the fog
and early morning mist
the sound of unseen geese

in the pond
a feather spinning slowly
Winters arrival

behind the rooftops
and telephone poles
the Harvest Moon

forgetting the flue
on the first fire of Autumn
I choke

once adorning the tree
Autumn leaves
now adorn the roof

seagull, seagull
why do you so loudly scold
your begging child

little minnow
do you not know the water ends
at the surface

sounding like rain
pine needles fall
upon Autumn leaves

penetrating the dark
the last ember of the campfire
a shooting star!

incoming tide
gently places on shore
driftwood

hawk circling above
a rabbit runs this way
then another

huddled in the field
growing winter coats
ponies

laughing child
hands reaching out
chocolate on her cheeks

young Indian couple
old and battered car
trailing blue smoke

Ceremonial masks
faces on the totem
forgotten meanings.

Spring in the islands
trees and scrubs
painted with the other's pollen

the sound of Spring
reflected in the echo
of northbound geese

beachwalking at night
as I near
otters stop their play

circling back
as if something was forgotten
geese in formation

morning's calm is broken
ducks loudly scatter
shadow of eagle passes

bird songs
echo through the woods
but none to be seen

minnows by the dock
scattered
by my shadow

face of nature
carved in the tangled driftwood
the spray of waves

tidepools by the shore
the pungent smell of seaweed
crabs scrambling

from atop the pine
drifts the last puff of down
a fledgling eagle

through the window
the cabins yellow light
warms the drifts of snow

eelgrass
in the crystal shallows
swaying

the cat on the dock
transformed into an otter
by my nearness

as if ready to sail
straining against its lines
the old sloop

the boat
becomes a cradle
the midnight winds

throwing grainy shadows
this way, then that
the gimbaled lantern

along the horizon
the sun and the tide
ebb

between light and dark
island silhouettes
fade

Winter bared
maple tree branches
like veins against the sky

open-mouthed ferry
consumes many cars
then disappears in fog

with a deafening blast
the ferry grows smaller
and smaller

raven, pigeon, gull
sharing a piece of driftwood
lessons can be learned

beside the creek
the last remnant of snow
grows smaller

yesterdays biting winds
now just whisper in the trees
a goodbye to winter

sweat on my face
aching in my back
one more cord to stack

A leaf falls
the wind is quiet
over the bay

swallows dive and loop
a boat moves slowly
through the harbor

the setting sun
now permits the moon
to shine its brightest

morning mist
the sound of sailors
casting off

the Stellers jay
I wish I could calm its fear
of me

moonlit night
the scent of wisteria
from the trellis

at dawn
gulls begin their search
for someone else's food

Spring squall passes
from boats along the dock
people reappear

as the sun sets
the shadow of the cedar
meets the waters edge

behind the silhouette of geese
the full moon

it neither allows
nor prevents the taking of a rose
this thorn

eyes following
each passer-by
the old dog