thirtyfirst stone

along the river
where the flowers gather
this dream
of the moment when winter
loosens its stranglehold

thirtieth stone

words spinning
out of control
out of season
winter, having nothing left to say
exits through an open window

twentyninth stone

in a chipped cup
the last of the cocoa
forgotten
but for the sweetness
upon my unkissed lips

twentyeighth stone

the moment
between dawn and sunrise
a gift
unfurled from the arms of Gaia
her song an offering to the heavens


Happy Birthday Pamela. Thank you for encouraging me to try tanka. :)

twentyseventh stone

rereading Night
safe from the storm
my mind twisted
in the hands of the madman
who thought he could slaughter souls

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. God bless all those who were lost and all those who survived.

twentysixth stone

after tonight's
thunder and rain
all we have left
is the difference between
loving and being in love

twentyfifth stone

the birthday
of this indigo child
celebrated
in all the colors of the sunrise
and the songs of all the birds

twentyfourth stone

here and there
the sky so full of stars
to wish upon
but the new moon drawing
only this winter surf closer

twentythird stone

sleeping through
the morning fog
and waking
with it still surrounding me
at the news of another family death

twentysecond stone

new moon
in deep slumber
I dream
somewhere saving this universe
are dragons like these

Happy Chinese New Year!

twentyfirst stone

winter winds
the day's snow
now black ice
my mind travels down
a mischievous road

twentieth stone

bare branches
against the blue sky
silently
I forget for a moment
the coldness of the world

nineteenth stone

slack tide
the answer
that never comes
his discomfort with dilemmas
hanging in the air

eighteenth stone

in the peace
of the morning
my dreams
refusing to acknowledge
the authority of the rising sun

seventeenth stone

I slept
through the worst of it
that nightmare
when asked now if I remember
I can honestly say I do not

sixteenth stone

sleep
its sometimes wicked
sense of humor
allows slumber through the sublime
yet conscious absurdity

fifteenth stone

a friend spoke
of the peace in poetry
today
my body and soul resting
within the lines of Dylan

fourteenth stone

my heart
in the hands of a stranger
beats today
as steady as the path
of the river to the sea

thirteenth stone

cocoa and kirsch
shielding us
from the cold
we speak between scrabble turns
about the loss of our mothers

twelfth stone

driving rain
and the whistle of the train
at 5 a.m.
I snuggle deeper into the comfort
of knowing I've nowhere to go