Sunday, November 29, 2009

in her brown eyes,
I see twinkling lights and
pure joy reflected-
decorating
the evergreen...

Friday, November 27, 2009

Thursday, November 26, 2009

gathered together,
we give thanks and raise a toast
to family-
sweet tea
in paper cups

Monday, November 23, 2009

your shadow
meshes with mine-
bedtime stories


holding you
in the quiet hours-
pillow talk


into our bed
she crawls-three foot tall
alarm clock

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Exhale

Finding myself
at the end of a day
that felt like three-
water rushes into the tub
as thoughts rush out
of my crowded mind.

Steam rises and I carefully slip
into my own little pool
of tranquility-
enveloped in warmth,
breathing in and out,
the sweet aroma
of lavendar and serenity.

At once I am forced
to make a deliberate choice
not to notice
my chipped toenail polish
or the size of my hips,
perhaps a half inch closer
to the side of the tub
than this time last year…

"No," I say to myself-
to-do lists and little vanities
will be there tomorrow...
In this moment I decide
only to listen to these soft bubbles
bursting on my skin
and the exhale of a day’s end,
not a moment too soon.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

hooked on
his intoxicating charm-
crescent moon

Friday, November 20, 2009

Crooked

I posted this haibun a few days ago. I made some changes to it (Don't you love the process of writing? Some pieces are ever-evovling). Here is the new version. I just received word that it is going to be published in the Spring 2010 volume of Simply Haiku. I've very excited!

"I'm a crooked kind of perfect," she wrote in her journal when asked to describe herself. My students never cease to amaze me. What insight! What wisdom! Eleven years to her credit and she has already accomplished what took me almost three decades. There for the world to see is her brave declaration of self-acceptance, scribbled in number-two lead. I only wish I had learned to love my own beautiful imperfections at such a tender age. I print an 'A' in red ink at the top of the page, giving her so much less than she has given me.

knowing smile-
her braces
catch the light

Monday, November 16, 2009


autumn dreams of spring-
eagerly awaiting
the first rose bud

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Take Me...

Take me away
to some secret place
where moonlight
shines...
falls...
drips onto my skin,
like silver raindrops- sliding
to that part of my cheek
where your hand takes over...

Take me away
to some shadowy place
where darkness
whispers...
lures...
hides us from the world,
'til I can only feel-seeing
you, not with my eyes,
but with my fingertips...

Take me away
to some quiet place
where silence
lives...
breathes...
inspires us to listen
closer than ever before-hearing
the music we make
when all the noise is gone...

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

finding myself
alone with Otis Redding
and cheap red wine-
“These Arms of Mine”
hold your empty pillow

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

"I'm a crooked kind of perfect," she wrote in her journal when asked to describe herself. My students never cease to amaze me. What insight! What wisdom! Eleven years to her credit and she has already accomplished what took me almost three decades. There for all the world to see in number two lead lies her brave declaration of self-acceptance. I only wish I had learned to love my own beautiful imperfections at such a tender age. I scribble an 'A' in red ink at the top of the page, giving her so much less than she has given me. The teacher becomes the student once again.

caterpillar
finds her voice-
who needs wings?

Sunday, November 8, 2009

his grin says it all-
autumn morning spent speaking
our secret language
(in response to Paul's post on Paper Moon today...and of course, dedicated to my husband Derek)

Saturday, November 7, 2009

talking to myself-
a robin pecks away
at dead wood

Thursday, November 5, 2009

memories,
like ghosts in the closet,
remnants of our past-
a prom dress tucked away
in a dusty box
*************************************************
I blush
thinking about the promise
of tomorrow-
a new red dress
I haven't shown you yet...
***************************************************
(For my husband)

Monday, November 2, 2009

the distant moon
uncovered as clouds move
into November-
yesterday's mask
discarded