Spring Haiku

 (C) R.L.K.

1.
As distant bells chime,
sunrise spreads its light upon
the narrow sidewalks.

2.
The slow drift of dusk;
the backyard trees have gathered
darkness in their limbs.

3.
Slowly, the full moon
rises in the night. Below,
the city is still.

Thoughts in January

 (C) R.L.K.

Morning in another year:
Shadows on the snow shifting
Moment to moment. Here and there
An oak branch rustles, its
Tatter of withered leaves still
Clinging, clinging, in a world
Of wind and weather, in a winter
Landscape reduced to fundamentals
Under a sky blue and cold as ice.

Scene: Autumn

(C) R.L.K.

Cue the music for a memory. An old front porch at dusk. A weathered suitcase beside an empty rocking chair. Someone saying goodbye. Misty rain falling, along with the yellow leaflets of the honey locust trees. Minutes passing... The suitcase is gone. The wind rocks the empty chair.

 

A Place Nearby

 (C) R.L.K.

High up, clouds open:
rain pours down into
the old pond. Grayness
everywhere: grass, trees,
green gone gray. Quick wind,
chilly wind. A small
willow sweeps an arc
through the evening air.

Wandering/Wondering

 (C) R.L.K.

Along the roadside, patches
of shadow from oak
and ash trees alternate with
splashes of morning sunlight.
So much has changed in
so many years, is there still
a place to call home?

Later, This

 (C) R.L.K.

Tonight the wind sweeps
down from the north and whistles
around the corners
of the buildings. Yesterday
gray clouds hung low; rain, mixed with
snow, fell and snarled 
the streets. Now, the sky is clear
and sprinkled with stars.

Autumnal

 (C) R.L.K.

Broken clouds cover
half the sky
late in the day, late
in my life;

upon the hillside
colors shift
in the shadow, shift
in the light

and the wind scatters
fallen leaves
late in the day, late
in my life.